Breaking — ICE has confirmed to Fox News that the two Venezuelans accused of kidnapping, torturing, and attempting to kill a Washington state woman are illegal aliens.
At least one of them is a suspected member of the Tren de Aragua terror group, according to local authorities.…
[ShabelleMedia] The United States military conducted an Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... on April 11 in the semi-autonomous Puntland ...a region in northeastern Somalia, centered on Garowe in the Nugaal province. Its leaders declared the territory an autonomous state in 1998. Puntland and the equally autonomous Somaliland seem to have avoided the clan rivalries and warlordism that have typified the rest of Somalia, which puts both places high on the list for Islamic subversion... region of Somalia, targeting 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.... in Somalia (ISIS) and killing one bully boy, according to a statement from US Africa Command (AFRICOM).
The airstrike, which took place in the northern part of Puntland, was part of ongoing efforts to disrupt the activities of ISIS affiliates operating in the region. AFRICOM confirmed the success of the strike and stated that no civilians were harmed in the operation.
The US has maintained a presence in Somalia for years, providing support to the Somali government’s fight against terrorist organizations, including both al-Shabaab ... the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord... and ISIS. The US military regularly conducts airstrikes and drone missions in the country to target these groups, often in coordination with Somali forces.
In a show of solidarity, US President Joe The Big Guy Biden ...46th president of the U.S. We get to suffer the consequences... expressed his support for Somalia’s ongoing efforts to combat ISIS and other turban groups. On Sunday, the president praised the Somali government’s commitment to defeating terrorism, reaffirming the US’s partnership with Somalia.
Somali forces have been steadily increasing their operations against ISIS in recent months, especially in the Puntland region, where the group has been increasingly active. Puntland has served as a base of operations for ISIS in Somalia, with the group using the region to train fighters and carry out attacks against both Somali security forces and civilians.
The US military’s ongoing efforts are part of a broader international strategy to curb the influence of ISIS in the region. While ISIS has lost significant territory in the Middle East, the group has found a new base of operations in parts of Africa, including Somalia, where it seeks to exploit local conflicts and instability.
Puntland, which declared itself an autonomous state in 1998, has faced its own challenges in managing security within its borders. While it has had some success in resisting al-Shabaab’s influence, ISIS has managed to carve out a presence, despite efforts by the Somali government and international partners to suppress the group.
[THENATIONONLINENG.NET] Seven people have reportedly been killed by suspected Boko Haram ... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality... snuffies who attacked two communities in Hong Local Government Area of Adamawa State.
The attacks occurred on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, when the snuffies stormed the Banga and Larh communities with guns and bombs, killing their victims and bombing vehicles along their path.
Initial reports from residents put the corpse count at six, but the confirmed number has since risen to seven.
In Banga, a vigilante was killed by a kaboom, while two other men were rubbed out. A woman also tragically died after falling while attempting to flee. Two fatalities were recorded in nearby Larh.
The attack also left one boy unaccounted for, with reports stating that his phone was ringing but went unanswered when family and friends tried to contact him.
Among the assets destroyed in the assault was a police van from Garaha, which was stationed in Banga and destroyed by a Boko Haram bomb.
The chairman of Hong Local Government Area, Usman Wa'aganda, confirmed the tragic events in a phone interview on Wednesday, stating that seven lives were lost in the turban attack.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/17/2025 00:00 ||
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[10354 views]
Top|| File under: Boko Haram (ISIS)
#1
Chicago
April To Date
Shot & Killed: 4
Shot & Wounded: 50
Total Shot: 54
Total Homicides: 5
[DW] 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.... West African Province (ISWAP) recently deployed four armed drones carrying locally made grenades in an attack on the Forward Operating Base in the Wajikoro area of Borno, Northeast Nigeria, leaving about five soldiers injured.
Nigeria's military has stepped up efforts to contain ISWAP and Boko Haram ... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality... bully boys. This week, local media reported that the army had thwarted plans by ISWAP to establish bases
in Plateau and Bauchi states.
Using weaponized drones marks a significant shift in the bully boy group's tactics. Residents and critics are worried the new shift could further prolong the conflict in the region. Authorities have since banned the flying of drones, citing security concerns, while acknowledging that non-state actors have used the technology against military targets and Critical National Infrastructure (CNI).
