[THEPOSTMILLENNIAL] MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell blamed American military personnel for terrorism in the United States over illegal immigrants who have flooded through the southern border in recent years, some of whom have ties to terrorism and violent gangs, per CBP data.
"The simple fact is, this country has suffered more deadly terrorism at the hands of American-born citizens who are veterans of the United States military than people who have crossed into this country at the southern border," O'Donnell said during a segment on Thursday. "It is very clear from the evidence that if you want to worry about terrorism in this country, the United States Army is a much bigger problem than the southern border."
O'Donnell's remarks stem from the New Orleans terrorist attack on New Year's Day, which was carried out by Army veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a Muslim who authorities say had joined ISIS. Jabbar has been accused of killing at least 14 people and injuring more than 30 others after driving a vehicle into a crowd of revelers.
While US officials have warned of an increase in terror threats as a result of the Biden administration's open border policies, with leaked CBP data revealing that Border Patrol encountered more than 70,000 special interest aliens between 2021 and 2023, O'Donnell argued that American veterans have perpetrated more violence against the homeland than illegal immigrants, citing Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh.
"Timothy McVeigh parked a truck outside that building loaded with explosives in an act of homegrown American terrorism," O'Donnell said. "Timothy McVeigh's hatred of the American government was not tamed in any way by his service in the American military. So, too, with America's latest terrorist attack in New Orleans on New Year's Eve, with an American military veteran driving a pickup truck through a crowd to murder 14 people."
"But when Donald Trump sees the type of terrorist attack that occurred in New Orleans, he doesn't remember Timothy McVeigh and, instead, he blames the criminals that he imagines are crossing the southern border," he continued.
In the hours immediately following the New Year's Day attack, President-elect Donald Trump reaffirmed his efforts to protect the nation's borders, outlining his concerns about the national security threat posed by unchecked illegal immigration.
[ToloNews] Azizullah Omar, the police chief of Badakhshan, has denied reports claiming that Pak soldiers entered the strategic area in the Wakhan district of this province.
Good to know.
According to Omar, Afghan defense and security forces are stationed in the Wakhan corridor, and so far, there has been no movement by Pak forces in the region.
The police chief emphasized that Afghan cops will not allow any country to enter Afghanistan’s territory. He stated: "The reports published in the media are not true. We are in constant communication with our security forces. There is no problem, and no one has the capability to enter Wakhan. Our defense and security forces are fully prepared to counter any attack."
This comes as some Pak media outlets recently claimed that the country’s military had attacked the strategic Wakhan corridor in Badakhshan and seized parts of the area.
Meanwhile,
...back at the game, the Babe headed for second base. He almost made it. Then Sheila slapped him.... some residents of Badakhshan have called on the caretaker government to pay serious attention to protecting the country’s territory.
Abdul Saboor, a resident of Badakhshan, told TOLOnews: "Pakistain can never invade Wakhan. Previous governments were involved in deals, but the Islamic Emirate will not allow it."
Zalmai, another resident of Badakhshan, added: "Our demand from the Islamic Emirate is to strengthen and protect the borders."
The Wakhan corridor, a strategically significant region located in the Wakhan district of Badakhshan, forms part of the border between Afghanistan and Pakistain. It is also recognized as a border area between China and Tajikistan.
How nice. An actual win for Iran — they haven’t had any in a while.
[ToloNews] Ali Karimi, one of the commanders of Iran's Border Force, stated that all of the country’s eastern borders, including the shared border with Afghanistan, are being managed round-the-clock using smart equipment.
Karimi also mentioned that significant progress has been made in constructing barriers and building walls along the Afghanistan-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... border.
The Iranian border commander added, "Despite the harsh climatic conditions of the region, the project to seal the border between the two countries is being carried out rapidly and has made good physical progress."
Iran's Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni also announced that the draft law for the country's National Migration Organization has been prepared and sent to the Islamic Consultative Assembly. He emphasized the importance of this law in regulating migration affairs and expressed hope for its approval.
The Interior Minister stated about the draft law: "We had a draft in the previous parliament regarding this matter which did not reach a conclusion. Now, the draft has been prepared by the Ministry of Interior, and we hope the parliament will approve the National Migration Organization's bill."
"In my opinion, this is an important step because, based on this draft, Iran has global responsibilities to respect the rights of Afghan migrants colonists in Iran," Ehsan Ahmadzai, a migrant rights activist, told TOLOnews.
"The movement of Afghans between Afghanistan and Iran will decrease. On the other hand, the accusations made by Iran against Afghanistan will also be addressed. The more the borders are fortified, the more it will benefit both countries," said Jannat Faheem Chakari, a military analyst.
