[Modernity] Illegals in the US have started self-deporting ahead of Trump taking office according to an immigration attorney.
Rolando Vasquez told NewsNation that there has been a surge in immigrant voluntarily leaving with Trump’s promised mass deportations on the horizon and with Mexico agreeing to take non-Mexican deportees.
Another driving factor is that Cuba and Venezuela generally do not accept deportation flights from the United States but may accept them from Mexico.
"This is causing many migrants to leave on their own, knowing that they’re either going to be deported to their home country or be deported to Mexico," Vasquez said, adding "The overwhelming majority of them do not want to be in Mexico."
NewsNation reporter Jorge Ventura also warned sources have told him that newly deported migrants are targets for extortion or even abduction by Mexican cartels and human smugglers.
A federal appeals court on Friday declared the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals immigration policy unlawful, casting a cloud of uncertainty over more than half a million unauthorized immigrants brought to the U.S. as children ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration.
A panel of judges before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit upheld a lower court ruling that found that a Biden administration rule to codify DACA violated U.S. immigration law. The 2012 Obama administration memo that originally created the policy has also been found to be unlawful by federal courts.
#5
Caught part of a segment on one of the TJ stations yesterday: "Inmigrantes trabajing voluntaridadamente on fire cleanup!" Looked like about a dozen people putting debris on a truck. Matching T-shirts and everything.
[GEO.TV] Dr Aafia Siddiqui ...American-educated Pak cognitive neuroscientist who was convicted of assault with intent to murder her U.S. interrogators in Afghanistan. In September 2010, she was sentenced to 86 years in jug after a three-ring trial. Siddiqui, using the alias Fahrem or Feriel Shahin, was one of six alleged al-Qaeda members who bought $19 million worth of blood diamonds in Liberia immediately prior to 9-11-01. Since her incarceration Paks have taken her to their heart and periodically erupt into demonstrations, while the government tries to find somebody to swap for her... , a Pak neuroscientist currently serving an 86-year sentence at the Federal Medical Center (FMC) Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas, has sought presidential pardon ahead of power transfer in the US, terming her jail term as ''a blatant miscarriage of justice''.
Her lawyer was of the view that the US intelligence "got the wrong end of the stick in the beginning" as agencies thought Siddiqui was a nuclear physicist working on a radioactive bomb "when she really did her PhD in education".
Siddiqui, who has been languishing in US prison for over 14 years, hoped she would be freed after "new evidence" emerged which may suggest her innocence, Sky News reported.
She has maintained her innocence and hopes ''the tide could now be turning''.
"I hope I am not forgotten, and I hope that one day soon I will be released," she told the British news channel through her lawyer.
"I am... a victim of injustice, pure and simple. Every day is torture... it is not easy. One day, Inshallah (God-willing), I will be released from this torment."
In a 76,500-word dossier, her counsel Clive Stafford Smith urged outgoing US President Joe The Big Guy Biden ...46th president of the U.S. The man who made Barack Obama and Jimmy Carter look competent, if only by comparison.... to issue a pardon for her client.
Her lawyer claims a catalogue of intelligence errors led to her initially becoming a suspect, citing witness testimonies that were unavailable at the time of her trial.
He alleges that, while Siddiqui was visiting Pakistain in 2003, she was kidnapped with her three children and handed to the CIA, which took her to Bagram air base in Afghanistan.
At the time of her trial in 2010, the judge stated: "There is no credible evidence in the record that the US officials and/or agencies detained Siddiqui" before her 2008 arrest, adding there is "no evidence in the record to substantiate these allegations or to establish them as fact".
Her lawyer was of the view that the US intelligence "got the wrong end of the stick in the beginning" as agencies thought Siddiqui was a nuclear physicist working on a radioactive bomb "when she really did her PhD in education".
#2
It is chilling to me that the final insult of the departing Puppet Presidency will be a list of pardons I suspect will be extensive. From the moment these grifting, trailer-trash mutts leave office I hope they are mercilessly shunned...
