#5
She's wearing those old metal skates that we used to have back in the, ahem, 1950's and 1960's. (Yeah, I know. Who cares about the skates when they have Betty's legs attached to them?)
We used to nail those things to a two by four, the skates, not Betty's legs, and then we'd have a skateboard, which was good for developing the balance that we would need later on surfboards.
With polyurethane wheels, skateboarding became a legitimate sport and people can do some very impressive maneuvers on them.
But those ladies in Skidmark's video are putting the boys on skateboards to shame. Quite impressive, both Betty and the ladies in Skidmark's video.
BTW, whatever happened to Roller Derby?
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
12/03/2024 12:06 Comments ||
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#6
Those old skates were fun until you wore through them at full speed and the ball bearings flew out.
*face plant*
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/03/2024 12:25 Comments ||
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#7
^ I had them do that on a homemade skateboard once. I managed to avoid the face plant but my friends said I should have seen all the sparks that flew from the broken skate as it scraped on the sidewalk.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
12/03/2024 14:41 Comments ||
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#8
#3
Gotham Roller Derby in NYC is still going strong, we caught a couple of games, good fun but some of the extraneous stuff was a deal breaker. The Queens of Pain had a man in a bondage outfit getting whipped around the track… saw him chatting afterwards still in this grotesque outfit. Gross, and didn’t go again.
#10
Those old skates needed that key. The clamp to the shoes would always loosen and then you'd be skating on one foot with the other skate flopping wildly. Face plants were common and "knees"? You don't want to know about them.
[KhaamaPress] Local officials in Badakhshan province have announced the arrest of over 100 individuals connected to opium poppy cultivation in several districts of the province.
Shafiqullah Hafizi, the head of the anti-narcotics division reported on Sunday, December 1 that these individuals were arrested during a large-scale anti-narcotics operation in the districts of Argo, Daraym, Yaftal Payan, Jurm, Shuhada, and Baharak in Badakhshan.
During the operation, authorities seized 75 mobile phones from the arrested individuals. The suspects have been referred to the provincial primary court for legal prosecution.
Local authorities in Badakhshan have stated that these individuals will face trial for their involvement in drug-related activities.
The Taliban ...Arabic for students... regime banned opium cultivation in the spring of 2022, under the directive of the Taliban’s leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada.
Despite the government’s stance, reports from the United Nations ...an organization conceived in the belief that we're just one big happy world, with the sort of results you'd expect from such nonsense... Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) indicated a 30% increase in opium production in Afghanistan in 2024 compared to the previous year.
According to the UNODC, 433 tons of opium have been produced in Afghanistan this year.
While the Taliban has consistently denied these reports of increased drug production, international agencies continue to express concerns about the rise in narcotics production in the country.
The increase in drug cultivation despite official prohibitions and the government’s ongoing crackdown underscores the challenges in combating narcotics trade in Afghanistan.
[Garowe] Reports have emerged of the possible presence of ex-soldiers from Colombia in Sudan ...a Moslem country located in the Horn of Africa. It is noted for its affinity for rule by ex- or current generals, its holy men, and for the oppression of the native Afro population by its Arab conquerors. South Sudan, populated mostly by the natives, split off from Sudan proper, which left North and South Darfur to be oppressed by the guys with turbans... , which could escalate tensions between the Rapid Support Force (RSF) and the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) who have been at loggerheads for the last two years.
La Silla Vacía, a Colombian newspaper, claims that close to 300 former soldiers from Colombia are actively fighting in Sudan, which could evoke sharp responses from members of the international community.
La Silla Vacía, a Colombian newspaper, claims that close to 300 former soldiers from Colombia are actively fighting in Sudan.
The report alleges that the soldiers were recruited under pretenses by the Colombian company International Services Agency A4SI, with promises of securing oil infrastructure in the UAE. Instead, they were transported to Libya via Dubai or Abu Dhabi, where they were handed over to representatives of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
According to the report, "40 of these soldiers were sent to Sudan under pretenses," and one soldier is quoted in an audio recording saying, "Their contract described a completely different assignment." Families of the dear departed confirmed that three Colombian soldiers were killed during fighting in October, adding that "shelling had caused heavy casualties among their ranks."
The UAE has denied sending arms to the RSF since April 15, 2023, but admits to supplying arms to the group before that date. The Colombian Foreign Ministry has refused to comment on the situation, and no response was obtained from the RSF regarding these claims.
Elsewhere, at least eight people were killed and several injured after the RSF commandos raided 8 villages in the city of Meheiriba in central al-Jazira State, local activists said Thursday.
"Villages in western Meheiriba have been under attack by the RSF since Wednesday, starting with the village of al-Fuwwar, which caused the majority of residents to flee from the village and its surrounding areas," Middle Call, a Sudanese rights group, said in a statement.
"The RSF renewed its attacks on Thursday, targeting the villages of al-Fuwwar, Salim, Abu Karna, Abara, Umm Kurak, Ajjan, Ma’ijna, and Umm Wazain, accompanied by random and intense artillery shelling. This led to the deaths of eight citizens so far and injuries to others," it added.