Several African countries have adopted the use of drones, particularly the Medium Altitude, Long Endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle, in their fight against gangs. The Sahel region ... North Africa's answer to the Pak tribal areas... is the epicenter of global terrorism and now accounts for over half of all terrorism-related deaths.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/17/2025 00:00 ||
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[10346 views]
Top|| File under: ISWAP
[PREMIUMTIMESNG] Six former refugees repatriated from Chad have regained their freedom after paying a ransom to their Boko Haram ... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality... kidnappers.
The forces of Evil kidnapped eight former refugees a fortnight ago while they were fishing on the outskirts of their community in Doron Baga, Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State.
The incident happened just months after the victims were resettled in the community after spending over ten years as refugees in the Chad Republic fleeing from the Boko Haram bad boys.
The Lions of Islam had demanded N300,000 as ransom for each of the kidnapped persons,
On Saturday, one of the victims said the Lions of Islam have rel66jmeased six of them.
''They released six of us,'' Bukar Shuib (not his real name) said, adding that their families paid money to the bad boys.
''Some of us paid N300,000. Others paid between N200,000 and less to secure our freedom,'' Mr Shuib said.
He said the other two were still with the Lions of Islam because their families could not raise the money, narrating how they suffered at the hands of the bad boys.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/17/2025 00:00 ||
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[10331 views]
Top|| File under: Boko Haram (ISIS)
[HodhodyemenNews] At least one civilian was reportedly killed in a strike on the residential al-Nahda neighborhood in the al-Thawrah district of the capital Sana’a, according to the health ministry .
On Wednesday, the US aggression forces launched a new wave of Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s, targeting multiple locations in the 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... i capital, Sana’a, and surrounding areas.
According to local media sources, US warplanes carried out 14 air raids on the al-Hafa area in the al-Sabeen district of Sana’a. Aircraft continued to hover over the city throughout the day.
In addition to the airstrikes on al-Hafa, US forces launched three strikes on the Bani Hushaysh district, bombed Naqil al-Fardah in the Nihm district, and carried out one strike in the Manakhah district of Sana’a province.
In Hodeiadah , the US Forces launched four airstrikes on al-Tuhayat district and two others on al-Munirah district.
Furthermore, US airstrikes hit al-Hazm, the administrative center of al-Jawf province in northeastern Yemen.
FREMONT COUNTY, Colo. (KKTV) - The U.S. Attorney’s office said two Mexican nationals were charged on Wednesday after around 180,000 rounds of ammunition were found in their vehicle.
On March 26, Fremont County deputies conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle in Canon City, according to officials.
Officials said deputies searched the vehicle, finding around 150 boxes of .308 ammunition and about 30 boxes of 7.62 ammunition. They said each box was labeled as containing 1,000 rounds.
41-year-old Caesar Ramon Martinez Solis and 24-year-old Humberto Ivan Amador Gavira of Mexico were both charged with unlawful possession of ammunition by an alien admitted under a nonimmigrant visa, officials said.
“We.’re naught but simple and unassuming tourists, Yr Honorness, here to enjoy your native traditions like range day, not ammunition smugglers for the cartels. Truly!”
They said this case was part of Operation Take Back America.
#4
Could they be smuggling ammunition to the drug cartels south of the border? Or is that a supply for a really good range day? I have no idea about such things.
[FoxNews] Abouzar Rahmati pleaded guilty to conspiring to act and acting as an agent of the Iranian government in the US without prior notification to the attorney general
A naturalized U.S. citizen living in Great Falls, Virginia, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to working with Iranian government and intelligence officials on their behalf in the U.S. as a contractor for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) between 2017 and 2024.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) said 42-year-old Abouzar Rahmati pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiring to act and acting as an agent of the Iranian government in the U.S. without prior notification to the Attorney General.
Rahmati previously was an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) 1st Lt., a branch of the Iranian Armed Forces, from June 2009 to May 2010. The IRGC is a designated terrorist group by the U.S. government.
Betcha he neglected to mention that on his visa application and his naturalization papers, given it was just long enough for intense spy training…
Court documents show that from at least December 2017 through June 2024, Rahmati worked with Iranian intelligence operatives and government officials on their behalf in the U.S.
During that period, Rahmati met with Iranian intelligence in Iran, communicated with Iranian authorities using a cover story to hide his conduct, obtained employment with an FAA contractor with access to sensitive, non-public information about the U.S. aviation sector, and obtained and provided open-source and non-public materials about the solar energy industry in the U.S. to intelligence officers.