[GEO.TV] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the first stage of the ceasefire deal is temporary and that both US President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump will back Israel's right to resume attacking Gaza in the second phase of the deal.
The PM added that if Israel returns to fighting, it will do it in "new, forceful ways" and he will not relent until all Israel hostages are released, as quoted by Al Jazeera.
Netanyahu added that Israel will not allow "the arrival of any weapons" for Hamas.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/19/2025 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11139 views]
Top|| File under: Hamas
Immediately after the announcement of the ceasefire deal, Khalil al-Hayya, a member of the Hamas Political Bureau recorded a statement in which he said Hamas will continue the terrorist ways of their martyred leaders and that Gazan civilians had served as a shield for Hamas
Immediately after the announcement of the ceasefire deal, Khalil al-Hayya, a member of the Hamas Political Bureau recorded a statement in which he said Hamas will continue the terrorist ways of their martyred leaders and that Gazan civilians had served as a shield for Hamas pic.twitter.com/x726FdhN4q
[IsraelTimes] Egypt says 50 fuel trucks will enter Gaza each day of first phase; BBC: Israel will allow Hamas police to operate during ceasefire
The ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas ..one of the armed feet of the Moslem Brüderbund millipede,... terror group 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 will come into effect on Sunday at 8:30 a.m. local time, Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... and the Israel Defense Forces said Saturday. Hours later, the first Israeli hostages and Paleostinian prisoners will be released under the agreement.
"As coordinated by the parties to the agreement and the mediators, the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, January 19, local time in Gaza," Qatar’s Foreign Ministry front man Majed al-Ansari said on X. "We advise the inhabitants to take precaution, exercise the utmost caution, and wait for directions from official sources."
The IDF in a statement also confirmed the ceasefire’s start time.
Israeli officials said Saturday that they were expecting to receive the names of the first three hostages to be released on Sunday by the evening, adding that Hamas will give the names to the Qataris, who will then inform Mosssd ...... Chief David Barnea, who is then expected to inform the families.
The first three hostages to be released on Sunday will be civilian women on the list of 33 hostages to be freed in the 42-day first phase of the Israel-Hamas deal, according to Israeli officials.
The Paleostinian prisoners to be freed in exchange for the three hostages will not be released before 4 p.m. on Sunday — roughly when the first hostages are expected back in Israel, some 7.5 hours after the ceasefire comes into effect.
In exchange for all 33 hostages, Israel will, by the end of phase one, hand over up to 1,904 Paleostinian prisoners and detainees, including several serving multiple life sentences for deadly terror attacks and murders.
As part of the first phase of the deal, a major surge of humanitarian aid will also flow into Gaza, with Egypt saying that 50 fuel trucks are set to enter the Strip when the ceasefire starts on Sunday morning.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, whose country mediated the deal with Qatar and the United States, said the agreement calls for "the entry of 600 trucks per day to the Strip, including 50 trucks of fuel."
Hundreds of trucks have lined up on the Egyptian side of the Rafah Border Crossing — previously a vital entry point for aid that has been closed by Egypt since last May, when Israeli forces seized the Paleostinian side.
At a joint news conference on Saturday with his Nigerian counterpart, Abdelatty said: "We hope that 300 trucks will go to the north of the Gaza Strip," where thousands are trapped in what aid agencies say are desperate conditions.
According to a report by the BBC, citing a senior Paleostinian official, as part of the security arrangements between Israel and Hamas in the upcoming ceasefire, Israel will allow Hamas coppers who deal with the civilian population to operate in their blue uniforms in certain Gaza areas.
The report said Hamas coppers will oversee the movement of displaced people within Gaza but will avoid areas where IDF troops remain located in the Strip. They will carry weapons when they must, and Egyptian and Qatari officials will help mediate in the event of any conflicts between the sides.
The IDF said on Saturday that it had begun preparations for the ceasefire, and was readying to receive hostages and "implement the operational procedures" that the agreement dictates, likely referring to the withdrawal of IDF troops from populated areas within Gaza to certain agreed-upon zones.
