#4
Not fond of "Pay to Snitch" programs. Corrosive to community. If you're going to report malfeasance, do so because it's right for the community, but don't do it for the bucks.
[Rudw] A local official of the Future Syria Party was killed in an attack by suspected Islamic State (ISIS) gunmen in the eastern Deir ez-Zor province, local media reported on Wednesday.
“The Youth Council of the Future Syria Party announced the martyrdom of Mohammed Hassan al-Samir, the co-chair of the Youth Council of the Future Syria Party in Deir ez-Zor, in an attack by ISIS mercenaries,” said Hawar News Agency (ANHA), affiliated to the Kurdish administration in northeast Syria (Rojava), citing a party statement.
The Future Syria Party was founded in 2018 in northeast Syria (Rojava). It said at the time that it wanted to bring together all ethnic groups and build good ties with neighbors of Rojava, including Turkey.
But a year later, its leader Hevrin Khalaf was assassinated by Ahrar al-Sharqiya, a Turkish-backed militia group sanctioned by the US Treasury and known for various human rights violations and assassinations against Kurds in the country.
ISIS controlled vast swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq in 2014 but was territorially defeated in both countries by 2019. Despite its collapse, the extremist group continues its hit-and-run attacks in areas with security vacuums.
The jihadists frequently attack positions of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the province, which borders Iraq and houses troops of the US-led anti-ISIS coalition.
Control of Deir ez-Zor province is split between the SDF and the Syrian regime, backed by Iran. It is also home to many of the country’s key oilfields, such as Omar and Conoco, which the global coalition helps the SDF to control.
[Rudaw] The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Tuesday announced that it captured seven villages previously held by Syrian regime forces in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor province, days after Russian forces reportedly withdrew from the area.
The SDF said in a statement by its military council in Deir ez-Zor that its forces became "responsible for safeguarding" the villages of Salhiya, Tabia, Hatla, Khesham, Marrat, Mazloum, and Husseiniya in the eastern countryside of the province, saying that the move was in light of recent situation in western Syria, and "serious threat related to the imminent movement" of Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS) cells to control land.
"The deployment of our forces to these villages is in response to the urgent pleas and appeals of the local populace, following the increasing potential risks that ISIS will exploit the events in the west of the country," the statement added.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britannia-based war monitor, reported that the SDF launched an attack on the villages on Tuesday, days after Russian forces left their bases in eastern Deir ez-Zor, which was under the control of Syrian regime and pro-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... proxies.
Syrian state media SANA reported on Tuesday that the army "repelled" an attack carried out by the SDF on villages in the Jazeera area in Deir ez-Zor's northern countryside.
This comes amid an escalation of violence in the west of the country, as a coalition of Syrian rebel groups spearheaded 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) and the Ottoman Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) launched a major offensive against the Syrian army over the past week. They took control of the northern city of Aleppo, the largest in the country, and advanced their offensive into Hama province.
After the recent escalations in Aleppo, the Syrian regime has focused its efforts on recapturing Aleppo, which they lost to the rebels for the first time since the start of the Syrian civil war over a decade ago.
[Rudaw] An unspecified number of suspected Islamic State (ISIS) members were killed on Monday in an Iraqi airstrike on their base in Salahaddin province, the army said, as Baghdad cracks down on jihadist cells.
“A terrorist shelter was monitored in Hawi al-Labwa within the Zarqa area in the Salahaddin Operations Command sector … and F-16 aircraft carried out an airstrike targeting this guesthouse completely destroying it,” the Iraqi army’s Joint Operations Command said in a statement.
The strike killed an unspecified number of suspected ISIS members inside the base, the statement added.
ISIS seized control of swathes of territory in northern and central Iraq in 2014. But their so-called caliphate was brought to an end in 2017 when Iraqi and Kurdish fighters, supported by a United States-led international coalition, clawed back territory.
Despite its territorial defeat, ISIS has continued to pose a security threat in Iraq through hit-and-run attacks, bombings, and abductions, particularly in the disputed territories that stretch across several provinces including Diyala, Salahaddin, Kirkuk, and Nineveh.
In its latest report on anti-ISIS operations, the Pentagon said that ISIS is a bigger threat in Syria than it is in Iraq.
In Iraq, “ISIS displayed limited capabilities, conducting the lowest number of attacks observed since the onset of the Sunni insurgency in Iraq in 2003. The group also showed no significant improvement in attack sophistication,” said the report from October 29.
On Friday, a similar Iraqi strike in Kirkuk killed five ISIS militants, in an area disputed between the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
[RedStatE] The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is now officially bipartisan. Representative Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) is joining the House of Representatives DOGE Caucus.
Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., announced on Tuesday that he would be joining the House of Representatives' DOGE Caucus, becoming the first Democrat in the now-bipartisan group.
He advocated for removing the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) from the purview of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), something floated by several Republican politicians months ago.
"Today I will join the Congressional DOGE Caucus, because I believe that streamlining government processes and reducing ineffective government spending should not be a partisan issue," Moskowitz said in a statement.
Now, there's a goal that seems impossible to oppose. Who could not think that streamlining government processes and reducing ineffective government spending is a good idea? Of course, many of Rep. Moskowitz's Democrat colleagues will oppose the DOGE efforts, as most of that party have never seen any government spending or expansion of the bureaucracy that they weren't in favor of.
One wonders if Rep. Moskowitz will be labeled a "Democrat in Name Only (DINO)." Is that a thing? It's not at all unlikely that 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... will label Moskowitz and any other Dems who join this effort as turncoats, of the same order as the two tame Republicans Nancy San Fran Nan Pelosi Congresswoman-for-Life from the San Francisco Bay Area, born into a family of professional politicians. On-again-off-again Speaker of the House. It's not her fault when they lose, but it's her accomplishment when they win. Noted for her heavily botoxed grimace and occasional senior... uhhh... moments... allowed on the J6 Committee.
There's a big difference. The J6 Committee was implemented to keep the Deep State in place. The DOGE is intended to hamstring it.
The DOGE Caucus, standing for Delivering Outstanding Government Efficiency, was launched by Reps. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, and Aaron Bean, R-Fla., soon after President-elect Donald Trump ...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and whatever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th and 47th President of the United States... announced a DOGE advisory panel to be led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.
"I’ve been clear that there are ways we can reorganize our government to make it work better for the American people. Specifically, the Department of Homeland Security, while very necessary, has gotten too big," Moskowitz said.
The Department of Homeland Security, we might note, has only been in existence since 2003. We got along without it before then. Why not eliminate it altogether and rotate the functions initially folded into the DHS back to where they were? That seems like something one might place in the category of "a good start."
For the moment, this idea seems to be building up a head of steam. Americans in general, at least those who are not in the notorious Squad or who are Squad-adjacent, think that Washington City could stand to have a little — or a lot — of fat trimmed away. Some of us would like to see a lot more than that. Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are talking about swinging a broad axe, and may well propose eliminating entire agencies.
[HotAir] ActBlue is the Democratic Party's main fundraising arm, and it is a cesspool of fraud and corruption.
It's not like this is a particular secret. It is common knowledge in political circles that the organization facilitates "smurfing," which is a method of laundering illegal campaign contributions through straw donors. It is a way to break up enormous political contributions that exceed campaign contribution limits into smaller donations that evade scrutiny.
Over the years the organization has gotten ever more blatant, laundering contributions through the identities of real people by making contributions in their names without their knowledge. By now the amount of money involved is likely in the billions in fraudulent poitical donations.
Independent journalists have been tracking down individuals whose identities have been used to launder big contributions, stunning some "donors" with the massive contributions they were supposed to have made. These are generally 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... who have indeed contributed small amounts. Once ActBlue has their donor information, larger sums are washed through their accounts to enable illegal campaign contributions.
Several Attorneys General from Republican states have opened up investigations, and now Mark Block, a Republican who discovered that his identity was used to launder campaign contributions to Kamala Harris once a marijuana-busting Caliphornia DA , is suing ActBlue in Wisconsin. ActBlue was fighting discovery, and a judge just knocked them down.
For the first time, a Wisconsin court has approved a subpoena to the massive Democrat fund-raising platform ActBlue, saying it owes an explanation to a Republican whose email identity was used to make liberal donations he did not authorize.
"Something is not right," Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Brad D. Schimel declared as he approved a limited demand for documents and opened a new front into a widening fund-raising probe begun earlier this year by Congress and 19 attorneys general.
Schimel rejected ActBlue’s arguments that it was onerous to require it to comply a subpoena for third-party donations it processed on its platform. The judge permitted GOP consultant Mark Block and his lawyers from America First Policy Institute to conduct discovery to determine if fraud was involved in the use of his identity to make dozens of Democrat donations on his old email address.
"I get the argument that this is an assumption on plaintiff's part that the donations are fraudulent," the judge stated in a hearing Nov. 21. "There may be an element of fraud or maybe it is innocent. Plaintiff has set forth enough in their complaint and in support of their subpoena to demonstrate that there may be something here."
ActBlue is and always has been a money laundering operation, and once the investigations into its practices really get going we will see exactly how billions of dollars have gotten laundered into the coffers of Democratic Party campaigns.
Everybody has been stunned at the scale of Kamala Harris' spending and how outrageously inefficient the campaign was, but too few people have focused on how ridiculous it is to believe that Harris legally raised $1.4 billion in so little time. It boggles the mind, and more importantly, raises questions.
James Carville suggested an audit of the Harris campaign to figure out who exactly benefited, and in that I wholly agree. But the audit shouldn't be just of the spending, but of the money raised. Where, exactly, did it really come from? Were all the people who supposedly donated the real donors?
Ron Johnson, earlier this year, revealed how uninterested the FBI and federal government were interested in pursuing the smurfing issue, even if foreign actors are involved. They seem just fine with campaign finance fraud, at least considering who benefits.
This is not an idle concern. In fact, ActBlue uses a method of processing credit cards that explicitly allows for fraudulent contributions--not collecting CVV numbers (the security numbers on the back of the card). This allows a card to be dissociated from a person.
Processing cards this way is more expensive but allows for the anonymity of the card owner. A donor can use a gift card with no attached name and then input the name of anybody as the donor. That's how Mark Block wound up being an unwitting "donor" to Kamala Harris.
This practice goes back more than a decade, and everybody knows it. As with so much other political corruption, now is the time to shut it down and prosecute the fraudsters.
[Townhall] The prosecutor going after Dr. Eithan Haim, a transgender medicine whistleblower, has been recused from the case after information showed a major conflict of interest surrounding her family’s involvement in the hospital system at the center of the case. .
To recap, in 2022, Texas Children’s Hospital was exposed for pushing "transgender medicine" on children, which encompasses puberty blockers, hormone treatments, and sex reassignment surgeries. Predictably, backlash ensued.
Following the backlash, executives at Texas Children’s claimed that the gender clinic would be shut down. However,
those who apply themselves too closely to little things often become incapable of great things... with the help of a whistleblower, City Journal revealed that several doctors at the center continued to secretly provide this care.
A surgeon, Eithan Haim, bravely contacted the outlet to share that the hospital had lied about terminating the children’s transgender medicine program. These services, he claimed, including irreversible surgeries, were being offered to kids as young as 11, as Townhall covered.
In June 2023, Haim was scheduled to graduate from Texas Children’s residency program. That’s when federal agents appeared at his front door and informed him that they had identified him as the leaker in the story about transgender medicine for kids at the hospital. Afterwards, Assistant U.S. Attorney Tina Ansari began threatening Haim with prosecution.
According to Fox News, Ansari, assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Texas, has ties to Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH) and Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) (via Fox News):
In a Nov. 13, 2024 letter, Haim's lawyers notified the DOJ about what they believed to be an undisclosed conflict of interest that "Ms. Ansari’s close family members have substantial financial and political ties to third parties in this case, Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH) and Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), who may constitute victims and witnesses" in the criminal prosecution of Dr. Haim.
Ansari's family owns the Houston-based company Fresh Brew, which provides commercial coffee and vending contracts to hospitals, restaurants, airlines and hotels, including American Airlines, Aramark, MD Anderson, Memorial Herman and Harris Health, which contracts with BCM and TCH. The Texas Secretary of State lists Ansari as a former executive, but it is now managed by "MTDA Investments, Inc." and it is "likely" that Ansari "retains some financial interest in the company," Haim's lawyers alleged in their letter to the DOJ. Ansari's brother, Al Ansari, currently serves as president and CEO of Fresh Brew.
Haim's counsel reminded the DOJ that the Supreme Court has established that "federal prosecutors are prohibited from representing the Government in any matter in which they, their family, or their business associates have any interest," according to a copy of the letter reviewed by Fox News Digital.
Reportedly, on Nov. 20, the DOJ filed under seal a motion to withdraw Ansari as counsel from the case.
On that same day, the DOJ filed a motion for a gag order that did not include Ansari's signature, as well as a second superseding indictment in which she is no longer listed as counsel.
The next day, Nov. 21, the federal district court granted the DOJ’s motion to withdraw counsel.
In a comment to Fox News, Haim said that he believes Ansari abused her authority to exploit his vulnerability as a young surgeon, and added that now she has withdrawn from the case, perhaps she and her "sycophantic goons finally realize they went knocking on the wrong door."
