[NEWARAB] Tunisian President Kais Saied, who grabbed wide-ranging powers two years after his 2019 election, announced on Friday he will seek a new five-year term in an election set for October.
"I officially announce my candidacy for the October 6 presidential election in order to keep up the fight in the battle for national liberation," Saied, who has ruled by decree since suspending parliament in July 2021, said in a video released by his office.
Speaking in the southern region of Tatouine, the 66-year-old said he was answering the "country's sacred call" which left him no choice but to run for a second term.
Several would-be challengers to the president who had announced their candidacy are either in prison or being prosecuted.
In his announcement Friday, Saied called on "everyone preparing to sponsor (candidates) to steer off any corruption".
[NEWARAB] A potential Tunisian presidential candidate on Friday received an eight-month prison sentence and lifetime ban from running for office, reports said, with NGOs warning of increasing obstacles for President Kais Saied's opponents. Jack Smith stands in awe
Lotfi Mraihi, head of left-wing opposition Republican People's Union, was arrested on July 3 on suspicion of corruption.
In addition to the prison sentence, Mraihi, who announced his candidacy in early April, was given a lifetime ban from standing in any election, Tunisian media said.
Saied, who was democratically elected in 2019 but launched a sweeping power grab in 2021, has yet to announce whether he will seek a second term, though many believe he will.
A number of his opponents who announced their candidacy for the election expected in October are currently either in prison or being prosecuted.
Abir Moussi, a vocal critic of Saied and head of the Free Destourian Party, has been tossed in the calaboose Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please! since October last year.
Her party is often described as nostalgic for the autocratic era of independence hero Habib Bourguiba and his successor Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
Issam Chebbi, a leader of the main opposition National Salvation Front who was arrested in February 2023 for "plotting against the state", dropped out of the race on Thursday, his party said.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/21/2024 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11127 views]
Top|| File under: Arab Spring
[HODHODYEMENNEWS.NET] At least one person was injured on Saturday in armed confrontations in the middle of a popular market east of the city of Ataq, the center of Shabwah province, which is under the control of the Saudi-led coalition in eastern 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... The confrontations broke out between tribal Lions of Islam from the ’Al Laql’ family and the ’Al-Sawahra’ family from the "Ba’odha" tribe in the Gul al-Rayda market in the Mayfa’a district. As a result, maimed people fell, including one of the Lions of Islam who was transferred to the city of Mukalla in Hadhramaut province to receive treatment.
The factions loyal to the UAE and Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face...
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat Frational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start... are working to fuel conflicts and fighting between members of the tribes loyal to them and support them with money and weapons in the various districts of the province.
Nearly 13 people were killed and 12 others maimed among the Shabwah rustics last month as a result of armed confrontations in four districts: "Al-Saeed, Habban, Ataq, Markha, and Usyilan."
Posted by: Fred ||
07/21/2024 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11139 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Saudi Arabia
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] On the night of July 20, unknown assailants attacked a ship in the Red Sea off the coast of Eritrea, 64 nautical miles from Yemen, the UK Navy's Maritime Trade Coordination Centre reported.
Reuters, citing a source familiar with the matter, said a container ship flying the Liberian flag was attacked. The ship sustained minor damage as a result of two strikes, the British center said in a statement.
"The first attack was carried out using an unmanned aerial vehicle, which exploded in close proximity to the vessel, causing minor damage. For the second attack, an unmanned boat was used, which exploded near the vessel," the center's press service noted.
Later, drones appeared near the ship again, the report also said. The crew is safe, and an investigation into the circumstances of the incident is underway, the press service added.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, the day before the center reported that a British ship was attacked in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Yemen. The ship's crew was not injured.
In the fall of 2023, amid the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, representatives of the Yemeni Ansar Allah movement (Houthis) began attacking ships associated with Israel and its allies. The Houthis threatened to prevent Israeli-affiliated ships from passing through the Red Sea until the operation in the Palestinian enclave ceased. In January 2024, the US and UK began retaliatory strikes against Yemeni rebel positions.
Ansar Allah leader Abdel Malek al-Houthi reported that since November 2023, the movement has attacked a total of 162 vessels in the Red and Arabian Seas. The attacks were carried out using ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as drones and unmanned boats.
It sounds like the Regnum reporter believes this was another little Houthi project.
[Regnum] The entire Middle East sees the "flame in Hodeida", Israel will repeat this wherever necessary in the event of new attacks on its citizens, said the country's Defense Minister Yoav Galant. Y'all like rockets and bombs? Here's some rockets and bombs for yaz.
Earlier, it was reported that Israel carried out its first direct airstrikes on Yemen on July 20. The Israeli Air Force attacked fuel depots in the port city of Hodeida in western Yemen. The attack on the port was carried out by 12 Israeli warplanes, including F-35s.
