Posted by: Fred ||
12/10/2024
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#1
No tats, no piercings, just beautiful
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/10/2024 2:37
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#2
She was the inspiration for Charles Dana Gibson’s 'Gibson Girl' images.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
12/10/2024 8:37
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#3
Seems to have all the hair accessories except a comb.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/10/2024 9:28
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#4
^ Yep... Why go to the trouble of using a 3D printed gun and carrying all that crap with you?
Maybe he figured he wouldn't be caught.
His usefulness is over - at least for someone(s).
One last thing to do. As Michael Corleone said - "First rule of as assassinations .. kill the assassin."
Posted by: Bobby ||
12/10/2024 14:08
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#6
From Truth Social, this is how you put America First-
"Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump
Any person or company investing ONE BILLION DOLLARS, OR MORE, in the United States of America, will receive fully expedited approvals and permits, including, but in no way limited to, all Environmental approvals. GET READY TO ROCK!!!
5.24k ReTruths 23.5k Likes "
[IsraelTimes] The IDF says it eliminated two Palestinian gunmen in a drone strike in the West Bank city of Tubas, amid a commando operation in the area.
Troops of the Duvdevan commando unit were operating in Tubas to detain a wanted Palestinian. Amid the operation, the IDF says the troops spotted several gunmen.
A drone carried out an airstrike against two of the gunmen, killing them. The military says troops of the Kfir Brigade raided the site of the strike and seized an assault rifle, two handguns, and a grenade that was on the bodies of the gunmen
[IsraelTimes] University of Amsterdam (UvA) employees are holding a four-day strike demanding that the institution suspend ties with Israeli schools and offer greater rights to protest against Israel.
An estimated 150 — 250 employees will strike from today until Thursday after the university’s executive board refused to respond to the FNV union’s ultimatum, FNV says. The strike was cheered on the Facebook page of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement.
The union’s demands include greater freedom to demonstrate, a democratic committee to assess collaborations, and that the university suspends ties with Israeli institutions until further investigation. All three conditions are understood to be anti-Israel measures.
UvA board chair Edith Hooge says the university was surprised by the ultimatum, noting that progress was already being made on the issues of expanding demonstration rights and assessing collaborations. She does not address the demand to suspend ties with Israel.
"This is the democratic way of decision-making within the UvA," Hooge says. "We believe any further actions are unnecessary.’
Last May, UvA was the site of violent mostly peacefulfestivities between protesters and police as activists demanded that the university cut all ties with Israeli institutions. Hundreds were arrested and an estimated 1.5 million euros in damages was sustained as students and other protesters occupied campuses and blocked access.
Protesters demanded in May that UvA disclose its collaborations with Israeli institutions, and the school does so on its website. "We see no reason to think that these collaborations contribute negatively to the situation in Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... : as far as we can tell, they do not contribute to military violence or human rights ...which often include carefully measured allowances of freedom at the convenience of the state... violations," the university says.
[IsraelTimes] More than 4,000 Syrian army soldiers have crossed into Iraq since rebel forces seized Damascus and overthrew the government of Bashar al-Assad, a militia official in western Iraq says.
The official with the Anbar Tribal Mobilization Forces says that the soldiers had turned over their weapons, ammunition and armored vehicles and would be housed in a camp. He did not say where the camp was located.
Another security official says that the governor of the Syrian province of Hasakeh had come to the border late Sunday night with a convoy of Syrian army soldiers who wanted to cross into Iraq, and they were allowed in via the Qaim crossing.
Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.
The Iraqi government has close ties with Iran and used to be one of Assad’s primary backers but Baghdad has taken a neutral position on the advance of the insurgents and Assad’s downfall.
[IsraelTimes] Arab media reports that the Syrian transitional authority will be headed by Mohammed al-Bashir, who ran the administration in a small pocket of rebel-held territory before the 12-day lightning offensive that swept into Damascus and toppled the Assad regime yesterday.
Bashir is reportedly meeting with outgoing Syrian prime minister Mohammed al-Jalali in Damascus, who said yesterday that he would cooperate with "any leadership chosen by the Syrian people."
[IsraelTime] Military says soldiers came under fire while boarding armored truck in Jabalia; Palestinians say at least 6 killed in Israeli strikes in past day
Three soldiers were killed and 12 others were maimed in Jabalia in the northern Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... Strip on Monday, the Israel Defense Forces announced, amid the ongoing war against Hamas ..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,... The slain troops were named as Staff Sgt. Ido Zano, 20, a combat medic with the Givati Brigade’s Shaked Battalion, from Yehud-Monosson; Staff Sgt. Barak Daniel Halpern, 19, a squad commander in the Givati Brigade’s Shaked Battalion, from Kiryat Ono; and Sgt. Omri Cohen, 19, of the Givati Brigade’s Shaked Battalion, from Ashdod.
In the same incident, 12 soldiers were maimed, including a Givati reservist and a member of the Artillery Corps’ Sky Riders Unit who were at death's door, the military added.
According to an initial IDF probe, the incident took place on Monday morning at an IDF encampment in Jabalia, as the troops were getting ready to head out of the Strip for a furlough.
The troops were boarding a lightly armored truck used to transport troops when Hamas operatives launched anti-tank projectiles and shot up them.
The military said it was further investigating the incident, which came amid an IDF offensive against Hamas in the Strip’s far northern towns of Jabalia, Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun launched in early September.
So far, the military estimates that it has killed at least 1,750 operatives during the recent operation, while another 1,300 have been detained, and around 90,000 civilians evacuated from the area.
Thirty-four IDF soldiers have been killed so far in the operation.
The incident in Jabalia came as Paleostinian medical officials said at least six people were killed in an Israeli strike in central Gaza overnight Monday, including a woman.
The al-Aqsa Hospital compound in the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah said Raed Ghabaien, who was released from Israeli detention in 2014, was among the dead. He was killed along with his wife when an Israeli strike hit their tent in the central town of Zuweida, according to hospital records.
An News Agency that Dare Not be Named journalist who counted the bodies at the hospital’s morgue said that two other people were killed in a strike that hit their house late Sunday in the Nuseirat camp and another two were killed in a strike in the Wadi Gaza area early Monday.
The IDF did not comment on the specific reports of strikes Monday, which came as Israel was preparing for potential chaos on the northern front, following the lightning-fast fall of former Syrian president Bashir al-Assad’s regime.
[IsraelTimes] People express joy over end of brutal regime, as Turkish officials hope many will return home; Germany and Austria suspend Syrian asylum requests
Hundreds of Syrian refugees gathered at two border crossings in southern Turkey on Monday, eagerly anticipating their return home following the fall of President Bashar Assad’s government.
Footage shared online purported to show thousands driving toward the border and into Syria to return to their homes.
Many arrived at the Cilvegozu and Oncupinar border gates at daybreak, draped in blankets and coats. Some camped by the barriers of the border crossing, warming themselves with makeshift fires or resting on the cold ground. The border crossings correspond to the Bab al-Hawa and Bab al-Salameh gates on the Syrian side of the border.
Among those waiting at Cilvegozu was 28-year-old Muhammed Zin, who voiced excitement at the prospect of returning to his homeland. He fled Damascus in 2016 and has been living and working in Istanbul.
“Assad was shooting us, killing us,” he told the Associated Press. “I will return to Syria now. Thank God, the war is over,” he said.
Seer Ali, 18, who left Damascus six years ago, had been working in the nearby city of Gaziantep to support his mother and siblings back home.
“We are very happy, very happy. Not just me, but everyone, all of us Syrians here are very happy,” he said. “Everyone will return; no one will stay here. They will all go to their families.”
Turkish officials have not said how many Syrians have returned since Assad’s downfall. Authorities set up a checkpoint some five kilometers (3 miles) from Cilvegozu, only allowing Syrians with adequate documentation to advance to the border gate, HaberTurk television reported.
Assad’s fall has sparked widespread joy among Turkey’s 3 million Syrian refugees, with many taking to the streets of Istanbul and other cities to celebrate. On Sunday, Syrians also removed the Syrian government’s flag from the Syrian Consulate in Istanbul, replacing it with the opposition’s flag.
Turkey welcomed Syrian refugees with open arms in the early years of the Syrian civil war that broke out in 2011 — becoming host to the largest number of refugees in the world. Ankara believed that the conflict would end quickly and the refugee influx would be temporary.
But as Turkey faced economic challenges, public opinion toward the refugees soured, forcing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government to seek ways to ensure their safe and voluntary repatriation.
Turkish officials now hope that a significant number of Syrians will return voluntarily.
“We will continue our efforts to ensure the safe and voluntary return of Syrians and to rebuild the country,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Monday.
Hundreds of displaced Syrians were also returning Monday to Syria from Lebanon, with dozens of cars lining up to enter. The day before, Lebanese residents had handed out congratulatory sweets to Syrians waiting to go back to their country.
Sami Abdel-Latif, a construction worker and refugee from Hama who was heading to Syria to join his wife and four children, said while the future in Syria is still uncertain, “anything is better than Bashar.” He said he expected some chaos initially but that eventually the situation would settle down.
“Look at Aleppo now,” Abdel-Latif said, referring to the first major city taken over by opposition forces more than a week ago, where life has continued more or less as normal. He said he is also hoping that there will now be plenty of work in Syria to rebuild.
Malak Matar, who was preparing to return to Damascus, said: “This is a feeling we’ve been waiting 14 years for.”
“You feel yourself psychologically free — you can express yourself,” he said. “The country is free, and the barriers have been broken down.”
Now, he said, “Syrians have to create a state that is well organized and takes care of their country. It’s a new phase.”
A HALT TO ASYLUM REQUESTS
Germany and Austria, which took in some one million and 100,000 Syrians respectively, have suspended their decisions on asylum requests amid the developments.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said that “the end of the brutal tyranny of the Syrian dictator Assad is a great relief for many people who have suffered from torture, murder, and terror.”
“Many refugees who have found protection in Germany now finally have hope of returning to their Syrian homeland and rebuilding their country,” she added.
But she cautioned that “the situation in Syria is currently very unclear.”
“Therefore, concrete possibilities of return cannot yet be predicted at the moment, and it would be unprofessional to speculate about them in such a volatile situation.
“In view of this unclear situation, it is right that the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees has today imposed a freeze on decisions for asylum procedures that are still ongoing until the situation is clearer,” she said.
The interior ministry says there are now 974,136 people with Syrian nationality residing in Germany.
Of these, 5,090 have been recognized as eligible for asylum, 321,444 have been granted refugee status and 329,242 have been granted subsidiary protection, a temporary stay of deportation, with tens of thousands of other cases still pending.
German foreign ministry spokesman Sebastian Fischer on Monday highlighted the changing events and ongoing fighting in Syria.
“The fact that the Assad regime has been ended is unfortunately no guarantee of peaceful development,” he told a regular media briefing.
“Whether this new situation will result in new refugee movements or whether, on the contrary, if the situation stabilizes, displaced persons and refugees will have the opportunity to return to their homeland in the long term, remains to be seen,” Fischer said.
Meanwhile, Austria’s Conservative Chancellor Karl Nehammer on Monday instructed his interior ministry “to suspend all ongoing Syrian asylum applications and to review all asylum grants,” the ministry said in a statement.
“From now on, open [asylum] proceedings of Syrian citizens will be stopped,” a statement said.
Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner added he has “instructed the ministry to prepare an orderly repatriation and deportation program to Syria.”
Family reunification — allowing Syrians in Austria to bring relatives to the country — will also be suspended, the statement added.
“The political situation in Syria has changed fundamentally and, above all, rapidly in recent days,” the ministry said, adding it is “currently monitoring and analyzing the new situation.”
“It is essential to reassess the situation, which is necessary for further processing of the cases,” the ministry added.
Around 7,300 Syrians whose asylum applications are in the first stage of consideration “are affected” by the suspension, the ministry said.
Since 2015, some 87,000 Syrians have been given asylum.
Austria’s anti-migration far right topped national elections in September, though they have been unable to find partners to govern, leaving the runner-up conservatives trying to form a new government.
[IsraelTimes] A US indictment unsealed Monday charges two high-ranking Syrian officials under ousted President Bashar al-Assad with war crimes, the US Justice Department says in a statement.
The indictment, which was unsealed in the Northern District of Illinois, charges the former Syrian intelligence officials with engaging in a conspiracy to commit cruel and inhuman treatment of civilian detainees, including US citizens, during the course of the Syrian civil war.
[IsraelTimes] Gaza terror groups hope Syrians will continue to back Palestinians after regime change; in footage from Damascus, rebels call for people of Gaza to be ‘patient’ for their aid
The Hamas ..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,... terror group congratulated the Syrian people on Monday for achieving their "aspirations for freedom and justice" after toppling the regime of Bashir al-Assad.
It was Hamas’s first public comment on the matter since rebel forces swept into the Syrian capital Damascus on Sunday, after a lightning advance that sent Assad fleeing to Russia following a 13-year civil war and six decades of his family’s autocratic rule.
"Hamas congratulates the brotherly Syrian people on their success in achieving their aspirations for freedom and justice, and we call on all components of the Syrian people to unite their ranks," the terror group said.
"We stand strongly with the great people of Syria... and respect the will, the independence, and the political choices of the people of Syria."
Hamas said it hoped that post-Assad Syria would continue "its historical and pivotal role in supporting the Paleostinian people."
Meanwhile,
...back at the shootout, Butch shot Black Bart's knife out of his hand...... footage from a mosque in Damascus aired by Hebrew media Monday showed Syrian rebels vowing to march on Jerusalem.
"This is the land of Islam, this is Damascus, the Moslem stronghold. From here to Jerusalem. We’re coming for Jerusalem. Patience, people of 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... , patience," vowed an Islamist rebel, surrounded by a group of button men who responded with cries of "holy shit! Allahu akbar!" ("God is greatest" in Arabic.)
It was not clear which rebel group the fighters represented.
Also Monday, Ziad al-Nakhala ...In 1971, al-Nakhalah was sentenced to life imprisonment in Israel because of his militant activities with the Arab Liberation Front. He was one of the 1,150 security prisoners released by Israel on 21 May 1985 in an ill-advised prisoner swap under the Jibril Agreement. After his release from Israeli prison, then-PIJ secretary-general Fathi Shikaki tasked al-Nakhalah with establishing in the Gaza Strip the group’s military wing, the Al-Quds Brigades. He was detained again by Israel in April 1988 for his role in the first Intifada, and was exiled to Leb in August 1988 with other PIJ leaders. Ihe longtime Paleostinian Islamic Jhad Number Two was called back from the organization’s base in Damascus in 2018 to take over the top spot until supremo Ramadan Shalah recovers from a coma with complications caused by rigor mortis... , head of Paleostinian Islamic Jihad ...created after many members of the Egyptian Moslem Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah... , an Iranian-backed terror group and an ally of Hamas, said that events in Syria were "a Syrian affair."
"The Islamic Jihad hopes Syria will remain a real supporter of the Paleostinian people and their just cause, as it has always been," said Nakhala.
The Kan public broadcaster reported Sunday that Nakhala fled from his Damascus residence to Tehran ahead of the rebels’ takeover, while his deputy fled with the PIJ leadership to Iraq, to avoid potential liquidation by Israel.
Hamas publicly endorsed the 2011 Sunni Moslem street uprising against Assad’s rule and vacated its Damascus headquarters in 2012, a move that angered Iran, an ally of both Assad and the Paleostinian terror group.
Hamas, whose ideological roots stem from the Sunni Islamist Moslem Brüderbund, distanced itself from Assad — a member of the minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi’ite Islam — as he cracked down on the mainly Sunni Moslem protesters and rebels.
The Paleostinian terror group decided in 2022 to restore ties with the Assad government and sent a delegation to Damascus, where leaders met Assad in the hope of repairing relations.
Assad’s Syria and Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... formed an "axis of resistance" with 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 terror group and Paleostinian terror groups to oppose Israel.
According to the UN agency for Paleostinian refugees, UNRWA, some 438,000 Paleostinians registered as refugees resided in Syria in 2022.
Hamas’s positive response to the fall of Assad contrasted with that of Shi’ite Moslem Hezbollah, which played a major part in propping up Assad through years of war. Assad’s Syria long served as a vital conduit for Iran to supply arms to the group.
A senior Hezbollah politician on Monday described events in Syria as a "major, dangerous and new transformation."
Some among those who overthrew Assad have vowed to aid the people of Gaza, which has been locked in a war with Israel since Hamas launched its October 7, 2023, massacre of southern communities.
[IsraelTimes] ‘If that’s a deal breaker, the deal will sink,’ far-right minister tells Bloomberg.
Timing is everything, and the Saudis waited too long. They’ll now have to start over even though Bibi has made it clear he would love to close the deal with them as his final legacy. But that was before he had the crushing of the Iran crescent as his legacy.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
12/10/2024
2024-12-10 01:10 ||
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[IsraelTimes] Rebel leader al-Golani touts experience of administration over small Idlib region; Tehran insider claims Assad became a burden, regime leaked location of Iranian commanders
Syrian rebels on Monday said they would grant amnesty to conscripted soldiers who fought for ousted president Bashir al-Assad’s regime, as their leader began setting up a transitional government.
The amnesty granted by the rebels will not apply to officers, according to the statement posted on Telegram by the Military Operations Command, the joint operations room of opposition factions that led the lightning-fast offensive that ousted Assad.
The leader of the rebels, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, now using his real name Ahmed al-Sharaa, met with outgoing Syrian prime minister Mohammed al-Jalali and discussed the "transfer of power," the rebels said.
A short video of the meeting showed it was also attended by Mohammed al-Bashir, who headed the rebels’ "Salvation Government" in their northwest Syria bastion and who was tapped as the acting prime minister.
Islamist rebel group Hayat 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 had been administering swaths of Idlib province and parts of neighboring areas until November 27, when it led a lightning offensive, seizing government-held territory and capturing Damascus on Sunday.
In the video, Golani was heard telling the outgoing prime minister that although "Idlib is a small region lacking resources," authorities there "have a very high level of experience after starting with nothing."
Jalali said Sunday he was ready to "cooperate" with any leadership chosen by the people and for any handover process. He said the handover could take days to carry out.
Assad’s Baath party said Monday it will back the process.
"We will remain supportive of a transitional phase in Syria aimed at defending the unity of the country," party Secretary-General Ibrahim al-Hadid said in a statement.
The Salvation Government, which has ministries, departments and judicial and security authorities, was set up in 2017 to assist people cut off from government services in the stronghold.
Authorities from the area have already started returning services including water, communications, and power to Syria’s second city Aleppo after the rebels seized it in their lightning offensive.
Meanwhile,
...back at the pie fight, Bella opened her mouth at precisely the wrong moment... Syria’s banks will reopen on Tuesday and staff have been asked to return to offices, according to a Syrian central bank source and two commercial bankers.