The DOJ said Rahmati offered his services to Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... in August 2017 through a former colleague who was a senior Iranian government official who previously worked at the country’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security.
Rahmati traveled to Iran four months later and met with intelligence operatives and government officials, the DOJ said. He also agreed to gather and provide Iranian officials with information about the solar industry in the U.S.
When he returned to the U.S. in early 2018, Rahmati obtained private and open-source materials related to the U.S. solar industry, then provided them to the office of Iran’s Vice President for Science and Technology.
While working as an FAA contractor in the U.S., Rahmati downloaded at least 175 GB of files, including sensitive access-controlled FAA documents relating to the National Aerospace System (NAS), NAS Airport Surveillance Radar systems and radio frequency data, the DOJ said.
Rahmati stored the files on removable media, which he took to Iran in April 2022 and provided to government officials, according to the DOJ.
He also provided additional information about solar energy, solar panels, the FAA, U.S. airports, and U.S. air traffic control towers to his brother living in Iran in April 2022, the DOJ added, so his brother could provide the files to intelligence officials on Rahmati’s behalf.
Rahmati is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 26, and he faces a maximum of 10 years in prison for acting as an agent of a foreign government, and up to five years in prison for conspiracy.
Posted by: Skidmark ||
04/17/2025 01:01 ||
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[10333 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran Proxies
#1
Given his ISLAMIC religious cult allows for lies, deceptions, murder, rape of infidel kids and slavery of anyone that is not of their cult. Why was a former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Lt. allowed in such a key air travel position?
BTW: I noted he worked/Spied for Iran during the TDS years of the DC Swamp and thru the O'Biden Admin years. And was only removed, once MAGA took some resemblance of control in DC.
#2
Given the bio described above and the length of time he was visible for examination by a number of federal government screening mechanisms, this wan't a hard find. Why did it take so long, or was it just too deep in the keyword referral backlog of NSA/FBI/NCTC agents busy looking for J6 and TDS trivia?
[IsraelTimes] Clips shared online show hundreds demonstrating in Beit Lahiya, chanting ‘Hamas out!’ ‘We want to live in freedom!’; clan leaders said to take part, as Hamas supporters thrown out
Hundreds of residents of Beit Lahiya, 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, erupted into the streets on Wednesday to protest Hamas ..always the voice of sweet reason... rule, the first such demonstrations since the end of last month.
Videos shared on social media showed the protests. Footage also showed Hamas supporters — carrying signs saying, "Beit Lahiya is with the resistance," a term referring to the terror organizations in the Strip — being thrown out by protesters.
Since late March, sporadic protests against the terror group, which has been the de facto government of Gaza for almost two decades, have taken place in the Strip, despite reports of Hamas attempting to detain and harm demonstrators, and counter to claims by the terror group that the protests are merely anti-war. Many of the protests have occurred in Beit Lahiya.
In clips shared on social media, participants could be seen holding signs reading "Stop the aggression," "We want to live in freedom," and chanting, "No to terror, yes to peace," and "Hamas out!"
Participants were also seen waving flags, including the flag of Egypt — presumably in support of Cairo’s mediation of hostage-ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas — and, in the hands of children, "We want to learn."
Clan leaders were reportedly also seen at the protest. Statements by some clan leaders were published last month defending and even supporting the protests.
Gaza has dozens of powerful families that function as well-organized clans and derive their power from controlling businesses, commanding the loyalty of hundreds or thousands of relatives. Each family has a leader, known as a mukhtar, or chieftain.
Members of the Abu Samra clan of Deir al-Balah were filmed last month killing an alleged Hamas member in the street.
Prior to last month, the last documented protest in the Strip against Hamas took place in January 2024, when Paleostinians in Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis called for an end to the war, the end of the terror group’s rule over Gaza and the release of the Israeli hostages.
Before the war, anti-Hamas protests were also relatively rare events, and were often suppressed violent mostly peacefully by the terror group.
[IsraelTimes] Buffer zone now covers 30% of Strip’s territory; military says 350 terror operatives, including 40 top officials, killed since end of ceasefire
The Israeli military said on Wednesday that it was not dragging its feet 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 was continuing to ramp up pressure on Hamas ..always the voice of sweet reason... to bring the terror group to agree to a hostage deal, but was not moving ahead with a major offensive just yet.
The Israel Defense Forces on March 18 resumed its attacks against Hamas with a surprise wave of Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s, ending a two-month ceasefire. Efforts to restore the truce have so far failed.