Since mid-April last year, the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF have been engaged in a conflict that has resulted in more than 20,000 deaths and displaced nearly 10 million people, according to the UN, the Addis Standard reports.
[Garowe] While CCTVs are meant to improve security surveillance by tracking criminal activities, the al-Shabaab ... al-Qaeda's tentacle in East Africa... turbans are increasingly targeting those using them, leading to several unnecessary deaths within Somalia over the last few months.
Somalia's government had instructed business owners to install CCTVs as a measure to combat crime, but the al-Shabaab is against the implementation of this idea, causing a massive crackdown against innocent civilians who have complied with the directive.
For almost two months, ACLED, an organization that has been tracking the crimes, says of the 37 fatalities recorded within Mogadishu, almost 40% were linked to retaliation from al-Shabaab on people who had installed CCTVs, especially within Yaqshid and Heliwa districts.
"Al-Shabaab is sending a brutal message: cooperate with the authorities, and you become a target," said Hassan Ali, a Mogadishu-based security analyst.
According to police reports, four business owners were bumped off in late October in the Misaanka Dhuhusha areas with two civilians also killed in Sakuus. The business owners are now in limbo — they are lost whether to follow government or al-Shabaab directives.
Launched in 2023, the government's surveillance initiative aims to curb al-Shabaab's influence by exposing its extortion networks and operational movements. The group reportedly collects monthly "taxes" from businesses, funneling funds into their insurgency.
"We're caught between the government's orders and the turbans' threats," said a shop owner who requested anonymity. "Our livelihoods and lives are at stake."
Despite the antagonism by al-Shabaab turbans, the Somali security forces have made significant gains in the fight against al-Shabaab, liberating several strategic towns in the process. Most regions in central and southern Somalia are now under the Somali National Army.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Armed assailants killed eight people and wounded two at a roadside cafe in Guanajuato, Mexico. This was reported on December 1 by the N+ TV channel.
It is specified that the attack took place at night in the El Trebol area of Apaseo el Grande. According to eyewitnesses, unknown persons arrived at the crime scene in a "luxurious white car", stopped near a cafe, on the side of the road, opened fire on a group of men and fled the scene. However, neither before nor after the shooting did the attackers utter a word.
Sounds like a cartel head honcho type, throwing his weight around.
A total of eight people were killed, and two more people, a man and a woman, received gunshot wounds and were hospitalized. The prosecutor's office has identified three of the deceased - two firefighters and an ambulance doctor.
How very odd.
The shooters' motives remain unknown.
They clearly wanted to kill people. Sometimes that must suffice.
Earlier, Regnum News Agency reported that 10 race car drivers were killed and nine more were injured in a shooting that was opened by unknown persons at a gas station in the Mexican state of Southern California. The state prosecutor's office has launched an investigation into the circumstances of the tragedy.
A Mexican court has sentenced three accomplices to 30 years in prison for the murder of Mexican journalist Maria Elena Ferral in the state of Veracruz. However, the person who ordered the murder has never been found.
[GEO.TV] Pakistain endured another devastating month of anti-state violence in November 2024, with 245 fatalities and 257 injuries reported in different terror incidents, Pakistain Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) data showed.
To be fair, they did nurture the asp now enthusiastically attacking them, so it’s hard to feel sympathy.
Citing the PICSS stats, The News reported that the said casualties included 127 krazed killers, 68 security personnel, and 50 civilians. Among the injured were 119 civilians, 104 members of security forces, and 34 krazed killers.
During the past month, security forces apprehended 20 suspected krazed killers, while krazed killer groups were involved in the abduction of 11 individuals.
Out of the total fatalities, 131 deaths occurred in krazed killer attacks, including 54 security forces personnel, 50 civilians, and 27 krazed killers. These attacks left 220 individuals injured, comprising 119 civilians, 95 security forces personnel, and six krazed killers.
Meanwhile,
...back at the mall, Clarissa suddenly spied Mr. Bartlett at the checkout counter. He was buying Grecian Formula!... 114 of the total 245 deaths resulted from security forces' actions, which killed 100 snuffies and martyred 14 security personnel. PICSS reported a rise in krazed killer activity, with 71 attacks recorded in November compared to 68 in October.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) remained the most affected province, experiencing 50 krazed killer attacks that resulted in 71 deaths and 85 injuries. Within KP, the merged districts (erstwhile FATA) accounted for 28 incidents, leading to 36 fatalities, including 19 civilians, nine security personnel, and eight krazed killers.
These attacks left 62 people injured, comprising 33 civilians, 27 security personnel, and two krazed killers. Security forces' actions in these areas resulted in 64 krazed killers' deaths and martyrdom of 12 security personnel, while 23 snuffies and nine security personnel were maimed.
In mainland KP, 22 krazed killer attacks led to 35 deaths, including 19 security forces personnel, 10 krazed killers, and six civilians, while 23 others were maimed. Security operations in mainland KP resulted in 17 snuffies killed and five maimed.
The Kurram tribal district witnessed one of the worst festivities in recent history between opponent tribes, with over 120 lives lost by the end of November.