At the Interior Ministry that ran Assad’s police force, furniture had been looted and staff stayed away. Armed rebels were there to maintain order.
The oil ministry called on all employees in the sector to head to their workplaces starting on Tuesday, adding that protection would be provided to ensure their safety.
The advance of a militia alliance spearheaded by HTS, a former al-Qaeda affiliate, was a generational turning point for the Middle East.
It ended a war that killed hundreds of thousands, caused one of the biggest refugee crises of modern times, and left cities bombed to rubble, the countryside depopulated and the economy hollowed out by global sanctions. Refugees could finally go home from camps across The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...just another cheapjack Moslem dictatorship, brought to you by the Moslem Brüderbund... , 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... and Jordan.
The United Nations ...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks... said that whoever ends up in power in Syria must hold the Assad regime to account. But how Assad might face justice remains unclear, especially after the Kremlin refused on Monday to confirm reports by Russian news agencies that he had fled to Moscow.
Iran, another key ally that provided military support for Assad’s brutal crackdown on his opposition, said it expected its "friendly" ties with Syria to continue, with its foreign minister saying the ousted president "never asked" for Tehran’s help against the rebel offensive.
An insider in Iran’s government told the Financial Times Monday that Assad had become "an obstacle, a liability — some even called him a betrayer," citing inaction toward reported Israeli strikes on Iranian targets inside Syria.
"People within his regime were leaking information about the whereabouts of Iranian commanders," the insider claimed. "Assad turned his back on us when we needed him most."
Despite the fall of Assad, conflict was at risk of persisting, with the US-backed Syrian Kurdish forces (SDF) saying they were still fighting Ottoman Turkish-backed rebels in the northern Syrian city of Manbij.
The SDF said a Ottoman Turkish drone struck in the village of al-Mistriha in eastern Syria, killing 12 civilians, including six children.
Turkey views the SDF, which is primarily composed of a Syrian Kurdish militia, as an extension of the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which has waged a decades-long insurgency in Turkey. The SDF has also been a key ally of the United States in the war against the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... group.
Ottoman Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Monday expressed hope for a new era in Syria in which ethnic and religious groups can live peacefully under an inclusive government. But he warned against allowing Islamic State or Kurdish fighters to take advantage of the situation, saying Turkey will prevent Syria from turning into a "haven for terrorism."
“We will offer rewards to anyone who provides information about senior army and security officers involved in war crimes,” rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, now using his real name Ahmed al-Sharaa, says in a statement on Telegram.
The rebel leader began discussions yesterday with the ousted government on transferring power, a day after his opposition alliance dramatically unseated president Bashar al-Assad following decades of brutal rule.
“We will not hesitate to hold accountable the criminals, murderers, security and army officers involved in torturing the Syrian people,” Sharaa says in the statement, adding they “will pursue war criminals and ask for their hand over from the countries to which they fled.”
“We have affirmed our commitment to tolerance for those whose hands are not stained with the blood of the Syrian people, and we have granted amnesty to those who were in compulsory service,” he says.
Sharaa’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group had been administering swathes of Idlib province and parts of neighboring areas until November 27, when along with allied factions it launched a lightning offensive, seizing government-held territory and capturing Damascus on Sunday.
In a statement posted on social media, the insurgents’ General Command says, “It is strictly forbidden to interfere with women’s dress or impose any request related to their clothing or appearance, including requests for modesty.”
The command says it affirms that personal freedom is guaranteed to everyone, and that respect for the rights of individuals is the basis for building a civilized nation.
In areas that were controlled by Syrian opposition groups since the civil war erupted in 2011, the vast majority of women dressed modestly, only revealing their faces and hands.
Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the militant leader whose forces entered Damascus over the weekend, has renounced longtime ties to al-Qaida and depicted himself as a champion of pluralism and tolerance.
"...the Syrian government uses “local alliance structures with other armed groups such as Hezbollah for technical and logistical support in Captagon production and trafficking”
[IsraelTimes] US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says US won’t allow ISIS to turn ‘moment of promise’ for Syrian people into ‘conflict and violence,’ will protect its personnel from any threats.
[IsraelTimes] US defends Israeli decision to fill vacuum after Syrian soldiers fled posts along border but stresses that measure must be temporary
The United Nations ...boodling on the grand scale... accused Israel on Monday of having violated the 1974 Disengagement Agreement with Syria, after it informed the UN Security Council that it had taken "limited and temporary measures" in a demilitarized strip bordering Syria to counter any threats, particularly to residents of the Israeli side of the Golan Heights.
In a letter informing the 15-member council of Israel’s actions, UN ambassador Danny Danon stressed that it was "important to emphasize, however, that Israel is not intervening in the ongoing conflict between Syrian gangs" following the fall of Bashir al-Assad’s regime on Sunday. "Our actions are solely focused on safeguarding our security," he wrote.
Danon’s letter came after Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Monday morning that he had ordered the IDF to complete its takeover of the buffer zone between Israel and Syria in the Golan Heights after it took up dozens of new positions a day earlier, bracing for potential chaos in the wake of the Syrian rebel offensive that toppled the Assad family’s 50-year rule.
The IDF has said that its deployment to the buffer zone is a defensive and temporary measure but acknowledged that it may end up staying there for the foreseeable future, depending on the developments.
The 235-square-kilometer demilitarized buffer zone was established in the 1974 Agreement on Disengagement between Israel and Syria, which concluded the Yom Kippur War, and has been manned for decades by UN peacekeepers. However,
if you can't say something nice about a person some juicy gossip will go well... Israel said Sunday that with the fall of the Assad regime, it considered the agreement void until order is restored in Syria, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a visit to the border that the agreement had "collapsed."
Nevertheless, Danon told the UN Security Council that Israel remains committed to the framework of the 1974 agreement.
Shortly after Danon formally informed the UN of the steps taken by Israel, a spokesperson for the international body said the troops positioned in the buffer zone "constitute a violation" of the agreement.
The UN peacekeeping force deployed in the Golan Heights, known as UNDOF, "informed the Israeli counterparts that these actions would constitute a violation of the 1974 disengagement agreement," said Stephane Dujarric, front man for Secretary-General António Guterres ...Portuguese politician and diplomat, ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations. Previously, he was the UN High Commissioner for Refugees between 2005 and 2015. He was the Prime Minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002 and was the Secretary-General of the Socialist Party from 1992 to 2002. He served as President of the Socialist International from 1999 to 2005. In both a 2012 and 2014 poll, the Portuguese public ranked him as the best Prime Minister of the previous 30 years... He said that the Israeli forces that entered the zone were still present in at least three locations.
"There should be no military forces or activities in the area of separation. And Israel and Syria must continue to uphold the terms of that 1974 agreement, and preserve stability in the Golan," Dujarric said.
Echoing the UN’s condemnation, Saudi Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat Frational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start... slammed Israel’s seizure of the buffer zone, which it said was proof of Israel’s will to "ruin Syria’s chance of restoring its security."
"The seizure of the buffer zone in the Golan Heights... confirm Israel’s continued violation of the rules of international law, and its determination to sabotage Syria’s chances of restoring its security, stability and territorial integrity," the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement.
The US, meanwhile, defended Israel’s takeover of the Syrian side of the Golan Heights, but at the same time sought to reassure opponents of the move that it would be a temporary one, as Israel has said it would be.
US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller explained during a press briefing that the Syrian army had abandoned positions on its side of the Golan Heights and noted that this created a potential vacuum that could have been filled by terror organizations that threaten Israel.
Justifying the move by the IDF, he said that any country would be concerned and want to take action to prevent such a vacuum from being created.
However,
if you can't say something nice about a person some juicy gossip will go well... he highlighted Israel’s public claims that the takeover was temporary and said that the US would be monitoring Israel’s presence and speaking to Israeli counterparts to ensure that the IDF takeover doesn’t become permanent.
He declined to set a timetable, however, pointing to the fast-changing situation on the ground in Syria.
"Israel has said that these actions are temporary to defend its borders. These are not permanent actions, and so ultimately, what we want to see is lasting stability between Israel and Syria, and that means we support all sides upholding the 1974 disengagement agreement," Miller said.
[IsraelTimes] Artyom Zolotarev suspected of taking on tasks even after he realized who was paying him, but authorities say he also turned down requests to spy for Tehran or aid murder plot
An Israeli man was arrested last month on suspicion of carrying out acts of vandalism on behalf of Iran, the latest in a series of plots involving Israeli citizens allegedly recruited by Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... that security agencies say have been foiled in recent months.
Artyom Zolotarev, 33, was detained in November over suspicions he was "committing security offenses related to contact with Iranian intelligence officials and carrying out security missions in Israel under their direction, for financial gain," the Shin Bet and police announced Monday.
An indictment for contact with a foreign agent, arson, and vandalism was set to be filed against Zolotarev on Monday at the Nazareth District Court.
The Nof Hagalil resident is suspected of graffitiing anti-government and pro-Iran slogans in several northern cities and setting fire to cars in Haifa on separate occasions. Authorities say Zolotarev balked when asked to undertake espionage activities, including a murder-for-hire plot, though he continued to carry out other missions, even after growing wise about the nature of his handlers.
The joint Shin Bet and police investigation found that in October, Zolotarev was in contact with a figure online using the handle "Eliad," who suggested he perform "tasks of spraying graffiti against the government to change the civil situation in Israel."
Zolotov painted anti-government material onto walls in Nof Hagalil, Haifa, and Migdal Ha’emek, sending footage of the act to his handler. He then erased the graffiti, according to the investigation.
In exchange for the vandalism, Zolotarev received $2,800 in cryptocurrency, the Shin Bet said.
Zolotarev began to realize that Eliad was an Iranian agent after he was asked to carry out more serious tasks, such as taking photos of residential buildings and an electrical transformer.
He turned down both requests and later also refused an offer to carry out a murder for $125,000, after which he would have been smuggled to Russia or Iran. He also refused a request to buy a gun and hand it to someone else, the Shin Bet said.
His suspicions about Eliad were also piqued by news reports on TikTok regarding the arrests of suspected Iranian spies, including Moti Maman, an Israeli accused of secretly entering Iran twice and plotting with figures there to assassinate Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others.
Since September, Israeli authorities have announced arrests in six separate cases involving individuals or cells suspected of spying or plotting attacks on behalf of Iran. In some, Tehran tried to trick Israelis online into carrying out missions on its behalf. In other cases, individuals are alleged to have knowingly operated on its behalf for monetary gain.
Despite becoming aware that Eliad was an Iranian agent, Zolotarev continued to make contact with him and carry out missions, including setting a car on fire in Haifa in exchange for $2,000, according to law enforcement.
Under the direction of a second handler named "Boaz Mar," Zolotarev later set fire to a second car in Haifa, recorded a video, and sent it to the agent. He also spray-painted pro-Iran graffiti reading "Children of Ruhollah" — referring to former Iranian supreme leader Ruhollah Khomeini — in Haifa and Afula, the Shin Bet said.
On Friday, the Shin Bet revealed that it had arrested a father and son from the northern Druze village of Mas’ade on suspicion of spying on troops and passing other sensitive information to the Quds Force, the extraterritorial arm of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
In September, seven Jewish Israelis were arrested on suspicion of spying on security figures and IDF bases for Iran. They were accused of collecting information for their Iranian contacts about several Israeli citizens, including a senior security figure, and may have been part of a plot to ultimately assassinate the figure. Maman was also arrested that month.
On October 14, a Ramat Gan man and his 18-year-old partner were arrested on charges that they carried out various acts of sabotage and vandalism on behalf of an Iranian agent.
On October 16, the Israel Police and State Attorney’s Office announced the arrest of a man from central Israel who allegedly acquired a weapon in order to kill an Israeli scientist on instructions from an Iranian agent, after performing several smaller tasks on the agent’s behalf.
On October 22, seven East Jerusalem men, six of them Israeli citizens, were arrested on suspicion of spying for Iran and plotting attacks in Israel.
Those cases came after authorities in January uncovered a scheme involving Israelis who were allegedly recruited to gather intelligence on high-profile figures.
#5
Based on all we have seen of her statements and votes, it is sort of hysterical that she was trying to parlay this opportunity into a Sec Def slot for herself. She is delusional.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/10/2024 10:34
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#7
The most shocking fact to come out of this episode is that she voted to confirm LLoyd Austin. She is not trustworthy and must be watched closely.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
12/10/2024 11:45
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#8
Open primary season on RINOs has put the fear of God in this deepstate Iowa turd. From what I've understood, not verified, the pig land public is rather pissed at Ernst.
Days After Trump’s Victory, Biden Admin Quietly Granted Iran $10 Billion in Sanctions Relief
Just days after Trump’s 2024 victory, the Biden administration approved $10 billion in sanctions relief for Iran, according to a congressional notice reviewed by The… pic.twitter.com/ZfD1yNUIQW
… congressional notice reviewed by The Washington Free Beacon. On November 8, Secretary of State Antony Blinken determined it was in the “national security interest of the United States” to waive sanctions, allowing Iraq to transfer funds to Iran for electricity payments.
Despite Republican objections warning the funds could fuel terrorism and Iran’s aggression against Israel, the administration has repeatedly renewed the waiver. One renewal came just a month after Hamxs’s October 7 attack on Israel.
- Washington Free Beacon
Hey, Elon! D’you suppose any of your clever friends would like to try getting that back on January 20th, about 12:01pm ET?
Posted by: 3dc ||
12/10/2024
14:51 ||
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#1
Going out of Business arrangement, perhaps just the beginning of the Biden exit fire-sale?
Breaking: The CCP Orders Immediate Return of Military Officers' Overseas Family Members!
On December 7th, the CCP’s Central Military Commission and the State Council jointly issued a document, ordering that all direct family members of officers at the rank of platoon leader and… pic.twitter.com/ke8qK8Aj6i
— Inconvenient Truths by Jennifer Zeng (@jenniferzeng97) December 9, 2024
Full English translation of this document in Chinese:
State Council
Central Military Commission
General Office Document
[2024] No. 213
Notice from the State Council and the Central Military Commission
To the Five Theater Commands, Provincial Military Districts, All Military Branches, All Departments of the Central Military Commission:
In response to the complex international situation, with approval from the Party Central Committee, the State Council, and the Central Military Commission, it has been decided to recall the overseas family members of all military personnel. The relevant matters are notified below:
1. All direct family members of personnel at the rank of platoon leader and above who are still overseas in the Five Theater Commands, Provincial Military Districts, all military branches, all departments of the Central Military Commission, the Academy of Military Science, and the National Defense University must return to China by February 1, 2025. Priority for recall includes children, spouses, siblings, and parents.
2. By January 1st, all aforementioned units must submit a detailed report on overseas relatives to higher authorities.
3. Higher authorities will create a recall plan. The schedule for the return will be documented, and the execution and implementation will be monitored. Weekly summaries will be reported to the Party Central Committee.
4. For personnel whose relatives are still overseas past the February 1st deadline, immediate suspension will be enacted, and they must explain the situation to the Military Discipline Committee.
5. Those who refuse to comply, resist, or show negligence will have cases filed by the counterintelligence office and will be tried by a military court.
December 7, 2024
Seal: State Council of the People's Republic of China
Military Commission of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China
#2
No protecting the bloodline by hiding children abroad? And the call went out to *platoon leader* and above? Our platoon leaders can’t afford such luxuries… Very, very interesting.
#3
Hostages - a form of Insurance so that you don't misbehave.
Old school, but effective.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
12/09/2024 18:12
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#4
Can be taken 2 ways.
#1. Planning for war, and they want officers thinking about it instead of the wife and kids. Plus, it pushes them to do their jobs to the fullest.
#2. Rumors Xi is being challenged for position and holding family hostage
gives him some leverage.
[FoxNews] Forget Biden's laptop lies, the FBI knew that it was real as far back as 2019
President Joe Biden lied from start to finish about his family’s influence-peddling racket. He recently issued a sweeping pardon to his son, Hunter Biden, contradicting his repeated assurances that he would not interfere. This pardon may be one of the most comprehensive in U.S. history, encompassing over a decade of corruption. While some have drawn parallels between this pardon and President Gerald Ford’s pardon of former President Richard Nixon, the comparison falls short. Ford aimed to heal a divided nation; Biden is shielding himself and his family from accountability.
Unlike the corporate media and Democrats, who sought to shield Biden until his political future was doomed, observers of the Biden crime family’s corrupt practices are unsurprised by this latest contradiction. Biden’s claim that he would not pardon Hunter Biden is part of a broader pattern of deception regarding his family’s business dealings in order to conceal his involvement.
At the start of this Congress, the House Oversight and Accountability Committee launched an investigation into Joe Biden’s involvement in his family’s business dealings. Despite stonewalling from the Biden administration, we followed the Bidens’ money trail, exposing the 20 shell companies they set up to hide the shady foreign payments they received, all with Joe Biden at the center of the family business.
Our investigation has exposed how Joe Biden lied repeatedly about his involvement in these schemes that enriched the Bidens to the tune of tens of millions of dollars. Here are some of the biggest lies that we exposed during our investigation.
1. Hunter Biden laptop as Russian disinformation
2. ‘I have never spoken to my son about his overseas business dealings’
[FoxNews] Remember the short-lived dockworkers’ strike which crippled ports on the East and Gulf Coasts in October?
The strike only lasted three days, but cost the American economy billions in lost revenue. The work stoppage was temporarily resolved when the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) agreed to a 61.5% wage increase over the next six years. The ILA and the United States Maritime Alliance tabled other issues, the most important of which is the automation of ports.
The contract extension that was negotiated expires on January 15, 2025 – five days before President-elect Trump takes office for his second term.
However, there is a major glitch, which had been under-reported by corporate media: the two sides stopped all negotiations in mid-November, with the ILA walking away from the negotiating table, stating, "USMX introduced language in their proposal for semi-automated equipment to be used at ILA ports, which this union outright rejected. The ILA recognized this as a renewed attempt by USMX to eliminate ILA jobs with automation and broke off talks."
"There’s no doubt that President Biden deserves a lot of credit for his unflagging support of Israel’s ability to defend itself against the multifront war that Iran and its proxies launched on Oct. 7, 2023,"
Genesis Prize Chairman highlights immense role of Jewish scientists and doctors in combatting the pandemic: "A very proud moment for the entire Jewish community"
January 19, 2022, Jerusalem — Today, The Genesis Prize Foundation announced Dr. Albert Bourla, Chairman and CEO of Pfizer, as the 2022 Genesis Prize Laureate. Dr. Bourla received the largest number of votes in a recently concluded global campaign, during which 200,000 people in 71 countries voted online. The choice of the voters was unanimously endorsed by the nine judges on the Genesis Prize Selection Committee.