Earlier, a commander of the Iranian Army's Ground Forces also stated that 35 kilometers of fencing along the eastern borders with Afghanistan have been completed. As a result, Afghan movements along this border strip have decreased by 50%, Iranian officials claimed.
[KhaamaPress] An Iranian border commander stated that the country’s borders with Afghanistan are being monitored and controlled around the clock using smart electronic equipment. Ali Karimi also mentioned that significant progress has been made in the construction of the border wall between the two countries.
According to IRNA, Ali Karimi, the Iranian commander in Torbat-e Jam, said, “Despite the harsh weather conditions in the region, the plan to close the border strip between the two countries is progressing rapidly and has seen good physical progress.”
Mehdi Shirdel, the governor of Taybad, also reported that the operation to block the 300-kilometer border strip between Iran and Afghanistan in Khorasan Razavi province is ongoing. According to him, this project involves constructing a four-meter-high wall with barbed wire placed on top.
Taybad County shares a 90-kilometer border with Afghanistan, and due to the presence of the Dogharoun border crossing, this area holds special economic significance for Iran.
At the same time, this route has become one of the main pathways for human trafficking into Iran, highlighting the complexities of border security efforts.
The ongoing construction of the border wall and the deployment of high-tech surveillance systems are part of Iran’s broader efforts to control migration and curb illegal activities like human trafficking. However, the complex social, economic, and political factors driving migration must also be addressed to mitigate the flow of people across the border.
While the physical barriers and surveillance measures may reduce illegal crossings, they do not solve the root causes of migration, such as poverty, conflict, and lack of opportunities in Afghanistan. A more comprehensive approach, combining both border control and humanitarian support, is necessary to address the full scope of the issue and ensure that migrants are treated with dignity and respect.
[ZERO] Honduran President Xiomara Castro has threatened to evict US military forces from a major base if President-elect Donald Trump follows through on his promise to unleash a mass-deportation policy targeting illegal immigrants. An estimated five percent of the Honduras population lives in America.
"Faced with a hostile attitude of mass expulsion of our brothers, we would have to consider a change in our policies of cooperation with the United States, especially in the military arena," Castro said in a New Year's day address. In office since January 2022 and a member of the leftist Liberty and Refoundation (LIBRE) Party, Castro's husband Manuel Zelaya was president from 2006 until he was removed in a 2009 coup.
Castro's remarks were cheered by many, but some Honduran politicians hesitated to endorse the pre-emptive threat on a Trump administration that hasn't even taken power yet, while others condemned it. Among the detractors was likely November 2025 presidential challenger Jorge Calix, who said Castro's heated rhetoric put Honduras "in grave danger." Another potential challenger, Olban Valladares, said "[Castro] knows we don’t have the ability to threaten the United States in any way, that the damages it would cause Honduras would be terrible." Another charity state.
Like other Latin American countries, Honduras has a huge financial interest in keeping its huge population of illegal emigrants inside the United States -- the money they send back to families inside Honduras accounts for up to 25% of the country's economy, the New York Times reports.
#8
Honduras is currently run by the Libertad y Refundación; a socialist party with Marxist leanings. So I'm thinking Honduras could use some freedom, and that it's Euro-African and English speaking Bay Islands Department might like being part of the United States. The island of Roatan would be an excellent place for a naval base.
[Breitbart] Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum appears to have changed her mind and warmed to the concept of receiving migrants from other countries who are expected to be deported by the Trump administration later this month.
During her daily news conference on Friday, Sheinbaum claimed that Mexico and the U.S. could collaborate on cases where migrants are deported to Mexico instead of being returned to their countries of origin. The Mexican politician said that Mexico could receive migrants from certain countries or ask the U.S. for compensation to return them to their home countries.
During the news conference, Sheinbaum claimed that Mexico has a plan to receive newly deported migrants and hinted that details were still to be worked out with the United States, the AP reported. These new claims directly contradict prior statements from the Mexican president, who had publicly claimed that she would oppose the Trump administration and fight the expected increase in deportations.
U.S. President Donald J. Trump claimed that upon taking office, his government would deport a large number of migrants. As Breitbart Texas reported, Sheinbaum’s government is preparing border cities and states for receiving newly deported Mexican citizens. However, the Mexican president previously claimed that her government would not accept migrants from other countries.
#1
The first domino to fall. The next will be Honduran President Cinerama Castro. The media will make a lot of noise about her base-closing threat but that is just part of the negotiations.
[KhaamaPress] On Thursday, Sweden’s Prime Minister announced that the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... will propose the creation of "return centers" in March to expedite the deportation of rejected asylum seekers. If approved, rejected refugees will be sent to centers located outside of Europe.