The Ansar Allah (Houthi) government's Health Ministry confirmed the Israeli airstrike. The raid on the port left people dead and wounded, the ministry said.
Earlier that day, the Royal Navy's Maritime Trade Coordination Centre reported that unknown assailants had attacked a ship in the Red Sea off the coast of Eritrea, 64 nautical miles from Yemen, on the night of July 20. The ship sustained minor damage as a result of two strikes, the British centre said in a statement.
The day before, the center reported that a British ship had been attacked in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Yemen. The ship's crew was not harmed.
As reported by Regnum News Agency, in the fall of 2023, against the backdrop of the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, representatives of the Yemeni movement Ansar Allah (Houthis) began attacking ships associated with Israel and its allies. The Houthis threatened that they would not allow ships associated with Israel to pass through the waters of the Red Sea until the operation in the Palestinian enclave ceased.
More from regnum.ru Yemen's Houthis Vow to Respond to Israeli Airstrikes on Hodeida
Supporters of the Yemeni rebel movement Ansar Allah (Houthis) have promised to respond to the Israeli military's attack on the port city of Hodeida. This was stated by the movement's supreme political council.
"The Israeli aggression [on Hodeida] will not go unanswered by Ansar Allah and will not prevent the movement's supporters from continuing to support the Palestinian people," Al Masirah TV reported.
The Houthis condemned the Israeli attack, including on diesel fuel tanks and a power plant, which killed and injured civilians.
The movement's Supreme Political Council stressed that Israel's attack would only strengthen the Yemeni people's support for the Palestinians.
As reported by Regnum News Agency, on July 20, Israel carried out direct airstrikes on Houthi positions in Yemen for the first time. The Israeli Air Force attacked fuel depots in the port city of Hodeida in western Yemen. According to Al Arabiya TV channel, the strike was carried out by 12 Israeli combat aircraft. Among them were F-35s. Al Masirah TV channel reported that the raid on the port of Hodeida resulted in casualties.
The IDF said the strikes were in response to hundreds of Houthi attacks on Israel in recent months.
Even more from regnum.ru At least 80 injured in Israeli airstrike on Yemen's Hodeida
Dozens of people were injured in Israeli airstrikes on Hodeida in western Yemen. This was reported by the SABA news agency, citing the Ansar Allah (Houthi) government's Health Ministry.
The IDF's strike on oil tanks and a power plant in Hodeida province has resulted in 80 casualties, most of them from severe fires.
As reported by Regnum News Agency, on July 19, in Israel, in the center of Tel Aviv, an explosion occurred, caused by the fall of an "air target", the IDF confirmed. To protect the country's airspace, the Israeli Air Force increased patrols. The explosion occurred near the US consulate, one person was killed, ten more were injured.
Yemeni Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saria claimed responsibility for the incident. According to Maariv, the IDF did not confirm that the explosion was actually prepared by Yemeni rebels.
The attack on Yemen's Hodeida port was a direct response to the Houthi drone strike on Tel Aviv and hundreds of other attacks. Israel will defend itself by any means necessary, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video address to the nation on July 20.
The Houthis have promised to respond to the Israeli military's attack on the port city of Hodeida.
Oh? So what were the acts of war they were doing before?
[GEO.TV] The 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... s believe the Israeli attack on Hodeidah was carried out in coordination with the US, UK and other allies, including Arab ones.
The Houthis say that "any state, any Arab regime, any government in the region that helps Israel or the US carry out attacks on 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... will be met with retaliation", said Yusef Mawry, a journalist and political analyst.
"It’s going to be an all-out attack against all Israeli, US and British military presence across the region — whether that would be in the island of Socotra here in Yemen, US military bases in Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face...
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat Frational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start... , UAE and Jordan," he added.
The Houthis "are basically declaring war on Israel, the US, the British government and any Arab regime considered an ally of Israel".
Additional details about Operation “Long Arm” in Yemen:
1. Dozens of veteran pilots, reservists, squadron commanders, and colonels led formations with numerous aircraft in the furthest strike and a historic Air Force operation.
[NY Post] Bangladesh soldiers patrolled the deserted streets of the capital, Dhaka, on Saturday during a curfew meant to quell deadly student-led protests against government job quotas that have killed at least 105 people this week.
A suspension on internet and text message services has remained in place since Thursday, cutting off Bangladesh from the world as police cracked down on protests that have continued despite a ban on public gatherings.
Overseas telephone calls mostly failed to connect, while the websites of Bangladesh-based media organizations did not update, and their social media handles remained inactive.
In addition to the deaths, the clashes have injured thousands, according to data from hospitals across Bangladesh. The Dhaka Medical College Hospital received 27 dead bodies between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Friday.