The Committee commended Dr. Bourla for his leadership, determination, and especially for his willingness to assume great risks. Unlike CEOs of most other major companies working on developing COVID-19 vaccines, Dr. Bourla declined billions of dollars in US federal subsidies in order to avoid government bureaucracy and expedite development and production of the vaccine. As a result, Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine was ready in record time: months instead of years.
The Committee also noted Dr. Bourla’s pride in his Jewish identity and heritage, commitment to Jewish values and support for the State of Israel.
The annual $1 million Genesis Prize, dubbed the "Jewish Nobel" by TIME Magazine, honors extraordinary individuals for their outstanding professional achievement, contribution to humanity, and commitment to Jewish values. Dr. Bourla becomes the ninth Genesis Prize Laureate. He follows filmmaker and philanthropist Steven Spielberg, who was awarded the Genesis Prize in 2021, and the legendary human rights activist Natan Sharansky, the 2020 Laureate.
The President of Israel Isaac Herzog will present the Genesis Prize to Dr. Bourla at a ceremony in Jerusalem planned for June 29.
In line with the tradition established by the inaugural Laureate Michael Bloomberg, all Genesis Prize honorees have chosen to forgo the monetary award to philanthropic causes. Dr. Bourla has asked The Genesis Prize Foundation to direct his $1 million prize award to projects aimed at preserving the memory of the victims of the Holocaust, with a particular emphasis on the tragedy suffered by the Greek Jewish community.
Born in Thessaloniki, Greece, Dr. Bourla was raised in a family that knew the horrors of the Holocaust first-hand. His parents were among only 2,000 survivors out of a once-thriving, ancient Jewish community of 50,000, almost completely wiped out by the Nazis.
"I am delighted to welcome Dr. Albert Bourla to the distinguished family of Genesis Prize Laureates," said Co-Founder and Chairman of The Genesis Prize Foundation Stan Polovets. "Dr. Bourla personifies two of the most fundamental Jewish values: the commitment to the sanctity of life and to repairing the world. And while the pandemic is far from over, millions of people are alive and healthy because of what Dr. Bourla and his team at Pfizer have accomplished."
[X] "We, alongside the Syrian people, will stand against any attack on the stability of the new Syrian administration or the integrity of Syria’s ancient lands."
A hint that the Ottoman province of Syria used to contain what is now Israel and the Palestinian territories?
Posted by: 3dc ||
12/10/2024
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The Daily Mail is trying to stir up trouble for the incoming administration, it appears.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Donald Trump's selection to be director of national intelligence ducked questions on Syria's recently overthrown dictator Bashar Al-Assad, who she met in 2017.
Tulsi Gabbard refused to answer whether she believed Assad - who has ordered chemical weapons used on his own Syrian people - is a war criminal, Fox News first reported.
The inquiry came just a day after Assad reportedly fled his native Syria to Moscow after rebel forces took control of the Middle Eastern nation he ruled since 2000.
Gabbard notoriously met with Assad during a 'fact-finding' mission to the nation seven years ago, a trip that caused consternation and generated much controversy. When she went as a Democrat?
Syria is a country with which the U.S. does not have formal diplomatic relations, and U.S. military forces aligned themselves with rebel factions in the country's civil war.
Assad instead opted to team up with Russia, who has operated military instillations around the country for years.
Now tapped as Trump's top intelligence official, Gabbard's cozy relationship with Assad is now coming under heightened scrutiny, especially given the ex-dictator's prominence in the news recently. "cozy". No bias there
And given that Assad is now being harbored by one of the U.S.'s chief geopolitical rivals, the senators tasked with confirming Gabbard to DNI have lots of questions about her trip.
'A lot of her past statements deserve inquiry,' Connecticut Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy told DailyMail.com.
'I think she was one of the earliest parrators of Damascus and Kremlin talking points.'
'You can have a sincere belief that brutal dictators should remain in power, but I think we need to pose some inquiries as to why she took the positions that she took at a time when very few other people believed that Bashar Al-Assad or Vladimir Putin deserved defense.'
Murphy added that he has no doubt there are better people for the job, though he did not say whether he was opposed to voting for her.
Delaware Democratic Sen. Chris Coons had an even harsher assessment.
In repeated interviews since her journey to Syria, Gabbard maintained her trip to see the devastation brought by the civil war between Assad's forces and rebels and ISIS terrorists was the proper thing to do.
'It continues to be very important for any leader in this country to be willing to meet with others, whether they be friends or adversaries or potential adversaries, if we are serious about the pursuit of peace and securing our country,' she said in a 2019 interview about her sit down with Assad.
Republicans, who will have the majority next Congress and task with shepherding Trump's DNI pick through the upper chamber come January, were less worried about Gabbard's past meeting with the former dictator.
Republican Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin responded to reporters questions about Gabbard saying 2017 was a different time.
'What was happening in 2017 is completely different than what was going on today,' he said.
And he was quick to point out: 'The information we were getting in 2017 from the Obama administration.'
Noting the attacks carried out on the Syrian people by Assad's forces the Republican remarked how the perspective back then was different, and that leading sources at the time primarily blamed Iran and its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah for many Syrian atrocities.
South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham after meeting with Gabbard noted the differences the two have had in the past.
'We’ve had policy differences,' he said. 'But, you know, she'll be serving Trump.'
Though he did admit that he liked her during the sit-down.
When pressed about Gabbard's relationship with Assad, Sen. John Cornyn simply responded: 'I'm looking forward to meeting with her.'
#8
Still believing the russia russia russia stuff eh? She has no position in calling him a terrorist. That is a title given, or not, by the current administration. It will be Trumps administrations call when he is in power.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
12/10/2024 13:13
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#9
Why shoot your mouth off about any foreign leaders when you are a nominee for director of national intelligence?
Posted by: Regular joe ||
12/10/2024 14:51
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#10
IIRC, some thought the chemical attack was staged by once a future ISIS to give NATO a pretext to provide air cover for an assault against Team Assad.
The Green Light passed UK and France spooky fast, and while it looked like support in US Congress stalled Obama could just order attacks anyways, when Kerry stuck is foot in his mouth and gave a politically viable solution.
"They’re going to hear us f*cking tonight…y’all gonna get your moneys worth tonight motherf*ckers.” - protesters following Daniel Penny’s acquittalpic.twitter.com/2mIHMW0jq6
BLM Leader Calls For 'Black Vigilantes' Following Daniel Penny Verdict
[DAILYWIRE] The Daniel Penny verdict has been met with threats by at least one high-profile activist hoping he would be convicted of killing Jordan Neely, who was threatening people on a New York City subway train last year.
After Penny was found not guilty of the criminally negligent homicide of Neely, the founder of Black Lives Matter (BLM) of Greater New York, Hawk Newsome, called on black people to attack white people in the city.
''We need some black vigilantes,'' Newsome said during a presser. ''People wanna jump up and choke us and kill us for being loud? How about we do the same when they attempt to oppress us.''
The trial has also inspired vandalism.
Last week, law enforcement said that nine suspects who boarded the northbound F train at the Neptune Avenue station around 4:24 a.m. allegedly plastered the interior of the car with messages that said: ''A man was lynched here,'' according to AMNY. The statements are believed to be a reference to Neely, who died after Penny subdued him in a chokehold to keep him from hurting other passengers.
While Neely's official cause of death is asphyxiation, Dr. Satish Chundru, a forensic pathologist, testified for the defense that Penny's chokehold did not result in Neely's death.
''In your opinion, did Mr. Penny choke Mr. Neely to death?'' Steven Raiser, one of Penny's defense attorneys, asked Chundru on the stand.
''No,'' Chundru replied, ''The chokehold did not cause death.''
Chundru also testified that Neely's death was the result of ''the combined effects of sickle cell crisis, the schizophrenia, the struggle and restraint, and the synthetic marijuana,'' Fox News reported. He said that someone high on synthetic marijuana with schizophrenia can die while involved in a struggle, even without a chokehold being used. Chundru went on to say that even if Neely hadn't had those other health factors, he still would not have died from Penny's chokehold.
"It is just a continuance of the soft-on-crime policies that have permeated our big cities," said Louis Gelormino, a Staten Island defense attorney who has said the case against Penny should never have been filed. The woman prosecuting Daniel Penny, Dafna Yoran, is a fan of "restorative justice". Listen to what she says here.
According Laura Loomer, Yoran is lesbian who is married 'Peruvian pro-Black Lives Matter artist' named Ana De Orbegoso.
So we can assume she is Antifa- adjacent, if not full on Black Bloc herself
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Under murderous dictator Bashar al-Assad, Syrians faced massive crackdowns for alleged drug use for years, often being handed long sentences in prisons where they would be subjected to horrific torture. But for years, the hypocritical tyrant's regime secretly netted three times more money than all of Mexico's cartels, by one estimate, with a small white pill that everyone from ISIS terrorists to construction workers chased after.
*Blink*
Captagon, known locally as the 'drug of jihad', and 'poor man's cocaine', was originally sold as a cure for attention deficit disorders, narcolepsy and depression when it was first developed by a German pharmaceutical firm in 1961. In 1986, Captagon was banned in almost all countries after it was listed as a Schedule II drug by the UN.
But junkies found the drug was a cheap and quick way to get massive bursts of energy and productivity, alertness and sometimes a sense of euphoria. As a result, it became the drug of choice for everyone from high-end revellers to construction site workers, and even terrorist rampagers. Israeli media reported that Hamas' fighters pumped themselves full of the drug right before they carried out their deadly October 7 massacre, in which they killed around 1,200 people and kidnapped a total of 251. ISIS fighters were also known for their use of the drug, with experts telling CNN in 2015 that it made people feel impervious to bullets.
Syria is responsible for around 80% of the world's production of Captagon, and for years Bashar al-Assad, who has now been deposed thanks to a lighting offensive led by an Islamist rebel group, was a key player in the industry.
'You can stay awake for days at a time. You don't have to sleep,' Dr. Robert Keisling, a psychiatrist at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, told the outlet.
'It gives you a sense of well-being and euphoria. And you think that you're invincible and that nothing can harm you.'
Syria is responsible for around 80% of the world's production of Captagon, and for years Bashar al-Assad, who has now been deposed thanks to a lighting offensive led by an Islamist rebel group, was a key player in the industry.
In 2021 alone, $5.7 billion of the pills were sold.
Experts estimate that Assad's illict trade of Captagon was worth 'approximately 3 times the combined trade of the Mexican cartels.'
An investigation by the New York Times in 2021 revealed that much of the country's production and distribution of the drug was supervised by the Fourth Armoured Division of the Syrian Army, an elite unit commanded by Maher Assad, Bashar's younger brother.
Intelligence sources based in the region say Captagon is still produced in small factories along the Syrian-Lebanese border as well as larger ones closer to Syria's frontier with Jordan.
Perhaps Israel can knock those out, along with Syria’s weapons factories, storage depots, and army bases.
Some quantities are also produced in Lebanon, with the help of Hezbollah, according to security sources.
Despite its lucrativeness, Assad began stepping away incrementally from the trade in the years before his regime fell in a bid to build up his fractured relationships with other Arab states.
Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have long seen Captagon as a scourge on their nations, and spent considerable resources cracking down on smuggling operations.
In February 2022, Jordan's army said it killed 30 smugglers in just two months, and foiled attempts to smuggle 16million Captagon pills from Syria, an amount that was far beyond the entire volume seized in 2021.
Months later, in August 2022, Saudi Arabia said they had uncovered 46million pills that were smuggled in a shipment of flour.
And in February 2023, a man was arrested in Abu Dhabi, in the UAE, for trying to get 4.5million Captagon pills in cans of green beens.
Last May, Assad reportedly gave Jordan consent to kill a well-known Captagon dealer, Merhi al-Ramthan, in southern Syria with an airstrike, and allowed a Captagon factory near the Jordanian border to be destroyed.
The strikes came just a day before Syria was formally readmitted to the Arab League, which it was kicked out of in 2011 over Assad's brutal crackdown on protesters in the leadup to the Syrian Civil War.
'Assad gave assurances that he would stop the regime from supporting and protecting smuggling networks,' a former brigadier general of Jordan's intelligence service, Saud Al-Sharafat, told The Associated Press. 'For example, he facilitated the disposal of al-Ramthan.'
Al-Ramthan was considered 'the most prominent drug trafficker in the region, and the number one smuggler of drugs, including Captagon, into Jordan', the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said.
But for all the money Assad was netting, he simply couldn't stop power from slipping out of his hands.
Linked article is available only through a VPN
[EngMilRu] The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation.
In Kharkov direction, the units of the Sever Group of Forces have defeated units of two territorial defence brigades near Velikiye Prokhody and Volchansk (Kharkov region).
The AFU losses were up to 75 troops and two 122mm D-30 howitzers.
The units of the Zapad Group of Forces have improved the tactical situation and inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of one mechanised brigade, one airmobile brigade, three territorial defence brigades, and one National Guard brigade close to Dvurechnaya, Zagryzovo, Zeleny Gai, Kupyansk (Kharkov region), Torskoye (Donetsk People's Republic), Nadiya (Lugansk People's Republic), and Serebryansky forestry.
Russian troops have repelled nine counter-attacks of AFU assault detachments.
The AFU losses were up to 455 troops, two pickup trucks, one 155mm M-198 howitzer, one U.S.-made 105mm M-119 gun, one 155mm FH-70 howitzer, one UK-made 105mm L119 gun, two 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled artillery systems, and two 122mm D-30 howitzers.
The Yug Group of Forces' units continued to advance into the depths of enemy defences, defeated formations of one mechanised brigade, one mountain assault brigade, and one air assault brigade of the AFU near Kurakhovo, Verkhnekamenskoye, Novomarkovo, Ostrovskogo, Ulakly, and Yantarnoye (Donetsk People's Republic).
One counterattack of enemy assault detachment has been repelled.
The AFU losses were up to 240 troops, two Kozak armoured fighting vehicles, one 122mm D-30 howitzer, and one U.S.-made 105mm M-119 gun. Two ammunition depots have been destroyed.
The units of the Tsentr Group of Forces have captured more advantageous lines, defeated manpower and hardware of two mechanised brigades, one motorised infantry brigade, one assault brigade, and one assault battalion of the AFU close to Dzerzhinsk, Dimitrov, Pushkino, Zheltoye, and Zarya (Donetsk People's Republic).
In addition, 10 AFU counterattacks have been repelled.
The AFU losses were more than 555 troops, one infantry fighting vehicle, two U.S.-made M-113 armoured personnel carriers, one Kozak armoured fighting vehicle, two pickup trucks, two 152mm Msta-B howitzers, one 152mm D-20 gun, and three 122mm D-30 howitzers.
The Vostok Group of Forces' units have improved the situation along the front line, defeated units of one naval infantry brigade and three territorial defence brigades close to Konstantinopol, Dneproenergiya, Vremevka, and Novoocheretovatoye (Donetsk People's Republic).
Two counter-attacks launched by enemy assault detachments have been repelled.
The AFU losses were up to 150 troops, one armoured personnel carrier, two motor vehicles, one 155mm Bogdana self-propelled artillery system, one 155mm UK-made FH-70 howitzer, one 152mm D-20 gun, and one electronic warfare station.
The units of the Dnepr Group of Forces have engaged manpower and hardware of one mechanised brigade and two territorial defence brigades close to Malaya Tokmachka, Novoandreyevka (Zaporozhye region), Antonovka, Pridneprovskoye (Kherson region), and Kherson.
The AFU losses were up to 55 troops, one Kozak armoured fighting vehicle, and five motor vehicles.
Operational-Tactical Aviation, attack unmanned aerial vehicles, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces have delivered strikes at the infrastructure of military airfields, railway facilities providing delivery of Western-made hardware to the AFU, assembly and storage sites for unmanned aerial vehicles, one POL depot as well as engaged manpower and military hardware clusters in 147 areas.
Air defence facilities have shot down 10 U.S.-made HIMARS MLRS projectiles and 36 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles.
In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 649 aircraft, 283 helicopters, 37,504 unmanned aerial vehicles, 586 anti-aircraft missile systems, 19,713 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,500 MLRS combat vehicles, 19,274 field artillery guns and mortars, and 29,109 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 units of the Sever Group of Forces inflicted losses on formations of three mechanised brigades, one heavy mechanised brigade, one tank brigade, three air assault brigades, one naval infantry brigade, one security brigade as well as three territorial defence brigades near Viktorovka, Guyevo, Kurilovka, Lebedevka, Leonidovo, Nikolayevo-Daryino, Nikolsky, Novaya Sorochina, Novoivanovka, and Sverdlikovo.
Operational-Tactical and Army aviation and artillery inflicted fire damage on manpower and hardware of the enemy near Aleksandriya, Kazachya Loknya, Malaya Loknya, Martynovka, Nizhny Klin, Cherkasskoye Porechnoye as well as Basovka, Belovody, Veselovka, Zhuravka, Miropolye, and Pavlovka (Sumy region).
Over the past 24 hours, the AFU losses have amounted to more than 200 troops, two tanks, eight armoured fighting vehicles, two motor vehicles, and three mortars.
Since the beginning of hostilities in Kursk region, the AFU losses amounted to more than 39,460 troops, 234 tanks, 171 infantry fighting vehicles, 123 armoured personnel carriers, 1,241 armoured fighting vehicles, 1,100 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, 72 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] 22:57 President Volodymyr Zelensky held a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief on Monday, December 9. The issue of the quality of training of the Ukrainian military was discussed there.
21.36 Ukrainian fighters managed to block the enemy near the village of Kruglyakovka, Kupyansk district, Kharkiv region and carry out a series of measures to expel the enemy from the Kolesnikovsky forest. The enemy was completely destroyed.
20.17 In the war in Syria, 543 Russian soldiers and employees of the Wagner PMC have died, which is several times more than the official data of the Russian Defense Ministry. BBC journalists have found out the names of all the dead based on open sources, namely journalistic materials, publications on social networks, as well as data on cemeteries and war memorials.
18.39 The aggressor country Russia has concentrated about 800 thousand troops in Ukraine. The entire army of the great pseudo-empire is fighting against the Ukrainian people. This statement was made by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.
16.35 Since the beginning of the day, 102 combat clashes have occurred on the front in eight directions and in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in a report as of 16.00. The enemy is most active in the Pokrovsky direction.
15.50 As a result of enemy shelling of one of the thermal power plants in Donetsk region, a power plant mechanic was killed.
"This morning the enemy again fired at one of the thermal power plants in Donetsk Oblast. As a result of the shelling, the plant's fitter, Vladimir Viktorovich Kilyarov, born in 1959, was killed," the Ministry of Energy reported.
Two more station workers were injured.
14.17 The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War confirmed that Russia has handed over the bodies of the deceased prisoners of war. However, the remains are currently undergoing additional identification. The Russian Federation claims that it has handed over the bodies of those killed in the Il-76 crash.