The increasing support for far-right parties across Europa ...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum... has pushed the immigration debate to the forefront of European leaders’ agendas. In October, EU leaders revealed they were considering a plan to send rejected asylum seekers to safe centers in countries outside the EU, effectively preventing them from remaining within the Union.
In a meeting with Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson outlined a potential timeline for presenting the proposal and urged the EU to intensify efforts to tackle illegal immigration. Kristersson also shared the proposal with Magnus Brunner, the EU’s Commissioner for Migration.
Austrian Chancellor Nehammer praised the EU’s decision to address illegal immigration and highlighted that 18 countries within the Schengen Area, including Switzerland ...home of the Helvetians, famous for cheese, watches, yodeling, and William Tell... and Norway, are now supporting efforts to curb illegal migration. This growing coalition demonstrates a shift towards stricter border control measures across Europe.
As the EU works on finalizing this new proposal, it is clear that the conversation around immigration is changing. While it remains a contentious issue, the growing unity among European countries, particularly in the Schengen Area, could lead to more coordinated efforts in addressing illegal migration.
The potential impact of these "return centers" on refugees and the broader geopolitical landscape will likely continue to dominate discussions throughout 2025, raising important questions about human rights ...not to be confused with individual rights, mind you... , border security, and the future of Europe’s immigration policy.
[IsraelTimes] Magazine to feature ‘funniest and meanest’ depictions of God; Macron, Hidalgo to attend memorials at satirical weekly’s then-office, kosher supermarket attacked in related assault
French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo ...Pix/Charliehebdo.jpgA lefty French satirical magazine, home of what may well be the majority if the active testicles left in Europe... is set to publish a special God-mocking edition next week to mark 10 years since an attack on its offices by jihadist button men left eight staff members dead.
The anniversary of the shocking attack on freedom of expression is being used by the atheist publication to send a message of defiance to the holy warriors who burst into its offices on January 7, 2015, then fled shouting they had "killed Charlie Hebdo."
"They didn’t kill Charlie Hebdo," editor-in-chief Gerard Biard told AFP in a recent interview, adding that "we want it to last for a thousand years."
The attack by two Gay Paree-born brothers was Dire Revenge for Charlie Hebdo’s decision to repeatedly publish caricatures lampooning the Prophet Muhammad, Islam’s most revered figure.
The massacre of some of La Belle France’s most famous cartoonists signaled the start of a gruesome series of al-Qaeda and 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.... plots that claimed hundreds of lives in La Belle France and Western Europa ...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum... over the following years.
Two days after the attack, a terrorist killed four French Jews and held 15 people hostage at Gay Paree’s Hyper Cacher kosher supermarket to demand that the Charlie Hebdo perpetrators not be harmed.
Next week’s edition is set to feature the results of a typically provocative competition launched in November to draw the "funniest and meanest" depictions of God. It will be revealed on Sunday evening.
It is intended for "everyone who is fed up with living in a society directed by God and religion. Everyone who is fed up with the so-called good and evil. Everyone who is fed up with religious leaders dictating our lives."
French President Emmanuel Macron and Gay Paree Mayor Anne Hidalgo will attend commemoration events on Tuesday at the location of the attack and at Hyper Cacher.
SOLIDARITY
The Charlie Hebdo killings profoundly shocked La Belle France. The attack fueled an outpouring of sympathy expressed in a wave of "Je Suis Charlie" ("I Am Charlie") solidarity with its lost contributors including famed cartoonists Cabu, Charb, Honore, Tignous and Wolinski.
But it also led to questioning, and in some cases a furious backlash, against Charlie’s deliberately offensive, often crude strain of humor, which is part of a long-standing French tradition of caricaturing.
Since its founding in 1970, the publication has regularly tested the boundaries of French hate-speech laws, which offer protection to minorities but allow for blasphemy ...the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence to a deity, or sacred objects, or toward something considered sacred or inviolable. Some religions consider it to be a crime. In Pakistain you can commit blasphemy by looking cross-eyed at a Koran... and the mockery of religion.
Free-speech defenders in La Belle France see the ability to criticize and ridicule religion as a fundamental right acquired through centuries of struggle to escape the influence of the Catholic Church.
Critics say the weekly sometimes crosses the line into Islamophobia ...the irrational fear that Moslems will act the way they usually do... , pointing to some of the Prophet Muhammad caricatures published in the past that appeared to associate Islam with terrorism.
"The idea is not to publish anything, it’s to publish everything that makes people doubt, brings them to reflect, to ask questions, to not end up closed in by ideology," director Riss, who survived the 2015 attack, told Le Monde in November.
"Basically, not being screwed over by what’s fashionable."
WINDFALL
The attack on Charlie Hebdo brought a mostly marginal publication into the mainstream and propelled it to the attention of hundreds of millions worldwide who often struggled to understand its contents.