November 30, 2024 [OneIndia] A contractual worker has been apprehended by the Gujarat
...where rioting seems to be a traditional passtime... unit of the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) for allegedly leaking sensitive information about the movements of Indian Coast Guard (ICG) ships. Dipesh Gohil, employed at the Okha port, reportedly received Rs 200 per day in exchange for relaying details about Coast Guard vessels and had amassed Rs 42,000 from a Pak agent, reported India Today.
Dipesh, who came into contact with the agent through Facebook, maintained communication via WhatsApp.
The Pak spy, using the alias "Sahima," befriended Dipesh online and later requested information about the names and numbers of Coast Guard boats stationed at Okha port. The identity of the agent remains undisclosed.
Gujarat ATS officer K Siddharth stated, "We received information that a man from Okha was sharing details about the Coast Guard boat with an agent of Pakistain's Navy or the ISI through WhatsApp. Following an investigation, we arrested Dipesh Gohil, a resident of Okha. The number Dipesh was in contact with was traced to Pakistain."
Dipesh, who had direct access to vessels at the port, allegedly had the money sent to a friend's account as he lacked one of his own.
He then withdrew the cash from his friend, claiming it was payment for welding work.
K Siddharth further explained, "Pakistain's Navy or ISI agents are seeking people who can provide information about Indian Coast Guard boats for a small sum. For a long time, Gujarat's Anti-Terrorism Squad, working with the Coast Guard, has been intercepting drugs along India's maritime borders. In such cases, details about Coast Guard boats could be valuable to Pakistain's military and agents. During a conflict, sharing this information could be especially dangerous for us."
This arrest follows the apprehension of another individual, Pankaj Kotia, in Porbandar last month for passing information about a Coast Guard vessel to a Pak operative.
November 28, 2024 [OneIndia] Salman Rehman Khan, a terrorist associated with the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba ...the Army of the Pure, an Ahl-e-Hadith terror organization founded by Hafiz Saeed. LeT masquerades behind the Jamaat-ud-Dawa facade within Pakistain and periodically blows things up and kills people in India. Despite the fact that it is banned, always an interesting concept in Pakistain, the organization remains an blatant tool and perhaps an arm of the ISI...> (LeT), was extradited to India from Rwanda today by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). He had been implicated in the Bengaluru Prisons Terror Conspiracy case, where investigations revealed his role in radicalising individuals and supplying explosives to terror operatives.
Khan was arrested in Kigali, Rwanda's capital, yesterday following a coordinated effort between the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB), Interpol, and the National Central Bureaus (NCBs). He was then transferred to India early on Thursday, where he was formally taken into NIA custody.
This marks the 17th instance since 2020 that the NIA has successfully facilitated the extradition or deportation of terror-related runaways.
Salman Khan had been serving a sentence for a POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) conviction at Bengaluru Central Prison between 2018 and 2022.
A pedophile jihadi? How stereotypical.
It was during this period that he came into contact with T Naseer, a convicted terrorist serving a life sentence, who played a key role in radicalising Khan and establishing a terror network within the prison.
The NIA's investigation uncovered how Salman, once radicalised, actively participated in terror activities, assisting in the procurement and distribution of arms, ammunition, and explosives to terror operatives.
Naseer also devised plots to facilitate his escape during court appearances, with Salman playing a part in these plans. When the terror conspiracy was exposed, Salman fled India and evaded capture until his arrest in Rwanda.
The NIA registered the Bengaluru Prisons Terror Conspiracy case on October 25 last year, taking over from Bengaluru City Police. Salman, who had been declared a runaway, was charged under the stringent UAPA, the Arms Act, and the Explosive Substances Act.
A Red Notice was issued by Interpol at the NIA's request on August 2 this year. Acting on the notice, authorities in Rwanda arrested Salman and alerted Indian agencies, leading to coordinated efforts by the NIA, the Rwandan NCB, and Interpol, culminating in his extradition.
In 2024 alone, 26 runaways have been returned to India through coordinated efforts with Interpol, including Raihan Arabikkalalarikkal, wanted for crimes against minors, who was extradited from Saudi Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat Frational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start... .
[Rudaw] Iraq sent additional reinforcement to the border areas with Syria, Defense Minister Thabet al-Abbasi said on Monday, stressing that the situation is "under control," as tensions continue to grow in Syria.
"The situation is calm at the border and the military units are on high alert. I want assure the Iraqi people that everything is under control," Abbasi told Rudaw’s Halkawt Aziz in Baghdad.
The minister noted that there are high coordination with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) officials and the Peshmerga ministry to secure the border areas.
"Our brother, the Peshmerga Chief of Staff, attended the meeting of the National Security Council, and there is high coordination between us," he said.
Iraqi officials, including the defense minister, visited the army in the bordering areas with Syria on Saturday to monitor the preparations, and ensure that the fight does not spill into Iraq, including a possible infiltration of Jihadist bandidosLions of Islam into the country.
The minister also conducted an "aerial reconnaissance tour along the Iraq-Syria border strip" to inspect measures taken by the security forces, according to a statement from his office.
A coalition of Syrian rebel groups, led by the jihadist Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, formerly al-Nusra, before that it was called something else ...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State... (HTS), have made a dramatic grab of territory in northern Syria over the past week. They took control of the northern city of Aleppo, the largest in the country, and advanced their offensive into Hama province.