14.15 In Orekhov, Zaporizhia Oblast, Russians attacked a car of a charity organization with a drone. This was reported by the head of the Zaporizhia OVA Ivan Fedorov. There were no casualties.
13:53 On November 29, the Defense Forces destroyed elements of the S-400 air defense system in the temporarily occupied Simferopol. This is the second confirmed strike on the Russian S-400 system in November, the press service of the UK Ministry of Defense reported on Monday, December 9.
13:46 In the Dniprovsky district of Kherson, Russian occupiers with a UAV killed a man. This was reported on December 9 by the head of the Kherson OVA, Alexander Prokudin.
11:23 Russia launched more than 6,000 missiles and drones at Ukraine in three months this fall. This is four times more than in the fall of 2023, The Wall Street Journal writes.
10:50 A 63-year-old man who was injured in a Russian missile strike on the Dniprovsky district of Dnipropetrovsk region on November 30 has died in hospital. This is the fifth victim of the attack. This was reported by the head of the OVA, Serhiy Lysak.
9:55 An SUV exploded in temporarily occupied Donetsk. The head of the Yelenovskaya colony could have been in it. This is reported by local publics.
The Mash Telegram channel notes that after the car explosion in Donetsk, the head of the Yelenovskaya "DPR" colony, Sergei Yevsyukov, died. His wife was also injured - her leg was torn off, she is in hospital in serious condition.
Preliminary, plastic explosives were placed under the bottom of the Toyota Land Cruiser - about 100 grams in TNT equivalent.
9:30 The police have their own functions to maintain law and order, so the TCC employees can perform mobilization tasks without the police. This was stated by the Minister of Internal Affairs Igor Klimenko.
"We work exclusively within the framework of our authority, we protect public order. And despite the fact that the TCC has all the authority to check citizens' documents themselves, they ask - these are official requests to the National Police - that we accompany TCC workers," he said.
9:20 The quality of Russian contract soldiers has dropped significantly. Some of them are physically unable to fight, and join the army only for payments. This was stated by the head of the Center for Counteracting Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council, Andriy Kovalenko.
According to him, the fact that the quality of Russian contract soldiers has dropped significantly is indicated not only by the decrease in the number of volunteers, even despite the "large payments", but also by the fact that people aged 55-59 who want to get money to solve their own problems often sign contracts.
04:55 Russia has accumulated new resources at strategic aviation airfields for missile attacks on Ukrainian territory. This was reported on Sunday, December 8, by the head of the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Andriy Kovalenko.
02:58 US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin held a telephone conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov on Sunday, December 8, during which the heads of departments discussed the latest events on the battlefield, assistance to Ukraine in the security sphere, and preparations for the next meeting of the Contact Group in the Ramstein format.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] CNN anchor Alisyn Camerota, 58, signed off from her final broadcast with the network on Sunday after more than a decade on air and just five months after she lost her husband to pancreatic cancer.
In an emotional farewell, Camerota reflected on her remarkable journey with the channel which she said had included 'interviews with presidents, heroes, and extraordinary individuals'.
Camerota said experiencing such moments while working for CNN had been the culmination of her lifelong dreams in journalism.
'The journalists at CNN are the very best in the business,' Camerota told viewers as she expressed her deep gratitude for the opportunities and camaraderie she experienced at the network.
'It's been an honor to be in your homes this past decade through some of the biggest stories of our lifetimes.'
Camerota joined the network in 2014 after a 16-year stint at Fox News. She hosted its morning show for years alongside Chris Cuomo before moving to afternoons in 2021.
After Warner Bros. Discovery took control of CNN, Camerota found herself in various positions at the network, including as the network's 11pm host before she became a political commentator and fill-in anchor with the network.
Last month it was revealed how the ratings-challenged network is reportedly set for a major bloodbath with highest paid on-air talent at risk as part of wide-ranging layoffs.
The cable network fell behind rivals MSNBC and Fox News during Election Night coverage.
It was reported how the 'layoffs that will impact hundreds of employees across the organization,' according to Puck News.
Earlier this year, CNN already laid off about 100 employees — or 3 percent of its workforce.
Stars including Jake Tapper and Wolf Blitzer have reportedly been denied raises on their multi-million-dollar salaries as the biggest names on the network fear for their futures.
On-screen favorite Chris Wallace also departed the network last month, although he insisted that he did so on his own terms.
A longtime CNN employee told Fox News that after news of the layoffs spread, staff across the company are left feeling 'very sad and deeply frustrated.'
'Feelings which are pervasive throughout the organization among those who have been here a long time and feel a deep personal connection to having helped build the organization,' the anonymous staffer added.
#4
And I bet she was laughing (like those five hags on the View or whatever it's called) when Tucker got sacked/left Fox. Who has the last laugh now, you fake journalist?
#8
I am sorry she lost her husband to cancer. She is too old for the infotainmemt business. When I saw in the FOX studios 10 years ago she had so much pancake makeup on it looked like stucco. Time to smell the roses.
Posted by: Regular joe ||
12/10/2024 14:32
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#9
A shakeup in the Fox Empire may add to those looking for work, from the other side of the aisle...
[NYPOST] Israel and Hamas ..one of the armed feet of the Moslem Brüderbund millipede,... have reportedly exchanged a list of names as negotiations that would secure the release of some Israeli hostages continue — with one Israeli bigwig optimistic that a deal could happen ''within a week or two.''
A Hamas delegation was in Cairo over the weekend and presented a list of sick and elderly hostages who would be released during the initial phases of a proposed two-month truce, sources familiar with the recent developments told the Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... i-owned news outlet al-Araby al-Jadeed.
Hamas additionally provided the names of four US hostages, who are not sick or elderly, who would be included in the deal.
''Conditions are ripe for a hostage deal. It could happen within a week or two,'' one bigwig told Israeli newspaper Ynet.
[IsraelTimes] Government pointman dismisses Arabic paper’s claim that would indicate advanced stage of talks; FM Sa’ar says he is more optimistic than before, ‘but we are not there yet’
Families of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip were told Monday that an Arabic news report claiming serious progress in negotiations for a ceasefire-hostage deal in Gaza was incorrect, even as Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said chances for an accord were more positive than before.
Earlier, the Qatari-owned, London-based al-Araby al-Jadeed news outlet reported that Hamas had sent negotiators a list of hostages it was willing to release as part of a deal and the names of Palestinian security prisoners it wanted in return.
Citing a source familiar with developments, the paper said a Hamas delegation was in Cairo on Sunday and delivered a list of elderly or medically unwell hostages who would be released during the initial stages of a proposed truce. In addition, the delegation was said to give the names of four hostages with US citizenship who did not fall into the previous category, but who would be freed.
Discussions about who would be set free are considered an advanced stage of negotiations, with earlier stages relating to the terms of a truce.
However, a statement sent to the families of hostages by the government coordinator for the hostage talks said: “In recent hours, reports emerged in the Arab press regarding negotiations to bring the hostages home. These reports, that have also been published in Israel, are not correct.
“We continue to take all measures to secure the return of the hostages and take great care to keep this information secured. We urge you to continue to rely only on information coming from authorized sources,” the statement said.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/10/2024
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#1
I suppose all that remains is for Hamas to submit room and board receipts.
[AMWAJ] The sudden downfall of Bashar Al-Assad has raised a number of questions about the thinking and roles of his supporters. First and foremost, Russia—the most powerful foreign ally of the Syrian government—played a pivotal role as events unfolded.
According to one high-ranking regional diplomatic source, Assad’s recent visit to Moscow was a turning point. While the Syrian leader was in Russia, forces led by the Sunni Islamist Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) unexpectedly seized Aleppo without a fight. Upon his return to Syria, Assad is said to have expressed anger toward his army. In private meetings, Amwaj.media has learned, he lambasted his commanders as corrupt and untrustworthy—describing his army as a collection of “thieves” who cannot be relied upon. While Assad’s Russian host and counterpart, Vladimir Putin, had promised assistance, the senior regional source suggested that this support was limited to ensuring a safe exit. Given that Assad and his wife are now apparently in Russia, this promise has been kept—at least for now.
The source also provided insights into earlier negotiations on Syria. Proposals for dialogue between the opposition and the government were discussed, with Turkey playing a significant role. Ankara reportedly instructed the opposition to act with restraint, and there was even coordination with the former Syrian prime minister to lead a transitional phase aimed at forming a new state. But none of these efforts really took off, partly due to the reticence of Assad to usher change. In parallel, informed sources in Tehran told Amwaj.media, the Turks allegedly blindsided both Iran and Russia by insisting that movement spotted among rebels in Idlib in recent months was nothing to worry about.
Then there is the role of Iran, the Assad family’s longstanding regional ally. Seeing an armed rebellion take shape amid the Arab Spring protests, the Islamic Republic dispatched its expeditionary Quds Force to save its Syrian partner with blood and great treasure.
Although the tide was turned against Sunni rebels and fighting frozen for the past four years, western sanctions gradually hollowed out the Syrian state. As the government in Damascus turned to large-scale drug trafficking to generate revenue, it became sorely apparent that only petrodollars and political pressure on western capitals from Gulf Arab states would enable a semblance of reconstruction. On this basis, Iran welcomed the pioneering decision by the Emiratis to reopen their embassy in Damascus in late 2018, ending seven years of estrangement. Facilitated by Abu Dhabi, Assad also gradually re-engaged with others who had backed the rebellion against his rule—including Saudi Arabia.
But things took a turn following the Oct. 7, 2023 Palestinian surprise attack on Israeli border communities. As Hezbollah immediately opened a “support front” against Israel following the eruption of the Gaza war, the Emiratis reportedly sought to prod Assad into standing on the sidelines. Barely a week later, the diplomatic mission of Yemen’s Ansarullah movement in Damascus was shuttered, ostensibly as a precondition for Assad’s rapprochement with Saudi Arabia. The distancing from Ansarullah, better known as the Houthis, was particularly pronounced as the group over the past year rose to become a key member of the Axis through its drone and missile attacks on Israel as well as disruption of shipping in the Red Sea.
Meanwhile, as Israel frontally assaulted the Iranian presence—taking out the Quds Force command that helped Assad cling to power, and even razing an Iranian diplomatic compound in Damascus—the Syrian government largely kept mum. The same lukewarm approach was apparent in the statement Assad issued following Israel’s killing of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut’s southern suburb earlier this year.
In other words, while Syria’s geography and official state ideology made it central to the Iran-led ‘Axis of Resistance’, Assad was apparently leveraging “non-resistance” to rehabilitate his standing among Arab allies of the US.
So when HTS rolled into Aleppo and Hama without a fight, Iran was in no rush to come to Assad’s aid. The senior regional diplomatic source explained that despite the Syrian government’s urgent request for Iranian support, logistical constraints and operational risks—including potential Israeli airstrikes—made such assistance impractical. This, according to the source, further highlighted Iran’s growing burden in the Syrian crisis, which was no longer tenable. If direct access was to be physically constrained by Israeli air power, mindful of repeated bombings of runways in both Aleppo and Damascus as well as threats against Iranian flights in recent weeks, it ultimately diminished the value of Syria as an ally.
In this context, the Quds Force is said to have established contact with HTS, securing assurances amid the collapse of the Syrian army that Shiite Muslims and Shiite shrines as well as the Iranian embassy would be left untouched. The extent of the involvement of Iran’s diplomatic apparatus in this initiative is unclear. Nonetheless, as Iran’s evacuated embassy was ransacked on Dec. 8, the state broadcaster in Tehran highlighted that the assailants were “not affiliated with the group in charge [of Syria],” alluding to HTS having kept its word.
Snip.
The arc of Hezbollah’s involvement in Syria is long, but became particularly pronounced over the past decade. As the Syrian military was on the verge of defeat in 2013, the Lebanese movement and Iran were equally alarmed. Both saw the threat of Sunni militancy taking root across the region. Nasrallah and then-Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani also passionately charged that Damascus was crucial to the wider “resistance” against Israel, convincing Iran’s leadership that full-scale intervention was a must.
So in the spring of 2013, Hezbollah fighters moved into Al-Qusayr. Situated southwest of Homs, a key node connecting Damascus with the Alawite coastal heartlands, the region was vital to rebel factions which had emerged amid the Arab Spring. Its location near the border with Lebanon allowed them to smuggle in fighters and weapons, putting up stiff resistance against forces loyal to Assad. The battle was bloody, claiming the lives of over 100 members of Iran’s foremost Arab ally. But in the end, Qusayr was returned to Assad’s control, and the battle was later—together with Russia’s military intervention in 2015—chronicled as the turning point in the war against Sunni militants.
A decade later, Qusayr once again held special symbolism as the Syrian army faltered in the face of the blitz led by HTS. With the fall of Aleppo and Hama within the span of days—and apparently without any real fight—Homs was in the spotlight. Without it, Assad would be left with only Damascus, cut off from the coast. Accounts of what happened next are conflicting. Initially, insiders charged that up to 2,000 members of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force were to be deployed for one last stand.
But Hezbollah’s deployment turned out to be far smaller, with commanders quickly concluding that a withdrawal was in order after an operational assessment, Amwaj.media has learned. Shortly afterwards, informed sources explained, a decision was made to evacuate the country through the same route that had been used to enter the Syrian conflict back in 2013. According to a source in the area, soon after the Hezbollah convoy—said to have been made up of dozens of vehicles—crossed the border towards the Hermel district in Lebanon, Israel struck. Hezbollah keeps casualty figures a secret, but the losses from the bombing are said to have been “big.”
America supposedly went after the Iraqi Shiite paramilitaries coming over the border to aid Assad’s forces, and Israel got Hezbollah? Fascinating.
Following the deadly debacle, a well-informed source in Lebanon told Amwaj.media that the decision to enter Homs and then withdraw was taken by a “Lebanese individual” and not upon an Iranian request or leadership decision. If accurate, this account of events raises concern that Hezbollah is no longer as disciplined as before. It also indicates troubling and potentially chaotic times ahead, as Iran and its allies struggle to adapt to a rapidly changing geopolitical landscape.
Assad fell because “he wanted to prove to the west that he is not a warmonger,” an Iranian hardline lawmaker thundered as images emerged of HTS in control of Damascus. What this message may hold, and whether it will emerge as the dominant and coordinated approach of Tehran and allied capitals, remains to be seen.
Hard to blame Israel for their reaction. by Leonid Tsukanov
[REGNUM] The fall of Bashar al-Assad's government and the triumph of his opponents have evoked a variety of emotions among Middle Eastern leaders. Some are looking to the future with fear; others with hope for mutually beneficial cooperation. There are also those who have rushed to emphasize their hidden contribution to the victory over Assad.
For example, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu officially stated that the change of power in Damascus was the result of Israeli strikes on Iran and Lebanese Hezbollah.
However, the Israelis do not trust those who are tipped to be part of the new Syrian elite too much. And so, taking advantage of the power vacuum, they are solving their own strategic tasks on Syrian territory.
SUPPRESSED RESISTANCE
Netanyahu is being very truthful when talking about the contribution of Assad's opponents to the victory. The Iranian "Axis of Resistance" was indeed seriously traumatized by the long-term confrontation with Israel in Gaza and Lebanon, as well as in Syria, where Iranian proxies regularly became targets for Israeli aircraft.
Traumatized? What a delightful word.
It is not surprising that Hezbollah, one of the key conductors of Iranian interests on Syrian territory, was weakened by the onset of the regime’s opponents’ offensive and was not ready to bear the brunt of the defense.
Next time don’t start a war you can’t finish, guys.
General Javad Ghafari, who was hastily sent to Syria, was able to organize the withdrawal of combat-ready Hezbollah units, but he never received permission to launch a counterattack.
At the same time, as the Iranians themselves note, Tehran was ready to support official Damascus in the conflict to the last, if an official request had been made by the Assad government. Iranian military advisers did not dare to take responsibility for organizing the defense - given the increased friction with part of the Syrian elite.
SPONTANEOUS DECISION
Against the backdrop of the final disintegration of the Syrian army – and, more importantly, the prospect of the opposition taking up arms in the border regions – Israel decided to act preemptively.
Tel Aviv has sent ground troops into Syria for the first time in 50 years. Israeli army (IDF) officials said a limited contingent had taken up key positions on the Syrian side of Mount Hermon, breaking the status quo established after the Yom Kippur War in 1973.
The exact number of the contingent is not disclosed by the Israeli side.
More than you guys can handle — that’s all you need to know.
According to fragmentary reports and footage from the field, it is known that at least two infantry brigades (not at full strength) have been deployed, supported by tanks. At the same time, there has been no report on the deployment of elite paratroop units, and information on the deployment of the Shaldag special forces has also not been confirmed.
Possibly they’re off where you can’t see them, doing things it would greatly upset you to know about…
In addition, the IDF receives constant support from aircraft, which strike at border garrisons and warehouses of Syrian troops, allowing the Israelis to indicate their presence with minimal forces.
Indicate their presence — what a charming locution.
Tel Aviv positions its presence on Syrian territory as purely temporary, due to threats to national security.
That is what the cognoscenti refer to as being diplomatic.
Initially, the General Staff announced the creation of a “security zone” up to 15 km deep, but the IDF quickly went beyond the announced zone.
Israeli units occupied parts of the provinces of Daraa, As-Suwayda and Al-Quneitra, and the geography of airstrikes expanded to the Syrian capital.
Eh? The IAF have been freely bombing sites in and around Damascus for ages.
At the same time, the nature of the Israelis' actions shows that the decision to intervene in Syria was made spontaneously. It seems that the Netanyahu government was not prepared for such a rapid collapse of the Syrian defense and is now trying to squeeze the maximum benefit out of the power vacuum.
President-elect Trump did challenge them to finish things before his swearing in January 20th…
In parallel with the advance of Israeli units, Tel Aviv has launched a dialogue with the Druze communities. It is possible that the Israelis will try to create a semblance of a puppet regime in the new areas in order to shift the task of protecting the border area to the leaders of the Druze religious minority, who live compactly in this area.
Israel gets on well with its own Druze. No reason not to share the joy, especially when the Syrian lot know the territory and the players — and would probably be happier managing their own defence than depending on Israel to get it right.
Official Tel Aviv, apparently, does not believe in the honesty of the leaders of the armed opposition, who publicly demonstrate a desire to peacefully coexist with Israel.
Seriously? The Russians are pulling out, suggesting they strongly don’t believe in HTS honesty on the subject.
DIFFICULTIES FOR TEHRAN
The Israeli invasion of Syria, contrary to expectations, did not provoke a strong reaction from the international community. Many countries chose to ignore Tel Aviv's operation. Some chose to provide the Israelis with the necessary assistance.
For example, the Russian side transferred to Israel two facilities in the Syrian province of Daraa, as well as an observation observatory on Mount Tel Al-Hara, to ensure continuous monitoring of the situation in the border areas.
Really?! How pragmatic.