More than three million people marched in solidarity in the streets of La Belle France afterward, and around 40 world leaders flew into Gay Paree to make a statement in defense of the free press.
A special post-attack edition of the newspaper sold more than eight million copies and donations poured in, giving the publication a financial windfall at odds with its anarcho-leftist spirit.
Subscriptions ballooned to more than 200,000 but have now fallen back to around 30,000, with another 20,000 copies sold at newsstands and in shops each week, which still exceeds Charlie Hebdo’s sales before the attack.
Thanks to new recruits, around 12 cartoonists are back working on the magazine at a secret, heavily protected office.
Controversy is never far away.
A front-page depiction of the Virgin Mary in August suffering from the mpox virus led to two legal complaints from Catholic organizations in La Belle France.
A cartoon by Riss in 2016 that linked a child refugee found dead on a beach in The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor... to foreign sexual attackers in Germany caused outrage, as did another the year after poking fun at French First Lady Brigitte Macron’s age by showing her pregnant.
On the first anniversary of the attack in 2015, Charlie Hebdo published a front-page cartoon of a bearded God-like figure carrying a Kalashnikov rifle.
"One year after, the killer is still on the run," read the title.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is visiting President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, ahead of President Biden's visit to Rome. The meeting highlights their mutual respect and the hope that Meloni will become Trump's key European ally. Likely topics included trade, NATO,… pic.twitter.com/FZ41y5HIqS
…Likely topics included trade, NATO, Ukraine, and the detention of an Italian reporter in Iran. Meloni's growing political influence, paired with her strong relationship with Elon Musk, positions her as a prominent figure on the international stage.
UVA alumni group accuses university of ignoring rampant campus antisemitism
[CollegeFix] The University of Virginia “has willfully ignored its longstanding antisemitism problem” and must address it now, according to the Jefferson Council, an alumni network dedicated to preserving Thomas Jefferson’s legacy at the venerable university.
The alumni group recently published a 13-page report authored by council President Joel Gardner that argues antisemitism has been “exponentially exacerbated” on campus over the last year, following the massacre of Israeli citizens by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2024.
A chart in the report details how reported incidents of religious-based bias, discrimination and harassment at UVA over the last eight years is primary against Judaism, far outpacing Islam and Christianity.
‘No probable cause’: Police close investigation into claim Jewish student threatened Muslim roommate with a knife
Isha Hussein said the University of Washington did nothing to help her after her Jewish roommate allegedly threatened her with a knife during an argument about the war in Israel. Actually, the Jewish roommate moved out of the residence hall and Hussein herself declined to have the police investigate further. The Jewish student disputes the allegations.
No records of Hussein being assaulted by another roommate
Isha Hussein made two other claims. One, she claimed another roommate assaulted her in retaliation for reporting the Jewish roommate. No police report exists for this alleged assault. A spokesman to the school, in connection to the various allegations, said that they were “difficult to verify or resolve for all parties.” Hussein also claimed the third and final roommatethreatened her. While this could have happened, the lack of evidence in the first two allegations points to this also not being true, as well as the lack of any other police reports besides the October 2023 one.
The demand from 16 law professors follows three major allegations against students at the public university in Fairfax, Va.
Law enforcement found guns, ammo, and “death to Jews” signs at the home Jena and Nora Chanaa, two Students for Justice in Palestine leaders, as previously reported by The College Fix.
The FBI is also investigating Abdullah Ezzeldin Taha Mohamed Hassan on allegations he plotted a “mass casualty attack” on the Israeli consulate in New York City, as The Fix recently reported.
President Washington reportedly told the professors that the university has denounced antisemitism and that it is waiting for legal guidance from the attorney general and local prosecutor concerning banning face masks.
… “Because of the negligence of the NOPD and the City of New Orleans, 14 innocent lives were lost. Dozens more were injured, and the courses of their lives forever changed,” the Maples & Connick, LLC said in a release.
While speaking to reporters, Kirkpatrick said she didn’t know about the existence of ‘Yellow Archer’ sidewalk barriers.
According to video footage, the New Orleans terror attack suspect appeared to get around police barricades by going on the sidewalk.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/05/2025 2025-01-05 00:08 ||
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[JustTheNews] In a letter released Friday afternoon, the New Orleans Police Department says there will be increased security presence in concert with other agencies in the French Quarter.
This comes a few days after a deadly terror attack killed 14 people and injured at least 35 on New Year's Day when a truck was driven into a crowd in the city's oldest neighborhood. The driver of the truck was also killed in a shootout with lawmen.