The Syrian army on Monday said it began carrying out deadly strikes with top ally Russia against advancing rebels and jihadists in the north and has begun pushing them back across three provinces.
Syrian President Bashir al-Assad on Monday said that the developments are part of a wider plan to divide the region, in a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian, with Tehran also a key backer of Damascus.
Assad vowed that the escalation "will only increase Syria’s determination to confront and eliminate bandidosLions of Islam in all Syrian territories," while Pezeshkian reaffirmed support for Damascus.
But both Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... and Russia are in very different positions from the last time they jumped to Assad’s assistance to dislodge the rebels across the country. Russia is at war in Ukraine and Iran’s network of proxies has been weakened by Israel.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, placed the corpse count in five days of fighting at 446, including 200 and 44 bandidosLions of Islam from HTS and SNA respectively, 141 Syrian army soldiers, and 61 civilians.
Over 20,000 Syrians have been displaced within Aleppo due to the recent surge of violence, according to the United Nations ...an organization originally established to war on dictatorships which was promptly infiltrated by dictatorships and is now held in thrall to dictatorships... Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
[IsraelTimes] Following this evening’s rocket fire from the Khan Younis area in the Gaza Strip at southern Israel, the IDF is calling on Palestinian civilians in the area to evacuate to the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone.
“Terror organizations are once again firing rockets at the State of Israel from your area. The specified area has been warned several times in the past,” Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman says, publishing a map of the zones that are to be evacuated.
“For your own safety, you must evacuate the area immediately and move to the humanitarian zone,” he adds.
The IDF in recent months has repeatedly issued evacuation orders for areas from which terrorists launched rockets at Israel.
Hamas took responsibility for the rocket fire. One rocket was launched in the attack, which was intercepted by air defenses according to the IDF.
For a number of things, Glenmore, Israel has given up on their usual suppliers and started to roll their own. After the current emergency, that capacity is going to be interesting.
#6
How fortunate that my assumptions are recognized and gently corrected when necessary. :-) I’m clearly still recovering from Thanksgiving. Thank you, gentlemen.
[IsraelTimes] Report says satellite images and video footage indicate the military has demolished around 600 buildings in last 3 months to create a buffer zone around the central Gaza corridor
The IDF has significantly bolstered its presence in the central 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 in recent months, and the territory controlled by Israel in and around the so-called Netzarim corridor has rapidly expanded, according to a report Monday, in an apparent indication the IDF is preparing to remain inside the Paleostinian enclave for at least the foreseeable future.
By analyzing satellite images and video footage, the New York Times
...which still proudly claims Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize... reported that Israeli forces have also constructed several dozen new bases in and around the corridor over the last three months.
The Netzarim Corridor, which started as a four-mile strip of land, is built around a road south of Gaza City, enabling the IDF to carry out raids in northern and central Gaza while controlling access to the north for Paleostinians seeking to return after fleeing south. It also enables Israel to coordinate deliveries of humanitarian aid directly to northern Gaza.
In recent months, however, the corridor has significantly expanded, reaching as far as the outskirts of Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood to the north, and the Wadi Gaza stream to the south, encompassing around 47 square kilometers (18 square miles) of land.
The IDF has attempted to create what appears to be a buffer zone around the outskirts of the military-controlled block of land, the report said, and in doing so, has demolished around 600 buildings, residential and otherwise, over the last three months.
The Times said that the estimation was reached by analyzing satellite images and video footage taken by the IDF’s Combat Engineering Battalion between September 3 and November 21.
Troops have also "rapidly expanded a network of outposts equipped with communications towers and defensive fortifications," the report said.
The IDF’s expansion work "suggests that it may be preparing to exert long-term control over the area," The Times said.
An IDF front man told the newspaper that the buildings were demolished in order to prevent Hamas ..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,... operatives from using them as lookout points, or as a place to hide ahead of launching attacks on Israeli forces.
Inside the expanded Netzarim Corridor area, additional satellite images analyzed by the Times found that the IDF has been building at a rapid pace, having either constructed or expanded the existing infrastructure of 12 military bases since early September.
In total, the report said, the IDF has constructed at least 19 large military bases and dozens of smaller ones in the area surrounding the Netzarim Corridor since the start of the war against Hamas last October.
The satellite images revealed extensive fortifications surrounding the bases, many of which the news outlet said were walled off, with access roads and parking spaces for armored vehicles.
Some also have communications towers, it added, and the largest of the bases is attached to a checkpoint.
Despite the rapid expansion of Israeli infrastructure, an IDF front man seemed to reject the notion that the military was preparing for a permanent presence in the enclave, telling the Times that "anything that has been built [in the Netzarim Corridor] can be taken down within a day."
[IsraelTimes] Terror group says first fire since truce is an ‘initial warning’ against Israel over ‘continued violation of Lebanese airspace’; US says ceasefire holding despite incidents
The Israeli military launched a wave of Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s in Leb ...an Iranian satrapy until recently ruled by Hassan Nasrallah situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else? It is the home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... on Monday evening after Hezbollah launched two mortars at the Mount Dov area for the first time since the ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed terror group took effect last week.