Only the Iranian authorities have criticized the Israeli intervention, calling it a “violation of the rights of the Syrian people.” However, Tehran’s displeasure is easily explained: Israeli troops are rushing along the Syrian-Lebanese border, trying to cut off the routes of Hezbollah fighters into the territory of the former republic.
To think that only a little over a year ago it looked like all the Mad Mullah’s nefarious plots were coming true. How are the mighty smashed to bouncing rubble.
Given the general instability of the ceasefire in Lebanon, Iranian authorities see what is happening as a marker of imminent Israeli revenge in southern Lebanon.
There is no reason to expect Tel Aviv's enthusiasm to wane anytime soon. After establishing a new status quo in Syria (and eliminating the threat from that direction), Israel is preparing to deploy forces not only against Hezbollah, but also against the Yemeni Houthis - in retaliation for the ballistic missile strikes on Israeli territory.
Under current conditions, Iran will have to take into account not only the threat from the Israelis, but also the risk of the new Syrian authorities participating in the conflict on the side of Tel Aviv, in exchange for the return of part of the border territories.
It is not a fact that such an alliance will be durable (like the Druze puppet state that some Israeli politicians and scholars propose to build in the border area), but it is quite capable of creating tactical difficulties for Tehran and the “Axis of Resistance” it leads.
*Happy sigh* Was that as good for you, dear Reader, as it was for me?
#2
"two infantry brigades (not at full strength)"
Well duh. You forward deploy 2 battalions and hold one back, and rotate them on duty, so everybody eventually gets time off. Also gives you a reserve.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
12/10/2024 19:08
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According to law enforcement sources reviewing his online activity, Mangione is known for anti-capitalist beliefs and criticism of the U.S. healthcare system. His Goodreads account features quotes from historical figures like Socrates, Bruce Lee, and Ted Kaczynski, the "Unabomber," recognized for his anti-establishment views. Mangione also reportedly carried a manifesto that criticized the financial and ethical practices of the healthcare industry.
Mangione’s educational background includes being the valedictorian of his 2016 class at the Gilman School in Baltimore. He later pursued studies focused on artificial intelligence at the University of Pennsylvania.
Mediaite reports Mr. Mangione was picked up by the Altoona police because he had a gun that looked like the one used by the murderer. The New York Post adds:
Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old tech whiz suspected of gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last week, allegedly used a ghost gun that he might have made on a 3-D printer to commit the killing, authorities said.
“He was in possession of a ghost gun that had the capability of firing a 9-mm round and a suppressor,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a Monday press briefing, adding that the piece “may have been made on a 3-D printer.”
Cops nabbed Mangione — who sources said is an anti-capitalist Ivy League grad who liked online quotes from “Unabomber’’ Ted Kaczynski — while he ate at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pa., ending an intense manhunt that began after he executed Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel last week.
Originally from Towson, Md., Mangione may have hated the medical community because of how it treated a sick relative, sources said.
Aside from the untraceable, homemade gun, the former prep school valedictorian was caught with a silencer, a US passport, four fake IDs with names used during the killer’s stint in New York City and a two-and-a-half page manifesto, sources said.
Another murderous nutter writing a manifesto? How tiresome. But at least there won’t be any question about his reasoning… and he is exactly at the right age for schizophrenia to blossom.
In the writing, he seethed that “These parasites had it coming,” law enforcement sources told The Post on Monday.
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]
JUST IN: Taylor Lorenz giggles and says she felt “joy” when Brian Thompson, a husband, father, and CEO of UHC was k*lled. pic.twitter.com/Y57NTWfM6C
It was apparently this kind of thing that led Vox to end its much-ballyhooed distribution partnership with her — and that after parting ways with first the New York Times and then the Washington Post. A busy lady.
A man suspected in the brazen Manhattan killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO has been arrested and charged with murder after a quick-thinking McDonald’s customer in Pennsylvania recognized him from a surveillance photo and police officers found a gun, mask and writings linking him to the ambush.
The chance sighting at the restaurant in Altoona led to a dramatic break in a challenging but fast-moving investigation that captivated the public in the five days since the shooting that shook the business world.
Luigi Nicholas Mangione, a 26-year-old Ivy League graduate from a prominent Maryland real estate family, had a gun believed to be the one used in last Wednesday’s shooting of Brian Thompson, as well as writings suggesting anger with corporate America, police say.
Late last night, Manhattan prosecutors filed murder and other charges against Mangione, according to an online court docket. He remains jailed in Pennsylvania, where he was charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm, forgery and providing false identification to police.
In his backpack, police found a black, 3D-printed pistol and a 3D-printed black silencer, the complaint said. Such ghost guns can be assembled at home from parts without a serial number, making them difficult to trace. The pistol had a metal slide and plastic handle with a metal threaded barrel.
#4
So - almost a week after the event he is captured in the same clothes he was wearing at the time, carrying the alleged murder weapon and a manifesto explaining “why he done it.” That would seem to tie up all the loose ends very conveniently for someone
Brian Thompson shooting suspect Luigi Mangione suffered a back injury so severe he was unable to have sex, a former roommate said.
RJ Martin lived with the murder defendant for six months at a Hawaii co-living space and told The New York Times about 26 year-old Mangione's secret agony.
'He knew that dating and being physically intimate with his back condition wasn’t possible,' Mr Martin told The Times.
'I remember him telling me that, and my heart just breaks.'
Explaining the injury that Mangione had suffered after a back condition called spondylolisthesis was worsened by a surfing accident Martin said: 'His spine was kind of misaligned.
'He said his lower vertebrae were almost like a half-inch off, and I think it pinched a nerve.'
Martin told CNN that Mangione, who he described as a bright engineer, suffered from debilitating pain throughout his six month stay at SurfBreak during 2022.
He said a single surf lesson left Mangione 'in bed for a week' afterwards, adding: 'It was really traumatic and difficult, you know, when you’re in your early twenties and you can’t, you know, do some basic things.'
Martin said Mangione and other residents of the co-living space would talk about medical issues and capitalism.
But he insisted the suspected murderer never gave off the impression of being angry or radicalized.
He also said that Mangione did not complain about his back pain and did not appear to be taking any kind of painkillers.
Mangione's health issues are also said to have caused professional problems for the University of Pennsylvania graduate, who worked as an engineer for online car sales company TrueCar after his graduation.
A Reddit poster believed to be Mangione spoke of how he had lived with a back condition called spondylolisthesis since childhood.
Spondylolisthesis sees a bone in the spine, known as a vertebra, slip out. The condition usually affects the lower back and can be extremely painful.
Also posted by the same Reddit user were complaints about Lyme disease and severe brain fog.
The user said he'd begun to suffer the issues during his fraternity 'hell week' and that his grades had subsequently slipped.
The Reddit user believed to be Mangione said a subsequent surfing accident had left him with a 'locked up' back and hips.
He added that 'intermittent numbness has become constant' and added: 'I'm terrified of the implications.'
Weeks after that, the user believed to be Mangione said he'd undergone spinal surgery which he said had improved his symptoms.
The procedure likely cost tens of thousands of dollars. It is unclear what, if any, health coverage
He didn't mention anything related to United Healthcare, whose CEO Mangione is accused of assassinating on a Manhattan street on the early hours of December 4.
Mangione shared a photo of an X-ray on his X profile showing multiple screws inserted into his spine.
Martin, his former roommate from Hawaii, said Mangione sent him a similar-sounding photo that 'looked heinous' before they lost touch earlier this year.
Mangione is from a wealthy family, with his grandfather a self-made multimillionaire who owned a luxury holiday resort, nursing homes and a radio station.
He attended the $40,000 a year Gilman prep school in Baltimore and graduated valedictorian in 2016.
A clip widely-shared online after Mangione's arrest shows him speaking confidently and eloquently on-stage, with former classmate Aaron Cranston describing him as exceptionally-intelligent.
His family have sent their condolences to Brian Thompson's family and appealed for privacy.
🚨 Breaking: In over 300 targeted strikes during the past 24 hours, Israel 🇮🇱 destroyed the entire air force of Syria 🇸🇾, including all aircrafts (MiG and Sukhoi), all helicopters, and all anti-aircraft systems. pic.twitter.com/G12q8SIjwD
Lebanese Media is reporting that Israeli Tanks are currently advancing North along the Border between Syria and Lebanon, with them only roughly 10 Miles now from the Outskirts of the Syrian Capital of Damascus. pic.twitter.com/cGObLl2oG5
Israel appeared to be continuing its aerial campaign in Syria on Monday, targeting weaponry that Jerusalem feared could fall into the hands of hostile forces in light of the dramatic fall of the Bashir al-Assad regime on Sunday.
Two Syrian security sources said on Monday that Israeli planes bombed at least three major Syrian army air bases that housed dozens of helicopters and jets in the biggest such wave of strikes on air bases since Assad was toppled.
The strikes hit Qamishli air base in northeast Syria, Shinshar base in the countryside of Homs, and Aqrba airport southwest of the capital Damascus, the sources said.
The reports came after Israel Air Force strikes on Sunday hit advanced missile storage sites, air defense systems, weapon production facilities, and chemical weapons
...have not been used since WWI except for in Iraq, by the late, unlamented Saddam Hussein and in Syria, but really, honest, not by the Syrian government. And in Germany in WWII, but that was against civilians. Lots of them, just one of many reasons Hitler's also late and unlamented... sites, and also took out planes, helicopters, and tanks that belonged to the Assad regime’s military.
The 50-year-old regime, which fell on Sunday after a lightning offensive by rebel forces, was an ally of the Iranian regime and a part of its so-called Axis of Resistance® against Israel.
The number of strikes carried out by Israel on Syrian military infrastructure since Sunday is believed to lie at around 250.
Western intelligence sources believe that around 300 strikes have been carried out against Syrian military targets, the Ynet news site reported, adding that if the strikes continue at their current pace, officials believe the Syrian Air Force will be all but destroyed in a matter of days, ensuring that the rebel groups, and any future government, will not be able to threaten Israel from the air.
A Britannia-based war monitor told AFP that Israel had conducted more than 100 Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s on military targets in Syria on Monday, including a research center Western countries suspected of having links to chemical weapons production in Damascus.
"Israeli warplanes launched over 100 strikes in Syria today, including on the Barzah scientific research center," Rami Abdel Rahman who heads the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told AFP, reporting "increased Israeli strikes to destroy the former regime’s military capabilities."
There was no immediate comment from the Israel Defense Forces on the Monday strikes.
SOHR, run by a single person, has regularly been accused by Syrian war analysts of false reporting and inflating casualty numbers as well as inventing them wholesale.
On Monday evening, three witnesses in Barzeh, north of Damascus, told Rooters that there were at least two explosions in the area, where the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Centre has an office.
The SSRC has been sanctioned and previously struck for its links to chemical weapons production under the Assad regime.
Al Jazeera also reported Israeli airstrikes targeting the Qabr Essit Airport south of Damascus, which was used by the ousted army for helicopters.
A short while earlier, reports in Syria claimed that the IAF had bombed the Latakia port, targeting naval assets belonging to the toppled regime.
Syrian media also reported Israeli strikes in Da’ara in southern Syria early on Monday, with unverified footage of the strikes posted to social media appearing to show secondary explosions, indicating that weapons were stored in the buildings targeted.
Defense sources told The Times of Israel on Sunday that dozens of IAF aircraft had struck numerous targets, with a focus on destroying "strategic weapons."
The IDF also took up new positions in a buffer zone between Israel and Syria in the Golan Heights on Sunday, as it prepared for potential chaos. It marked the first time since the 1974 Agreement on Disengagement was signed following the Yom Kippur War that Israeli forces took up positions inside the buffer zone between Israel and Syria, though the IDF has entered the zone briefly on several occasions in the past.
Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon told the United Nations ...an organization originally established to war on dictatorships which was promptly infiltrated by dictatorships and is now held in thrall to dictatorships... Security Council on Monday that the IDF had taken "limited and temporary measures" in a demilitarized strip bordering Syria to counter any threats, particularly to residents of the Golan Heights.
"It is important to emphasize, however, that Israel is not intervening in the ongoing conflict between Syrian gangs; our actions are solely focused on safeguarding our security," he wrote in a letter to the 15-member council, adding that Israel remained committed to the framework of a 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement.
The United States was also taking advantage of the new reality in Syria, carrying out dozens of strikes on 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.... targets in central Syria on Sunday. American warplanes struck more than 75 Islamic State targets hitting the group’s leaders, operatives and camps, the US military said.
The Syrian government fell early Sunday in a stunning end to the 50-year rule of the Assad family, after a sudden rebel offensive sprinted across government-held territory and entered the capital in 10 days.
Syria’s civil war, which erupted in 2011 as an uprising against Assad’s rule, dragged in major outside powers, created space for jihadist snuffies to plot attacks around the world, and sent millions of refugees into neighboring states.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, formerly al-Nusra, before that it was called something else ...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State... , the strongest rebel group, is the former al Qaeda affiliate in Syria regarded by the US and others as a terrorist organization, and many Syrians remain fearful it will impose draconian Islamist rule. HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani has tried to reassure minorities that he will not interfere with them and the international community that he opposes Islamist attacks abroad. In Aleppo, which the rebels captured a week ago, there have not been reports of reprisals.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/10/2024
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Last night, the Israeli Navy carried out a large-scale operation to destroy the former Assad regime’s navy fleet in Syria.
Numerous Syrian navy vessels armed with sea-to-sea missiles were destroyed in strikes carried out by Israeli Navy missile boats, at the Minet el-Beida bay and Latakia port on the Syrian coast, according to military sources.
The strikes were carried out to prevent the Syrian navy capabilities and weaponry from falling into the hands of hostile forces, following the collapse of the Assad regime.
[NAHARNET] Large numbers of Syrians fleeing their country on Monday flocked to the Masnaa border crossing with 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... and some of them tried to force their way into the country without going through Lebanese General Security measures, General Security said.
The agency said the crowding happened due to ''the absence of Syrian General Security in the Jdeidet Yabous border post.''
''In coordination with the army and the Internal Security Forces, General Security controlled the situation and returned them to Syrian territory, allowing only those who meet the applicable conditions to enter,'' General Security added.
LBCI television meanwhile reported that the Lebanese Army ''stopped 340 Syrians who entered (Lebanon) through smuggling routes between al-Masnaa and the Anjar valley.''
General Security chief ''Brigadier General al-Baissari contacted the Prime Minister, the Minister of Interior and the Army Command,'' after which security reinforcements were sent to ''control the massive influx of people fleeing Syrian Shiite towns towards Lebanon,'' MTV reported.
Caretaker Interior Minister Bassam al-Mawlawi had followed up on the situation at the Masnaa border crossing and instructed General Security to ''instantly take the necessary measures to prevent illegal entry attempts by Syrians.''
[IsraelTimes] Citing Lebanese media outlets, the Kan public broadcaster reports that senior officials of the toppled Syrian regime have fled across the border into Lebanon with the help of the Hezbollah terror group.
Among those said to have fled to Lebanon in the days leading up to the dramatic fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime are his family members, intelligence officials, and close business associates, Kan reports.
The former director of Syria’s national security bureau Ali Mamlouk is also said to be among them.
Mamlouk has been wanted by the Lebanese government since 2012 for allegedly planning the assassination of Lebanese political and religious leaders, and by the French government since 2018 for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
According to the report, the Syrian officials were provided with Lebanese license plates and smuggled into Beirut with the help of Hezbollah operatives. It adds that they are believed to be located in Dahiyeh, the Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Israel no doubt is taking an interest, but there’s already so much rubble in Dahiyeh…
[NAHARNET] The Israeli military said Monday that four soldiers were killed in southern 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... , the first deaths announced in the area since the start of a ceasefire with Hezbollah 12 days ago.
The four reservists, all from the same battalion, "fell in combat" on Sunday, the military said without giving further details.
The Israeli army said the soldiers were killed when a tunnel they were in collapsed following its detonation, adding that their bodies were pulled out after a 12-hour rescue operation.
Not sure why Naharnet thinks there were no further details — here are the details:
[IsraelTimes] Reservists believed to have triggered unmarked munitions left by other IDF soldiers, setting off Hezbollah cache and bringing tunnel down on troops
Four Israeli reservists were killed in an operational accident in southern Lebanon Sunday, when munitions in a Hezbollah tunnel they were in exploded, the army said on Monday.
The deadly incident underlined lingering dangers for troops in south Lebanon, despite the ceasefire, as the military campaign against the Iran-backed terror group wraps up.
The four were all serving with the 226th Reserve Paratroopers Brigade’s 9263rd Battalion when they were killed in the blast, while searching for weapons in the Labbouneh area of southern Lebanon. Their bodies were trapped inside a destroyed tunnel for hours, until rescuers could reach them.
While carrying out searches in the Labbouneh area on Sunday afternoon, troops found the entrance to a Hezbollah tunnel where weapons were apparently being stored.
According to an initial IDF probe, as the troops entered the tunnel, there was a large explosion, which in turn caused the Hezbollah weapon stockpile to detonate, bringing the walls and ceiling of the underground passage down on top of the troops. The collapse trapped the four soldiers; rescue operations to extract their bodies took some 12 hours.
The military assessment found that the first blast was likely caused by explosives previously left behind by other Israeli forces who had operated there, which were unknown to the soldiers who entered the tunnel.
The IDF is investigating why the soldiers were not aware of the explosives placed there, including whether the troops who planted them marked the tunnel as rigged on the IDF’s mapping system.
The military is also investigating other avenues, including whether some other trigger caused the Hezbollah weapons in the tunnel to go off, like a booby trap — though that is considered less likely.
The four were named as Maj. (res.) Evgeny Zinershain, 43, from Zichron Yaakov; Cpt. (res.) Sagi Ya’akov Rubinshtein, 31, from Kibbutz Lavi; Master Sgt. (res.) Binyamin Destaw Negose, 28, from Beit Shemesh; and Sgt. First Class. (res.) Erez Ben Efraim, 25, from Ramat Gan.
Zinershain was a company commander and Rubinshtein was a platoon commander.
The deaths bring Israel’s toll in over a year of fighting on and around its northern frontier to 80 soldiers, most of them killed in cross-border skirmishes, drone and missile attacks on Israel, and during close quarters combat during the ground operation launched in southern Lebanon in late September.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/10/2024
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Although this act does not qualify as a terrorist act, the Russians think it is a terrorist act. I think it is because it was an attack on a civilian.
[Regnum] As a result of the explosion of an SUV in Donetsk, the head of the Yelenovskaya colony of the Donetsk People's Republic, Sergei Yevsyukov, was killed. This was reported on December 9 by the Telegram channel Mash.
The man received injuries incompatible with life.
It is alleged that his wife's leg was torn off and she was taken to hospital in serious condition. The explosive device was preliminarily installed under the bottom of the SUV. The plastid weighed about 100 g in TNT equivalent. The channel specified that a reward of 21 thousand dollars was set for Yevsyuk's head on Ukrainian websites.