"After over a year of Ms. Ansari’s troubling behavior, including prosecuting Dr. Haim without a law license, it was finally a bridge too far when it was revealed that she failed to disclose that her close family members have substantial financial and political ties to the hospitals involved in this case," Marcella Burke, attorney for Eithan Haim, told Fox News Digital. "The Department of Justice owes the public and our client an explanation for why Ms. Ansari was terminated from the case, the troubling conduct of this investigation and prosecution, and the ongoing weaponization of the federal government against Dr. Haim."
[PJMedia] In an exclusive report this week, Rooters revealed secret talks between the U.S. and the United Arab Emirates aimed at lifting sanctions on Syria if President Bashir al-Assad "peels himself away from Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... and cuts off weapons routes to 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... 's Hezbollah."
This was even before Syrian rebels burst out of their concave in the country's northwest over the weekend, taking Assad's citadel in Aleppo and threatening Hama. Those events might have given the talks some added urgency.
According to Rooters' sources, renewed fighting in the Syrian Civil War "is a signal of precisely the sort of weakness in Assad's alliance with Iran that the Emirati and U.S. initiative aims to exploit. But if Assad embraces Iranian help for a counter-offensive, that could also complicate efforts to drive a wedge between them."
Assad might well be thinking of Tehran, "What have you done for me lately?" The best that Iran's Mullahs' regime could muster in his defense was a few columns of Iraqi Shi'ite militia — many of whom were quickly dispatched to Paradise (courtesy of the U.S. Air Force) long before they got anywhere close to the battlefield.
First and foremost, Assad is a survivor. His means of survival following the eruption of civil war in 2011 was aid from Iran and Russia. In exchange, the parts of Syria still controlled by the Assad regime in Damascus became a virtual vassal state of the other two powers. Syria became Russia's forward operating base in the Mediterranean and Iran's staging area (among other things) for supporting Hezbollah in Lebanon.
It was the smart play; Iran and Russia were the "strong horses," and, besides, the Americans were too tied to the hated Israelis. But those two are looking less like the region's strong horses. President-elect Trump will certainly restore sanctions on Iran, and the whole country sits exposed to the Israeli Air Force after they took out Iran's air defenses in October. The Russian military is almost entirely tied down in Ukraine, and their assistance to Assad has been limited to a few Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s. Large amounts of effective aid are likely not forthcoming.
Assad might be smart to take the U.S.-UAE offer to sideline Iran. Of course, the Biden administration has never really understood the concept of second-order effects. Bolstering Assad would weaken Iran but also bolster Russia. As always, in the Middle East, it's complicated.
Or maybe it's too late.
There are rumors — still unconfirmed — that "Unlike Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Assad passed on the ammo and 'took the ride' with his family" all the way to Moscow.
But even if Assad is still in Damascus (which I believe), a genuine threat to his regime might not be welcomed in Jerusalem despite the two governments' longstanding disagreements. Not to mention, the occasional war. Syria, in a constant state of civil war, is bad enough. But as a failed state, the whole country would turn into a playground for the region's worst players, including ISIS, which has never quite gone away.
Assad is a predictable (and weak) enemy that Israel knows. The unknown would likely prove worse and could provide impetus for Assad and Netanyahu to cooperate, at least on a limited basis, until the moment of maximum danger has passed.
Ousting Iran from Syria would be a diplomatic coup for the outgoing Biden administration and one I believe they're unlikely to pull off. But if the U.S.-UAE talks can at least be kept on the back burner for another seven weeks or so, maybe it's something President Trump could accomplish — with or without lifting sanctions on the Assad regime.
#2
Ultimately, it doesn't matter as the western half pf Syria (west of the Euphrates River anyway) will become part of Israel according to the book of Daniel.
[Meduza] Ukrainian troops occupying part of Russia’s Kursk region have been ordered “to hold the maximum territory until Trump’s inauguration and the start of negotiations,” soldiers in the field told BBC News. “In order to exchange it for something later. No one knows what,” one soldier told the British news outlet.
Soldiers told the BBC that Western allies’ recent decision to allow Kyiv to fire Western-supplied longer-range missiles at targets inside Russia “doesn’t seem to have done much to lift spirits.” The BBC’s sources in Kursk also said they’ve yet to encounter any North Korean soldiers, despite Kyiv’s claims that as many as 10,000 North Korean troops have been sent to reinforce Russia’s counteroffensive in Kursk.
Volodymyr Zelensky said last month that Vladimir Putin hopes to drive out Ukrainian occupation forces by January 20 “to demonstrate that he has the situation under control.” Ukraine launched its surprise incursion into Kursk in August 2024, capturing nearly 1,400 square kilometers (540 square miles) at the offensive’s peak. Russia has since retaken an estimated 40 percent of this territory.
The link point out that this article was sourced from the BBC and has a link to it. It’s always good to know where the information comes from.
Posted by: mossomo ||
12/05/2024
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Top|| File under: Tin Hat Dictators, Presidents for Life, & Kleptocrats
[MSN - WSJ] The surprising advance by opposition forces in Syria’s civil war poses a conundrum for Israel and the West: Victory by either side presents risks.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is allied with Israel’s enemy, Iran. The resurgence of the war threatens to invigorate that relationship, undermining Israel’s effort to weaken Iran’s web of allied countries and militias throughout the region.
The rebel group now challenging Assad’s rule, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, is a U.S.-designated terrorist organization that Israel sees as dangerous to its interests.
“The best option for Israel now is a mutual weakening of those forces, not a decisive victory of any of them,” said Harel Chorev, a senior researcher at Tel Aviv University.
Rebel forces from HTS are holding Aleppo after a lightning offensive to reclaim Syria’s second city late last month, a move that exploited the distraction among Assad’s allies—Iran, Russia and Hezbollah—while they engage in other conflicts.
In recent years, Israel has preferred “the devil we know” in Assad, over instability and insecurity created by the Islamist rebel groups, said Eyal Zisser, who follows Syria at Tel Aviv University.
Indeed, before the rebel offensive, Israel had nurtured hopes that Assad could be lured away from Iran through funding and closer ties to more Western-friendly Gulf states, according to Israeli and Arab officials. The Arab league had readmitted Syria after expelling it from the group for its alliance with Iran and Hezbollah. Assad’s forces were lukewarm in support for Hezbollah in its war with Israel, permitting weapons transfers but not committing troops.
With Assad’s regime now facing its greatest challenge in years, Israel worries that those gains are at risk. The rapid rebel advance has also created fresh instability and threatens to upend the regional order. Also, U.S. officials fear that America, which has roughly 900 troops in eastern Syria, might get dragged deeper into the conflict.
For over a decade, Syria has been a crucible for a great-power contest that has drawn in an array of state actors. On Assad’s side, Iran and Russia, along with Hezbollah, have propped up the regime with weapons and fighters. Turkey supports some Syrian opposition groups, as part of its own fight against Kurdish separatists. The U.S. partners with Kurdish-led militias in Syria’s northeast in a campaign against Islamic State extremists.
Israel took a back seat at the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, but as Iran’s presence in that conflict deepened, and the war drew in Hezbollah, that stance changed. By 2014, Israel had begun what it termed “the war between the wars” in Syria, mostly focused on disrupting the flow of arms and other illicit supplies to its enemy Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Since fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon intensified in recent months, Israel has stepped up the pace of its strikes in Syria, including an audacious special forces raid to destroy an alleged Iranian missile factory producing weapons for Hezbollah.
“We’re constantly monitoring what is happening in Syria,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday after rebels swept into Aleppo.
In recent years, Assad had attempted to mend ties with Arab states that opposed his alliance with Iran and Hezbollah. The Arab League voted in 2023 to normalize ties with Syria and reinstate it as a member. The decision was contingent on Syria engaging with Arab states to find a political solution to the civil war, something it hasn’t so far done in any meaningful way.
There were signs, too, that the Syrian regime was reluctant to throw its forces behind Hezbollah in its war with Israel in the past year. Assad didn’t send the group military aid or troops, and his forces refrained from retaliating for the killing of Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah. But the Syrian leader did allow the flow of Iranian weapons to Hezbollah to continue through his country’s borders.
Israel in the past funded the Free Syrian Army opposition forces as they took territory close to its border. It also offered medical treatment in its hospitals to injured fighters from the Nusra Front, an Islamist rebel group that was the precursor to HTS.
But that rebel group’s blend of nationalism and Islamism, which echoes the ideology of Afghanistan’s Taliban and Palestinian Hamas, is regarded by Israel as a dangerous threat, particularly were it to come to power in neighboring Syria.
The fighting in Syria also risks Israel’s cease-fire in Lebanon, which is already strained by exchanges of fire between Israel and Hezbollah. Israel’s military has significantly degraded Hezbollah’s leadership and military capabilities in the past months of intensive fighting, but hasn’t uprooted the group. Israeli strikes to prevent Hezbollah rearming risk straying into cease-fire violations.
Netanyahu said that Israel would act to prevent Hezbollah rearmament through Syria’s territory. “We are committed to defending the critical interests of the State of Israel, and also to preserving the war’s achievements,” Netanyahu said Sunday.
Israel’s military launched an airstrike on Damascus on Tuesday, saying it was targeting Hezbollah’s representative to the Syrian military.
#1
Local and national reporting after an hour show no significant impact as of 11:52 PST. Epicenter off Eureka CA and local video feed shows nothing extraordinary .
#5
Honestly be better off getting an arcade surplus copy of Steel Talons.
Back In The Day...there was a Marine Recruitment Station near an arcade which had this 'game'. When school got out, a recruiter would be there playing this 'game' on 'simulation' and would Barishnikov his helicopter around the arena. Always drew a crowd. I'd get in after the demonstration and try, and this was when a $1 play was expensive, especially when the first sessions would last 5 minutes doing the Besoeker link.
Whether I was above the curve or not, got good, and started passing arenas. Got noticed, asked me in for an interview, loved my ASVAB score, and recruited harder than the Navy Nuke Sub People.
Israeli Officials have reportedly told the U.S. and Regional Allies, that they will launch a Ground Operation into Southwestern Syria to establish a “Buffer Zone” if Rebel Forces manage to Capture the City of Homs.
#1
only took 6 days for rebel alliance to advance from Aleppo to Hama (about 100 miles)
I found that astounding
it is another 70 or so miles to Homs
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
12/05/2024 15:51
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#2
All reliables were manually disabled in Lebanon pager attacks and Iran's lack of AA support?
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/05/2024 18:38
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#3
Seeing reports that there was a dedicated electronic warfare component, especially concerning communications, from team Not-Assad, as well as sophisticated drone coordination.
Heavy traffic jams are reported in Homs as thousands, primarily Alawites and regime supporters, evacuate their homes and head toward the Syrian coast. pic.twitter.com/DYNdbmEnxH
Having worked on #Syria full-time since the crisis began nearly 14yrs ago, there really is no understating how remarkable the losses imposed on #Assad's regime have been over the past week.
WOW: The President of Turkey calls for the end of Western Civilization: “Western civilization will collapse, our divine and humane civilization will flourish.”
They took an excellent shot at it and nearly got there. But things weren't the same for the Turks after their defeat at the gates of Vienna in 1682. And Erdogan isn't exactly Süleyman the Magnificent.
#8
When Erdogan goes on a trip, he's
Like, way out there, man! Will the hippies
Who drooled over Gandhi
All give him a hand?
"Tee hee hee... Western Civ!"
Filthy Yippies.
1. A curious Ukrainian drone that crashed in September, 2024 was widely reported in russian media. Although various folks claimed this wreckage showed the remains of a jet engine, things did not look right. pic.twitter.com/9zJeHNzhcJ
If you exclude security guards & maintenance personnel, the number of government workers who show up in person and do 40 hours of work a week is closer to 1%!
[JTN] Scumbags all
The committee’s investigation uncovered evidence that the Capitol Police went to extraordinary lengths to promote Byrd and provide him financial support not received by other officers on duty on Jan. 6.
House Democrats pressured U.S. Capitol Police to provide special financial assistance and even a promotion to the officer who fatally shot unarmed protester Ashli Babbitt during the Jan. 6 riot, resulting in tens of thousands of dollars in taxpayer and charitable assistance not provided to other officers, according to internal emails reviewed by Just the News.
"He is very upset about how he is being treated. He wants us to figure this out and now," a top congressional aide to then-House Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, wrote to Capitol Police in November 2021 pressing for more assistance to Lt. Michael Byrd after he killed Babbitt.
File
2021.11.18 - Chairman was speaking with.pdf
The records show that pressure also came from then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's staff and from then-Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, causing Capitol Police to find any solution they could to make Byrd and Democrats happy. Despite the extraordinary assistance, Byrd expressed dissatisfaction and continued to insist he deserved more, to the chagrin of Capitol Police officials, according to records assembled by Congress.
"We play the game as you request and then once we’re in compliance You guys change the rules on us," Byrd wrote to U.S. Capitol Police General Counsel Thomas DiBiase in November 2021 after being informed he wouldn't be able to immediately access charitable funds from a memorial fund for fallen or wounded officers.