A major offensive, which is intended to defeat Hamas on the battlefield, would likely cause the ceasefire-hostage negotiations to completely collapse, according to the military. Such an offensive would also endanger the remaining 59 hostages still held by Hamas, 24 of whom are believed to be alive.
The IDF had set no deadline for when the major offensive would begin, and said it would be decided upon by the politicianship. Defense Minister Israel Katz has repeatedly threatened to launch a wide-scale offensive against Hamas if the hostages are not released soon.
Additionally, the IDF said its plans, including concerning the call-up of reservists, have not been adjusted due to a wave of letters published by reservists and veterans, calling for the release of the hostages, even at the cost of ending the war.
The military said its current operation against Hamas was intended to continue pressure on the terror group, while also preparing the ground for a potential major offensive.
The current operation was being carried out by three divisions, slowly, both to ensure the safety of troops and guarantee that hostage talks can continue, it said.
The military said it expected that as long as the operation goes on, and more territory is captured, troops would encounter more "friction" with Hamas operatives, who are currently being pushed back and largely not engaging Israeli forces.
So far, since Israel resumed its operations in Gaza on March 18, the IDF estimates that it has killed at least 350 members of terror groups, including 40 senior Hamas political officials and mid-level military wing commanders, and other prominent terrorists, including some who participated in the October 7 onslaught.
The Hamas-run health ministry claims that 1,652 people have been killed since March 18, a toll that does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
Over 1,200 targets have been struck during that time, according to the IDF.
A major focus of recent airstrikes in Gaza has been Hamas officials, including members of the terror group’s politburo and its police force.
The IDF has identified that these strikes, along with the blockade on humanitarian aid entering the Strip, have resulted in increased pressure by Paleostinian civilians against Hamas, taking place in the form of protests in the streets of Gaza.
The military said there was no starvation in Gaza, and there was enough food to last the population for now. The IDF said it does not want there to be starvation, which would harm its legitimacy to act against Hamas.
Another focus has been on destroying Hamas’s already depleting weapon stocks. The terror group has been attempting to rearm itself, while mostly avoiding fighting with troops at this stage. The IDF said it is seeking to remove as many weapons as possible now, before entering a potential major offensive.
The military has also vastly expanded its buffer zones along the Gaza border — now comprising some 30% of the Strip — which Katz has said that the IDF will hold permanently.
In the south of the Strip, the military’s 36th Division has been establishing the Morag Corridor, cutting off Rafah from Khan Younis. In the area, the IDF has already discovered several major tunnels connecting the two cities.
In Rafah itself, the IDF’s Gaza Division has been clearing the neighborhoods of Shaboura and Tel Sultan of remaining Hamas infrastructure.
After the military completes operations inside Rafah, the IDF’s buffer zone in southern Gaza will stretch from the Egyptian border to the outskirts of Khan Younis — more than 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) away — and include the entire city of Rafah within it.
The buffer zone elsewhere on the border with Gaza has also been expanded from several hundred meters to around 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) in most areas.
Troops of the 252nd Division are currently working to expand the buffer zone in Gaza City’s eastern neighborhoods of Shejaiya, Daraj and Tuffah. The area is relatively elevated and overlooks the Israeli border communities of Nahal Oz, Kfar Aza and Sa’ad.
Half of the Netzarim Corridor, just south of Gaza City, is also being held by the IDF, up to the Salah a-Din Road. At any point, the IDF said it could recapture the western half of the corridor and bisect the Strip again.
The war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, when some 5,000 Hamas-led holy warriors invaded southern Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages amid acts of brutality and sexual assault.
Terror groups in the Gaza Strip are still holding 59 hostages — 24 of whom are believed to be alive, and 35 of whom have been confirmed dead — including 58 of those kidnapped on October 7.
According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, more than 50,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting so far. The toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters.
Israel assesses it has killed about 20,000 combatants in Gaza as of January, as well as some 1,600 holy warriors inside Israel during the Hamas onslaught.
Israel’s toll in the Gaza ground offensive and military operations along the border stands at 410.
[IsraelTimes] Gaza’s Hamas-controlled civil defense agency claims Israeli warplanes struck several tents overnight housing displaced Palestinians in the southern Khan Younis area, allegedly killing at least 16 people.
“At least 16 martyrs, most of them women and children, and 23 others were wounded following a direct strike by two Israeli missiles on several tents housing displaced families in the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis,” agency spokesman Mahmoud Bassal tells AFP.