There has been no official confirmation of Yevsyukov's death yet.
Earlier, a criminal case was opened in Ukraine against Yevsyukov and his deputy, accusing them of involvement in the deaths of prisoners of war of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). In July 2022, one of the buildings of the colony was destroyed as a result of the arrival of American Himars missiles launched by the Ukrainian army. As a result, over 50 Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed, 73 people were injured.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on the morning of December 9, a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado exploded in Donetsk. The Investigative Committee opened a criminal case. Investigators and forensic experts will conduct a detailed examination of the scene. A number of forensic examinations have been ordered, including an explosive-technical one.
As a result of the terrorist attack in Donetsk, the former head of the colony in Elenovka, Vitaly Yevsyukov, was killed.
An explosive device went off under the bottom of his SUV. Yevsyukov died, his wife's leg was torn off, she is now in hospital.
The Yelenovskaya colony became widely known for the fact that in 2022, as a result of shelling of the colony from the HIMARS MLRS, about 50 Azov militants were killed there, who were captured in Mariupol and some of them started to inject drugs. Which actually prompted the Nazis to eliminate the witnesses. Well, and then the blame for the shelling was put on Russia, as if it was shelling itself.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Kirill Semenov
[REGNUM] Now former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad resigned on Sunday, December 8, ordered a peaceful transfer of power and left Syria. The TASS news agency later reported that he and his family had arrived in Moscow, where they had been offered asylum.
Earlier, armed opposition forces, continuing their victorious march that began just over 10 days ago, occupied Homs in the north and Daraa to the south of Damascus and advanced unhindered toward the Syrian capital, taking it under full control on the same day that marked the fall of the Assad dynasty, which had ruled Syria for more than 50 years.
Meanwhile, in Damascus, which had fallen into the hands of the armed Syrian opposition, its leader Abu Mohammad al-Jolani delivered a speech on Syrian state television that ended with the words “the future is ours,” then visited the Umayyad Mosque. In a show of his efforts to ensure an orderly transition, Jolani said that Syrian state institutions would remain under the supervision of Assad’s appointed prime minister until the full transfer of power.
In turn, when the rebels entered the government palace, its chairman Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali said he was ready to work with any leadership and called for unity.
"We are ready to cooperate, and all the property of the people and the institutions of the Syrian state must be preserved," he said, adding that " they belong to all Syrians."
Jolani also banned entry into government offices and ministries so that they could continue to operate until a new transitional government was established.
THE FATE OF RUSSIAN BASES
In Russia the flags of the old regime were quietly removed from Syrian diplomatic institutions, which indicates a peaceful transition of power and that there will be no “government in exile,” and that dialogue will be conducted with those who currently rule the country from Damascus.
The issue that is most pressing for Russia now is the fate of two Russian military bases in Syria – the Khmeimim air force base and the Tartus naval base. Will the new Syrian authorities in Damascus implement the agreements to transfer these facilities for use by Russia?
There is a lot of speculation and unverified information on this matter, especially in Western and Middle Eastern media, which claim that Russian military personnel are returning to their homeland en masse.
In particular, information has emerged that Russia has allegedly requested support from Turkey in withdrawing personnel from Russian military bases from Syria.
As Regnum News Agency managed to find out from Turkish sources, such requests could indeed have taken place, although their existence is not directly confirmed. At the same time, it is noted that this concerns Russian military facilities scattered throughout Syria, which, among other things, were used to organize joint Russian-Turkish patrols in the northeast. The situation does not affect the main bases in Khmeimim and Tartus.
Thus, both main Russian bases in Syria continue to function for now.
In fact, as a source in the Kremlin told TASS, the leaders of the armed opposition guaranteed their safety. Therefore, the Russian military can take its time and give the negotiators a chance to resolve the issue of the future of these military facilities with the new authorities.
It is obvious that it is very important for Russia to maintain a military presence in Syria, as Russian military facilities are the main logistical hub for supporting operations in Africa and projecting power in the Mediterranean.
A sticky point, that.
So far, there has been no serious deterioration in the situation in the provinces of Latakia and Tartus, where they are stationed.
KURDS AND PRO-TURKISH GROUPS
In Damascus, rebels immediately began trying to maintain order and imposed a curfew. Additional forces were mobilized to prevent looting.
The Syrian opposition is thus trying to prevent a power vacuum and is taking steps to curb unrest and anarchy. However, it now faces the difficult task of bridging divisions in a country devastated by war and still divided between various armed groups.
Turkish-backed opposition fighters from the Syrian National Army (SNA) are battling the US-allied Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the north of the country. The SNA captured the city of Manbij on December 8, while the ISIS* terrorist group is still active in some remote areas of the Syrian desert.
It is not yet clear whether the pro-Turkish SNA groups operating in the north of the country will be able to find a common language with the armed opposition that has captured Damascus, or whether the country will face a new stage of escalation. The same applies to the further confrontation between the SNA and the SDF.
Interestingly, the Kurdish factions associated with the US consider the armed opposition led by al-Jolani to be the most capable with which to begin negotiations on coexistence within the framework of a “new Syria,” in contrast to the pro-Turkish SNA.
Public messages from Syrian Kurdish officials are that Jolani and his men are more independent from Ankara and far less anti-Kurdish than many SNA factions.
Well sure. Hayat Tahrir al Sham only objects to your godless Communism and your independence, not your ethnicity. So all you need do to be golden is accept their form of Islam and swear submission, whereas the SNA’s lord and master in Ankara demands that you all die and disappear from history.
Clearly, the new transitional government, centered in Damascus, will need to address key issues such as access to energy resources, water supplies, and agricultural areas. Many of these resources are controlled by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in the east of the country, which has already become a significant factor in undermining Assad's rule.
Therefore, as Khaled Hoja, former president of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, notes, Jolani needs to negotiate with the SDF for access to resources such as fuel from oil fields near Deir ez-Zor.
Oh good — I was afraid the Kurds had nothing to bargain with for their continued existence.
TURKEY'S CONCERNS
The possibility of new alliances in Syria that do not correspond to Turkish interests is the biggest concern in Ankara, so any understanding between groups that Turkey considers terrorist will be a headache for it. And such a scenario cannot be ruled out.
The poor darlings.
It is obvious that the further the armed opposition moved away from Idlib towards Damascus, the less leverage Turkey had in the form of cutting off electricity, the Internet, and aid for refugees in Idlib.
Some American experts also pointed out the emergence of problems between Turkey and Jolani. In particular, the director of the Turkish program at the Middle East Institute in the United States, Gonul Tol, noted that Turkey may not be able to control the forces that captured Damascus, since they are unpredictable and pursuing their own interests. “Does Turkey really want a jihadist organization to rule a neighboring country?” she said.
Sure they do. They just want it to be their captive jihadi org, a Muslim Brotherhood type without ideas above their station.
At the same time, it should be kept in mind that for now, it is the Turkish military who are the people who can freely drive their armored vehicles from Idlib to Damascus. Therefore, at the moment, it is Turkey that remains the most influential player in Syria.
THE US DILEMMA
The United States also maintains a military presence in Syria, in the northeast and at At-Tanf in the southeast. As Assad's army collapses, American-controlled rebel groups in the southeast have been able to establish control over vast areas of the Syrian desert, with the support of the US military.
In addition, the US has long had channels of communication with al-Jolani, who was their "secret partner" in the fight against ISIS*.
Really?
On the other hand, American and British political strategists have done much to change his image in the direction of "moderation." The same Kurds make curtseys to him, clearly not without American prompting.
And here the main question arises: will the connection with the US of the forces that have taken control of Damascus lead to a conflict of interests between the US and Turkey for influence over Jolani?
At the same time, it is far from clear in Washington whether Jolani’s claims about future democratic reforms in Syria are genuine. It is one of the unknowns in the swirl of uncertainties in the crisis, which is changing so quickly that Western intelligence analysts themselves admit they are having a hard time keeping up.
Therefore, the US, like Turkey, also believes that the armed opposition may be uncontrollable, and they do not trust it completely. However, it is obvious that the US has an effective lever of pressure on it - sanctions. Promises to lift them can make Jolani more accommodating and bring significant investments to the country.
For Arab states, and especially the Gulf Arab monarchies, which welcomed the relatively peaceful transition of power in Damascus, a US decision to lift restrictions on Syria is needed in order to begin investing there.
But here, among other things, the ability of the new Syrian authorities to prevent a new wave of chaos in the country, which would negate investment prospects, will also play a role.
Both the US and Syria's Arab partners therefore face a dilemma.
On the one hand, they would like to eliminate the figure of Jolani from the game as a person who left ISIS* and was in Al-Qaeda*, who in many ways discredits the image of the new Syrian government. But on the other hand, if he is eliminated, there may not be another figure in the country who would keep the situation under control: fight ISIS*, suppress the internal opposition, but in such a way as not to raise many questions, and force all other factions in the country to recognize the authority of Damascus.
And for now it seems that there is no alternative to Jolani. And so it turns out that one "tyrannical regime" that could not fulfill its functions was replaced by another, more "fresh".
OPPORTUNIST OR JIHADIST?
Of course, there are many indications that the leader of the armed opposition is an opportunist who has changed many masks, and it is difficult to say which one is real. But it is also obvious that he leaves loopholes to return to his radical views if he thinks that this will be in demand again.
Therefore, Jolani appears before different audiences in different images. Radicals are still his loyal "electorate", and it is worth noting that he explains his current steps to them as temporary political expediency, and justifies each decision with a Sharia prescription.
That’s what I would believe, but I’m just a little Midwestern suburban housewife, so what do I know?
Thus, the seemingly significant concessions to Christians, Alawites, Druze and other religious minorities in Syria are so far only temporary.
To do this, Jolani found a Sharia loophole to, on the one hand, show his “goodwill” to the Alawites, Christians, Druze and Ismailis, but, when necessary, get rid of them.
Thus, the radicals recognized the status of all these communities as musta'min, "non-Muslims" who came from the "lands of the infidels" to conduct business or trade in Muslim territory for a long time.
On the one hand, this gives them the opportunity to "throw dust in their eyes" and even demonstrate their privileged status. They say that they are exempt from many taxes and are "under protection."
But the problem is that this is a temporary status, and at any moment the radicals can demand that the musta'min leave their territory, or convert to Islam, since formally they are considered “guests” and not the indigenous population.
This also creates problems with the right of these communities to own and use their religious sites. They are prohibited from many transactions involving the purchase, sale or ownership of real estate and agricultural land, as they cannot be their owners, but only tenants, etc.
In this regard, despite the change in form, there are doubts about the change in the content of the core of the armed opposition. It may make concessions to local Christians and Alawites for a time, but then abandon them. It is enough to observe the rhetoric of foreign jihadists operating in Syria, including those from the Russian Caucasus and Central Asia, as well as from China, who, despite the voiced "moderate" programs of their leadership, promise that Syria will only be a springboard for the transfer of "jihad" in their understanding to the Caucasus, Central Asia and East Turkestan.
It’ll be interesting to see if HTS rejoins the Al Qaeda borg once they don’t need to appease anyone anymore, or if they’re going to be an independent caliphate now that they conquered the place.
#1
The US has no interests in Syria. The DS had interests there. We’ll take all the Christians. Ohio has newly available real estate in a city named Springfield.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/10/2024 10:41
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The Baltic shipyard Yantar (part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC)) handed over the Project 11 356 guided missile frigate Tushil to the Indian Navy. This was reported on December 9 by the press service of USC.
"The ceremonial transfer of the ship took place on December 9, 2024 in Kaliningrad in the presence of Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh. The acceptance certificate was signed by a representative of JSC Rosoboronexport and the ship's commander," the corporation's website said.
Rosoboronexport CEO Alexander Mikheev called the raising of the Indian flag on the ship another important stage of Russian-Indian cooperation in the military-technical sphere, fully consistent with the principles of the Make in India program.
"The frigate built in Russia has 20 Indian-made naval systems installed, and is equipped with the BrahMos supersonic missile system. In addition, today Rosoboronexport and India are implementing about 10 joint projects on naval issues alone and are discussing several new ones," he said.
It is noted that Tushil is the seventh frigate of Project 11 356 in the Indian Navy, which testifies to the high efficiency demonstrated by these ships and the great trust of the Indian Navy in the Russian defense industry. Currently, the first six ships of this project are intensively and successfully engaged in the implementation of assigned tasks in various regions of the World Ocean, having received deservedly high praise from the sailors and command of the Indian Navy.
During the handover ceremony, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy Alexander Moiseyev said that he felt proud that yet another ship created by domestic shipbuilders was part of the Indian Navy.
“This is already the seventh frigate in the series, and next spring we plan to hand over another ship of this project to our Indian colleagues – the frigate Tamal,” he said.
As reported by Regnum News Agency, at the end of July, the Indian Navy frigate INS Tabar (Battle Axe) took part in the Main Naval Parade in honor of the Russian Navy Day. Before that, the ship took part in the celebration of the 325th anniversary of the Russian fleet, which took place in July 2021 in St. Petersburg and Kronstadt.
Equipped with surface-to-air weapons systems and built using stealth technology, the frigate was created in 2004 at the Baltic Shipyard. It was commissioned in April of that year in Kaliningrad.
#6
"I tell ya, Я не получаю никакого уважения."
Starts to rain, sea rises.
"Well, at least it's a warm rain. Спасибо, Rodney!"
"My pleasure, pal. Be seeing ya."
[BREITBART] President-elect Donald Trump ...The man who was so stupid he beat fourteen professional politicians, a former tech CEO, and a brain surgeon for the Republican nomination in 2016, then beat The Smartest Woman in the World in the general election. Then he beat Kamala while dodging bullets... suggested Sunday on NBC's ''Meet the Press'' that President Joe The Big Guy Biden ...46th president of the U.S. Sleazy Dem machine politician, paterfamilias of the Biden Crime Family... should pardon 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... and members on the partisan January 6 Committee, such as Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger, Bennie Thompson (D-MS), and Rep. 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... (D-CA).
Democrats and media allies urged Biden in previous weeks to pardon a number of his allies including those who sat on the partisan January 6 committee.
Members of the committee stand accused of deleting over 100 files before Republicans took control of the House in 2022, an act Trump says is illegal.
''Biden can give them a pardon if he wants to,'' Trump told NBC News's Kristen Welker. ''And maybe he should.''
''Just remember, the unselect committee — a year and a half of sworn testimony, and after getting all of the testimony, they deleted it, wait, and they destroyed almost everything,'' Trump explained. ''There's nothing left. It's unprecedented, and they deny you do that. In a civil case, you go to jail.''
''So you think Liz Cheney should go to jail?'' Welker asked Trump.
''Anybody who voted in favor —'' Trump replied.
''Are you going to direct your FBI director and your attorney general to send them to jail?'' she followed up.
''Not at all,'' Trump said. ''I think that they'll have to look at that — they can do whatever that want.''
Posted by: Fred ||
12/10/2024
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#1
If the Biden outfit was smart they'd issue pardons for the above mentioned scoundrels honorable politicians AND for all Jan 6ers before 1/20..
#3
Biden doesn’t do anything without compensation. He’s also deeply into revenge so the folks that swapped him out for Kamala seem unlikely pardon candidates. If he pardons a random half of the perpetrators, we stand a chance of getting to the truth with Kash overseeing the interrogations. Congressional inquiries have not been effective. If Biden doesn’t do it, Trump can pardon someone who has the passwords and has knowledge of what files were deleted and why.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/10/2024 10:03
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#4
As long as they're out, it's fine.
Trump is building his new America First party, free of the GOP traitors and woke Dems.
To join, just love America. It has a lot of potential if he can pull it off.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Russian Yasen-M class submarines have become a nightmare for the American military. Western powers should not underestimate such military technologies. Analyst Brandon Weichert wrote about this in an article for The National Interest.
He noted that Russian nuclear submarines are carriers of Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles.
The equipment is also distinguished by its virtually silent movement. The expert claims that the Yasen-M class submarines are among the quietest in the world. The low-magnetic steel from which these submarines are made prevents enemy sonars from detecting them. And the spherical hydroacoustic system installed on board, in turn, does not allow other objects to approach the submarines unnoticed.
Weirchert also noted that the submarines can reach a speed of 28 knots in quiet mode, surpassing the speed of American submarines of the Seawolf or Virginia class.
“All of this taken together gives the Russians a true strike potential that is relatively unmatched by the Americans,” he concluded.
As reported by Regnum News Agency, in the summer, British reporter Oli Smith noted that the Russian multipurpose nuclear submarine Arkhangelsk poses a major threat to NATO. The stealth submarine, armed with hypersonic missiles, is dangerous for the alliance's military bases, naval convoys and coastal critical infrastructure, he emphasized.
Sevmash CEO Mikhail Budnichenko said on June 12 that the Russian Navy will receive nuclear submarines in 2024, which will strengthen the country's nuclear triad. He did not specify which submarines he was talking about.
#2
If you can't track a austenitic stainless steel boat, perhaps one can identify traces of the Earth's variable magnetic fields that are being masked by the passage.
#3
The low-magnetic steel from which these submarines are made prevents enemy sonars from detecting them
That doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but then again, I don't take Russian dictation
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/10/2024 11:12
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#4
Sonar doesn't really care if the object is steel, wood, flesh or plastic (see 'Fishfinders'), Frank.
Perhaps it's the translation as you stated.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
12/10/2024 15:38
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Item 1: Sonar doesn't actually "see" the hull of submarine, it "sees" the air bubble inside. The change in density causes the reflection.
Item 2: Austenistic stainless is less magnetic than carbon steel. It is also considerably weaker.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
12/10/2024 19:21
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#6
The article prolly is talking about detection from magnetic anomaly detectors fielded by aircraft.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Seven people have been remanded in custody on suspicion of preparing terrorist attacks in Dagestan. This was reported on December 9 by the Soviet District Court of Makhachkala.
“Having reviewed the investigator’s materials, the court decided to choose a preventive measure for the suspects in the form of detention for a period of two months, that is, until February 2025,” the court said in a statement on the social network VKontakte.
It is noted that the suspects share the ideology of a terrorist group banned in the Russian Federation and have united into a terrorist community.
According to the investigation, seven defendants were making homemade explosive devices, planning to detonate them in military units, buildings of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the FSB, which are located in Dagestan.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, in Dagestan, law enforcement officers detained 12 members of a terrorist cell who were planning a major terrorist attack. The group was organized in the Kizlyar region. Components for making a bomb were confiscated from the detainees.
Five people are suspected of preparing a series of terrorist attacks in Dagestan; they were placed into custody on December 2.