File
2021.11.16 - Re Memorial Fund (play the game).pdf
The department's chief later told Byrd he would not be offered any further assistance from the memorial fund, but Capitol Police instead helped set up a GoFundMe that landed Byrd more than $160,000 in extra funds. Rep. Eric Swalwell, D- Calif., was one of the many progressives who donated to and promoted the fundraising.
The revelations were uncovered during probe by Chairman Barry Loudermilk’s House Administration Oversight Subcommittee into the U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) and follow findings that Byrd has a significant disciplinary record that resulted in six referrals to the USCP’s Office of Professional Responsibility.
At least one of these incidents resulted in a referral to a prosecutor and others ended with temporary suspensions, Just the News reported earlier this month.
"In addition to USCP’s decision to promote Byrd despite his disciplinary history, I also have concerns about the decisions USCP made with respect to Byrd after January 6, 2021," Loudermilk wrote in a letter to current USCP Chief Thomas Manger, previously published by Just the News.
Loudermilk told the "Just the News, No Noise" TV show that it is understandable that House Democratic leadership would want to ensure that Byrd was well taken care of considering he did end up unfortunately taking a life, but that their calls for assistance for the then-lieutenant went above and beyond other officers.
"[They] went to extremes, to where they gave bonuses to officers who are on the front line of the battle, that was a few thousand dollars—Byrd gets one of $37,000 okay, it's not equally played," Loudermilk said.
"I think people should really be considering the earlier question, which is whether he should have been on the force," the chairman said referring to the now-captain’s lengthy disciplinary record.
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/05/2024
11:45 ||
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Er-Rastan’s terrain offers defensive advantages, with the Orontes River and a reservoir protecting its flanks.
However, Assad army’s failure to secure Hama’s flanks led to its loss, raising doubts about its ability to hold Er-Rastan.
If Syrian forces capture Homs, they gain routes to Damascus and the coastal regions, threatening key Russian bases in Tartus and Hmeimim, potentially forcing their evacuation.
[X] No White House, her career up in smoke at best, and his dirty laundry revealed to the world, which isn’t going to help his legal and professorial careers. Also, there’s that whole sucking up to the Jew-haters thingy. Good political spouse support only goes so far.
Awww. Sad about the Emhoff divorce. I wonder who he was putting the lumber to? pic.twitter.com/4oLfNMdDvN
Update at 3:00 p.m. ET: A quick search of the internet reveals no serious articles on the subject, including nothing at all on Rantingly, Bongino, and Instapundit. So it could be true, but there’s no evidence yet.
… that Joni Ernst had a "sexual affair" with a soldier under her command during her deployment from 2003 to 2004.
Gail Ernst stated in his affidavit that he caught her secretly emailing the soldier and that she admitted to the affair, apologizing and begging him not to say anything.
[Foxnews] Dolton 'supermayor' Tiffany Henyard is running for re-election
Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard will be losing some of her political power after a historic caucus Tuesday night.
The Illinois "super mayor" lost the Democratic nomination for Thornton Township supervisor, a position Henyard currently holds. Henyard’s name was not even on the ballot because she did not have a certified assessor on her ticket. All nominees are required to have eight people on their slate: supervisor, highway director, clerk, assessor, and four trustees.
Instead, Illinois state senator and Thornton Township Democratic committeeman Napoleon Harris overwhelmingly won the nomination. The caucus and its results enraged Henyard later that night.
Tiffany Henyard collage
"You didn't run none of this the right way," Henyard was heard saying after the caucus. "Illegal, Napoleon."
As committeeman, Harris made the decision to move from a primary to a caucus, the first caucus Thornton Township’s Democratic Party has had in decades. The party also announced that night that supervisor nominees cannot run for other positions.
Harris denied the process was unfair and insisted voters had their say.
"People in Thornton Township may be new to caucuses because they haven't had them in a while, but this has been the tradition for many other townships around the state," Harris said.
Henyard can still be on the ballot in April for Thornton Township supervisor as a write-in or independent candidate, but so far, she has not shown any indication of running that way. However, after losing the nomination, Henyard was heard shouting that she would be suing everyone involved in the process.
Fox News Digital reached out to Mayor Henyard’s office for comment.
Henyard is currently running for re-election as Dolton mayor as she faces several ongoing scandals for allegedly embezzling funds and politically targeting her opponents. Her office also faced an investigation by former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
Lightfoot’s investigation into the Village of Dolton’s financial situation revealed in a preliminary report that Dolton's general fund balance was $5.61 million in 2022, but by May 2024 the balance had dropped to a deficit of $3.65 million.
Lightfoot also disclosed that Henyard used the village credit card to make purchases at Amazon, Target, Walgreens, Wayfair and other retailers. One jaw-dropping statement revealed that the embattled mayor had dropped $33,000 on Jan. 5, 2023, on Amazon.
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/05/2024
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Senior Aides to President Biden, led by White House Counsel Ed Siskel and Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, are reportedly discussing the possibility of issuing preemptive Pardons to protect a range of Public Officials, including both current and former Officeholders. Potential… pic.twitter.com/FXvccByXkR
Posted by: 3dc ||
12/05/2024
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#1
Of course they are. Scumbags.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
12/05/2024 4:44
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#2
Should a president, clearly involved in criminal activities and Constitutional violations, be allowed or able to pardon those involved with him in doing said crimes?
Example Given. Say "what if"
a President told the _ _ _ director and or _ _ Police Chief to drop the Seth Rich Murder investigation? An those involved in the investigation, knew the order came from the top and did not arrest the murder suspect.
Should the President be allowed to pardon those involved in the political cover-up and the suspected murderer, including himself?
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Leonid Tsukanov
[REGNUM] The situation in Syria remains tense – since the start of the militants’ offensive, significant territories in the north and northwest of the country have come under the control of the radical group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham* (HTS*). The initiative is still predominantly on the side of President Assad’s enemies, but discord has already begun to emerge in their ranks.
In addition to the Aleppo province, most of which has already fallen under the control of radicals, they are increasing their offensive in other regions of the country, for example, in the Hama province.
However, despite the ongoing pressure, there is no internal unity in the radical camp: opponents of HTS leader Abu Muhammad al-Julani are unhappy that he is trying to appropriate other people’s successes and solve personal problems with other people’s hands.
TERRORIST SELF-PROMOTION
As soon as the first shots were fired in the province of Aleppo, HTS* propagandists launched a large-scale campaign to glorify their leader. He allegedly coordinated the offensive of his supporters in different parts of the front, personally received reports from the field commanders storming Aleppo, and finally arrived in the captured city himself.
Moreover, he allegedly came up with the idea of turning the “limited raid” against Syrian troops into a strategic operation.
Al-Julani himself also got involved in the work on his image, giving a series of interviews to Western media, including American ones. At the same time, there is still a reward for his head in the US.
The head of HTS emphasizes in every way the commonality of his interests with Washington, the absence of plans to build a “radical caliphate” in the occupied territories, and the intention to “fight for the democratization” of Syria.
Who here is naive enough to believe a word of that nonsense — raise your hand! Nobody? Not even one? Very good.
Moreover, in one interview he even hinted at his supporters’ commitment to the “Geneva principles” of warfare, which does not fit well with the established image of his organization.
Oh my goodness, that’s funny!
The desire of the HTS* leadership to please the Western audience is understandable. In the years since his rise in Idlib, al-Julani has managed not only to turn most of his colleagues in the “radical underground” against him (from powerful groups like ISIS* and Al-Qaeda* to small gangs), but also to fall out with foreign sponsors.
Relations have cooled, in particular, with Turkey, the key shadow sponsor of the “Idlib liberation.”
"FIGHT AGAINST LOOTING" IN IDLIB STYLE
Al-Julani was considered an “extremely toxic asset” by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s inner circle, and Ankara’s discontent grew when al-Julani’s associates attempted to operate behind the Turks’ backs and turned their guns on numerous proxies for Turkish interests in the enclave.
To be fair, the Ottoman proxies in Syria are pretty awful. Vile, even.
And although a final break between the Turkish secret services and HTS* has apparently not occurred, Ankara is looking for a way to contain the ambitions of its problematic ally.
Lie down with dogs…
It is not surprising that with the beginning of the offensive in Aleppo, disagreements between Hayat Tahrir al-Sham* militants and their "brothers in arms" from the pro-Turkish militant factions, primarily the "Syrian National Army" (SNA), have intensified. The militants disarmed and arrested several fighters from the "As-Sultan Murad Division"
…a unit of Syrian Turkmen that dates back to the beginning of the Syrian Civil War and is heavily funded by Turkey…
(part of the SNA) in Aleppo, and also occupied their deployment point and took all the trophies.
It is noteworthy that a couple of days before this, several clashes allegedly took place between SNA and HTS* militants during the division of trophies captured during a raid on the Kweiris airbase, east of Aleppo.
The terrorist leadership tried to hush up the incident, citing the actions of their people as “fighting looting,” but the statement had the opposite effect, especially in the context of the fact that the repressions initiated by al-Julani in Idlib at one time also took place under the slogan of fighting looting and corruption.
Situational tensions also arose with the command of another pro-Turkish group, the Suleyman Shah Division.
Also spelt Suleiman Shah Brigade, they’re known for kidnapping, expelling Kurds, and extortion. They split off from the Sultan Murad lot.
The Division's fighters joined the operation from the first days, attempting to open a "second front" in the northwestern direction, but were quickly stopped by precise air strikes on the concentration areas.
The radicals themselves are convinced that al-Julani's people "sold" them to the Syrians in order to avoid the pro-Turkish formations advancing too quickly and thus maintain their leading role in the operation. And although it did not come to public criticism of HTS*, the "Division" noticeably reduced its participation in military operations.
PALACE COUP
However, the greater danger for al-Julani is not the pro-Turkish forces, but his own confidants.
Despite the fact that the most influential figures from the top of HTS* (including the group's co-founder Abu Maria al-Qahtani) were skillfully purged under the guise of fighting internal enemies, and the work of the repressive apparatus was put on stream, a "palace coup" within the group is still possible.
The main threat in this case comes from the "political exile", the former head of the "security department" of HTS* and the main financier of the group, Ahmed Zakur. Once close to al-Julani, Zakur was accused in the "al-Qahtani case" of conspiracy within HTS* and was forced to flee abroad, where he launched a campaign to discredit his former boss.
In particular, he published a dossier on the economic and military crimes of the head of HTS*, as well as on his attempts to artificially pit foreign powers competing for influence in Syria against each other.
It should be noted that Zakur looks like a compromise figure both from the position of ordinary HTS* members (many of whom consider him an innocent victim at the hands of al-Julani) and from the position of foreign sponsors. Both Turkey and the United States may count on him as a potential replacement.
For Ankara, the former head of the financial bloc of HTS* is interesting not only as a person aware of all the "shadow schemes" of al-Julani, but also as a native of the "Idlib security forces". With his help, Turkey is quite capable of not only restoring contacts with HTS*, but also stopping the repressions against its supporters in Idlib.
In addition, Ankara will not have to worry about Zakur’s controllability: it was the Turkish security forces who saved him from being detained by al-Julani’s agents, which guarantees his complete loyalty.
Surely not. Complete loyalty is contrary to the culture, being rather so often situational.
Washington is quite happy with Zakur's position on combating terrorist cells in Idlib. Like al-Julani, he is in a tough conflict with radical emissaries and rejects the concept of a "radical caliphate" in Syria.
In addition, he repeatedly passed on information about the mood of the militants to American intelligence agencies,
Oh? How interesting…
which also later ended up in the indictment against him as part of the “al-Qahtani case.”
Finally, Zakur, despite belonging to the “repressive apparatus,” managed not to tarnish his reputation in the eyes of Idlib residents and ordinary HTS* supporters. And his hypothetical rise to power as a “fighter for democracy”
…I assume that would be the special Islamist democracy, where only the right kind of pious jihadis have a vote…
would allow an end to the protests that have become commonplace and are damaging the group’s reputation, as well as strengthen HTS*’s claims to the status of a full-fledged political force.
Thus, the attack on Aleppo was needed first and foremost by al-Julani himself. It increases his prestige as a leader who has achieved success in a “small victorious war,” allows him to channel the internal tensions that have accumulated in Idlib, and even in the “fog of war” to try to settle scores with competitors and opponents.
[GEO.TV] 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... 's civil defence agency said Wednesday that 20 people, including five children, were killed in an Israeli strike on a displacement camp near Khan Yunis in the territory's south.
The agency's front man Mahmud Bassal told AFP there were "20 deaders, including five children, and dozens were maimed after the occupation (Israel) bombed the tents of the displaced in the al-Mawasi area" near Khan Younis. The Israeli military said it struck "senior Hamas ..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,... terrorists" in the area.
The IDF says an airstrike earlier this evening in the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone in the southern Gaza Strip targeted several senior Hamas commanders.
According to Paleostinian media, more than 20 people were killed in the strike in the Khan Younis area.
The military says that the senior Hamas ..always the voice of sweet reason... commanders were "engaged in terror activity in the humanitarian zone in Khan Younis."