There is no immediate comment from the IDF. The military has previously said it aims only at terror targets and seeks to minimize civilian fatalities, stressing that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields and fights from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools and mosques.
[IsraelTimes] Mohammed Zakarneh, one of 3 gunmen in January’s al-Funduq attack, killed near Jenin; two American tourists injured in a stone-throwing attack near Ramallah
A 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... terrorist, one of the perpetrators of a deadly terror shooting in the West Bank in January, was killed by Israeli forces near Jenin on Wednesday morning, the Israel Defense Forces said.
Mohammed Zakarneh, from the West Bank city of Qabatiya, was one of three button men who opened fire on civilians in the village of al-Funduq, which straddles Route 55, a major east-west highway used by thousands of Israelis and Paleostinian drivers daily.
The military said that members of the police’s Yamam counterterrorism unit, along with IDF troops, attempted to arrest Zakarneh, who was found to be hiding in a cave near the village of Misilyah, south of Jenin, after the Shin Bet security agency provided intelligence on his whereabouts.
During the operation, the troops exchanged fire with Zakarneh and two other button men hiding in the cave, the military said. The forces fired shoulder-launched missiles during the exchange.
Zakarneh and a second Islamic Jihad gunman from Qabatiya, Marouh Khazima, were killed. The IDF said that Khazima had been released from Israeli jail as part of the November 2023 ceasefire deal with Hamas ..one of the armed feet of the Moslem Brüderbund millipede,... , which saw the release of 105 living hostages, and had been wanted for terror activity.
According to the IDF, troops found several weapons and other military equipment on the bodies of the slain terrorists. Several more terror operatives who were aiding the two were detained, and were found to be carrying handguns, the military said.
Yamam officers exchange fire with Paleostinian Islamic Jihad button men holed up in a cave near the village of Misilyah in the northern West Bank, April 16, 2025. (Israel Police)
The other two faceless myrmidons who carried out the al-Funduq shooting, Qutaiba al-Shalabi and Mohammed Nazal, were killed by Israeli forces in Qabatiya on January 23 amid a major counterterrorism raid in the Jenin refugee camp.
While Hamas claimed the two button men as its members, the IDF and Shin Bet said they were members of the allied Paleostinian Islamic Jihad terror group.
The attack on January 6 killed off-duty police officer Master Sgt. Elad Yaakov Winkelstein and civilians Rachel Cohen and Aliza Raiz.
According to an initial IDF probe on the January attack, the terrorists, armed with assault rifles, first shot up a civilian car from close range, killing Cohen and Raiz. Their deaths were declared at the scene by Magen David Adom medics.
Then, the button men fired at a bus further away, injuring eight people, including the driver, 63, who MDA said was rushed to a hospital at death's door. Two women on the bus were in moderate condition, and at least five others were lightly hurt.
While the faceless myrmidons were fleeing, they opened fire on another car around 150 meters (490 feet) away, killing Winkelstein, according to the IDF’s investigation.
Shortly after Wednesday’s operation that ended with Zakarneh’s killing, Paleostinian suspects attacked a tourist bus near the West Bank village of Burqa, east of Ramallah, according to an IDF statement.
During the assault, the suspects hurled stones and a paint bottle at the bus, lightly injuring two American tourists. The injured women received prompt medical treatment at the scene, while IDF and police forces quickly arrived and launched a manhunt for the attackers, the military said.
Wednesday’s events took place amid Operation Iron Wall, an ongoing large-scale counterterrorism operation in the West Bank that began in January.
It was reported in February that tens of thousands of Palestinians had fled Israeli military operations across the northern West Bank — allegedly the largest displacement in the territory since the Six-Day War in 1967.
Since October 7, 2023, troops have arrested some 6,000 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank, including more than 2,350 affiliated with Hamas.
According to the Palestinian Authority health ministry, more than 900 West Bank Palestinians have been killed in that time. The IDF says the vast majority of them were gunmen killed in exchanges of fire, rioters who clashed with troops, or terrorists carrying out attacks.
During the same period, 51 people, including Israeli security personnel, were killed in terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank. Another eight members of the security forces were killed in clashes with terror operatives in the West Bank.
Hammam Hashash was part of a joint Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad cell that set off two explosive devices against army vehicles in Jenin on June 27, killing Capt. Alon Sacgiu and wounding 16 other soldiers.