The letter by Officer Reese Harper, the department's director of communications, said Bourbon Street will be closed to vehicles from 6 p.m. until 6 a.m. "to ensure the pedestrian mall remains a safe space for everyone." The city reopened Bourbon Street with heavy security on Thursday in time for the Sugar Bowl, which was delayed a day because of the terror attack.
The department also said additional crowd closures of side streets or major routes will be done as needed, depending on crowd size or special events. The letter also says the department will provide "timely updates" on street closures, traffic and other security measures.
One of those special events is the 59th Super Bowl at Caesar's Superdome on Feb. 9. It'll be the eighth time the Superdome has hosted the NFL's premier showcase.
Shamsud-Dim Jabbar, 42, an American citizen and U.S. Army veteran from Houston, rented the F-150 Lightning truck, the FBI said.
The FBI originally said on Wednesday that the agency thought "he wasn't acting alone," but now, officials say Jabbar didn't have any accomplices.
Jabbar drove into a group of revelers at 3:17 a.m. on New Year's Day and exited the truck, exchanging gunfire with New Orleans Police Department officers. He injured two of them, before Jabbar succumbed from his wounds, the FBI and local officials said.
The FBI said Jabbar had both a pistol and an AR-style rifle, both of which were listed as stolen. He also had improvised explosive devices, an Islamic State flag hanging from the tailgate and was equipped with body armor.
[NEWARAB] The UN peacekeeping force in Leb ...The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else?... accused Israel Saturday of a "flagrant violation" of the 2006 Security Council resolution that forms the basis of its November ceasefire with Hezbollah.
The statement from the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) came as Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem ... the Grand Vizier of the Hezbullies... warned the holy warrior group's patience with Israeli violations could run out before the end of the ceasefire's 60-day implementation timeframe.
The fragile truce, which took effect on November 27, has been marked by mutual accusations of violations from both sides.
"This morning, peacekeepers observed an (Israeli military) bulldozer destroying a blue barrel marking the line of withdrawal between Lebanon and Israel in Labbouneh, as well as an observation tower belonging to the Lebanese Armed Forces immediately beside a UNIFIL position there," the peacekeeping force said.
"The (military's) deliberate and direct destruction of both clearly identifiable UNIFIL property and infrastructure belonging to the Lebanese Armed Forces is a flagrant violation of Resolution 1701 and international law."
The force, which is represented on the panel overseeing the ceasefire's implemenation, called on "all actors to avoid any actions, including the destruction of civilian property and infrastructure, that could jeopardise the cessation of hostilities".
Under the terms of the ceasefire, the Lebanese army is to deploy alongside UN peacekeepers in the south as the Israeli army withdraws over a 60-day period.
Hezbollah is to withdraw its forces north of the Litani River -- some 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the border -- and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure in the south.
In late December, the UN peacekeeping force expressed concern at the "continuing" damage being done by the Israeli military in south Lebanon.
Detailing its latest air strikes in Lebanon on Thursday, the Israeli military said it was acting to remove any threat to Israel "in accordance with the ceasefire understandings".
Qassem said Hezbollah had decided to show patience, but warned that would not last indefintely.
"We have said that we are giving an opportunity to prevent Israeli violations and to implement the agreement, and we will exercise patience," he said, stressing: "This does not mean that we will wait for 60 days.
"The leadership of the resistance determines when to exercise patience, when to take initiative, and when to respond," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/05/2025 00:00 ||
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#1
Hezbollah losing patience eager to meet the virgin goats?
[IsraelTimes] Outgoing secretary of state tells NY Times he argued for ‘9 hours’ with Israeli leaders over aid; is ‘astounded’ at lack of world pressure on Hamas to end war, free the hostages
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken ...71st United States secretary of state and a leading light of the corrupt and inept Biden administration. He previously served as deputy national security advisor from 2013 to 2015 and deputy secretary of state from 2015 to 2017 under the corrupt and inept Obama administration. He advocated for the 2003 invasion of Iraq while serving as the Democratic staff director of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 2002 to 2008. He was a foreign policy advisor for the Biden 2008 presidential campaign. During his tenure in the Obama administration, Blinken helped craft B.O.'s policy on Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the nuclear program of Iran. We all saw how well each of those worked. After leaving government service, Blinken moved into the private sector, co-founding WestExec Advisors, a lobbying firm... has revealed that in the first days after Hamas ..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,... ’s October 7, 2023, assault on Israel, he had to threaten Israel that President Joe The Big Guy Biden ...46th president of the U.S. Former Senator-for-Life from Delaware, an example of the kind of top-notch Washington intellect to be found in the World's Greatest Deliberative Body.... would not visit the country as planned unless the government allowed aid into 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... Speaking to The New York Times
...which still proudly claims Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize... in a wide-ranging interview at the end of his tenure, Blinken spoke about the initial siege imposed on Gaza in the wake of the massacre that killed some 1,200 people and saw another 251 taken hostage.