In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces said fighter jets struck Hezbollah operatives and dozens of rocket launchers and facilities belonging to the terror group across Lebanon.
Hezbollah claimed earlier on Monday that it launched the mortars in response to Israel’s "repeated violations" of the ceasefire deal that took effect last week, and said that it should serve as an "initial warning" over IDF strikes on Lebanon during the truce and the "continued violation of Lebanese airspace by hostile Israeli aircraft."
The incident — the first fire from Lebanon since the start of the truce — came after the US and La Belle France both reportedly warned that Israel was violating parts of the deal, a charge Israel has denied.
The IDF said that the projectiles landed in open areas and did not cause any injuries.
Senior Israeli officials were quick to condemn the Hezbollah attack, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowing a firm response.
"Hezbollah’s firing at Mount Dov constitutes a serious violation of the ceasefire, and Israel will respond forcefully," he said in a statement. "We are determined to continue to enforce the ceasefire, and to respond to any violation by Hezbollah — a minor one will be treated like a major one."
Defense Minister Israel Katz also warned of a "harsh response," writing on X that Israel "promised to act against any violation of the ceasefire by Hezbollah, and that is exactly what we will do."
In addition to the Hezbollah operatives, rocket launchers, and facilities targeted by fighter jets, the IDF said it struck the launcher used to fire the two mortars at Mount Dov. The site was hit a short while after the attack, according to the army.
"Hezbollah’s launches tonight constitute a violation of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon," the IDF said in a statement.
"The State of Israel demands that the relevant parties in Lebanon fulfill their responsibilities and prevent Hezbollah’s hostile activity from within Lebanese territory. The State of Israel remains obligated to the fulfillment of the conditions of the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon," the army added.
Lebanon’s health ministry later said at least nine people were killed in Israeli strikes on two southern villages.
"The Israeli enemy strike on the village of Haris killed five people and injured two, in an initial toll," the ministry said in a statement, adding that another such attack on Tallousa "killed four people and injured one person."
Syria’s Sham FM radio, meanwhile, reported that a series of Israeli airstrikes on Monday night targeted border crossings between Lebanon and Syria in the al-Qusayr area. The IDF had bombed the crossings before, saying that they were being used by Hezbollah to smuggle Iranian weapons into Lebanon.
Despite the incidents on Monday, US officials said that the ceasefire was still holding. Speaking to news hounds aboard Air Force One, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby acknowledged that there have been "some sporadic strikes" over the last several days, but claims "this was expected" and is still a major decrease from the hundreds of Hezbollah rocket attacks and Israeli counter-strikes that were taking place before the ceasefire came into place.
Kirby noted that the ceasefire included the beefing up of an enforcement mechanism that has already begun responding to events on the ground. The mechanism now includes a US Army general who has been dispatched to the US embassy in Beirut and will work with US civilian representative Amos Hochstein to respond to reported violations in real-time, Kirby said.
The White House spokesperson said Israel and Lebanon remain committed to the ceasefire, but he conceded that it is only one week old, and there is more work to do to ensure that the enforcement mechanism is bolstered.
Pressed on the subject during a subsequent briefing, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller responded similarly, insisting that the ceasefire has not broken down.
He said the US-led enforcement mechanism is still adjudicating claims by both sides of ceasefire violations. "That’s what we’ll do over the coming days and coming months."
"If we do see violations of the ceasefire, we’ll go to the parties and tell them to knock it off," Miller said.
The State Department spokesperson declined to comment on reports that Hochstein has reached out to Israel to express concern that Israel is enforcing the ceasefire "too aggressively."
"Broadly speaking, it is our assessment that despite some of these incidents that we are seeing, the ceasefire is holding," Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder, a Pentagon front man, also told news hounds.
Israel rejected accusations of violating the ceasefire agreement and said that its strikes in recent days have targeted Hezbollah infractions.
The IDF said on Monday that it had carried out several strikes in Lebanon in the past day, following Hezbollah actions "that posed a threat to the State of Israel and violated the understandings between Israel and Lebanon."
It said that it had struck several military vehicles operating at a Hezbollah missile manufacturing facility in the Beqaa Valley, and additional vehicles at several sites on the Lebanon-Syria border in the Hermel District, which were used by Hezbollah to transport weapons.
"The IDF is deployed in southern Lebanon and acts against any threat that endangers the State of Israel" the military said.
In one incident, the Lebanese army said that an Israeli strike targeted a military bulldozer while it was carrying out fortification work inside the al-Abbara military base near the border with Syria, wounding one soldier.
The IDF said that it was investigating the incident.
While Israel has insisted that its strikes are legitimate, as they are targeting Hezbollah operatives and infrastructure, the US reportedly warned on Monday that its actions violate the terms of the ceasefire agreement.
[IsraelTimes] Opposition figures speaking to Israeli TV say they love Jewish state and want to forge friendship; report indicates Hezbollah may be sending forces to Syria as Assad looks for help
We can see who Al Qaeda thinks is the regional strong horse… Note that neither they nor ISIS seriously went after Israel, even though they are that desirable target, the Saturday people.