Following the strike, the IDF says it identified secondary blasts, indicating the presence of weapons in the area. Paleostinian media publish footage purportedly showing the strike.
The IDF says it took numerous steps to mitigate civilian harm in the strike, including by using a precision munition, aerial surveillance, and other intelligence.
"This is a further example of Hamas’ cynical exploitation of the civilian population and infrastructure as human shields for terrorist activity. The IDF will continue to operate against terrorist organizations that use the humanitarian area as cover," the army adds.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Kamran Gasanov
[REGNUM] These days, Georgia is going through one of the decisive stages in its modern history. Will the opposition return to power, will Tbilisi again become a satellite of the West and a new anti-Russian front? The answer to these questions is given not only in high offices, but also in the squares, avenues and streets of the Georgian capital. Let's look for it too.
The parliamentary elections became the reason for the destabilization. Even before they were held, the country was periodically shaken by protests against the law on foreign agents and the ban on LGBT propaganda*, but this could not change the government's course. The opposition and its Western curators have placed their bets on winning the elections to the legislative body of the parliamentary republic. Then the laws can be repealed by a simple majority of votes, because the provisions of the new acts are not enshrined in the constitution. It already contains points on orientation towards membership in the EU and NATO, which, by the way, were enshrined by the ruling party "Georgian Dream", so everything is fine with this.
But the plan failed. The Georgian Dream, founded by oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, won the elections. The leaders of the opposition, which consisted of parties united in four blocs, first demanded a recount of the votes, a repeat vote, and then the deputies from the opposition coalition For Changes refused their mandates.
The opposition once again brought people out onto the streets and once again failed. And then the President of Georgia (who is also a resident of France) Salome Zurabishvili, who unites them into a single fist, suggested taking a break. The authorities demanded that Zurabishvili herself, who does not want to give up her post, explain her unsubstantiated accusations and appear in court, but in vain.
A CONVENIENT EXCUSE FOR UNREST
While the opposition sat and thought, the answer came from an unexpected source. Its political enemies, in the person of the re-elected Prime Minister Kobakhidze, themselves gave it the most powerful tool. Angry at the European Parliament, the European Commission and the EU ambassador for constant criticism, the head of the Georgian Cabinet said what is a "red line" in a Westernized country: Georgia refuses to aspire to the European Union until 2028, until Europeans begin to treat official Tbilisi with respect.
At that moment, on November 28, the demonstrators, who were obviously tired of senseless protests and seemed to have resigned themselves to their defeat, got a second wind. Fuel was added to the fire by the statement of the speaker of parliament Shalva Papuashvili that joining the EU would destroy the national economy.
The topic of European integration is a real taboo.
Even despite the increasing spats between the Dream government and the EU in the last year, Brussels’ threats not to grant candidate status, not to start membership talks, or to impose sanctions, Kobakhidze and his predecessor in office, Irakli Garibashvili, repeated the mantra that Georgia is still moving towards the EU, wants to “fix” relations with it, and that Brussels just needs to better study the law on foreign agents and try to understand the logic of the Georgian authorities.
In a word, Tbilisi took the position of eternally justifying itself.
And here Kobakhidze, although he did not renounce the path to the EU, said that such European integration is not needed until his party and government are treated as a government, not a colony. The Prime Minister explained his decision by blackmail from the EU through accession negotiations, demands to cancel a number of laws and Brussels' intention to impose sanctions against the Georgian authorities.
The opposition interpreted the statement in the way it needed, turned everything inside out and mobilized even more people for new mass protests. Moreover, unlike the protests immediately after the elections, the new ones have become anything but peaceful. Protesters throw stones at police officers, shoot fireworks, set fire to the parliament, damage infrastructure, and attack law enforcement officers. More than a hundred police officers were injured and suffered injuries of varying severity.
These are no longer just protests, or even a peaceful revolution, but a full-blown attempt at a coup d'état - as the State Security Service of Georgia has already dubbed them.
A DECISIVE PRIME MINISTER
Despite the terrifying footage of protests in Tbilisi, Batumi and Kutaisi (according to various estimates, up to 200,000 people came out), the "Dream" remains cool, determined and confident. The "dreamers" are not making any concessions, except for the routine statement that Georgia has not abandoned the EU and will continue the process of joining in the future.
Kobakhidze says that by 2028 Georgia will have fulfilled 90% of its obligations under the EU Association Agreement and Free Trade Agreement, and by 2030 it will be ready to join. Comparing the events with the Ukrainian scenario, he recalled that the country has already experienced three attempts at a "Maidan" in four years, and will not allow a fourth either.
The prime minister is partly right.
After all, every protest, every attempt at revolution and every act of sabotage (in the summer, the SGB uncovered an attempt to assassinate Ivanishvili) is an experience. The authorities have trained themselves on previous mass protests.
The current head of the cabinet is showing determination, and the authorities will not make any concessions. There will be no dialogue with the opposition, they will not be allowed on TV channels, and there will be no repeat elections, he said. Kobakhidze also made it clear that he will not allow Zurabishvili to pardon former President Mikheil Saakashvili. Moreover, she will have to leave her residence on December 29, the day of the new president's inauguration, whether she wants it or not.
And on December 2, the police arrested one of the leaders of the "Maidan", Zurab Japaridze. And by releasing him later, the authorities in fact showed flexibility rather than weakness, while simultaneously showing that in the event of provocations, those who call for any kind of unrest will not be exempted from arrest. On December 4, a series of searches and arrests of the leaders and instigators of the unrest also took place.
Along with this, the Dream wants to outlaw the opposition.
Plans have been announced to ban Saakashvili's United National Movement (UNM) party, the For Change and Strong Georgia coalitions, and former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia's party Gakharia for Georgia. These parties have overcome the five percent barrier and, together with Zurabishvili, are the driving force behind the Georgian "Maidan".
The authorities have not revealed any secrets about the UNM: its liquidation was one of the points of the Dream program for the November elections. Kobakhidze said in August that he would do this after receiving a constitutional majority. Now the Dream does not have enough votes for such a decision, but the attempted coup provides additional grounds to ban not only the UNM, but also three other political forces.
FACES OF THE "MAIDAN"
"For Change" is the same UNM, only in profile. The link between the two parties is Nikanor Melia, a native of Saakashvili's party and at one time its leader. In 2019, during the visit of the Russian delegation led by MP Sergei Gavrilov, Melia led rallies against the government and was accused of storming the parliament. For this act, he was stripped of his parliamentary mandate two years later and sent to prison. But the "beacon of democracy" came to the rescue - the European Union posted bail for Melia and he was released after more than two months.
The leaders of Strong Georgia are businessmen Mamuka Khazaradze, head of the largest bank TBC Bank, and his business partner Badri Japaridze, who once built the deep-water port of Anaklia. Even without their participation in the attempted coup, there are enough articles against them: since 2022, they have been accused of fraud. Like Saakashvili, they built their election campaign on anti-Russian slogans, for example, they proposed banning the sale of land to Russian citizens, the entry of cars with Russian license plates, and opposed the restoration of air traffic between the countries.
Another leader of Strong Georgia, the head of the NGO Center for Multiparty Democracy, proposed at the end of November to create an “alternative parliament,” essentially a parallel government. Something similar could be seen in Venezuela in 2019, where Juan Guaido proclaimed himself president of the country. Zurabishvili, who refuses to resign, is already a parallel government.
The alliance of former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia looked slightly more harmless against the background of the three aforementioned blocs. The party "Gakharia - for Georgia" positioned itself as an independent force and even after the elections was in no hurry to participate in the "Maidan". But in its ideology, it was not far from the Russophobic parties: Gakharia also promised to fight the "Russian occupation".
The former prime minister is another hero of the 2019 anti-government rallies sparked by the visit of the Russian delegation, although he was then engaged in dispersing the protesters as the head of the Interior Ministry. For two years after that, he acted as a crisis manager as prime minister, but at some point he resigned, and for the Georgian Dream he is a traitor, so there are even more incentives to ban his party than for others.
DANGEROUS "SOCIAL ACTIVISTS"
Foreign NGOs are participating in the escalation of the revolutionary scenario in conjunction with the opposition – the very same foreign agents against whom the law adopted by the “Dream” is aimed. MP Irakli Kadagishvili pointed out one of the main offices at the summer rallies against this law – the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI), linked to the American Democratic Party and founded by the “National Endowment for Democracy” (NED, financed by Congress and aimed at “promoting democracy in developing countries”).
NDI, according to Kadagishvili, advised the opposition on how to conduct an election campaign and allocated money to inform citizens through opposition politicians about the harm of the law on foreign agents.
Other American organizations, such as the McCain Institute and the Marshall Fund, churned out negative reports on the election, positing that the Dream's victory was direct evidence of voter fraud. The reports were signed by former NDI Georgia office chair Laura Thornton.
The fact that 30% of those detained on the streets of Tbilisi are citizens of other countries also indicates active interference from abroad.
Kobakhidze said that it was NGOs that were supplying demonstrators with pyrotechnics and thus provoking violence. NGO leaders “hiding in their offices” would not escape punishment, he threatened.
The protesters' methods are the same as in 2013-2014 in Ukraine. Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze, speaking about "Ukrainization", drew attention to the "trained groups" that attacked the police.
KAYA WAGS HER FINGER
The West, as before, is driving a tailwind into the opposition's sails. The EU understands that it is the topic of relations with it that is fueling discontent, and it feels its strength. Two days after the Georgian presidential elections, the foreign ministers of 27 countries will discuss their intervention in the events.
Politico writes that the EU may impose sanctions against the top of the Georgian Dream. EU Ambassador Pavel Gerchinsky is rocking the Maidan from within: before the elections, he called on Georgians to vote for the opposition, and then supported the rallies.
The new head of European diplomacy and Russophobe Kaja Kallas went to Kiev on her first day on the job, supported the rallies in Georgia, calling them "the aspirations of the Georgian people to the EU", and threatened "consequences" for Tbilisi's decision to suspend European integration, although it had previously been frozen by Brussels itself. Kallas is behaving much more brazenly and clumsily than her predecessor Josep Borrell. While the former Estonian prime minister was wagging her finger at the "Dream", the first punitive measures followed from her homeland. Estonia, along with Lithuania and Latvia, banned entry to 13 Georgian officials.
Zurabishvili’s homeland did not disappoint either: the French Foreign Ministry warned against betraying Georgia’s “European aspirations” and demanded respect for “peaceful demonstrations.”
Zurabishvili herself is literally on a direct telephone line with the EU. She recently discussed the situation in the country with Callas, the new head of the European Council Antonio Costa, and the presidents of Poland and Estonia. Zurabishvili is the "Maidan's" channel of communication with the West. Before negotiations with EU leaders, she consulted with opposition parties.
The still-functioning Biden administration is also not shy about interfering in events - the US has stopped its strategic partnership with Georgia.
THE RESOURCES HAVE BEEN EXHAUSTED
For now, the authorities and security forces are dealing with the unrest.
The special forces managed to clear the square in front of the parliament, prevent the seizure of state institutions and the blocking of communication lines. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the "revolutionaries" aimed at blocking strategic facilities, train stations and central highways.
The monolithic nature of power also remains.
The Georgian Orthodox Church, which enjoys more popularity in the country than any politician, is on the side of the authorities. The Patriarchate condemned Zurabishvili's call for schoolchildren to take part in rallies.
The Constitutional Court is also not giving in to pressure. Despite Zurabishvili's call to attack the Constitutional Court building in Batumi, her lawsuit demanding that the elections be declared unconstitutional is rejected.
The Prime Minister believes that compared to the three previous attempts at revolution (summer 2022, spring 2023, spring 2024), the current one is already weaker. "It is now clear that many resources have been exhausted over these four years. Accordingly, the fourth wave of the revolution was much weaker than it could have been," Kobakhidze noted.
The security forces, special services and the army, which, thank God, has not yet been involved, remain loyal to the authorities. True, ambassadors and diplomats in the USA, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Georgia, Italy and the Czech Republic have resigned, but this happened under pressure from the "host" countries, and little depends on them.
The biggest threat now is not the mass protests, which have already shown their limits, but escalation.
Back in the summer, the Georgian State Security Service was catching militants from the Georgian Legion (a terrorist organization banned in Russia) who were fighting in Ukraine and preparing an assassination attempt on Ivanishvili. Some of them have already recorded a video threatening to come to the aid of the opposition. If fireworks and stones are replaced with bullets and grenades, and instead of the wounded, they start counting the dead, Georgia may repeat the fate of Ukraine.
RUSSIA BELIEVES IN THE "DREAM"
Russia is closely monitoring the situation and, according to the head of the SVR, Sergei Naryshkin, hopes that a new "color revolution" will fail. The country's president, Vladimir Putin, is surprised by the courage of the "Georgian Dream", but makes it clear that Russia does not interfere in the country's internal affairs.
If for Georgia the current events are a decisive battle for sovereignty, then for Russia they are just another stage in a series of attempts at velvet revolutions along the border perimeter.