He detailed how during the trip, five days after the attack, he met with Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv, "arguing for hours on end about the basic proposition that the humanitarian assistance needed to get to Paleostinians in Gaza."
"And that was an argument that took place because you had in Israel in the days after October 7 a totally traumatized society. This wasn’t just the prime minister or a given leader in Israel. This was an entire society that didn’t want any assistance getting to a single Paleostinian in Gaza. I argued that for nine hours," he said.
Ultimately, he said, he had to threaten that Biden would not come to Israel if aid did not start going in.
"I told the prime minister, I’m going to call the president and tell him not to come if you don’t allow this assistance to start flowing. And I called the president to make sure that he agreed with that, and he fully did. We got the agreement to begin assistance through Rafah, which we [later] expanded to Kerem Shalom and many other places," he said.
In the interview, Blinken reiterated that the US does not believe that Israel is carrying out genocide in Gaza, though he said there were times when Israel was not "doing enough" to allow in humanitarian assistance.
Blinken also denied that Netanyahu was responsible for talks on a ceasefire-hostage deal falling apart in June, saying it has been Hamas that has prevented an agreement.
"What we’ve seen time and again is Hamas not concluding a deal that it should have concluded," Blinken said, adding that he was surprised and dismayed that most global pressure to end the conflict has been on Israel, not Hamas.
"One of the things that I found a little astounding throughout is that for all of the understandable criticism of the way Israel has conducted itself in Gaza, you hear virtually nothing from anyone since October 7 about Hamas," he said.
"Why there hasn’t been a unanimous chorus around the world for Hamas to put down its weapons, to give up the hostages, to surrender — I don’t know what the answer is to that. Israel, on various occasions [prior to the war], has offered safe passage to Hamas’s leadership and fighters out of Gaza. Where is the world? Where is the world saying, Yeah, do that! End this! Stop the suffering of people that you brought on!" he said.
Blinken has made 11 visits to Israel since the war began in October, 7, 2023, and has made dozens of visits to regional countries, including 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... and Egypt, to represent the Biden administration in hostage and ceasefire talks.
He was picked by President Biden to be Secretary of State in 2021 and served in the role for the entirety of Biden’s term in office.
As President-elect Donald Trump ...The Hero of Butler, Pennsylvania... is set to take office on January 20, and Florida Senator Marco Rubio ...The diminutive 13-year-old Republican U.S. Senator from Florida, Secretary of State in the second Trump administration... is expected to be confirmed as the next secretary of state, US policy toward Israel and the region will change significantly, likely departing from the Biden administration’s demands for greater humanitarian aid access in Gaza.
On Friday, Channel 12 reported that Israel is already considering significantly restricting the amount of aid entering Gaza in anticipation of Trump’s inauguration.
The move is reportedly aimed at dismantling Hamas’s governing capabilities in Gaza, which Jerusalem says the terror group has been able to maintain after nearly 15 months of war by controlling much of the aid that enters the Strip. Hamas fighters have been known to charge fees in exchange for the release of aid convoys upon their entry into Gaza.
Only a limited amount of aid is entering Gaza, and a further siphoning would likely exacerbate the ongoing humanitarian crisis. Many of those displaced by the war are living in tents and reporting major shortages in food and medical supplies.
Israeli authorities say they have allowed thousands of aid trucks carrying food, water, medical equipment, and shelter supplies into Gaza, with much of it looted by Hamas and armed gangs. International aid agencies say Israeli forces have been hampering aid deliveries, making the situation even worse.
[IsraelTimes] Family says her ‘difficult mental state is evident’ in the three-and-a-half-minute video, appeals to government to work on hostage deal ‘as if your children were there’
The Hamas ..a regional Iranian catspaw,... terror group released a propaganda video on Saturday showing signs of life from 19-year-old hostage Liri Albag, the latest in a series of clips it has released of Israeli captives taken in the October 7, 2023 attack.
The three-and-a-half-minute-long video was not dated, although Albag stated in it that she has been held for over 450 days, indicating that it was filmed recently.
Albag, a surveillance soldier, was stationed at the Nahal Oz military base close to the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... border when thousands of Hamas-led murderous Moslems poured into Israel from the Paleostinian enclave. Fifteen surveillance soldiers were killed in the onslaught, and Albag was kidnapped to Gaza along with six others.
One of the kidnapped surveillance soldiers was later rescued alive, and the body of a second one was recovered after she was murdered in captivity. The other five — Albag, Karina Ariev, Agam Berger, Naama Levy and Daniella Gilboa — are still hostages.
Israel has condemned previous such videos of hostages as psychological warfare by Hamas.