Hashash was killed by IDF troops in July.
As a matter of policy, Israel demolishes the homes of Palestinians accused of carrying out deadly attacks
[AnNahar] 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.... reported two dead in separate Israeli strikes on the country's south Wednesday, as Israel's military said it had killed a Hezbollah operative, despite a ceasefire between the two sides.
A "dronezap launched by the Israeli enemy on a vehicle in Wadi al-Hujair killed one person," Lebanon's health ministry said in a statement, referring to an area around 12 kilometers (seven miles) from the border.
It later said a separate Israeli strike in Hanin, elsewhere in the south near the border, "killed one person and maimed another."
The Israeli military said its air force "struck and eliminated" a member of Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force in the Qantara area, near Wadi al-Hujair.
Israel has continued to strike Lebanon since the November 27 ceasefire thon the lamly halted more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah, including two months of all-out war.
The health ministry also said a 17-year-old maimed in an Israeli strike on south Lebanon's Aitaroun on Tuesday had died, bringing the toll in that raid to two dead.
The Israeli military said that strike also killed a Hezbollah operative.
The United Nations ...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks... Human Rights Office said on Tuesday that "at least 71 civilians" had been killed by Israeli forces in Lebanon since the ceasefire.
Hezbollah politician Hassan Fadlallah said last week that 186 people had been killed since the truce, without saying how many were members of the group.
The health ministry has not responded to AFP requests for updated figures.
[IsraelTimes] Hamas operatives reportedly arrested by Lebanese army in Palestinian refugee camps, amid exposure by Amman of alleged Muslim Brotherhood terror cell said to have trained in Lebanon
Two Hezbollah members were killed in separate Israeli dronezaps in southern 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.... on Wednesday, the military said.
The first strike, in southern Lebanon’s Qantara, some seven kilometers from the Israeli border, eliminated a member of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force, the Israel Defense Forces said.
The second strike targeted another operative in the town of Hanine, some five kilometers from the border.
Lebanon’s health ministry reported that one person was killed in the strike on a vehicle in the area of Wadi al-Hujair, near Qantara, and a second was killed in Hanine.
The IDF also said Wednesday that it had struck the Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon overnight. Lebanese media had reported a series of strikes near the town of Ramyeh, close to the Israeli border.
Meanwhile,
...back at the alley, Slats grabbed for his rosco... Lebanon’s health ministry reported Wednesday that a 17-year-old had succumbed to wounds sustained the previous day in an Israeli Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... on south Lebanon’s Aitaroun. The death brought the toll of that strike to two, after the IDF said a commander in Hezbollah’s special operations unit was killed in the strike.
Under the terms of a November 27 ceasefire, which ended more than 13 months of war, Hezbollah was required to vacate southern Lebanon, while Israel was permitted to act against what it deemed to be imminent threats from the terror group. Israel, which was required to withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon, has held on to five areas it described as strategic.
The war was sparked when Hezbollah, unprovoked, began launching near-daily attacks on northern Israel on October 8, 2023 — a day after Hamas ..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,... stormed southern Israel to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages, sparking the war in Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... . Israel invaded Lebanon in September in a bid to stop Hezbollah’s attacks, which had displaced some 60,000 northerners.
Hezbollah, whose leadership was decimated in the war, has since lost ground in Lebanon’s domestic politics. In January, the terror group acquiesced to the election of US- and Saudi-backed Lebanese President Joseph Aoun after a two-year vacancy in the post.
Aoun, formerly the commander of Lebanon’s army, has vowed to uphold a state monopoly on arms — a thinly veiled threat to Hezbollah’s extensive arsenal. In an interview published Tuesday by 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 outlet The New Arab, Aoun said he would directly coordinate with Hezbollah to achieve that goal in 2025.
LEBANESE ARMY ARRESTS HAMAS OPERATIVES Meanwhile,
...back at the alley, Slats grabbed for his rosco... the Saudi al-Hadath news outlet reported Tuesday that the Lebanese army had arrested Hamas operatives in Ain al-Hilweh and Nahr al-Bared, Paleostinian refugee camps situated, respectively, in north and south Lebanon.
The report, which was not immediately confirmed by the Lebanese army, said that a senior Hamas official had requested a meeting with the head of Lebanon’s military intelligence.