In late November, law enforcement officers detained two residents of Dagestan suspected of preparing a terrorist attack in one of the republic's state institutions. According to the investigation, residents of the village of Kurush in the Khasavyurt district purchased components for making a bomb in June and wanted to detonate it in a state institution to destabilize the situation in the region. They did not have time to assemble the explosive device, as they were detained.
The Supreme Court of the Donetsk People's Republic sentenced 30-year-old senior machine gunner of the Ukrainian nationalist formation "Azov" (the organization is recognized as terrorist and extremist, banned in Russia) Denis Khmelevsky to 24 years in prison for ordering the killing of civilians in Mariupol. This was reported on December 9 by the press service of the regional prosecutor's office.
It was established that in March 2022, the militant ordered another soldier to kill two residents who were in the entrance of a building on Moskovskaya Street. They died on the spot due to their injuries.
“Khmelevsky was found guilty under paragraphs “a”, “g”, “l” of Part 2 of Article 105 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Murder of two persons committed by an organized group, motivated by political, ideological hatred”), Part 1 of Article 356 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Cruel treatment of the civilian population in the occupied territory”),” the statement said.
The court sentenced the militant to 24 years of imprisonment to be served in a maximum security penal colony.
As reported by Regnum News Agency, in September, the Supreme Court of the DPR sentenced each of the three servicemen of the 55th artillery brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) to 16 years in a maximum security penal colony. In February 2022, they fired high-explosive shells at the public bridge "Slovyansk - Donetsk - Mariupol". As a result, property damage amounted to more than 214 million rubles.
In late August, a court in the DPR sentenced Oleg Plotnikov, commander of a reconnaissance platoon of the 36th Separate Naval Infantry Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, to 22 years in prison. Between March 23 and 25, 2022, the soldier radioed a company sniper to shoot at a car on Metallurgov Avenue in Mariupol. Three residents who were in the car survived. One of them was wounded
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] Ukrainian Armed Forces Contain Russian Attacks in Eastern and Southern Ukraine.
The enemy is most active in the Pokrovsk direction. There, the Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled 24 attacks near six populated areas.
Since the beginning of the day, 102 combat clashes have occurred on the front in eight directions and in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in a report as of 16:00 on Monday, December 9.
Thus, in the Kharkov direction, three armed clashes occurred near Glubokoye and Vovchansk.
In the Kupyansk direction, the Russians twice tried to advance in the area of Lozovaya and Zagryzovoye. One attack was repelled, a battle is underway.
In the Liman direction, 10 combat clashes occurred near Grekovka, Zeleny Gai, Nadezhda, Makeyevka, Torskoye and Yampolevka. Six combat clashes are ongoing.
In the Toretsk direction, the invaders attacked six times in the areas of Toretsk and Nelipovka.
The enemy remains highly active in the Pokrovsky direction - clashes of varying intensity have occurred 29 times.
The situation in the Kurakhovsky direction remains difficult. Near Solntsevka, Starye Terny, Zarya, Dalny, Dachny and Kurakhovoye, 16 assaults have been repelled, nine combat clashes are still ongoing.
In the Vremevsky direction, the aggressors attacked 14 times in the direction of Constantinople, Novosyolki and near Storozhev. Five battles are currently underway.
In the Dnieper direction, Russian invaders attacked three times and received a fierce rebuff.
In Kursk region, Ukrainian units are repelling six attacks.
Let us recall that on December 8, more than 1,200 Russians were killed at the front in one day.
How about just being a contributing factor? Lots of people played a part — the honourable senator from the great state of Kentucky just played a bigger one than most by the end.
[BREITBART] Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) displaced blame on Saturday for the nation's managed decline under his long tenure in the Senate.
Many economic nationalists believe McConnell, the longest-serving Senate party leader in American history, has managed the nation's decline while elites profited.
McConnell apparently disagrees. He suggested at the annual Reagan National Defense Forum that MAGA is responsible for the managed decline, even though the movement is only eight years old. McConnell has been in power since 1985.
Under McConnell's Senate leadership, the national debt rose more than $35 trillion, illegal immigration surged, and real wages for American workers have not grown. Obamacare was enacted in 2010. Congress bailed out big banks in 2008, and social media companies silenced individuals without repercussions. McConnell also has ties to the Chinese government.
''Within the party Ronald Reagan once led so capably, it is increasingly fashionable to suggest that the sort of global leadership he modeled is no longer America's place,'' he said.
''Let's be absolutely clear: America will not be made great again by those who are content to manage our decline,'' he said with a veiled swipe at MAGA.
''Even as allies across NATO and the Indo-Pacific renew their own commitments to hard power, to interoperability, and to collective defense, some now question America's own role at the center of these force-multiplying institutions and partnerships''
Posted by: Fred ||
12/10/2024
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Maybe not, but he also did not try to stop it. And kids, that is his job...
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
12/10/2024 1:07
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#2
I have way more contempt for the GOP Politicians like McConnell than the leftist Dems. Mitch, Paul Ryan, Romney…. Could have stopped the decline (they said they would) yet they facilitated it. Maybe Mitch can take the CEO role over at United Healthcare.
#5
At best McConnell is a bridge building Col Nicholson character, but I see Mitch as more of an opportunist and a corporatist who has sold out Republican voters for the interests of donors who have compensated him.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/10/2024 10:18
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#6
Pure globalist.
Reagan led the West, and not all of it.
Hell, tons of Europeans hated Reagan and made it known, loudly.
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin;
[ColonelCassad] 1. The militants who seized power have begun to form a transitional government. It will be something in the spirit of the NTC in Libya. The Taliban insist theirs is merely a transitional government, too, awaiting the as-yet unscheduled national election for the final shape to emerge.
2. Some representatives of the old government are assisting in the transfer of power.
3. Israel continues to occupy territories in southwestern Syria, taking advantage of the total power vacuum. Continues? It’s like what, Day 2?
4. Pro-Turkish militants are storming Manbij. The Kurds from the SDF are resisting and the militants were unable to immediately take Manbij.
5. The Russian Armed Forces are leaving their bases in Rojava. After the collapse of the Assad government, staying in Rojava has become meaningless.
6. Regarding the bases in Latakia - negotiations are currently underway on the possibility of preserving them. There is no decision on withdrawal yet.
7. Russia and Iran are already in contact with the militants who seized power. The "green" flag has already been raised at the Syrian embassy in Moscow.
8. Assad with his family in Moscow. Putin has granted them political asylum. According to some reports, our forces also helped evacuate Suheil.
Hamas politburo member Suheil al-Hindi?
9. Maher al-Assad
…Bashir’s younger brother, the major general commanding the Syrian Army's elite 4th Armored Division …
left for Iraq along with some of his soldiers. A large number of soldiers and equipment were abandoned in Eastern Syria.
10. The West is already preparing to legalize HTS and Julani, presenting them as "progressive rebels", although in fact they are "Al-Qaeda".
Precisely.
11. ISIS is now actively recruiting personnel, taking advantage of the fact that militants have been released from prison and a power vacuum has formed. ISIS will get stronger.
Goody.
12. Hamas congratulated the militants on seizing power in Syria. This should not be surprising, Hamas was on the side of the militants until 2016.
13. Lebanon and Iraq continue to strengthen the border, expecting an increase in the flow of refugees and possible attacks from militants.
14. Robberies and looting continue throughout the country. There are also reprisals against security forces who served Assad.
15. The US and Israel continue to bomb warehouses and positions of the former Syrian army, trying to destroy some of the SAA military equipment.
Can’t leave it for the new guys, after all. And at the moment the new guys are too busy to do anything about it.
16. The economic situation in the country is deteriorating sharply. The local currency has collapsed, problems with fuel and lubricants are growing (which existed before).
In general, after dividing up the corpse of the killed SAR, we can expect the start of a war for these remains with a very likely dismemberment of a united Syria.
Direct Translation via GOogle Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] Ukrainian fighters managed to block the enemy near the village of Kruglyakovka in the Kupyansk district.
Ukrainian defenders carried out an operation to expel the enemy from the Kolesnikovsky forest, where he was completely destroyed.
The Defense Forces have liberated the Kolesnikovsky forest in the Kupyansk direction of the Kharkiv region. This was reported by the commander of the Achilles battalion of the 92nd Separate Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Yuriy Fedorenko on the battalion's YouTube channel.
Ukrainian fighters managed to block the enemy near the village of Kruglyakovka in the Kupyansk district of the Kharkov region and carry out a series of measures to expel the enemy from the Kolesnikovsky forest. The enemy was completely destroyed.
According to him, the first operational brigade Uragan and other structural units of the Defense Forces are holding a strong defense and conducting strike and assault operations with the aim of pushing back the occupiers and driving them from Ukrainian soil.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] A Black Lives Matter leader who has been in the courtroom daily during the Daniel Penny subway trial called on 'black vigilantes' to step up after the Marine veteran was found not guilty on Monday.
Walter 'Hawk' Newsome, who says he is Jordan Neely's uncle, threatened Penny inside the courtroom during the chaos which immediately followed the verdict.
He shouted 'it's a small f**king world, buddy.'
Then, speaking to media and later protesters outside the courthouse, Newsome said it was time for 'black vigilantes.'
'Everybody else has vigilantes. We need some black vigilantes,' he said.
'People want to jump up and choke us and kill us for being loud, how about we do the same when they attempt to oppress us.'
The comments came as protesters across the street set their sights on police, chanting 'f**k the police' and questioning why they weren't patrolling the train to defend Neely.
Outside the courthouse on Monday, after calling for black vigilantes, Newsome told those same protesters he 'loves them.'
He singled out several by name who have been there 'every day, in the freezing cold' shouting insults at Penny.
Newsome told the crowd that black people could no longer rely on authorities to keep them safe or place value on their lives.
[CNN] "This victory, my brothers, by the grace of God Almighty (follows) the sacrifices of the martyrs, the widows, and the orphans. This victory, my brothers, has come through the suffering of those who endured imprisonment...This new triumph, my brothers, marks a new chapter in the history of the region, a history fraught with dangers (that left) Syria as a playground for Iranian ambitions, spreading sectarianism, stirring corruption...."
Iranian ambitions? Oh dear.
It is no surprise that the Islamist rebel chose Damascus’s venerated Umayyad Mosque – not a TV studio, nor newly absented presidential palace, but a place of towering religious significance, which at 1,300 years old is one of the world’s most ancient mosques – to deliver that message.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/10/2024 12:31
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But..."Muslims do not drink alcohol because it is considered haram, or forbidden, in Islam. The Quran, sayings of the Prophet Muhammad, and other Islamic teachings prohibit alcohol for a number of reasons"...
#4
The alcohol in the Hezbollah warehouse was probably used as a form of currency where people didn't want to take syrian pounds or Iranian rials for example.
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
12/10/2024 16:01
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#5
Hey! My sons love Buffalo Trace!! We've got 3 bottles waiting for Xmas.
[NYPOST] Sen. Chuck Grassley demanded Monday that FBI director Christopher Wray step aside in a brutal rebuke of his tenure at the bureau, as GOP senators cheered President-elect Donald Trump ...The Hero of Butler, Pennsylvania... 's pick of Kash Patel to replace him as director.
''For the good of the country, it's time for you and your deputy to move on to the next chapter in your lives,'' Grassley (R-Iowa) wrote in a blistering 11-page letter to Wray, referring to the director and deputy director Paul Abbate.
''[I] must express my vote of no confidence in your continued leadership of the FBI.''
Wray, 57, who is seven years into a 10-year term, has been coy about his intentions, but some key GOP politicians are hoping he steps aside for Patel.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/10/2024
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I am sure that Wray will just fade away from public life and never write a self-congratulatory book or appear on liberal news as a contributor.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/10/2024 9:31
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#2
...well, those MSNBC and CNN appearances seem rather iffy now.
[FRONTPAGEMAG] In Trump's first term, Jews were declared to be a minority group protected by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. And now, just weeks away from beginning his second term, Trump has laid down the law, in a speech he just gave at a rally against antisemitism in Washington. American universities that fail to combat antisemitism on their campuses should expect severe repercussions, including the loss of accreditation and of federal research contracts. More on Trump's determination to stamp out campus antisemitism can be found here: ''Trump to universities: Stamp out antisemitism or lose accreditation,'' by Mathilda Heller, Jerusalem Post, November 14, 2024:
All American universities must end campus antisemitism or they will lose accreditation, President-elect Donald Trump ...The Hero of Butler, Pennsylvania... promised during a rally against antisemitism in Washington.
To ''defeat antisemitism and defend Jewish citizens in America,'' Trump said he would inform every college president that if they do not ''end antisemitic propaganda,'' they would lose accreditation and federal support.
He did not say they ''may lose'' accreditation. Trump said they will lose accreditation, and their share of the billions of dollars in federal support that universities receive. A double blow to their finances and reputation.
’'We will not subsidize the creation of terrorist sympathizers, and we're not going to do it — certainly [not] on American soil,'' he said.
Trump added that once in the Oval Office, he would inform all educational institutions that if they permit violence or harassment against Jewish students, they will be ''held accountable for violations of the civil rights law.''
''It's very important — Jewish Americans must have equal protection under the law, and they're going to get it,'' he said. ''At the same time, my administration will move swiftly to restore safety for Jewish students [on campuses] and Jewish people on American streets.''—
Posted by: Fred ||
12/10/2024
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Good, take these hate filled professors and universities down.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
12/10/2024 1:08
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Those going after Jews and Zionists are often also going after Christians and conservatives, so cleaning out one will have a knock-on effect.
[NAHARNET] U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will travel to Israel this week for talks on Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad, and on a truce deal in Gaza, the White House said Monday.
Sullivan will meet Israeli officials to discuss "efforts to reach a hostage release and ceasefire deal in Gaza, the latest developments in Syria, and for discussions about Lebanon and Iran," National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said.
Yes, she was a troubled child, but her parents ruined that girl. What odds that within the next five years she ends up accidentally killing an innocent bystander while firebombing a building in protest against whatever cause had caught her interest at that moment?
[NYPOST] Climate activist Greta Thunberg was filmed giggling as she declared ''f—k Germany'' and ''f—k Israel'' at an anti-Israel rally in Germany Friday, video shows.
The 21-year-old appeared as a speaker at the demonstration in the southwestern German city of Mannheim, which included a discussion focused on ''solidarity with Palestine and the climate movement.''
''F—k Germany,'' Thunberg says in the clip, before bursting into laughter. ''And f—k Israel,'' she adds to rapturous applause and whistling from the crowd.
Americans like to think of themselves as a can-do, pragmatic people uninterested in philosophy when they could be busy improving the world. Germans think of themselves as deep mountain lakes, steeped in philosophy and literature; this lot, though, never got past the comic book stage, or perhaps Max und Moritz.
A city spokesperson told German news agency Deutsche Presse-Agentur that 700 protesters attended the rally, which they described as peaceful.
Thunberg, however, has faced fierce backlash for the comments since the clip was shared on social media.
#4
A thought for the day: "In law we talk about the proverbial thirteenth chime of the clock, which is not only wrong in itself, but which calls into question everything that has come before. Most of our institutions have been chiming thirteen for quite a while, and people have noticed." - Glenn Reynolds
We're at the "people have noted" stage.
#7
Load a Super Soaker with Holy Water and see if she manifests.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/10/2024 12:29
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I give her 5 years before she's dead on an OD or self-darwinates out of existential dread of a phantom fear. Either that or she goes full Allen and gets passed around by a bunch of Isis donkey's of stinky doom.
[NAHARNET] Across 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... , the Middle East, and beyond, the fall of Syria's authoritarian government at the hands of Islamist-led rebels set off waves of jubilation, trepidation and alarm.
Many Lebanese exulted at the overthrow of the Syrian leader while others worried about more instability rocking a region in turmoil.
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati called for a strict control of the border with Syria and for distancing Lebanon from the developments there. He urged the Lebanese "of all affiliations" to be "wise" and "avoid emotional reactions."
Mikati also asked Secretary-General of Council of Ministers Judge Mahmoud Makiya to communicate with the National Commission for the Missing and Forcibly Disappeared Persons in Lebanon and with the relevant authorities regarding the release of Lebanese prisoners from Syrian prisons.
- LEBANESE IN SYRIAN PRISONS -
During 15 years of civil war in Lebanon, an estimated 17,000 people went missing. Many were held captive or were killed in detention centers operated by Syrian forces in Lebanon and Syria, but their fates remain unknown.
Since a Lebanese man, who was missing for 40 years, was freed by Syrian rebels from a prison in Hama last week, many Lebanese families are demanding to know the fate of their loved ones who are thought to be detained in Syrian prisons since Lebanon's civil war when Syrian troops were in Lebanon.
- GEAGEA SAYS 'NOTHING WORSE THAN ASSAD' - Lebanese Forces A Christian political party founded by Bashir Gemayel, who was then bumped off when he was elected president of Leb... leader Samir Geagea ....Geagea was imprisoned by the Syrians and their puppets for 11 years in a dungeon in the third basement level of the Lebanese Ministry of Defense. He was released after the Cedar Revolution in 2005.... congratulated all Lebanese on the fall of Bashir al-Assad's regime, saying that "over the past 50 years, the regime of Hafez and Bashir al-Assad was the biggest obstacle to the building of a state in Lebanon."
"It's impossible for the situation in Syria to be worse than Assad. There is noting worse," Geagea said.
- JUMBLAT SAYS 'JUSTICE ACHIEVED' -
Former Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Wally Jumblat ...Druze politician, head of the Progressive Socialist Party, who's been on every side in Leb at least four times. He'll sell you his friends for a dollar, but family comes higher because of shipping and handling... saluted the Syrian people and celebrated Assad's ouster "after a lengthy wait."
Jumblat also called former PM Saad Hariri ...Second son of Rafik Hariri, the Leb PM who was assassinated in 2005. He has was prime minister in his own right from 2009 through early 2011. He was born in Riyadh to an Iraqi mother and graduated from Georgetown University. He managed his father's business interests in Riyadh until his father's assassination. When his father died he inherited a fortune of some $4.1 billion, which won't do him much good if Hizbullah has him bumped off, too.... and told him that by Assad's fall "justice was achieved" for his slain father Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and other March 14 figures.
Al-Mustaqbal ... the Future Movement, political party led by Saad Hariri...
... the Future Movement, political party led by Saad Hariri... Movement, founded by Hariri, for its part, congratulated the Syrian people in a statement and called on the Lebanese to preserve national unity.
- ASSASSINATIONS BLAMED ON SYRIA -
Hariri was assassinated in 2005 by a bomb in Beirut, blamed on Syria and Hezbollah. His liquidation sparked protests that ousted Syrian troops from Lebanon. Following Hariri's killing, several anti-Syrian figures were assassinated, including Samir Qassir, George Hawi, Gebran Tueni, Pierre Amine Gemayel, Antoine Ghanem and Walid Eido. Others escaped liquidation attempts including Elias Mur, May Chidiac, and Samir Shehade.