Despite the enormous pressure from inside and outside, Kobakhidze is not shy about saying that he is going to maintain pragmatic relations with Russia and restore the country's integrity peacefully, engaging in dialogue with the Abkhazians and Ossetians. If the Georgian Dream survives, one could say that the backbone of the Maidan, at least in Georgia, will be finally broken. And in the post-Soviet space, its impulses will be reduced to a minimum.
Time is now on the side of the current authorities. The less successful the protests are, the more disillusioned the protesters become. The next reasons for a surge in activity will be December 14 and 29 — the dates of the presidential elections and inauguration.
For this position, "Dream" nominated former football player Mikhail Kavelashvili. Zurabishvili and the opposition can easily create a scandal, forcing the police to remove her from her residence by force. If these stages are passed, the "Maidan" will die out.
Donald Trump may also help Georgian Dream. Kobakhidze hopes that relations with the EU, which are directly linked to relations with the United States, will “change significantly” after the inauguration of the new US president.
#2
You can always have a look for yourself. Live feed every day all day of the protest that go all night with the thousands int the streets, until they shut it down, unless a filter blocks it. Take a shot for every foreigner you see, you won't need much.
https://www.youtube.com/@FormulaNews
Military says Svirsky, 38, was murdered by Hamas terrorists in captivity nearly a year ago; few details given on the operation
The Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet security agency announced on Wednesday that the body of hostage Itay Svirsky was recovered by Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, 14 months after his kidnapping and nearly a year after he was murdered in Hamas captivity.
IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said at a press conference that Svirsky’s body was recovered “in operational activity, details of which cannot be expanded upon, in order not to endanger the operational efforts of the IDF and Shin Bet.”
Earlier this year, the IDF said that Svirsky had been murdered in captivity by Hamas terrorists, around four months after he was taken hostage on October 7, 2024.
During his time in Gaza, he was held alongside hostages Yossi Sharabi and Noa Argamani. Sharabi was likely inadvertently killed as a result of an IDF strike, the military said in February, and Argamani was rescued in the summer.
The deaths of hostages Sharabi and Svirsky were announced by officials in mid-January.
The IDF has assessed that Svirsky was murdered by Hamas terrorists several days after the strike that likely killed Sharabi, and that he did not die in another strike, as the terror group had claimed.
After Sharabi and Svirsky were killed, Hamas in January issued a propaganda video showing them and Argamani.
Following the announcement on Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement expressing his condolences to Svirsky’s family and pledged to continue working to return all remaining 100 hostages.
Svirsky, 38, was visiting his parents, Orit Svirsky and Rafi Svirsky, in their Kibbutz Be’eri homes for the Simhat Torah holiday weekend when Hamas terrorists launched a massacre in the community on October 7, 2023.
Svirsky was with his mother in the sealed room of her house. She lived next door to her ex-husband, Rafi, his father.
Svirsky, who was single and lived in Tel Aviv, was known as the quintessential “uncle” to his nieces and nephews and his friends’ children. He was the only one of his parents’ four children in Be’eri at the time.
The family’s last communication with Svirsky and his mother was around 10 a.m. The bodies of his parents, Orit and Rafi, were later found. They were buried on October 20, 2023.
Following the recovery of Svirsky’s body, it is now believed that 96 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7, 2023, remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 34 confirmed dead by the IDF.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/05/2024
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#1
Rescued hostage Luis Har: My [leftist] views have completely changed since I was kidnapped "My views have changed drastically since October 6 and until today. I don't trust any of them [in Gaza]. I know, in some way, they’re all involved. They’re born into hatred. Weapons are put in their hands already as babies. They don’t care about sacrificing their children if it means killing Jews. That’s their way of life,”
[GEO.TV] Dozens of Lebanese families who returned to their homes in south Lebanon after the truce was announced last week between Israel and Hezbollah have fled Israeli attacks once again, according to Al Jazeera.
"I packed my stuff and children up after we came last week to our home near Tyre in southern Lebanon and returned to the house I was renting in Mount Lebanon," Haj Abu Mohammed told the German news agency DPA.
Israel launched a series of air strikes on southern Lebanon on Monday night which killed nine people. Attacks were also reported on Tuesday, with about a dozen people reported killed. Israeli drones have also been heard flying over the capital city, Beirut.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The nuclear-powered missile submarine Knyaz Pozharsky will be transferred to the Russian Navy in 2025. This was reported by TASS with reference to the head of the All-Russian Movement to Support the Fleet Vladimir Maltsev.
The Russian Navy will receive a Project 955A nuclear missile carrier at a ceremonial handover in June next year, Maltsev said.
This strategic class ship "Borey-A" was built at the largest shipbuilding complex in Russia "Sevmash", which is located in Severodvinsk on the coast of the White Sea.
As previously reported by the Regnum news agency, the nuclear-powered strategic submarine cruiser passed factory sea trials on August 12. This was reported by the general director of the shipbuilding complex, Mikhail Budnichenko.
Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy Alexander Moiseyev also stated that the Borey- class nuclear-powered strategic missile submarines will remain in service for another 40 years. He noted that the specified period is a requirement for such weapons.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 19:47 Drone-drivers-jewelers: a competent drop directly into an open hatch.
Operators of attack UAVs in a forest belt in the Vremeevka direction destroyed an armored personnel carrier of the Ukrainian Armed Forces along with its crew and troops, –video.
18:35 The crew of the Su-34 carried out a strike on a concentration of personnel, armored and automobile military equipment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the border area of the Kursk region, –video.
17:49 You can’t hide from our “birds”.
As a result of a direct hit from an FPV drone of the operators of the North group of forces, an armored personnel carrier BTR-4 of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was destroyed in the Khar'kov region, –video.
16:44 Ukrainian equipment continues to disappear in the Kursk direction.
Objective footage of an FPV drone strike on a Ukrainian Armed Forces tank, –video.
14:54 Airborne artillerymen are destroying enemy on the right bank of the Dnieper.
The 152mm Msta-B artillery crews of the Airborne Forces Guards unit destroyed a self-propelled gun of the Ukrainian Armed Forces along with its crew on the right bank of the Dnieper in the Kherson region.
11:30 Footage of FPV drone operators' successful hunt for Ukrainian Armed Forces weapons.
UAV crew of the Northern Fleet naval infantry discovered and destroyed the 122mm 2S1 self-propelled artillery gun "Acacia" of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the right bank of the Dnieper in the Kherson region.
10:32 The Mi-28NM crew launched an air strike with air-launched missiles against personnel and a stronghold of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the border area of the Kursk region, –video.
9:17 Telegram channel "WarGonzo":
Frontline summary as of the morning of 04.12.2024:
- Zaporizhzhya Front. No significant changes in LBS. The battles in the direction are mainly positional in nature. Long-range weapons are actively operating. There are reports of increased activity and range of enemy drones.
- Donetsk Front. Russian troops continue to expand the zone of control in the area of Novy Komar, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are trying to counterattack and are putting up fierce resistance.
In the area of Sukhi Yal, the Russian Armed Forces have also improved their positions on the approaches to the settlement. It is reported that Russian troops have reached the outskirts of Konstantinopolskoye. There are also tactical successes in the area of the settlement of Starye Terny.
- Chasov Yar direction. Urban fighting continues in Chasov Yar. Also, the Russian Armed Forces continue to try to improve their positions on the flanks, but no serious advances are known at this time.
- Kursk region. No significant changes. Heavy fighting continues in several areas. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are conducting counterattacks, continuing to transfer reserves to this direction.
8:08 We worked quickly and accurately on the revealed targets, –video.
Crews of the 152mm 2S3 Akatsiya self-propelled howitzer of the Zapad group of forces, during the execution of a combat mission, destroyed a camouflaged platoon stronghold with personnel and armored vehicles of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the area of the special operation.
[GEO.TV] Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed 4,047 people and wounded 16,638 others, Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad said in a televised press conference on Wednesday.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/05/2024
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[11167 views]
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#1
A journey of a 1000 miles starts with one step.
Linked article is available only through a VPN
[EngMilRu] In Kharkov direction, the Sever Group of Forces hit formations of the 5th Border Detachment of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine near Alisovka (Kharkov region).
Russian units repelled two counterattacks of the 58th Motorised Infantry Brigade.
The AFU losses amounted to up to 30 troops, a motor vehicle, a 152mm D-20 gun, and a 122mm D-30 howitzer.
The Zapad Group of Forces improved the tactical situation and inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of the 63rd, 67th Mechanised brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and 3rd Border Service Detachment near Petropavlovka, Glushkovka, Novoosinovo (Kharkov region), Yampolovka (Donetsk People's Republic) and Novolyubovka (Lugansk People's Republic).
Ten counter-attacks of the 3rd, 14th, 30th, 116th Mechanised brigades of the AFU, 1st National Guard Brigade, and 117th Territorial Defence Brigade were repelled.
The AFU losses amounted to up to 500 troops, two armoured fighting vehicles, four motor vehicles, and a UK-made 155mm FH-70 howitzer. A Zakhist-AF electronic warfare station and two ammunition depots were destroyed.
The Yug Group of Forces took more advantageous lines and hit the 23rd, 28th, 33rd, 37th, 54th, and 157th Mechanised brigades, 10th Mountain Assault Brigade, 81st Airmobile Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine close to Ulakly, Dachnoye, Zvanovka, Pereyezdnoye, Seversk, and Konstantinovka (Donetsk People's Republic).
The losses of the enemy amounted to up to 350 troops, two infantry fighting vehicles, a pickup truck, and two U.S.-made 105mm M-119 guns. One ammunition depot was wiped out.
The Tsentr Group of Forces improved the situation along the front line and inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of the 117th Heavy Mechanised Brigade, 152nd Infantry Brigade of the AFU, 38th Naval Infantry Brigade, 109th, 241st Territorial Defence brigades, 12th Special Operations Brigade, 14th and 15th National Guard brigades close to Shevchenko, Dzerzhinsk, Kalinovo, Shcherbinovka, Mirolyubovka, Pravdovka, Novotroitskoye and Krasnoarmeysk (Donetsk People's Republic).
Nine counter-attacks of the 100th, 151st Mechanised brigades, 59th Motorised Infantry Brigade, 49th, 425th Separate Assault battalions of the AFU, 35th Naval Infantry Brigade, and the Lyut Assault Brigade of the National Police of Ukraine were repelled.
The AFU losses amounted to up to 530 troops, an armoured personnel carrier, four Kozak armoured fighting vehicles, four motor vehicles, two 152mm Msta-B howitzers, a 152mm D-20 gun, and two 122mm D-30 howitzers.
The Vostok Group of Forces advanced further into the depth of the enemy's defences and hit formations of the 32nd Mechanised Brigade of the AFU, 113th, 120th, and 125th Territorial Defence brigades close to Konstantinopol, Novoselka, Volnoye Pole, and Dneproenergiya (Donetsk People's Republic).
Two counterattacks of the 23rd and 151st Mechanised brigades were repelled.
The AFU losses amounted to up to 150 troops, a tank, an armoured personnel carrier, two motor vehicles, a 155mm Bogdana self-propelled artillery system, a 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system, and a 122mm D-30 howitzer. Two electronic warfare stations were destroyed.
The Dnepr Group of Forces engaged personnel and hardware of the 141st Infantry Brigade, 110th Mechanised Brigade of the AFU, and 124th Territorial Defence Brigade close to Novoandreyevka, Kamenskoye (Zaporozhye region), Sadovoye, and Priozernoye (Kherson region).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 55 troops, 12 motor vehicles, and an electronic warfare station. Two ammunition and one materiel depots were eliminated.
Operational-Tactical Aviation, attack unmanned aerial vehicles, and Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces struck infrastructure of military airfields, ammunition depots, as well as engaged clusters of enemy manpower and military hardware in 133 areas.
Air defence units shot down 61 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles.
In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 649 aircraft, 283 helicopters, 37,183 unmanned aerial vehicles, 586 anti-aircraft missile systems, 19,611 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,497 MLRS combat vehicles, 18,960 field artillery guns and mortars, and 28,981 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.
The Sever Group of Forces engaged formations of four mechanised brigades, a heavy mechanised brigade, a tank brigade, three air assault brigades as well as two territorial defence brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine close to Viktorovka, Lebedevka, Leonidovo, Malaya Loknya, Martynovka, Nikolayevo-Daryino, Nikolsky, Novoivanovka, Plyokhovo, Pravda, and Sverdlikovo.
Operational-Tactical and Army aviation and artillery inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of the enemy near Kurilovka, Nizhny Klin, Novaya Sorochina, Sudzha, Cherkasskoye Porechnoye as well as Basovka, Belovody, Veselovka, Vodolagi, Zhuravka, and Miropolye in Sumy region.
Over the past 24 hours, the AFU losses amounted to more than 280 troops, Russian units destroyed a tank, two armoured fighting vehicles, three motor vehicles, an electronic warfare station, and two mortars.
Since the beginning of hostilities in Kursk region, the AFU losses amounted to more than 37,935 troops, 229 tanks, 165 infantry fighting vehicles, 123 armoured personnel carriers, 1,225 armoured fighting vehicles, 1,082 motor vehicles, 308 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, 71 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.
Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22:14 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky heard reports from Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky and Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense Kirill Budanov on the situation at the front and the enemy's immediate intentions. He spoke about this in a video address.
"The report of Commander-in-Chief Syrsky - the front, our steps to strengthen the directions, the delivery of the brigade, the Kursk operation. There was a report from the head of the GUR. Budanov reported on Russia's intentions for the near future and the situation in Syria - how a change in the balance of power in Syria can change global circumstances," the president noted.
21:46 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that he met with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset in Kyiv. They discussed the need to create a special tribunal for the crime of Russia's aggression against Ukraine.
20:27 Russians continue to use the practice of powerful cyberattacks on the Ukrainian energy sector before massive shelling of the energy system. This was stated by Deputy Minister of Energy Roman Andarak, Interfax-Ukraine reports.
18:20 Occupiers attacked the Nikopol district of Dnipropetrovsk region with drones. An elderly woman was killed, another civilian was wounded. This was reported by the head of the Dnipropetrovsk OVA Serhiy Lysak. According to him, an 88-year-old woman was killed in the shelling. In the Myrivska community, which the enemy also attacked with a drone, a man was wounded. It is noted that the 64-year-old victim received a shrapnel wound and a bruise. He received medical assistance on the spot.
15:50 A unit of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense used drones to destroy camouflaged weapons, shelters, and communications equipment of the Russian occupiers. The corresponding footage was released by the press service of the Main Intelligence Directorate. In the video, the Krylya unit destroys enemy targets using domestically produced Sych strike and reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicles.
15:28 US Secretary of State Antony Blinken assured NATO and Kyiv of their readiness to fully utilize all funding for Ukraine, which the US Congress has authorized. He added that during the remaining term of the current administration, the latter intends to further increase security support for Ukraine.
13:45 Russian strikes on substations identified by the IAEA as important for nuclear safety pose a global threat. Ukraine calls an extraordinary meeting of the organization.
"Ukraine is convening an extraordinary meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors on December 12 in response to Russia's attacks on our critical energy infrastructure," said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga.
12:59 In the Kharkiv region, the Russian army hit a civilian with a drone with ammunition. As a result of the enemy hit, a 65-year-old man was injured.
12:39 Russian troops launched another attack on the city of Druzhkovka and the village of Novoiverskoye in the Kramatorsk district. Local enterprises came under fire, resulting in fires in administrative and business buildings.
11:45 Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine General Oleksandr Syrsky held a meeting dedicated to the results of the activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in November 2024. He heard officials in the areas of activity.
The Commander-in-Chief defined specific tasks to stabilize the situation in threatening areas, build up the combat capabilities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, in particular, continue to create appropriate reserves.
11:00 Ukraine's request for the delivery of a significant number of air defense systems has been positively received by NATO partners, said NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
"As you know, there is no surplus of air defense systems in the world. But (at the meeting on December 3 - ed.) there was a clear agreement at the table that partners will support Ukraine. All those systems that can be provided to Ukraine will be provided," he emphasized.
Rutte did not specify how many new systems and what types can be provided. "We are doing everything possible to ensure that all air defense systems that can be transferred are transferred to Ukraine," the NATO Secretary General said.
10:13 The Security Service detained a female agent of the Russian military intelligence (GRU) in Chernigov. The 16-year-old local resident helped the Russian Federation prepare a new air strike on the region.
In order to "bypass" the Ukrainian air defense, the agent had to identify and transmit to the Russians the coordinates of the anti-aircraft missile systems and radar stations of the Ukrainian Armed Forces defending the border region. To conceal the reconnaissance sorties, the girl ordered a taxi in which she drove around the area and secretly recorded the necessary objects.
9:30 On the night of December 4, the Ukrainian Air Defense Forces destroyed 29 of 50 drones launched by Russia. Enemy drones were shot down in the Kyiv, Kharkiv, Poltava, Sumy, Chernihiv, Khmelnytskyi, Ternopil, Mykolaiv and Donetsk regions.
8:55 The Ministry of Defense is considering the possibility of introducing a summons tracking function in the Reserve+ application, which will allow tracking all stages of sending paper summonses. This was reported by Deputy Defense Minister Kateryna Chernogorenko.
According to her, the idea to introduce such a service arose due to numerous requests from citizens and companies. Ukrainians want to track the status of their summonses in order to avoid fines or misunderstandings related to their receipt.
8:35 The Russian Navy has deployed four Kalibr carrier ships to combat duty in the Black and Mediterranean Seas with a combined salvo of up to 24 and 41 missiles.
8:20 Over the past 24 hours, 192 combat clashes occurred on the front. 88 attacks by Russian troops were repelled by defenders in the Pokrovsk and Kurakhovsk directions.
In the Kurakhovsk direction, Russian invaders tried to break through Ukrainian defense lines 44 times.
7:45 As of December 4, the total combat losses of Russian troops on Ukrainian territory amounted to approximately 747,370 people (1,670 per day).
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] The enemy continues to try to break through the defense of Ukrainian troops.
In total, since the beginning of the day, 119 combat clashes have occurred on the front between Ukrainian defenders and Russian invaders.
The situation at the front remains complicated and tense. The enemy, despite significant losses inflicted on it by our defenders, continues to try to break through the defense of the Ukrainian troops. This was noted in the report of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Wednesday, December 4.
In total, 119 military clashes have occurred since the beginning of the day.
The areas of the settlements of Aleksandrovka, Novovasilovka, Mayskoye and Kamen suffered from enemy artillery shelling of Sumy and Chernihiv regions from Russian territory.
In the Kharkov direction today, Russian occupiers stormed the area of Volchansk and Glubokoe five times, our defenders repelled four attacks by the Russians, and another battle continues.
In the Kupyansk direction, the enemy actively attacked the positions of our units in the areas of Kucherovka, Sinkovka, Petrovpavlovka, Pervomaysky, Zeleny Gai and Lozovaya 12 times.
Today, in the Liman direction, the invading army carried out nine attacks on Ukrainian positions near Grekovka, Druzhelyubovka, Makeyevka, Terny and Zarechnoye.
In the Toretsk direction, the Russians tried to displace our units from their positions in the Toretsk area, where the Defense Forces are repelling four attacks.
Since the beginning of the day, the enemy has already made 29 attempts to push our defenders from their positions in the areas of Mirolyubovka, Promyan, Dachensky, Zhelty, Shevchenko, Pushkin and Novopustynka in the Pokrovsk direction . The defense forces are holding back the onslaught and have repelled 25 enemy attacks so far. The enemy's losses are being clarified. The enemy launched an airstrike on Mirnograd.
Fighting continues near Solntsevka, Berestki, Zarya, Novodmitrovka, Kurakhovoye, Dalniy, Dachny, Romanovka, Elizavetovka and Uspenovka in the Kurakhovo direction.
Four attacks by the invaders are continuing in the Vremivsk direction ; today alone, the enemy has made 10 attempts to advance near Zelenoye Pole, Novodarovka, Konstantinopolskoye and Sukhi Yal.
In the Dnieper direction, the enemy tried three times to drive Ukrainian soldiers from their positions, but without success.
In Kursk region, Ukrainian defenders repelled twelve attacks by invaders, eight clashes are ongoing.
In the Seversky, Kramatorsk, Gulyai-Polye, Orekhov and Pridneprovsky directions, the occupiers continue to fire on the positions of our troops and civilian infrastructure, using the means they have.
Let us recall that from February 24, 2022 to December 4, 2024, the total combat losses of Russian troops on the territory of Ukraine amounted to approximately 747,370 people.
Let us add that the Russian army tried to break into the city of Kupyansk today , but their assault was repelled.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Residents of Yakutia witnessed a unique celestial phenomenon on the night of December 4 — asteroid C0WEPC5 fell to Earth. Yakutians are posting videos of its bright arrival en masse on social networks.
The footage shows a luminous point with a fiery tail flying hissingly through the sky, flashing somewhere above the forest, illuminating the space, and instantly disappearing.
All this lasted no more than 5 seconds.
The asteroid flew over Olyokminsk at 01:17 local time (19:17 Moscow time).
As reported by the Regnum news agency, the recording by scientists of the trajectory of the asteroid that fell in Yakutia is a unique case, said professor and member of the Russian Academy of Sciences meteorite committee Viktor Grokhovsky.
The scientist added that the small asteroid did not pose a danger to the planet. But due to the small size of the cosmic body, the chance of finding its remains is very small, explained Viktor Grokhovsky.
The asteroid was spotted by specialists from the American Kitt Peak Observatory on the morning of December 3. At that moment, it was in the constellation Taurus.
The recording by scientists of the trajectory of an asteroid that fell in Yakutia is a unique case. This was stated by professor, member of the RAS meteorite committee Viktor Grokhovsky.
Professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences Grokhovsky spoke about the uniqueness of the asteroid that fell in Yakutia
The specialist considers it a great stroke of luck that the asteroid was caught by telescopes, since they observe a very small part of the sky.
"The trajectory and time of the fall were calculated by astronomers later. This is, in general, a success, an achievement," Grokhovsky expressed his opinion to Izvestia.
The scientist added that the small asteroid did not pose a danger to the planet. But due to the small size of the cosmic body, the chance of finding its remains is very small, explained Viktor Grokhovsky.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on December 3, residents of Yakutia saw asteroid C0WEPC5 entering the Earth's atmosphere. Roscosmos claimed that its size varied from 0.5 to 2 m. According to scientists, the object was supposed to fly from east to west, glowing in the sky. Eyewitnesses were advised to use wide-angle lenses to photograph the rare event.
The asteroid was spotted by specialists from the American Kitt Peak Observatory on the morning of December 3. At that moment, it was in the constellation Taurus.
The asteroid passed over the atmosphere. At night, the comet-like tail and flashes were observed by residents of the Olekminsky and Lensky districts.
In January 2024, the fall of an asteroid was observed by residents of Germany. A small celestial body exploded in the sky above Berlin. The meteor's flight could also be seen in Leipzig and Prague.
… More likely IMO is that the killer used a fixed suppressor rather than one with a Nielsen device. The video in the lower right of this video is a slow motion illustration on how these devices work to counter act the weight of the suppressor as the action cycles. I slowed the video down a little at the end and you can see the suppressor "jumping" and that's just the booster working. A higher frame rate video would show it better but this was the first one I could find...
NY gun ID'ed wrong by media idiots - a long thread.
There's been a bunch of misinformation about today's murder of United Healthcare's CEO. I'm going to debunk some of the firearms nonsense that's been stated.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] A service vessel belonging to the Philippines rammed a Chinese Coast Guard vessel off Scarborough Reef in the South China Sea. This was reported on December 4 by Liu Dejun, spokesman for the PRC Maritime Police Department.
According to him, the collision was deliberate. The crew of the Philippine vessel had been warned several times.
"The Philippine service vessel No. 3003 ignored repeated warnings from the Chinese side, made a sharp turn, went into reverse and deliberately crashed into the Chinese Coast Guard vessel No. 3302," Liu Dejun said in a statement.
The official representative of the department emphasized that the actions of the Philippine vessel created a serious threat to the Chinese warship. The PRC Maritime Police Department also called the incident a provocation.
The Chinese side also added that the Philippines is trying to mislead the international community about the standoff between the two countries' ships that is taking place in the South China Sea.
As reported by Regnum News Agency, in October 2023, incidents of collisions between Chinese and Philippine ships were also recorded near the Ayungin Shoal in the disputed waters of the South China Sea. The PRC Coast Guard Administration then stated that they were deliberately organized by the Philippines.
The Chinese side specified that the coast guard tried to push back the Philippine vessel, which had taken "unauthorized actions", resulting in a minor collision with the Chinese boat. Two hours later, a Philippine coast guard boat arrived at the scene of the incident. According to Beijing, the ship deliberately rammed the starboard side of the nearby Chinese fishing vessel in reverse.
In turn, the Philippines authorities in the West Philippine Sea stated that the collision of the vessels was allegedly caused by dangerous maneuvers of the Chinese naval police ships. For many years, China has been waging territorial disputes with several countries in Southeast Asia over the Paracel Islands and the Spratly Archipelago in the South China Sea.
#3
I believe I was the last American to visit the Paracels. The major island had elements of a guano operation, and there existed the remnants of a French encampment that also included a prison of sorts. The islands were the seeding grounds for tortoise (which are now likely gone giving Chinese eating habits). Archived in Hue were ancient maps proving Vietnamese occupation of the islands over the centuries. It is thought that the TET offensive invaders destoyed many ancient Vietnamese territorial maps (including I believe the maps on the Paracels) as the invaders used the books in their defensive positions. In sum, the Chinese claim to the Paracels, like other islands in the South China Sea is based on a single map produced in the 14th century by a Chinese explorer, and not upon occupation.
Posted by: Albert Pelosi3459 ||
12/05/2024 5:00
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Top||
#4
Gather round, ladies and gents — Rantburg U is now in session, Professor Albert Pelosi3459 presiding!