Most Israeli media do not carry video clips published by the terror group unless the family expressly requests so. Albag’s family asked that the media not publish the video, although it permitted outlets to carry still images from the footage.
"The video released today tore our hearts apart," her family said in a short statement on Saturday evening. "This is not the same daughter and sister that we know. She is in bad condition, and her difficult mental state is evident."
"We saw our heroic Liri survive and beg for her life. She is several dozen kilometers from us, and for 456 days we have been unable to bring her home," the family said.
#1
IF!!!
There is ever a deal and the living hostages are returned. It will likely take years of therapy, support and medications before they can function in public again.
#3
Execute 1000 Hamass prisoners per day until all hostages released. If your name is on a Hamass membership list, you need to die, if you voice support, you need to die. Ask yourself, "What would Rome do?"
Israel is accustomed to short, sharp wars. This long war thing is much harder on the soldiers as well as the home front.
[IsraelTimes] The IDF says it has seen a rise in the number of suspected suicides in the military amid the war, as it releases statistics of its fatalities from the past two years.
According to the IDF’s data, 38 soldiers are believed to have taken their own lives in 2023 and 2024 — 28 of them after the October 7, 2023, onslaught that started the ongoing war. In 2022, the IDF recorded 14 suicides and in 2021 it recorded 11.
Unsurprisingly due to war in the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... Strip and fighting in Leb ...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. Only one of those statements is an exaggeration.... and on other fronts, the number of deaths in the IDF in 2023 and 2024 has been the highest in decades.
According to the IDF, 558 soldiers were killed in 2023, including 512 during "operational activity" — apparently including the hundreds who were killed during Hamas ..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,... ’s October 7 onslaught — and three in terror attacks.
Sixteen soldiers died in accidents — two in training, four in civilian car crashes, five in military car crashes, one as a result of an accidental weapon discharge, and four in other incidents — and 10 died from illness in 2023.
In 2023, the IDF says that 17 soldiers were believed to have taken their own lives. They include seven conscripts, four career soldiers, and six reservists. Seven of the suspected suicides in 2023 were after the October 7 onslaught.
During the past year, the total number of fatalities in the IDF has decreased compared to 2023, but the number of suicides has risen, according to the IDF’s data.
In 2024, the IDF recorded a total of 363 deaths in the military, including 295 in operational activity amid the war and 11 in terror attacks.
Twenty-three soldiers died in accidents — 17 in civilian car crashes, three in military car crashes, and three in other incidents — and 13 died by illness in 2024.
In 2024, the IDF says at least 21 soldiers died by suspected suicide — including seven conscripts, two career soldiers, and 12 reservists.
The high number of reservist suicides is explained by the IDF calling up nearly 300,000 reservists during the war.
All of the 38 suspected suicides in 2023 and 2024 were male.
The IDF says it is working to prevent suicides in the military, including by opening a 24/7 helpline, which has received over 3,900 calls since it was established in October 2023. The IDF has also called up over 800 reservist mental health officers amid the war.
Since the beginning of the war, the IDF says 891 soldiers have died, not all of them in combat. They include 329 during the October 7 onslaught, at least 390 during fighting in Gaza, 37 in attacks on northern Israel, 50 during fighting inside Lebanon, and 11 in the West Bank.
[IsraelTimes] In week-old comments aired Saturday, Araghchi tells Chinese broadcaster that Tehran is prepared for an Israeli strike, says Iran will pursue diplomacy and ‘reason will prevail’
Iran’s top diplomat said Tehran is ready for any future Israeli attacks on the country, warning that such action could spark a wider conflagration, in comments aired Saturday.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s remarks to Chinese state-run media come amid rising concern that 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... could move toward pursuing a nuclear weapon as it is increasingly pushed into the corner following a series of devastating blows, coupled with the looming inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump ...dictatorial for repealing some (but not all) of the diktats of his predecessor, misogynistic because he likes pretty girls, homophobic because he doesn't think gender bending should be mandatory, truly a man for all seasons... , who maintained a hawkish stance toward Tehran his last time in office.
Donald Trump’s fault? Was it Donald Trump’s fault that Iran has been pursuing the nuclear bomb since the 1990s, and Donald Trump’s fault Iran signed President Obama’s stupid 2015 deal? Riiiight.
Speculation has also arisen that Israel may strike Iran in response to recurring ballistic missile attacks launched against Israel by Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of... ’s Iran's Houthi sock puppets ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him... rebels, which receive arms and other support from the Islamic Theocratic Republic"We are fully prepared for the possibility of further Israeli attacks," Araghchi said to China’s state-run CCTV, according to a translation provided by the broadcaster. "I hope Israel will refrain from taking such reckless action, as it could lead to a large-scale war."