Jumblat's father, Kamal Jumblat was assassinated in 1977 in his car near Baakline by unidentified button men suspected to be members of the pro-Syrian faction of the Lebanese Syrian Social Nationalist Party, in collaboration with the Ba'ath Party.
In 1982, President Bashir Gemayel was killed with 26 other politicians by a member of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party who detonated a bomb from a few miles away using a remote detonator. He said he killed Gemayel because of his collaboration with Israel, which invaded Lebanon in 1982.
- GEMAYEL HAILS 'TYRANT FALL' -
Kataeb leader and Bashir's nephew Sami Gemayel wrote on X that "the criminal tyrant has fallen". "But Lebanon remains and the Kataeb remains."
He added that the names of his uncle Bashir, his brother Pierre Gemayel, and other deaders "stand tall, pulsating with freedom, illusory sovereignty and independence."
- BASSIL HOPES IT'S FOR THE GOOD OF LEBANON AND SYRIA - Free Patriotic Movement Despite its name a Christian party allied with Hizbullah, neither free nor particularly patriotic... leader Jebran Bassil hoped that the developments would be for the good of Syria and Lebanon and lead to a swift return of displaced Syrians to their country and to "positive and balanced relations" between the two countries.
- SYRIA STABILITY IMPACTS LEBANON -
Son of Hezbollah's presidential candidate and Assad's friend Suleiman Franjieh, Marada MP Tony Franjieh hoped, in a statement posted on the X platform, for a peaceful transfer of power that would preserve the country's stability and protect the rights of all Syrians.
"The stability of Lebanon has always been deeply affected by the stability of Syria," Franjieh said.
- BLOW TO HEZBOLLAH -
For Hezbollah, who had long used Syria as its key conduit for weapons and supplies from Iran, Assad's fall could further weakens the group, after the staggering losses it suffered in its own recent war with Israel.
"What's happening in Syria is a major, dangerous and new transformation," Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah said.
"No one can downplay its impact but we draw our presence and strength from God, from our faith before anything else, and from our people — and the existence, presence, formations, capabilities and high competencies of the resistance, despite everything that has been inflicted on it in this war," Fadallah added.
Early in Syria's civil war, when it appeared Assad might be tossed, 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 its ally, Hezbollah, rushed fighters to support him. Russia later joined with a scorched earth campaign of Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s.
For Israel, breaking Iran's regional network has been a major goal, though it is wary over jihadi fighters among the hard boyz who toppled Assad. Israel on Sunday moved troops into a demilitarized buffer zone with Syria by the Israel-held Golan Heights in what it called a temporary security measure.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Assad's fall a "historic day," saying it was "the direct result of our forceful action against Hezbollah and Iran, Assad's main supporters."
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[NAHARNET] MP Hassan Fadlallah announced Monday that ''what's happening in Syria is a major, dangerous and new transformation,'' in the first comments by a Hezbollah official on the fall of Bashir al-Assad's regime at the hands of Islamist-led rebels.
''As to why it happened, that needs an evaluation, but the evaluation will not take place on podiums,'' Fadlallah added.
''Regardless of everything that has happened in Syria, some have started to talk about its impact on 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... , the resistance and Hezbollah. Not to reassure but rather to state the truth, what happened is very big and no one can downplay its impact, but to us Hezbollah, the resistance and the people of the resistance, we draw our presence and strength from God Almighty and from our faith before anything else,'' Fadallah said.
''We also draw our strength from our people — and the existence, presence, formations, capabilities and high competencies of the resistance, despite everything that has been inflicted on it in this war,'' the MP added.
''As for Syria's future situation, developments and domestic alliances and problems and what will happen later, we will leave that to when it happens and we won't rush in judging things,'' Fadlallah went on to say.
''We know how to protect our country, face the challenges and overcome difficulties, no matter what they are. We passed through harder and more bitter experiences in our history and we overcame them,'' the politician reassured.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Sergey Adamov
[REGNUM] The Russian Armed Forces continue to develop the offensive in Donbass, pushing the enemy out of the occupied lines. Last week, the most tense section of the Donetsk front was the Kurakhovo region. Russian troops are advancing along the northern shore of the Kurakhovo Reservoir and the Solyonaya River. Combat operations are taking place in the area of the settlements of Shevchenko and Sontsovka.
On the southern front, fighting continues in the area of the village of Sukhie Yaly. To encircle the Ukrainian Armed Forces group in the Kurakhovo area, the advancing units of the Russian army need to cover a distance of ten kilometers and occupy the village of Dachnoye, located on the enemy's key supply route - the Zaporizhzhya Highway.
As of midday on December 9, the Ukrainian Armed Forces Command had not given the order to withdraw from the emerging cauldron, even though part of Kurakhovo had already come under the control of Russian troops. The decision to withdraw by the Ukrainian Armed Forces Command will most likely be made at the last moment in order to minimize image losses as much as possible, a frontline source for IA Regnum believes.
"We've already been through all this in Ugledar, exactly the same. Kiev says to the very end that everything is fine, until they start shouting over the radio from the cauldron: give the order to retreat! In the end, the order is given, but "not only everyone" leaves - half of them die on the way. Plus, the wounded and those who fought back are abandoned when surrounded. This is already a classic, we are ready for this," the source noted.
For the Ukrainian Armed Forces command, control over Kurakhovo creates the illusion of a foothold on the approaches to Donetsk, from which an offensive on the capital of the DPR could be launched. This is an illusory hope, but Kyiv has often made decisions based not on military considerations, but on PR.
To the east of Kurakhovo, Russian troops are also advancing on Velyka Novosyolka, the last major settlement remaining under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces at the junction of the DPR and Zaporizhia Oblast. The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the information about the advance in this area. "As a result of successful offensive actions, units of the Vostok military group liberated the settlement of Blagovatnoye (Oktyabr state farm) of the Donetsk People's Republic," the ministry noted.
Ukrainian Armed Forces units were also previously driven out of the settlements of Razdolnoye, Yasnaya Polyana and Shakhtyorskoye. Russian troops are trying to cut off enemy supply routes: roads leading from Velikaya Novosyolka to the north and east in the direction of Gulyai-Pole.
The Ukrainian analytical portal DeepState also acknowledged the successes of the Russian offensive in the area of the settlements of Trudovoe, Kurakhovo, Shevchenko, Vozrozhdenie and Pushkino.
The liberation of the village will allow the offensive to begin directly on the territory of the Zaporizhia region. The Ukrainian Armed Forces, in turn, with the loss of Kurakhovo and Velyka Novosyolka will finally lose control over the eastern part of Donbass and will be forced to retreat deep into territories that were not previously covered by military action.
ACCESS TO ENEMY COMMUNICATIONS
In the Pokrovsk direction, Russian troops advanced along the Solyonaya River, occupying the settlements of Novotroitskoye and Shevchenko. Northwest of Shevchenko, the offensive is developing in the direction of the settlement of Peschanoye, which is less than a kilometer away. In the Novotroitskoye area, Russian troops advanced deep into the enemy's positions, fortifying the occupied lines.
The success of the offensive in this area made it possible to disrupt the supply route of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and cut off supplies between Pokrovsk and Velikaya Novosyolka, which has already had a serious impact on the enemy's logistics.
Overall, the offensive in this area will continue until all enemy supply routes in Pokrovsk are taken under control: the road to Pervomaysk and the M-30 highway, which connects the territory of the DPR with Pavlograd and Dnepropetrovsk. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are aware of the threat hanging over the "fortress" of Pokrovsk, but are unable to stop the advance of the Russian army, sources on the ground report.
"They fortified the city of Pokrovsk, neighboring Mirnograd, and especially the industrial zone as best they could, prepared the buildings for urban battles, set up barriers, brought in ammunition. Therefore, a frontal assault on the city would be unnecessary now. We will stretch their forces, disrupt supply routes, and then encircle them. We know how to do this," explains the source of IA Regnum.
Currently, Russian troops are 8.5 km from the enemy's main supply route in Pokrovsk, which allows them to strike at the Ukrainian Armed Forces' logistics using drones and artillery. And although there is no talk of fire control over the route, Ukrainian resources are pessimistic and expect the situation to worsen in the near future.
In turn, Ukrainian war correspondents are once again sending curses to the local command, which has not yet created a solid defense around Pokrovsk.
RECORD PACE OF PROGRESS
The failures of the Ukrainian Armed Forces are acknowledged not only by Ukrainian sources, but also by Western observers. Since October 2024, the Russian army has increased the pace of its offensive and is advancing an average of 500 meters per day in a number of areas, the German portal T-Online reported.
At the same time, the Russian Armed Forces are not only advancing "in the open field", but are also pushing the enemy out of positions set up in dense urban development. Last week, assault units advanced 800 meters in Toretsk, liberating several residential areas. Combat operations also continue in the private sector and in the area of the Central mine. The western outskirts of the city remain under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. However, the enemy is not trying to counterattack and is slowly retreating in the direction of Konstantinovka.
The events in the Chasov Yar area are developing similarly. Russian troops managed to advance in the Oktyabrsky microdistrict. The Ukrainian Armed Forces retreated to the railway station and to the territory of the Chasov Yar refractory plant, which was turned by the enemy into a large defensive hub. At the same time, the enemy, who took refuge in the industrial zone, is under constant fire, sources from the field report.
"The air force is working, the artillery is working hard. We are not giving them the opportunity to turn the plant into another Azovstal. Even at the initial stage of the assault on the city, it was clear that they would retreat to the industrial zone, this is their favorite method. We were ready, so we did not give them the opportunity to organize defense according to their rules," a source from the Chasov Yar area told IA Regnum.
He also notes that the assault units of the Russian army managed to dislodge the enemy from several administrative buildings on the territory of the plant. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are still holding industrial workshops, as well as the northern and western districts of the city. However, the Russian army has recently increased the pace of its advance in this area, displacing the enemy from the urban development.
For the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the loss of control over Toretsk and Chasovy Yar will result in a retreat to Konstantinovka and further battles for the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk-Druzhkovka agglomeration. This is, in fact, the enemy's last outpost in the Donbass.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 21:05 Calculations of strike drones of the "Center" groupare being destroyedcombat armored vehicles, ammunition depots, observation posts, as well as Ukrainian Armed Forces manpower on the line of combat contact. 19:24 RF Armed Forces released the village of Plekhovo in the Kursk region.
The Kursk Knights and Arbat Joint Forces Reconnaissance and Defense Forces units, the 22nd Brigade, and the 30th Regiment have completely liberated and cleared the village of Plekhovo in the Sudzhansky District of the Kursk Region from the Ukrainian Armed Forces, WarGonzo reported.
19:22 Footage of destruction of a mined bridge by Russian FPV drones.
19:07 Russian Armed Forces advance in Kursk region –map.
18:40 During reconnaissance activities, servicemen of the North group of forces opened a camouflaged position of a 120mm mortar of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near one of the settlements of the Khar'kov region. Objective control means recorded a direct hit of the FPV drone on the target.
18:27 Stavropol sniper paratroopers of the Novorossiysk Airborne Forces unit stopped rotation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Orekhov direction in the Zaporizhia region.
17:42 The village of Novotroitskoye in the Pokrovsk region (DPR) is completelyreleased.
16:35 Pokrovskoe direction: Russian troops are strengthening their positions and expanding the bridgehead.
In the Pokrovsk direction, Russian units continue active offensive operations, approaching the outskirts of Pokrovsk (Krasnoarmeysk). Success development and local advances are recorded in several sections of the front:
— during the fighting in Shevchenko, Russian units advanced deep into the settlement; fighting is ongoing in at least half of the settlement. In the northwest direction from Shevchenko, Russian forces have begun an offensive toward the village of Peschanoye, which is less than one kilometer away. This maneuver creates a threat of enveloping Pokrovsk from the rear, weakening the enemy's ability to hold its lines.
— The Russian Armed Forces are attacking the enemy's defensive positions in the Dachenskoye area. In the direction of Novy Trud, Russian units are also demonstrating tactical successes, expanding the zone of control. As a result of consistent pressure, the enemy is suffering significant losses in personnel and equipment, which complicates the possibility of stabilizing the defense line.
— North of Pushkino, Russian units are bypassing enemy positions, threatening their flanks. In the Novotroitskoye area, Russian troops have advanced up to 1,000 meters in some areas, consolidating new lines. This allows the Russian Armed Forces to create the preconditions for a further offensive and exerting fire pressure on enemy reserves.
16:10 RF Armed Forces took under control of a large stronghold between Uspenovka and Kurakhovo. Thus, the Ukrainian Armed Forces group in the Uspenovka "pocket" is almost completely surrounded.
15:35 The crew of the Mi-28NM helicopter as part of a mixed tactical group inflicted strike on the enemy in the border area of Kursk Oblast. The forward air controller confirmed the hit of the target.
15:10 In Chasov Yar, Russian paratroopers of the 98th Airborne Division made significant progress along Oktyabrskaya Street and entered the Severny microdistrict, and also approached the Fireproof Plant from the northern side.
14:22 The Russian Armed Forces have advanced into the city limits of Kurakhovo. Preliminary, most of the city's high-rise buildings have come under the control of Russian troops –map.
13:50 Ukrainian resources reported that Nikolaevka has been under fire for the second day, the Russian Armed Forces are destroying pontoon crossings across the Seversky Donets and the road in Nikolaevka along the reservoir.
13:32 Russian Army advanced in the village of Dachenskoye in the Pokrovsk region. At the moment, half of the settlement is already under the control of the Russian Armed Forces.
13:27 Russian army units in the Kursk border area destroyed more than 200 Ukrainian Armed Forces militants, two tanks, eight armored combat vehicles, two cars and three mortars in 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
13:07 Assault units of the Russian Armed Forces have reached the outskirts of the village of Dachnoye in the Kurakhovo region –map.
12:39 Russian Armed Forces advance in Kursk region.
"Frontovaya Ptichka" reported that Russian troops are advancing in the area of the settlements of Gornal and Guevo on the border with Sumy Oblast. The fighting is taking place with the use of armored vehicles and artillery; several Bradley infantry fighting vehicles have been destroyed in the last 24 hours.
12:17 The losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in various directions amounted to 1,530 soldiers in one day, according to a report from the Russian Defense Ministry.
It is noted that Russian troops have damaged the railway infrastructure that ensures the delivery of Western equipment to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
11:31 Pokrovskoe direction: Russian fighters continue to fight in Shevchenko itself, and are also attacking towards Peschanoye and along the railway.
11:06 122mm D-30 howitzer crews of the naval infantry of the Caspian Flotilla of the "North" group destroyed armored vehicles, fortified firing positions and manpower of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the border area of the Kursk region.
10:47 In the Rubtsovsk direction of the RF Armed Forces advanced up to 500 meters in the direction of Novoegorovka. Artillery and strike UAVs destroyed two mortar crews, an ammunition depot, four UAV launchers and a Starlink communications system.
10:42 Ukrainian media reported cruise missile strikes on enemy targets in occupied Kherson
10:39 Situation in the SVO zone:
– Pokrovskoe direction: the situation for the Ukrainian Armed Forces remains extremely difficult. Russian troops continue attacks in the direction of Dachenskoye, near the settlement of Novyi Trud, in Shevchenko, in Novotroitskoye, near Pushkino, in Zarya and in the area of ??Starye Terny. West and south of Shevchenko and west of the settlement of Novyi Trud, Russian units have advanced along a number of forest belts and the railway, “closing the formed pocket.” In the area of ??Starye Terny, Russian maneuver groups are attempting to advance in the direction of the western outskirts of Kurakhovo.
- Kurakhovskoye direction: The Russian Armed Forces have consolidated their positions along the western part of the Kurakhovskoye Reservoir dam. At the moment, Russian army units are regrouping and accumulating resources in order to strike later in two directions at once. This will be the village of Dachnoye and the industrial zone of the Kurakhovskaya thermal power plant. In Kurakhovo itself, fighting continues for multi-story buildings in the city center.
10:30 The liberation of the village of Shevchenko in the DPR will open the way to Pokrovsk and expand the operational capabilities of the Russian army, said the head of the region, Denis Pushilin.
09:50 UAV operators of the 14th Guards Special Forces Brigade of the Vostok group destroyed enemy manpower and armored vehicles in the forest belts in the South Donetsk direction.
09:07 Russian troops have made significant progress from liberated Blagovatnoye to the southern outskirts of Velikaya Novosyolka from the side of Azovskaya Street.
08:50 Dnepr group scouts during a raid discovered enemy concentration area.
"Our task was to reach the infantry unit, establish interaction, learn the tactical situation and observe the enemy. The enemy was located at a distance of one kilometer eight hundred from us, that is, visual observation through binoculars. We saw the rotation of equipment, where the guns were operating from, the DShK, mortar, AGS. "Maviks", drops, birds were flying, "Baba Yaga". The soldiers showed themselves competently, wisely. There was everything, it was interesting," the commander of the reconnaissance group with the call sign "Suetologist" said about the execution of the task.
After the intelligence was transmitted to the command post, an attack was launched on the enemy positions.
08:34 Russian troops control most of the apartment buildings in the western part of Kurakhovo in the DPR, Vladimir Rogov reported.
08:12 Footage of destruction of Ukrainian Armed Forces manpower and equipment by strike drone crews of the Center group of forces in the Krasnoarmeysk direction.
08:09 The crew of the Mi-28NM helicopter as part of a mixed tactical group with aircraft missiles destroyed a stronghold and manpower of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the border area of the Kursk region.
08:07 In the Kurakhovo area, the 3rd battalion of the 68th Tank Regiment of the 150th Motorized Rifle Division of the 8th Guards Combined Arms Army of the Southern Military District successfully attacked with drones, destroying armored vehicles and manpower of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
08:04 The Russian Armed Forces continue to hit targets on the territory of Ukraine. Missiles and UAV strikes were carried out on enemy targets in the Kyiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Khmelnytskyi regions.
08:01 Defeat temporary deployment point of the Ukrainian Armed Forces brigade units by the TOS-1A "Solntsepek" platoon in the area of the settlement of Razliv in the Volnovakha district. As a result of the strike, up to 45 militants were killed.
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
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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.
..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,...
..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,...
...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...
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat Frational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start...
...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 
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Under murderous dictator Bashar al-Assad, Syrians faced massive crackdowns for alleged drug use for years, often being handed long sentences in prisons where they would be subjected to horrific torture. But for years, the hypocritical tyrant's regime secretly netted three times more money than all of Mexico's cartels, by one estimate, with a small white pill that everyone from ISIS terrorists to construction workers chased after. 
..one of the armed feet of the Moslem Brüderbund millipede,...
...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...
...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...
...every time you hear the phrase 
[BREITBART] Sen. 
...The Hero of Butler, Pennsylvania...
...The Hero of Butler, Pennsylvania...
...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...
...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...