A Syrian rebel involved in a re-energized insurgency challenging regime forces reportedly told an Israeli network that the IDF’s campaign against Iran-backed forces had likely aided opposition fighters who managed to capture Aleppo and other areas in a lightning offensive last week.
Insurgents led by jihadi group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham launched a two-pronged attack on Aleppo and the countryside around Idlib on Wednesday, notching major gains and dealing a huge embarrassment to Syrian leader Bashar Assad, while increasing pressure on his allies Iran and Russia — which are preoccupied with their own conflicts.
The rebel offensive was launched just as a ceasefire went into effect between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, which had suffered serious setbacks to its manpower and arsenal in recent weeks after Jerusalem launched an intensified campaign aimed at neutralizing the threat posed by the terror group to northern Israel.
“Nobody knows if Iran and the regime would have been weakened without the recent Israeli attacks in Syria, which have allowed us to return and free the lands and the country,” a man described as an opposition activist from the Aleppo area told Israel’s Kan public broadcaster in comments aired Sunday. Israel has for a long time carried out periodic strikes against Iranian targets and weapons transfers in Syria.
Another rebel figure from the Idlib area who spoke to the network thanked Jerusalem and said the opposition was “very satisfied” with Israel’s actions against Hezbollah and other Iran-backed players. Hezbollah is avowedly committed to destroying Israel.
“They accuse us of cooperating with you because we were quite happy when you attacked Hezbollah, really happy, and we’re glad that you won,” the source said.
Odd how so many others proclaim that really Hezbollah won, not Israel.
Both said the rebels had no issue with Israel. “We love Israel and we were never its enemies,” the man from the Idlib area said. “[Israel] isn’t hostile to those who are not hostile toward it. We don’t hate you, we love you very much.”
”…Because you kill Shiites for us. Later, after we defeat them, we will happily hate you again and try to conquer you. ALLAHU AKHBAR! ULULULULULULULU!!!”
Kan did not provide other information on the identity of the rebels or what groups they hailed from. The new insurgency has been led by jihadist fighters from 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... , an offshoot of the al-Qaeda terror organization previously known as Jabhat al-Nusra, or the Nusra Front.
But the comments appeared to jibe with those of a man identified as a rebel commander who told Israel’s Channel 12 news in remarks also aired Sunday that the timing of the offensive in Syria had not been coincidental.
“We looked at the [ceasefire] agreement with Hezbollah and understood that this is the time to liberate our lands,” said the source. “This operation was critical. We will not let Hezbollah fight in our areas and we will not let the Iranians take root there.”
The rebel commander added that the goal was to topple the Assad regime and set up a government that has good relations with all its neighbors, including Israel.
Hudna! Hudnah! Hudnah! (They plan to go after the country of the Jooooos after they’ve absorbed Syria, just like Mohammed. Inshallah, of course.
“It will be a country based on equality and justice for all Syrian citizens without exception, where there will be peace and security with the entire region, including with Israel,” he tells Channel 12.
”Very peaceful, after everyone who is not us submits, as Allah intended.”
Also speaking to the channel, exiled Syrian opposition leader Fahad Al Masri egged on Israel’s military to back the opposition offensive.
“We call on the Israeli leadership to launch intensive attacks against the positions and troops of the Iran-backed militias in Syrian territory,” he said. “It will be necessary to strike sites in Homs, Damascus and on the Lebanon border. This will help rid Syria’s territory of the Lebanese presence and Hezbollah’s weapons and the octopus tentacles of Iran.”
A LITTLE HELP FROM ASSAD’S FRIENDS
Both Tehran and Moscow have pledged to continue supporting Assad, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterating that support Monday morning.
On Sunday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi traveled to Damascus to meet the Syrian leader, saying the Islamic Republic would “firmly support the Syrian government and army,” Iranian state media reported.
After the talks, Assad emphasized “the importance of the support of allies and friends in confronting foreign-backed terrorist attacks.”
Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy, was another key element in helping Assad quash rebel advances during Syria’s long civil war, but it is unclear to what extent the organization would be able to aid the regime now as it attempts to regroup following Israel’s punishing offensive.
According to a separate Kan report Sunday, Western intelligence officials have seen evidence that Hezbollah had sent forces from Lebanon to Syria to defend the terror group’s infrastructure in northern Syria, fearing that Iranian or Hezbollah holdings could fall into rebel hands.
Despite halting most fire in Lebanon, Israel has vowed to continue striking Hezbollah if it spots attempts to resupply the group with arms, which have generally run through Syria. On Saturday, Israeli Air Force fighter jets struck infrastructure in Syria near the country’s border crossings with Lebanon which the Israel Defense Forces said were being “actively” used by Hezbollah to transfer weapons.
The Lebanese army said Monday morning that an Israeli drone struck a Lebanese military bulldozer while it was carrying out fortification work inside the Al-Abbara military base near Lebanon’s border with Syria, injuring one soldier.
In Syria, Assad was attempting to rush reinforcements northward, prompting battles on Sunday and Monday as government troops attempted to halt the rebels’ advance to Hama.