"The IDF has been preparing to receive the hostages upon their release from Hamas captivity and is acting to provide suitable physical and psychological support, with careful attention to every detail," the statement continued.
"Alongside the agreement and our commitment to bringing home all the hostages, the IDF will continue to operate in order to ensure the security of all Israeli citizens, particularly those in communities near the Gaza Strip," it added.
As part of the preparations, the IDF established three complexes near the border with Gaza to receive the released hostages, where they will meet with IDF representatives, including doctors, psychologists and mental health officers.
The complexes have been erected at Re’im Base, the Kerem Shalom Crossing and the Erez Crossing. Hostages released from Gaza will reach one of the three sites depending on their release route.
The military’s 99th Division will withdraw from the Netzarim Corridor of central Gaza, the 162nd Division will be tasked with defending the northern Gaza area, and the Gaza Division will be responsible for the southern portion of the Strip. The Gaza Division will also withdraw gradually from parts of the Philadelphi Corridor area under the deal.
Under the first stage of the agreement, the IDF said Paleostinian civilians will not be allowed to return to areas where the military has a presence, as well as areas close to the border.
"The IDF is prepared with clear lines of defense and is ready to remove threats. Any threat to our forces will receive an aggressive response," the military said.
The ceasefire agreement, which was approved by Israel’s government on Friday night, will bring a halt to the 15-month-long war between Israel and the Paleostinian terror group Hamas, which began when Hamas-led snuffies invaded southern Israel, killing over 1,200 people and kidnapping 251 hostages during their October 7, 2023, onslaught.
[IsraelTimes] State TV says base is ‘built at depth of 500 meters,’ contains vessels with long-range missiles capable of ‘destroying US warships’; Reveal comes days before Trump takes office
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... unveiled an underground naval missile base at an undisclosed Gulf location on Saturday, state TV said, two days before the start of US President-elect Donald Trump ...Perhaps no man has ever had as much fun being president of the US... ’s second term in the White House.
It was unveiled at a time when tension with Washington is widely expected to rise. Iranian leaders are concerned that Trump might empower Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to strike Iran’s nuclear sites, while tightening US sanctions on its oil industry.
During his first term, Trump pursued a policy of "maximum pressure" against Iran, abandoning a landmark nuclear agreement and reimposing sweeping sanctions.
Trump also oversaw the killing of a top Revolutionary Guards general, Qasem Soleimani, in a dronezap on Iraq.
State television showed Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps chief General Hossein Salami visiting the secret base during war games. He said it was one of several built underground for vessels capable of launching long-range missiles and carry out distant warfare.
"We assure the great nation of Iran that their young people are capable of coming out honorable and victorious from a battle on the seas against enemies big and small," Salami said.
State television said the base was built at a depth of 500 meters (1,650 feet) somewhere in the Gulf, showed tunnels with long rows of what it said were a new version of Taregh-class radar-evading speedboats which can launch cruise missiles, and said that some of the vessels were "capable of destroying US warships and destroyers".
[X]
WATCH: Iran's IRGC Navy unveils underground base housing combat boats specialized in targeting US warships
Earlier this month, Iran started military exercises that are due to last two months and have already included war games in which the Revolutionary Guards defended nuclear installations in Natanz against mock attacks by missiles and drones.
Iran, which says its ballistic missiles are an important deterrent and retaliatory force against the US and Israel, has in the past unveiled several "missile cities," underground missile production facilities with tunnels large enough to hold large trucks and multiple production areas.
Tehran maintains that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes and denies any intention to develop atomic weapons. In recent years, however, it has increased its manufacturing of enriched uranium, and it is the only non-nuclear weapons state to possess uranium enriched to 60 percent, according to nuclear watchdog the ineffective International Atomic Energy Agency.
That level is well on the way to the 90 percent enrichment required for an atomic bomb.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[REGNUM] by Kirill Semenov
On January 17, after talks in the Kremlin, Russian and Iranian Presidents Vladimir Putin and Masoud Pezeshkian signed a Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries. This document is intended to replace the current Treaty on the Fundamentals of Relations and Principles of Cooperation between Russia and Iran, signed back in 2001.