For five days, police have fired tear gas and hurled sound grenades to scatter protesters as demonstrators clashed with security personnel, throwing bricks and igniting vehicles.
The demonstrations — the biggest since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was re-elected for a fourth successive term this year — have also been fuelled by high unemployment among young people, who make up nearly a fifth of the South Asian nation’s 170 million people.
With the death toll climbing and police unable to contain the protests, Hasina’s government imposed the national curfew and deployed the military.
The curfew was eased for two hours from noon on Saturday to allow people to shop for supplies and complete other chores, television channels reported.
It will last until 10 a.m. on Sunday, when the government will assess the situation and decide the next course of action, the reports added.
Those venturing out on the streets had their identification cards inspected by army personnel at different check points, TV footage showed.
The nationwide unrest broke out over student anger against the controversial quotas for government jobs, including 30% for the families of those who fought for independence from Pakistan.
Hasina’s government had scrapped the quota system in 2018, but a court reinstated it last month.
The state appealed against the reinstatement and the Supreme Court suspended it for a month, pending a hearing on Aug. 7.
In the central Dhaka district of Narsingdi, protesters stormed a jail on Friday and freed over 850 inmates before setting fire to the facility, TV channels reported, citing police. Scattered incidents of arson were also reported on Saturday.
Hasina dropped plans to leave on Sunday for visits to Spain and Brazil due to the protests, the AFP news agency reported, citing her press secretary.
Many opposition party leaders, activists and student protesters had been arrested, said Tarique Rahman, the exiled acting chairman of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
Police arrested Nahid Islam, a leading coordinator of the students’ agitation, at 2 a.m. on Saturday, the protesters said in a text message.
[NEWARAB] Pak authorities said Friday they had arrested a "close associate" of al-Qaeda founder and criminal mastermind of the 9/11 attacks the late Osama bin Laden ...... who is no longer with us, and won't be again...... .
Counter-terrorism officials in the most populous province of Punjab swooped in on Amin Ul-Haq in the city of Gujrat, accusing him of planning "sabotage activities" and seeking to "target important installations" in the country.
"The arrest of Amin Ul-Haq is a major victory in the ongoing efforts to combat terrorism in Pakistain and worldwide," a statement from Punjab's Counter Terrorism Department said.
He was listed by the United States, the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... and the United Nations ...boodling on the grand scale... as an associate of al-Qaeda and Bin Laden, the head of Punjab's counter-terrorism department, Usman Akram Gonadal, said in a presser.
"He resurfaced after the withdrawal of western NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all.... forces (from Afghanistan). He visited Afghanistan in August and he began his efforts to reorganise al-Qaeda."
US troops backed by NATO toppled the Taliban ...the Pashtun equivalent of men... 's first regime in 2001 for refusing to hand over al-Qaeda turbans behind the 9/11 attacks.
Bin Laden was later discovered living in Pakistain and rubbed out in a nighttime US operation in 2011.
#1
The Houthi Terrorist Group in Western Yemen has released a Statement claiming to have carried out a Successful Military Operation against a number of Targets in and around the City of Eilat in Southern Israel utilizing several Ballistic Missiles. Despite this there weren’t reports of any Ballistic Missile Impacts near Eilat, or anywhere else in Israel.
#2
And IDF SAYS:
The IDF Aerial Defense Array successfully intercepted a surface-to-surface missile that approached Israeli territory from Yemen using the "Arrow 3" Aerial Defense System.
The projectile did not cross into Israeli territory. The incident has concluded.
#5
#3 that's because one side is playing game of 'deterrence' while the other side engages in war. By all their actions, we are at war whether we like it or not. You don't deter. You completely destroy their means to operate. That's all infrastructure, electrical, water, bridges, port facilities, any military installations and facilities, etc. It's not a tit for tat. It's all out.
[FoxNews] NSC spokesperson says US 'not involved' in Yemen strikes, and didn't 'coordinate or assist' Israel with them.
Israel’s air force on Saturday launched surgical strikes against the Islamic Republic of Iran-sponsored Houthi terrorist regime in Yemen.
According to an Israel Defense Forces statement, "A short while ago, IDF fighter jets struck military targets of the Houthi terrorist regime in the area of the Al Hudaydah Port in Yemen in response to the hundreds of attacks carried out against the State of Israel in recent months."
In a video statement posted on X, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that, "The port we attacked is not an innocent port. It was used for military purposes; it was used as an entry point for deadly weapons supplied to the Houthis by Iran." Netanyahu, who is due to address Congress next week, congratulated the IDF and Air Force for the operation and warned: "I have a message for Israel's enemies: don't misunderstand us. We will protect ourselves in every way, on every front. Anyone who harms us will pay a very heavy price for his aggression."