Syrian state media said government resupply included heavy equipment and rocket launchers while Syrian and Russian airstrikes targeted weapon depots and insurgent strongholds. Sham FM, which is closely linked to the regime, said the Syrian army shot down drones belonging to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in northern Hama.
Speaking to The Times of Israel over the weekend, an Israel official wouldn’t say whether Israel saw the rebel success as a positive development, noting only that Israel was “paying close attention all the time to what is happening in Syria, and is ready for any scenario.”
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN’s “State of the Union” that the US was also watching the situation carefully, noting that Washington had “real concerns about the designs and objectives of” Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.
The profundity of that profound statement is irrefutable.
“At the same time, of course, we don’t cry over the fact that the Assad government, backed by Russia, Iran and Hezbollah, are facing certain kinds of pressure,” he added.
Rebel commander Col. Hassan Abdulghani said the insurgents’ advance in the countryside around Idlib put all of the province of the same name under their control.
In Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province, military vehicles abandoned by Syrian troops dotted the roads. People posed and took pictures of themselves atop one abandoned tank on a highway, while the insurgents grabbed munitions and shells from them before continuing their push deeper into Syria.
The insurgents vowed to push all the way into Damascus, but life in the Syrian capital remained normal with no signs of panic. In southeastern Aleppo, however, the main road out of the city was gridlocked as people fled the fighting, and gas stations in the area were short on fuel.
Syrian state television claimed government forces had killed nearly 1,000 insurgents over the past three days, without providing evidence or details.
Government airstrikes in Idlib and Aleppo killed at least 25 people, of whom 14 were women and children, according to the Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, which operates in opposition-held areas.
The head of Syria’s main opposition group abroad, Hadi al-Bahra, told Reuters that the rebels were able to seize the city so quickly because Hezbollah and other Iran-backed groups were distracted by their conflict with Israel.
Preparations were made since last year for an assault on Aleppo, but it was held up by the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, he said.
#3
The rebel alliance has many components and they do not agree on policy except that they want to get rid of the Assad government and its Russian and Iranian backers.
There is a strong muslim brotherhood faction and Turkish paid mercenaries and former (and disenchanted) ISIS folk and defectors from Assad's military as well as a few more groups. I'm surprised at how effective their first offense went but then that may be because the Government side was so incompetent.
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
12/03/2024 12:55 Comments ||
Top||
#4
ref #2 above
...those long forgotten truck convoys into Syria?
"The theory holds that Saddam Hussein did in fact have huge stockpiles of chemical weapons all along, but they were never uncovered by U.S. forces because he secretly smuggled them out to Syria days before the 2003 invasion of Iraq."
[Rudaw] Thousands of Kurds, previously displaced from Afrin, are stuck in their cars and on roads while trying to leave the Shahba area of Aleppo province as The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire... -backed snuffies ramp up their attacks in a bid to take the area from Kurdish forces, a local source told Rudaw on Monday.
One of the individuals told Rudaw that they have been stuck on the way near a cement factory and near Ahdas area since late Sunday
Exclusive footage obtained by Rudaw shows a large number of cars and numerous people stuck on a road without heating despite freezing weather.
The local source called on relevant authorities to open the way for them.
Hundreds of thousands of people, mostly Kurds, fled their hometown of Afrin in 2018 in the face of a military operation by Turkey and its Syrian proxies, residing in Shahba and other Kurdish-held areas.
Syrian troops, who controlled bordering areas of Shahba, withdrew from the area earlier this week as the regime forces were being defeated in western Aleppo by a coalition of Death Eater groups spearheaded by the Jihadist Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, formerly al-Nusra, before that it was called something else ...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State... (HTS).
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The Syrian Air Force, with the support of the Russian Aerospace Forces, destroyed one of the headquarters of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group (a terrorist organization banned in the Russian Federation) in Idlib. This was reported on December 2 by the Sham FM radio station.
According to the radio station, dozens of militants were killed and wounded as a result of the strike, including one of the leaders of the terrorist group of Arab origin.
Very good.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on November 27, militant groups in Syria launched an offensive against government army positions in the Aleppo region. The terrorists were able to capture 13 settlements.
On November 29, it became known that Syrian soldiers launched a counteroffensive against Hayat Tahrir al-Sham militants in Aleppo and Idlib. The government army also managed to liberate the city of Al-Bakoum.
On December 2, the command of the Syrian government army announced that the country's troops and the Russian Aerospace Forces had destroyed more than 400 militants in the Aleppo and Idlib provinces in a few hours.
More from regnum.ru Terrorists seized Aleppo with the help of US technology and support from Ukraine
Terrorists from the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group (a terrorist organization banned in Russia) captured the city of Aleppo thanks to Ukrainian advisers and advanced American technology. This was reported by RIA Novosti, citing a source close to the Syrian special services.
According to the source, the militants of the group have no experience in using high technology, but they managed to master it with the support of advisers from Ukraine, from the Islamic Party of Turkestan
…the Uighur contingent of Al Qaeda it started as an Islamist independence movement in China, joined Al Qaeda on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, and sent a contingent to Syria to join Al Nusra/Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. They are known in Syria for being particularly nasty in a milieu that encourages nastiness…
(a terrorist organization banned in Russia) and Syrian officers who went over to the terrorists' side.