The reason for the arrest was unclear. It came after Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Tuesday spoke with Aoun about an alleged yearslong plot by Jordanian members of the Moslem Brüderbund — a Hamas ally and Jordan’s largest opposition group — to attack the Hashemite Kingdom with self-made rockets and drones.
Amman, which on Tuesday announced the arrest of 16 suspects in the case, said they had received training and funding in Lebanon.
Lebanese Army intelligence agents arrested Hamas members at the Ain el-Helweh, Tyre and Nahr al-Bared camps in connection with the plot unveiled in Jordan, military sources told Al-Arabiya’s Al-Hadath channel on Wednesday.
“The Lebanese Army will not allow any involvement in sabotage in Jordan or any Arab country,” the sources said.
“The Lebanese Army will not allow any tampering with the security of the Lebanese south,” the sources added, noting that “a Hamas leader has requested an appointment from the army’s Intelligence Directorate.”
Jordan's intelligence service on Tuesday announced the arrests of 16 people for allegedly planning to target national security and sow "chaos."
Authorities said the suspects were arrested for "manufacturing rockets using local tools as well as tools imported for illegal purposes, possession of explosives and firearms, concealing a rocket ready to be deployed, planning to manufacture drones, and recruiting and training operatives in Jordan as well as training them abroad." Jordanian officials later said that some of the suspects hd received training in Lebanon.
Jordan’s government said the accused have political affiliations and belong to what it called “unlicensed groups,” referring to the Muslim Brotherhood. Jordan’s judiciary dissolved the Muslim Brotherhood in 2020.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Leonid Tsukanov
[REGNUM] The echo of Middle Eastern conflicts sometimes reverberates in other regions in the most unexpected way. This time it was “heard” in Europe, where law enforcement officials reported the uncovering of a large-scale network of illegal supplies of components for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
The shadow scheme that served the interests of Lebanese Hezbollah covered half of Europe: the components that were identified alone would have been enough to create an entire air force. However, as subsequent events showed, not everything came to the attention of the authorities.
SECRET PATHS
European law enforcement first noticed suspicious movement of components for UAV production in mid-2024, when a suspiciously large surge in demand for aircraft modeling items was recorded in Catalonia, Spain.
The demand was generated by Lebanese and small companies established in the Middle East and Africa two to three years ago. This led law enforcement to believe that they were dealing with an organized Hezbollah scheme. Further “test purchases” only reinforced this conviction.
Over the next six months, Hezbollah liaisons were arrested not only in Spain, but also in France, Germany, Belgium and the UK. However, as it turned out later, the participants in the scheme included not only Lebanese Shiites, but also several Christians from EU countries, as well as three Turks.
Following a tip-off from the detainees, caches were subsequently discovered in several cities in Italy and France, where cargo ready for shipment was stored. The Turkish “weapons depots,” which several defendants had talked about, turned out to be empty.
However, even what was found was enough to stir the public. Among the confiscated items were large quantities of electronic guidance systems, propellers, gasoline and electric engines, as well as materials for the manufacture of airframes and wings.
The seized components would be enough to assemble several thousand drones capable of carrying explosives.
Of course, most of them would most likely have “burned up” in their attempts to penetrate Israel’s air defense system, but they would have overloaded it, opening the way for missile strikes.
MANY DIFFERENT DRONES IN SERVICE
Hezbollah's interest in UAVs was not unexpected. Although the movement has long used drones for reconnaissance work, the active use of UAVs in other local conflicts (particularly in Nagorno-Karabakh) has shown their high effectiveness and forced the leadership to develop its arsenal.
The movement met the 2023 Gaza conflict fully armed and actively used attack drones against the Israelis.
Today, Hezbollah has at least five UAV models in its arsenal, not counting the home-made FPV drones. For example, the heavy DR3 drones, converted from Soviet Tu-141 Strizh: the movement has at least several dozen of them.
True, due to its large weight and impressive dimensions, the DR3 requires large launchers that are visible from the air. In the conditions of active Israeli intelligence, Hezbollah prefers not to risk the equipment.
Much more frequently used were UAVs of the Ababil family (in particular, the Ababil-T) - pro-Iranian forces have been familiar with them since the Second Lebanon Campaign (2006) and have actively used them for strikes on Israeli territory, as well as after the Israeli invasion of Lebanon.
True, the weak point of such UAVs is their modest range (100-120 km). Therefore, almost nothing has been heard about the launches of the Ababil recently: from Hezbollah's new positions in the border area, it is no longer always possible to "reach" the targets of interest to them in Israel.