Seriously though, that’s fascinating. People know the most interesting and unexpected things here.:-)
[GEO.TV] Cuba's national electrical system collapsed early on Wednesday morning after the country's largest power plant failed, the government said, the latest of several such failures as the island's grid falls into disarray amid fuel shortages, natural disaster and economic crisis. "The treadmill hamsters died"
The country's energy and mines ministry said the Antonio Guiteras power plant in Matanzas, the island's top electricity producer, had shut down at around 2am, prompting the grid collapse.
Cuba's oil-fired power plants, already obsolete and struggling to keep the lights on, reached a full crisis this year as oil imports from Venezuela
...a country in Central America that sits on an enormous pool of oil. Formerly the most prospereous country in the region, it became infested with Commies sniffing almost unlimited wealth. It turned out the wealth wasn't unlimited, the economy collapsed under the clownish Hugo Chavez, the murder rate exceeded places like Honduras and El Salvador. A significant proportion of the populace refugeed to Colombia and points south... , Russia and Mexico dwindled, contributing to multiple nationwide blackouts over two months.
The system failure on Wednesday morning had left the capital Havana almost completely in the dark, according to a Rooters witness. Lights before sunrise could be seen only in a handful of large hotels and government buildings across the city's skyline.
Reports of blackouts elsewhere in Cuba on social media suggested the entire island of around 10 million people was without power, though the government had yet to confirm the extent of the outage.
The energy and mines ministry said it was working to reconnect the electrical system.
Cuba's grid collapsed multiple times in October as fuel supplies dwindled and Hurricane Oscar struck the far-eastern end of the island, then again in November with the passage of Hurricane Rafael.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/05/2024
00:00 ||
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[11158 views]
Top|| File under: Commies
#3
So a Communist run nation, getting its oil from a communist run nation, that sold most of its oil rights to another communist nation (CCP), is screwed.
Where is that communists helping communist comradery now?
Their grid system has deteriorated so badly that even these wouldn't be of much help anymore.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
12/05/2024 8:01
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#5
Wait long enough and these communist governments implode under their incompetence and corruption. You need to have elections every once in a while to throw the old rascals out and install a new set of rascals, otherwise the old rascals get so fat and lazy that everything fall apart.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
12/05/2024 11:19
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#6
You need to have elections every once in a while
BREAKING: @EPA Advisor Admits ‘Insurance Policy’ Against Trump is Funneling Billions to Climate Organizations, “We’re Throwing Gold Bars off the Titanic”
“It was an insurance policy against Trump winning.”
#2
The EPA is captured. The EPA staffing comes from leftist organizations, they cut big checks to those NGOs, leave government to work for those same NGOs, rinse and repeat. They are essentially robbing our tax dollars systematically. We need to jail some people.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/05/2024 6:14
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#3
Superhose -- hanging would be much cheaper, and NO recidivism.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/05/2024 10:39
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#4
OP, there should be differentiation between the EPA and the FDA.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/05/2024 13:25
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#5
Close these branches of government down as a start. Audit them to determine whether they do anything useful. If not, leave them closed. Calling on Elon, Vivek and MTG to clean up this money sinkhole ASAP.
🚨 Obama Named As First World Leader To Be Prosecuted in Diddy Pedophile Investigation
Barry Soetoro, better known by his CIA name Barack Obama, is facing a storm like never before. The man who once boasted of serving a "third term" through puppet president Joe Biden is now… pic.twitter.com/3ySN5FH8mQ
… serving a "third term" through puppet president Joe Biden is now sweating bullets as a political scandal of epic proportions threatens to unravel his legacy - and land him behind bars for years to come.
The Democrats threw all norms aside in their relentless lawfare campaign against Donald Trump, desperately trying to imprison him and prevent his return to the White House. But in their haste, they broke a critical rule: the longstanding tradition of not prosecuting former presidents. Now, that door has been swung wide open, and Obama is about to feel the full force of the consequences.
Worse still for him? It’s all on film. The feds have it all, and with the Democrats losing control of the reins in D.C., Obama’s sordid past is finally catching up with him.
P Diddy gave expensive and celebrity attendance parties for about 25 years. The parties were typically in two phases, the first more conventional with lots of booze, music, etc. The second with only a few of the attendees and having drugs, sex and so forth. Obama may have attended one or more of the but probably didn't stick around for the second phase of the party. So there will be video of Obama at P Diddy's parties and video of awful stuff at P Diddy's second phase parties.
This is, in a way, similar to the Epstein way of doing things with a conventional luxury villa experience for many and a drug/sex experience for a smaller group. T
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
12/05/2024 9:31
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#7
#7^
Given how the Left slapped Trump with anything, why not Obama?
OH! That's right, the Liberals, Socialists and Democrats hold themselves to a much lower standard, than they demand of others.
#8
Man, I'm from the twitter ecosystem and all the Rantburg links I clicked today lead me back to the twitter. We have a saying over there: We are the news now. Kek
#9
^ 3DC loves him some X/Twitter. I'm not a member and barely know how to navigate it ;-)
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/05/2024 14:32
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#10
PsyOp question-If there are going to be genuine revelations of past misconduct by those currently in power as Trump et al take over, wouldn't now be the time to flood the public forums with countless credible and increasingly incredible fakes, chaff, nothing-burgers and trivialities to deeply muddy the waters? The court of public opinion is diluted when every genuine assertion can be countered with evidence of similar themes shown to be specious. You can't change facts but you can make it hard to be certain you actually have them!
#11
You can't change facts but you can make it hard to be certain you actually have them!
That's a problem for those relying upon 'legacy media'. Those of us who've been in the internet jungle have been cutting through the brush for a good while.
#12
I think the revelations will happen. In his first term of chess, Trump was a king with very few pieces and he was always in check by Muller and various impeachment stuff. Those pieces are off the table. The MAGA folks are engaged. He has staffed up with competent people that are loyal to him. He, Musk and RFK Jr have made a bunch of statements and expect to be held accountable.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/05/2024 16:16
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#13
"Barry Soetoro, better known by his CIA name Barack Obama"
[NYPOST] A congressional investigation into sexual misconduct allegations at a troubled Veterans Affairs facility in Tennessee revealed that at least 12 officials who worked there took part in an orgy — and one employee had sex with 32 different co-workers.
Several VA officials in the state have resigned amid the probe into the Mountain Home VA Medical Center, also known as the James H. Quillen VA Medical Center, as the investigation has intensified, according to Breitbart News.
A bargaining unit biomedical employee had sexual relationships with 32 different women who worked at the facility — and he and several of the women bragged about it on an online government communication portal that VA officials use to communicate, sources told the outlet.
At least two employees fessed up to having sex on the VA hospital’s grounds, the report said.
Twelve staffers also engaged in an orgy together, according to Breitbart, which said it was not yet clear if that took place on government property.
"The fact that the culture would even allow this to happen in the first place is absolutely wild and it all starts at the top," a senior congressional aide familiar with the investigation told Breitbart News on Tuesday.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/05/2024
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[GEO.TV] Hamas said it had information that Israel intended to carry out a hostage rescue operation similar to one conducted in Gaza's Nuseirat camp in June and threatened to "neutralize" the captives if such an operation took place, according to an internal statement seen by Reuters on Wednesday.
In the internal statement dated November 22, Hamas told its operatives not to consider any repercussions of following the instructions and said Israel was responsible for the fate of the hostages. It did not say when any Israeli operation was expected to take place.
[NYPOST] A Florida teacher was caught naked inside of an elementary school classroom with sex toys, marijuana and women's underwear — and punched a cop while trying to flee the scene, according to police.
Joe Urias, 34, was found in the K-5 Windmill Point Elementary School in Port St. Lucie — not the school where he taught — when cops responded to a reported burglary on Thanksgiving night, according to a police report obtained by CBS 12.
When the naked teacher spotted the deputy, he quickly dressed himself and ran for the door, the police report said.
As he tried to flee, Urias allegedly punched the deputy in the face, but the officer was able to hold him until backup arrived, the document said.
Officers then found sex toys, marijuana and a makeshift place to sleep in the classroom — as well as women's underwear, the report said.
Urias was charged with lewd and lascivious behavior, burglary, possession of marijuana and battery of a law enforcement officer.
He is being held at the St. Lucie County jail on a $31,000 bond, according to jail records.
It was not clear how — or why — Urias was in that particular school. He instead taught at another local one, Somerset College Preparatory Academy, which said it was aware of the allegations against ''an individual formerly employed at our school.''
Posted by: Fred ||
12/05/2024
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[Breitbart] Elon Musk’s SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket today from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, setting a new record for rocket reusability.
Space.com reports that SpaceX continues to push the boundaries of rocket reusability and dominates the private space industry, as evidenced by the successful launch of a Falcon 9 rocket on its record-breaking 24th flight. The mission will deliver 24 Starlink internet satellites to low Earth orbit (LEO). The company’s recent success has caused its potential valuation to reach $350 billion, making it one of the most valuable startups in the world.
The launch can be viewed at the the one hour mark in this livestream:
[GEO.TV] An asteroid lit up the sky in Russia's remote far eastern region of Yakutia early on Wednesday, producing a fireball before likely burning up in the atmosphere, officials and scientists said.
The emergencies ministry in Yakutia said all official bodies had been placed on alert as the asteroid approached but that no damage had been reported after its descent.
"Residents of Olekminsk and Lensk districts were able to observe in the night a tail similar to a comet and a flash," it said.
The European Space Agency, writing on X, said the asteroid was believed to have measured 70 cm (28 inches) across and was spotted about 12 hours in advance of its appearance in the sky. It said it entered the atmosphere at 1.15 am local time.
"Thanks to observations from astronomers around the world, our alert system was able to predict this impact to within /- 10 seconds," the agency said.
Astronomer Alan Fitzsimmons of Queen's University in Belfast, quoted by New Scientist magazine, said before the fireball appeared that the asteroid was "a small one, but it will still be quite spectacular, visible for hundreds of kilometres".
Posted by: Fred ||
12/05/2024
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#3
Don't waste a good Asteroid on a Land base hit.
It would only get you amere 900k to 1.2 Million total killed liberals.
For maximum Liberal elimination, go for coastal cities.
LA, SF and NYC using an impact of 4 to 5 miles offshore.
The impact will create a 2,500+ ft tall tsunami.
It's good for about 2 to 3+ Million liberals killed at those 3 locations
Example:
SF 4 to 5 miles offshore:
An estimated 2,363,310 people would die from the fireball alone.
A 260+ decibel shock wave get you another estimated 221,252 people.
An estimated 901,728 people would die from the 30,403 mph wind speed blast.
#4
I'm beginning to wonder if the increasing frequency of reporting is NOT due to farther reaches of remote sensing but the occurrence of a 'harbinger density function'.
[GEO.TV] The UN General Assembly on Tuesday called on Israel to withdraw from the occupied Palestinian territories and pushed for the creation of a Palestinian state, convening an international conference in June to try to jumpstart a two-state solution.
In a resolution passed by a 157-8 vote, with the United States and Israel among those voting no, and seven abstentions, the Assembly expressed "unwavering support, in accordance with international law, for the two-state solution of Israel and Palestine."
Support is all the General Assembly can do. They’re a talk shop — all the power to actually do anything belongs to the Security Council.
The Assembly said the two states should be "living side by side in peace and security within recognized borders, based on the pre-1967 borders."
It has called for a high-level international meeting in New York in June 2025, to be co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, to breathe new life into diplomatic efforts to make the two-state solution a reality.
That’s the conference French President Macron ws so enthusiastic about a few days ago, though that was before his prime minister’s government fell in a No Confidence vote He may be less sanguine about the probability that he will be able to attend by now.
The assembly called for "realisation of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, primarily the right to self-determination and the right to their independent state."
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[FoxNews] Let's take a close look at the enormous sums that flow to the United Nations from U.S. taxpayers' wallets
In the search to eliminate waste and unaccountable spending, a $20 billion annual savings plan is immediately available to incoming President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE): American taxpayer dollars flowing to the United Nations.
Each year the U.S. provides nearly a quarter of the U.N.’s total expenses, including assessed or mandatory "regular" funding of more than $3 billion and voluntary contributions that have vacillated between $10 and $15 billion in each of the past two years. Taking into account in-kind support services, the total is likely even higher. U.N. demands and U.S. subsidies have ballooned, with U.S. payouts almost doubling over the last decade.
Alarm bells ought to ring out for Americans both because of how the money gets spent and where it is going.
Here are a few of the rabbit holes where your money ends up. U.S. taxpayers pay for U.N. tax-free salaries; for U.N. lounges set up for watching sports games with bargain prices for food and drink; for media campaigns and other festivities to celebrate the "International Day of Neutrality" invented by Russia, Afghanistan and friends, and the "International Day of Banks."
U.S. dollars for peacekeepers include the blue helmets in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL) who have kept busy observing Hezbollah rearm, build terror tunnels, take up positions among Lebanese civilians, and fire at Israelis.
The surging expenses of the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights – from your wallets – have included staffing and support for a Chinese "Independent Expert" on "international financial obligations of states on the full enjoyment of all human rights," an "expert" on "a democratic and equitable international order" who advocated that the International Criminal Court tackle American crimes against humanity, and an "expert" on "International Solidarity" created at the behest of Cuba.