Netanyahu noted that the port was over 1000 miles away from Israel's borders, saying "It makes it clear to our enemies that there is no place that the long arm of the State of Israel will not reach."
On Friday, the Houthi movement fired a lethal drone into Tel Aviv, resulting in the death of an Israeli and at least 10 injured and severe damage to buildings. The strike took place near the U.S. consulate building in Tel Aviv.
Gallant continued "The Houthis attacked us over 200 times. The first time that they harmed an Israeli citizen, we struck them. And we will do this in any place where it may be required. The blood of Israeli citizens has a price. This has been made clear in Lebanon, in Gaza, in Yemen, and in other places. If they will dare to attack us, the result will be identical."
A Houthi spokesperson said via a public Telegram board message that Israeli airstrikes targeted civilian facilities, oil tanks and a power station in al-Hudaydah.
Houthi-linked media reported that several people were killed, according to Iran International. A Houthi official told the pro-Hezbollah news outlet in Lebanon, Al Mayadeen, that the Houthi regime will retaliate against Israel for the IDF strikes in Lebanon. The U.S.-designated terrorist entity, Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthi regime and the Islamic Republic of Iran form the anti-American and anti-Israel "axis of resistance."
Iran International noted the IDF strikes on Saturday hit oil refining facilities in the Hodeidah port, according to sources cited by Al-Masirah TV, the main television news outlet run by the Houthi movement.
The Saudi Arabia-owned Al Arabiya reported that 12 Israeli aircraft, including an F35, attacked the port of Hodeidah.
The Friday drone attack unsettled the Israeli public because the country’s aerial defense failed to intercept the lethal projectile, possibly because of human error. Tel Aviv is the second-largest city in the Jewish state. Israel’s aerial assault in Yemen appears to be the first-ever IDF attack on the Arab country that has been ravaged by the Houthi movement.
A National Security Council spokesperson told Fox News that the U.S. was not involved in the strikes. "We’ve been in regular and ongoing contact with the Israelis following the strike in Tel Aviv that killed an Israeli civilian on Friday morning. We fully recognize and acknowledge Israel’s right to self-defense. The United States was not involved in today’s strikes in Yemen, and we did not coordinate or assist Israel with the strikes. We refer you to the Israelis for more information."
#1
This target should have been destroyed by the US coalition many months ago. I hope the coalition has given the IDF whatever intel they have on Houthi command and control sites.
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
07/21/2024 0:07 Comments ||
Top||
[NEWARAB] An Israeli air strike in north 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 an 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... has killed the journalist Mohammed Abu Jasser and his family, Paleostinian medical officials announced on Saturday. Was he holding hostages too?
The journalist’s home in the Jabalia area was targeted at dawn, making him the latest of 161 journalists to be killed in the enclave since the start of Israel’s latest war on Gaza on 7 October. "journalists"
Local Paleostinian media reported his two children and wife were also killed in the strike.
The Gaza based al-Jazeera journalist Anas Al Sharif confirmed the killing of Abu Jasser, sharing video footage of his destroyed home in a post on X.
"We went to sleep last night, just like anyone else as normal, with women and kiddies near us, and Mohammed my friend was there. We woke up to the sound of air strikes, smoke and fire. We woke up at around 3am and ran, and saw bodies torn apart and strewn across the road outside," an eyewitness and friend of Abu Jasser says in an interview with al-Jazeera Arabic following the strike.
Another neighbour of Abu Jasser’s told al-Jazeera his home was "directly targeted" causing widespread damage.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 38,919 journalists since October and maimed around 89,622 others in the same time frame.
The war on the enclave has levelled entire neighbourhoods and plunged the Strip into a deep humanitarian crisis.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/21/2024 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11128 views]
Top|| File under: Hamas
#1
On the upside- “ we cross to Abu Jasser with a big story… are you there Abu Jasser?”
At least 38,919 Palestinians have been killed and 89,622 have been injured in the Israeli military offensive in Gaza since October 7, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
No longer claiming the casualties are mostly civilian wimmin, kiddies, and wise elders? It’s a start…
Posted by: Fred ||
07/21/2024 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11133 views]
Top|| File under: Hamas
#1
Willing to bet, a significant part of those numbers were Islamic Terrorists from surrounding areas & countries, or their supporters, looking to murder Israel citizens?
[GEO.TV] Israeli forces pounded several areas across the Gaza Strip on Saturday, killing at least 30 Palestinians, according to health officials, as tanks advanced deeper into western and northern Rafah.
Among those killed on Saturday were local journalist Mohammad Abu Jasser, his wife, and two children, in an Israeli strike on their house in the northern Gaza Strip, a medic said.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/21/2024 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11133 views]
Top|| File under: Hamas
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.