“The assault groups and drones were equipped with encrypted GPS devices and extensive use of artificial intelligence, so that the use and navigation of attack UAVs and kamikaze drones could be carried out from a long distance,” the unnamed source added.
He also noted that the Syrian army encountered powerful electronic warfare systems during the militants' offensive for the first time since 2011. As reported by Regnum News Agency, on November 27, militant units in Syria launched an offensive against government army positions in the Aleppo region. The terrorists were able to capture 13 settlements.
On November 29, it became known that Syrian soldiers launched a counteroffensive against Hayat Tahrir al-Sham militants in Aleppo and Idlib. The government army also managed to liberate the city of Al-Bakum. On December 2, the command of the Syrian government army stated that Syrian troops and the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) had destroyed more than 400 militants in the Aleppo and Idlib provinces in a few hours.
Speaking to Sky News Arabia, Israel Defense Forces spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the military is closely following the events in Syria and has observed Tehran sending forces to bolster Assad’s regime.
------------- article contained image of Bashir Assad in his palace, per the image it was on 1 December 24.
Hundreds of Iran-backed Iraqi fighters crossed into Syria on Monday to help the government fight rebels who seized Aleppo last week, while Lebanon’s Hezbollah has no plans for now to join them, according to sources.
Iraqi and Syrian sources confirmed the deployment of more Iran-backed Iraqi fighters to Syria. Iran’s foreign minister said Tehran “will provide any support needed” and that “resistance groups” would come to Assad’s aid.
At least 300 fighters, primarily from Iraq’s Badr and Nujabaa groups, crossed late on Sunday using a dirt road to avoid the official border crossing, two Iraqi security sources said, adding that they were there to defend a Shi’ite shrine.
A senior Syrian military source said the fighters had crossed in small groups to avoid airstrikes. “These are fresh reinforcements being sent to aid our comrades on the front lines in the north,” the source said.
The head of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, which includes the major Shi’ite militia groups aligned with Iran, said no group under its umbrella had entered Syria, and that it does not operate outside Iraq.
But Lebanon’s Hezbollah terror group, which is the most capable Iran-backed force in Assad’s military alliance in Syria, has not yet been asked to intervene and was not ready to send forces after the 14-month-long war it initiated with Israel, said three sources familiar with the group’s thinking.
In recent months, Hezbollah withdrew its operatives from Syria, including the north, to focus on battling Israel in southern Lebanon, after the IDF launched its ground operation in late September after a year of near-daily Hezbollah attacks displaced some 60,000 residents of northern Israel.
The rebels who swept this week into Aleppo pointed to Hezbollah’s withdrawal as one of the reasons they faced little resistance from government forces.
Hezbollah bases and weapons shipments through Syria have been repeatedly hit by Israel, which has sought to weaken Iran across the region.
Arab countries and Washington have seen the weakening of Hezbollah as a potential opportunity to peel Assad away from his alliance with Iran.
Sources have told Reuters that the United Arab Emirates and United States had been discussing the possibility of lifting sanctions against Assad if he reduces his reliance on Tehran. The rebel advance could complicate this if it pushes Assad to depend more on Iranian support.
Dozens of Iran-aligned Iraqi Hashd al Shaabi fighters from Iraq also crossed into Syria through a military route near Al Bukamal crossing, a senior Syrian army source tells Reuters.
“These are fresh reinforcements being sent to aid our comrades on the front lines in the north,” the officer says, adding that the militias included Iraq’s Kataib Hezbollah and Fatemiyoun groups.
“It’s time to earn those paychecks, boys!”
Iran sent thousands of Shiite fighters to Syria during the Syrian war and, alongside Russia with its air power, enabled Syrian President Bashar Assad to crush the insurgency and regain most of his territory.
A lack of that manpower to help thwart the rebel onslaught in recent days contributed to the speedy retreat of Syrian army forces and withdrawal from Aleppo city, according to two other army sources. Militias allied to Iran, led by the Hezbollah terror group, have a strong presence in the Aleppo area.
Hezbollah has been seriously weakened in its war with Israel over the past year.
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.
[KhaamaPress] Local officials in 
...Arabic for 
...a Moslem country located in the Horn of Africa. It is noted for its affinity for rule by ex- or current generals, its holy men, and for the oppression of the native Afro population by its Arab conquerors. South Sudan, populated mostly by the natives, split off from Sudan proper, which left North and South Darfur to be oppressed by the guys with turbans...
... al-Qaeda's tentacle in East Africa...
[OneIndia] A contractual worker has been apprehended by the 
[OneIndia] Salman Rehman Khan, a terrorist associated with the banned 
...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...
[Rudaw] Iraq sent additional reinforcement to the border areas with Syria, Defense Minister Thabet al-Abbasi said on Monday, stressing that the situation is "under control," as tensions continue to grow in Syria.
...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State...
..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,...
...an Iranian satrapy until recently ruled by Hassan Nasrallah situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else? It is the home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers...
[IsraelTimes] Opposition figures speaking to Israeli TV say they love Jewish state and want to forge friendship; report indicates Hezbollah may be sending forces to Syria as Assad looks for help
...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State...