Or Israel could play Hamas & Hezbollah all over the former imamate of Iran…
Israel has carried out two direct attacks on Iran over the past year in response to unprecedented drone and missile attacks, including an October 1 barrage of some 200 ballistic missiles, most of which were intercepted.
Israeli warplanes carried out a counterstrike on October 26, hitting military facilities and air defenses protecting other key sites.
In April, Israel hit an air defense battery near a nuclear site in response to a volley of some 300 drones and missiles fired at Israel by Iran.
In contrast to bombastic rhetoric often utilized by Tehran to threaten Israel, however, Araghchi said Iran would pursue a "diplomatic approach" and would consult with allies, including China.
That’s nice. Why China?
"We believe that reason will ultimately prevail and prevent actions that could have serious consequences," Araghchi said.
Do remember those words when the time comes, mkay?
The interview with Araghchi was conducted on December 28, during a two-day state visit by the Iranian diplomat to Beijing last month seeking to cement bilateral ties. It was only aired a week later.
During a meeting on December 28, Araghchi and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi discussed Iran’s nuclear program, with Araghchi telling a presser following the meeting that "2025 will be an important year regarding Iran’s nuclear issue."
[NEWARAB] The decision by Syria's interim authorities to grant a slew of senior military ranks to leaders of 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) and its allied factions, including non-Syrians, has sparked a wave of criticism and discontent - especially from former Syrian army officers who defected from the now deposed regime's forces during the early years of the Syrian revolution.
Criticism has centred heavily on the granting of military ranks to foreign HTS fighters, with some also questioning HTS-leader-turned de facto ruler of Syria Ahmed al-Sharaa's right to unilaterally make the decision.
Concerns have also been raised around the competence of these fighters to hold such senior ranks, as none of them are graduates of recognised state-run institutions. Instead, they gained experience on the battlefield with various factions, where established rules and procedures adhered to by professional armies were never applied.
Action to integrate the factions involved in Syria's revolution is widely regarded as a necessary step to bring the security situation in the country under control and avoid repeating the experience of many Arab countries where cities were transformed into military garrisons and hubs of factional infighting.
However,
some people cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go... questions have remained as to the nature of the integration, who it will include, and how it will be implemented.
For instance, though many factions fall under the umbrella of the The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...a NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis.... member, but not the most reliable... -backed Syrian National Army (SNA), which was expected to integrate swiftly into a new military establishment built on the remnants of the regime's army, it appears the SNA has been excluded from any communication with the new administration, according to a report on 23 December.
Military titles for HTS leaders
Decision "No.8", published Sunday on the Telegram account of Sharaa's General Command, listed 49 people to be "promoted" to the ranks of Major-General, Brigadier General, and Colonel, as part of "developing and modernising the Syrian army".
Among those listed was the commander of HTS' military wing and recently appointed Minister of Defence in the transitional government, Murhaf Abu Qasra, who received the rank of Major-General.
Three ex-officers who defected from the Syrian army during the war were included in the list, as were multiple HTS commanders and those from other factions.
Non-Syrians awarded military ranks include Abdul Samriz Bashari (Albanian), Alaa Mohammed Abdul Baqi (Egyptian) and Ibnian Ahmed al-Hariri (Jordanian), who were granted the rank of Colonel. Rahman Hussein al-Khatib (Jordanian), Omar Mohammed Jaftchi (Ottoman Turkish) and Abdul Aziz Dawoud Khodabardi (from the Turkistani minority in China) were granted the rank of Brigadier General.
Some Syrian officer defectors who formerly held high ranks and have extensive military experience, and who were expected to be at the core of reorganising a new Syrian army, view the new promotions as a message that the new administration plans to rely on field commanders from the rebel factions to shape a unified national army for the country.
However,
some people cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go... they say rebuilding the army will need academic expertise which these field commanders lack - most of whom are from civilian backgrounds - despite their military and combat experience during the Syrian war.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/05/2025 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11127 views]
Top|| File under: Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (al-Nusra)
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
...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 
...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum...
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling 
...The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else?...
...71st United States secretary of state and a leading light of the corrupt and inept Biden administration. He previously served as deputy national security advisor from 2013 to 2015 and deputy secretary of state from 2015 to 2017 under the corrupt and inept Obama administration. He advocated for the 2003 invasion of Iraq while serving as the Democratic staff director of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 2002 to 2008. He was a foreign policy advisor for the Biden 2008 presidential campaign. During his tenure in the Obama administration, Blinken helped craft B.O.'s policy on Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the nuclear program of Iran. We all saw how well each of those worked. After leaving government service, Blinken moved into the private sector, co-founding WestExec Advisors, a lobbying firm...
..a regional Iranian catspaw,...
...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the 
...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State...