Also in use are the Iranian-made Shahed-136, Karrar and Mirsad. However, since their production is not localized in Lebanon, Hezbollah received most of the units from Iran through semi-legal supplies.
Their use is most often tied to major actions by the pro-Iranian "Axis of Resistance", such as joint "retribution operations".
In total, Hezbollah has carried out at least several dozen massive UAV strikes on Israeli territory, as well as a couple of targeted operations. For example, strikes on the port of Haifa, where the headquarters of elite naval units is located (November 2024), and on the Glilot base used by military intelligence (August 2024).
And in October 2024, Lebanese Shiites gave the Israeli authorities a slap in the face by attacking the home of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's family in Caesarea with a drone. Although the prime minister himself was not harmed during the action, Hezbollah showed that it is capable of reaching the country's top officials even with a small force.
"GENTLE PROBING"
There is another interesting side to the “drone black market” scandal: Israeli intelligence agencies were involved.
Mossad received information about suspicious shipments from Europe as early as the spring of 2024 – several months before the incident in Catalonia – and tried to use its own operational capabilities to defeat the underground.
Moreover, the exposure of such a large-scale network would make it possible to reach Lebanese field commanders coordinating the supply of components for UAVs to the Middle East, thereby damaging Hezbollah’s combat capability.
However, Israel decided to start not with the European countries where orders were placed and cargo was assembled, but with Turkey, through which one of the caravan routes allegedly passed and where cargo ready for delivery was stored.
There was indeed reason to suspect Ankara of secretly helping Hezbollah, especially given the fact that Hamas emissaries were already active on Turkish territory. The allies in the Gaza conflict could well have been working together.
Israeli intelligence sent a team of specialists into the country whose job it was to gather information about “individuals and companies from the Middle East.” It was important for Tel Aviv to understand how comfortable Hezbollah was here and what leverage it had over local authorities.
However, the attempt to carefully probe Turkey turned into a scandal. After the arrest of an informant from among local officials, the group of Israeli spies was exposed and captured by Turkish law enforcement.
Ankara considered the incident the beginning of a "spy war" with Israel and refused any cooperation on the supplies. The agents involved in the mission received prison sentences.
Perhaps it was the Israelis' haste that meant that by the summer of 2024, when law enforcement was searching for Hezbollah caches all over Europe, nothing criminal was found at the Turkish sites. They could have been emptied in advance, covering their tracks.
Moreover, as Operation Northern Arrows in Lebanon later showed, the opening of European warehouses did not spoil the playing field for Hezbollah too much. The movement actively used UAVs, including homemade ones, to strike advancing Israeli units and the territory of the Jewish state.
The number of drones launched daily by the Lebanese surprised even the Israeli generals. Everyone wondered where Hezbollah had managed to obtain so many components in such a short time.
True, no one dared to publicly voice the idea that the “black market in UAVs” ultimately fulfilled its tactical task.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The special services prevented the preparation of a coup d'etat in Syria, which was being prepared by officers of the former army. This was stated by the Minister of Internal Affairs Anas Khattab on April 16.
"We have thwarted the plans for a coup that were being prepared by officers of the overthrown regime that is now a thing of the past. This was possible thanks to the efforts of our armed forces and people," SANA reports him as saying.
It is noted that the operation to suppress the coup was coordinated by both the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Defense of Syria. It was also decided to create a department responsible for pursuing criminals through increased coordination with other security services.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on December 8, 2024, former President of the Republic Bashar al-Assad resigned as head of state and left the country after the successful offensive of opposition groups on Damascus. He received political asylum in Russia. The head of the new government was Ahmed al-Sharaa.
On March 6, clashes broke out in Syria between Assad supporters and the forces of the new government. The clashes took place in Latakia and Tartus, after which the government sent in troops. Three days later, clashes began in the port city of Baniyas. According to the Kurdish television channel Rudaw, at least 532 civilians had died in the conflict as of March 8.
Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov noted that Moscow wants to see the Syrian state stable and prosperous. He pointed out the need to ensure stability in the country, given the general explosiveness of the Middle East. Instability in one state in the region can cause a chain reaction in neighboring ones, the Kremlin representative emphasized.
Posted by: badanov ||
04/17/2025 00:00 ||
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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
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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.
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...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 
..always the voice of sweet reason...
..always the voice of sweet reason...
..one of the armed feet of the Moslem Brüderbund millipede,...
...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....