Congress has long been skeptical about U.N. uses of American money, so much so that they have insisted upon an annual report on "United States Participation in the United Nations." The most recent report during the Biden administration was published in March 2024 and covered the year 2022. Here is its astonishing conclusion:
"It is increasingly challenging for the United States to identify cost savings at the U.N. given the growing demands that U.N. member states place on the organization."
DOGE can respond to this apparent brain-freeze with the proper course of deserved financial oversight. The U.N. budget, which covers everything from well over 100,000 long-term employees, administrative costs, peacekeeping, and a broad range of agencies and subsidiary bodies, deliberately lacks the transparency necessary to end misuse and corruption.
The General Assembly, for instance, is nonplussed about breaking its own elementary rule that no new activity will be approved without the cost being calculated and presented before the vote.
Sign now and squeeze member states later is familiar practice, as is tapping unused resources in one corner to satisfy unfilled appetites in another.
At the heart of the U.N. financial structure lies the bad idea that the United States must pay for whatever abomination it votes against. Fans call it burden-sharing. We pay for what we don’t like, and other countries help pay for our priorities. The truth is that the end product doesn’t shake out on the plus side either for American national interests or taxpayer pocketbooks.
Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy's DOGE vows to cut federal spendingVideo
A 2005 Task Force on the United Nations, initiated during the George W. Bush administration and headed by Newt Gingrich and George Mitchell, voiced concern about insufficient supervision and talked a lot about reform. As it turns out, the watchword of "reform" in U.N. circles has been a euphemism for "keep on keeping on" until somebody notices, again.
Congress has also come up with other formulas for withholding money from the U.N., like refusing to fund a tiny list of U.N. projects dedicated to the destruction of the state of Israel. However, the U.N. has invented more such projects and Congress has taken years, if at all, to add to the withholding list and to confront the fundamental moral rot epitomized by the U.N.’s systemic demonization of Israel.
DOGE creates an opportunity to clean house.
They can anticipate at least two rejectionist camps. Democrats who flog the erroneous idea that multilateralism begins and ends with the U.N. And New Yorkers who figure they benefit from U.N. diplomats wining, dining, and hanging out in their neighborhood, whether or not they are hosting entourages of terrorists and criminal masterminds. Not only should the material and spiritual benefits of otherwise developing the prime real estate of midtown Manhattan be factored in for the sake of the locals, but the rest of the country also deserves a voice.
A long overdue tally of American U.N. expenditures versus American needs is not a call to end American generosity or compassion beyond our borders. It is a call to protect the American goose laying the golden eggs from an avaricious and dangerous United Nations.
The Biden administration thought that finding savings for U.S. money filling U.N. coffers was a challenge. To which DOGE can be all set to reply: challenge accepted.
The recent arrest of Miao Hua, member of CCP's Central Military Commission, could be a landmark event in the Chinese political landscape & can lead to a new round of major upheaval. Seven Anomalies indicate that Xi Jinping may have factually lost control over the military.
If anyone knows how to use military cadets, it's the Russians.
[Regnum] Officers and cadets of the Hafez al-Assad Military Academy, previously blocked by militants in the As-Safira area southeast of Aleppo, broke through the encirclement in coordination with the Russian military, the Syrian Defense Ministry reported on December 4.
“(Thanks to. — Ed.) joint coordination between Syria and the Russian Federation at the military and political levels, the blockade was broken, and the cadets’ retreat towards the city of Homs was ensured,” the Syrian military department said in a message on Facebook (owned by the Meta corporation, which is recognized as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation).
Cadets who were injured during clashes with militants will be provided with all necessary medical care in Homs, the press service of the Syrian Defense Ministry also noted.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on November 27, militant groups in Syria launched an offensive against government army positions in the Aleppo region. The terrorists were able to capture 13 settlements.
On November 29, Syrian soldiers launched a counteroffensive against Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (a terrorist organization banned in Russia) militants in Aleppo and Idlib. The government army also managed to liberate the city of Al-Bakoum.
On December 2, the command of the Syrian government army announced that the country's troops and the Russian Aerospace Forces had destroyed more than 400 militants in the Aleppo and Idlib provinces in a few hours.
Support for terrorists in Syria is provided primarily by the United States and its allies, Russia's permanent representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya also stated earlier. Since the start of the militants' offensive, about 400 terrorists have been eliminated, and more than 600 have been wounded, the diplomat noted.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova previously noted that Russia resolutely supports the efforts of the Syrian authorities amid the escalation, in which the Ukrainian trace is clearly visible.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Following the vote of no confidence and the expected resignation of the government, the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron will address the nation. This was reported on December 4 by the BFMTV channel, citing the Elysee Palace.
The French leader is expected to speak on December 5 at 20:00 local time (22:00 Moscow time).
The overthrown government lasted less than three months.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on December 4, the French National Assembly supported a resolution of no confidence in the government of Michel Barnier. With a minimum of 288 votes, the vote of no confidence, put forward by the left-wing party "France Unbowed", was supported by 331 deputies. After this, the cabinet of ministers must resign along with the prime minister. Before this, a vote of no confidence in the French government was put forward in 1962.
Ahead of the vote, Macron said he would not step down voluntarily until his term expired. Calls for his resignation were a "political fiction," Macron claimed. He said he was proud of the citizens' trust and confident in his usefulness to the country. Macron also assured that his energy would keep him with the people until the "last second."
The National Assembly of France supported a resolution of no confidence in the government of Michel Barnier. The broadcast on December 4 was conducted on the website of the lower house of the French parliament.
With a minimum of 288 votes, the motion of no confidence, brought forward by the left-wing party "France Unbowed", was supported by 331 deputies. Thus, the cabinet of ministers must resign together with Prime Minister Barnier. The previous motion of no confidence in the French government was brought forward in 1962.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, the composition of the new government in France was announced on September 22. It did not include representatives of the left coalition and the right forces, which took first and third place, respectively, in the July elections.
After the election results were announced, the then Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced his intention to resign. French President Emmanuel Macron granted his request on July 16. On September 5, former European Commissioner and former head of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs Barnier was appointed the country's new Prime Minister.
French politician and leader of the Patriots party Florian Philippot said that the government led by Barnier intends to drive people to despair and therefore must resign.
Ahead of the vote, Macron said he would not step down voluntarily until his term expired. Calls for his resignation were a "political fiction," Macron claimed. He said he was proud of the citizens' trust and confident in his usefulness to the country. Macron also assured that his energy would keep him with the people until the "last second."
[NYPOST] British rock band Sports Team was robbed at gunpoint in broad daylight on Monday when they had stopped for coffee in Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party, on the first day of their US tour.
The band — consisting of frontman Alex Rice, guitarists Rob Knaggs and Henry Young, bassist Oli Dewdney, drummer Al Greenwood, and keyboardist Ben Mack — touched down in California ahead of their first gig in Sacramento on Tuesday.
But after stopping at a Starbucks in Vallejo — nearly an hour away from their show — at 9 a.m., the band's van was ransacked by a group of gunnies.
How lovely — they had a genuine California experience not often vouchsafed to visitors from foreign climes.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/05/2024
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[NYPOST] A conservative watchdog group has compiled a list of "woke ideologues" for Department of Defense secretary designee Pete Hegseth to purge should he overcome mounting allegations of personal and professional misconduct and become the Pentagon boss.
The American Accountability Foundation (AAF) sent a letter to the former "Fox & Friends" weekend co-host outlining 20 names of leaders across the military whom it deems excessively focused on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), as well as similar left-wing initiatives, and, therefore, an impediment to national security.
"The woke takeover of the military is a major threat to our national security," AAF President Thomas Jones wrote in a letter to Hegseth dated Tuesday and obtained by The Post.
"As global tensions rise, with Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... on the march, Russia at war, and China in midst of a massive military buildup, we cannot afford to have a military distracted and demoralized by leftist ideology," he added. "Those who were responsible for these policies being instituted in the first place must be dismissed."
Prior to getting selected by 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... , Hegseth, 44, had publicly clamored against wokeness in the military — going as far as to publish a book on the subject earlier this year — and proclaimed on a podcast that any "General, Admiral, whatever that was involved in any of the DEI woke sh— has got to go."
Should Hegseth, an Army veteran who saw combat in both Iraq and Afghanistan, take the American Accountability Foundation’s suggestions, he wouldn’t be the only Trump pick to express interest in a purge list.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
Woke us gotta go, but we have 4 years to fix all the stuff that broke in DOD like bad procurement, moronic strategies and corruption. Make sure we get all the rot.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/05/2024 6:06
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[NYPOST] A UCLA student government official who has faced repeated allegations of antisemitism refused to hire Jewish applicants and even put them on a ''no hire list,'' a complaint filed with the school's judicial board claims.
Cultural Affairs Commissioner Alicia Verdugo rejected every single Jewish student who mentioned their faith in their employment applications, and even texted her colleagues to be on the lookout for ''zionists,'' the complaint alleges.
''We've been sounding the alarm about Verdugo for years,'' student Bella Brannon, 21, who filed the complaint, told The Post.
''[Verdugo] is single-handedly dragging UCLA's reputation through the mud. This actor makes us fear for our safety.''
Students who identified themselves as Jewish, without mentioning Israel or their views on the war against Hamas ..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",... , on their job applications were all rejected by Verdugo's office, which is part of the school's Undergraduate Students Association Council, the complaint claims.
One student was rejected after identifying themself as Jewish on their application and saying that ''the right to express one's religion'' was ''imperative'' in response to a question about a social or political issue that was important to them.
Brannon’s petition to the judicial board is not the first time Verdugo has faced criticism for alleged antisemitism.
Following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas ..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,... attacks on Israel that killed around 1,200 people, Verdugo’s office posted a statement to Instagram affirming its support for "Paleostinians in their struggle for liberation from Israel." At the next USAC meeting Oct. 10, 2023, multiple speakers criticized Verdugo’s office during the meeting’s public comment period.
"Those who did this (a social media post by CAC), ought to apologize and take it down and learn something about what’s really been going on," said former USAC General Representative Eliana Sisman during the meeting. "If they are not willing to do that, then they should not be in these positions claiming to represent us and getting our money."
United States Rep. Virginia Foxx, a Republican who chairs the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, previously claimed in a letter to UC leaders that Verdugo "had previously been involved in the targeted harassment of students" who disagreed with the Commission’s position on the Israel-Hamas war.
According to the judicial board’s rules, the board must grant or deny the petition for consideration within three business days. In an emailed statement, Chief Justice Mithra Venkatesh said the board will begin review on the petition Wednesday.
If three members of the seven-justice board vote to grant the petition for consideration, the board — which has not tried a case in at least two years — will formally hear the case.
[BBC] The photo of two men standing on a mountain of bison skulls is well known as a symbol of hunting during the colonisation of the US. But there's a more sinister story behind it – with a surprising modern message.
Two men in black suits and bowler hats pose with a gravity-defying mound of bison skulls. The 19th-Century image is disturbing – thousands upon thousands of skulls piled in neat rows, towering towards the sky. But beneath the macabre first impression, the photo holds a darker secret still. These skulls aren't just the product of overzealous hunting in the US – and those men aren't hunters, either.
The skulls, experts say, are the evidence of an organised, carefully calculated campaign to eradicate the bison, deprive Native Americans of a vital resource, and drive the few communities that survived onto small reservations where they could be controlled by the newly arrived white settlers.
"This image is an example of colonial celebration of destruction," says Tasha Hubbard, a Cree filmmaker who is an associate professor at the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta in Canada. Hubbard describes the extermination of the bison as a "strategic" part of colonial expansion. The eradication of the animal "was seen as the taming of the West, of domesticating this wild space that was needed in order for expansion of settlement".
The colonial mass slaughter of bison dealt a lasting blow to tribes that relied on the animal for sustenance. In the aftermath, nations reliant on bison fared measurably, permanently worse than nations that were never bison-reliant, for example suffering from higher child mortality than those other nations, according to a comparative study. The study concludes that the loss set the bison nations on a fundamentally different trajectory that continues to this day.
#6
Unlike the wasteful white man, indigenous people lived in harmony with nature.
Buffalo jump A buffalo jump, or sometimes bison jump, is a cliff formation which Indigenous peoples of North America historically used to hunt and kill plains bison in mass quantities.
Hunters herded the bison and drove them over the cliff...
Many of the animals did not end up getting harvested. Most would rot or go to waste simply because of the effort involved in harvesting so many dead or dying animals quickly enough to beat the onset of rotting would not have been possible with the tools available to tribal peoples.
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.
...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State...
...every time you hear the phrase 
...every time you hear the phrase 
...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...
[Foxnews] Dolton 'supermayor' Tiffany Henyard is running for re-election
..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,...
[NYPOST] A congressional investigation into sexual misconduct allegations at a troubled Veterans Affairs facility in Tennessee revealed that at least 12 officials who worked there took part in an orgy — and one employee had sex with 32 different co-workers.
[NYPOST] A Florida teacher was caught naked inside of an elementary school classroom with sex toys, marijuana and women's underwear — and punched a cop while trying to flee the scene, according to police.
..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",...