"We are satisfied with the results of the current negotiations. I am confident that the agreements reached will contribute to the further strengthening of the entire complex of Russian-Iranian relations and ties. Of course, the signed interstate agreement will serve this ," the Russian leader said.
According to Pezeshkian, the Islamic Republic's bilateral relations with the Russian Federation are comprehensive. "In fact, I tried, I made every effort to ensure that all the problems that exist on our side were eliminated to this day ," the Iranian president said.
THE LONG ROAD TO PARTNERSHIP
The current document records an important shift in relations between the two states, when the Russian Federation and the Islamic Republic not only signed a Strategic Partnership Treaty, but also explicitly spelled out the military aspects of interaction in it. Despite long-standing friendly relations at the present stage, this psychological barrier was quite difficult for both Moscow and Tehran to cross. The parties tried to be cautious about describing their bilateral ties as “strategic”, not to mention avoiding directly declaring military coordination.
It was important for Moscow not to flaunt its special character of interaction with Tehran in front of other Middle Eastern partners, primarily Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and up to a certain point, Israel. And the Iranian leadership has always been weighed down by the domestic political factor and historical memory.
For many Iranians, the Russian Empire was the country that deprived them of part of their ancestral lands, in their opinion, and suppressed uprisings and revolutions. The Soviet Union occupied the country together with Britain and tried to seize “Soviet” South Azerbaijan and “Red” Kurdistan in 1945. And then it was declared a “lesser Satan” — after the formation of the Islamic Republic and the war in Afghanistan, where Tehran was on the side of the Afghan mujahideen opposing the Soviet troops.
But this was overcome. Iran, not without Russia's help, reconciled with its Arab neighbors, and Moscow trusts Israel less and less, having sided with the Kyiv regime. The leadership of the Islamic Republic has already encountered serious domestic political challenges, and those who would have negatively perceived any such agreements with Moscow have gradually moved to the opposition camp. Therefore, Iran increasingly needs to rely on Russia, including for the purposes of its domestic political stability and ability to resist color revolution scenarios.
In fact, such a long discussion of the points of the concluded Treaty was largely connected with these aspects. By the way, a similar Chinese-Iranian agreement was also discussed and agreed upon for more than five years.
It is obvious that the special military operation showed Russia who is its partner and who is its fellow traveler. Therefore, the obvious turn of the Russian Federation to the East, including towards the Islamic world, not only allowed to consolidate the strategic nature of relations between Moscow and Tehran, but also forced us to rethink our civilizational closeness.
This probably accelerated the process of coordinating the document and influenced its content. Among other things, the preamble emphasizes the "closeness of cultures and spiritual and moral values" of the peoples of the Russian Federation and the Islamic Republic.
FROM ECONOMY TO DEFENSE
The Embassy of the Islamic Republic in Moscow told Regnum that the agreement between Iran and Russia covers many areas of activity. This includes trade and economic cooperation, interaction in the energy sector, environmental protection, as well as defense and security. Iranian diplomats emphasized that the process of developing this agreement has been underway for many years, since the end of 2014, and the negotiation process on this document has continued under three different Iranian governments.
According to them, this document is actually an updated version of the Agreement on Long-Term Cooperation, which was ratified and signed by the two countries in late 2001. Since 2003, when this Agreement entered into force, it was in effect for ten years, that is, until 2013, and then was automatically extended for another five. Now it is the basis for cooperation between Iran and Russia. And the new Agreement will be "a kind of continuation, addition and update of the previous one . "
As noted by the Iranian embassy, the agreement was approved by the two countries at the beginning of the summer. At the same time, Moscow and Tehran were looking for a suitable time to sign the document.
"Over these two or three decades, Iran and Russia have expanded their cooperation in various fields and in all areas of the economy, trade and energy. Therefore, it is natural that in accordance with the requirements of the time, the level and scale of our relations, we needed to update the previous document. This is a bilateral agreement aimed at strengthening relations between Iran and Russia ," the embassy emphasized.
Relations between Iran and Russia, two neighbors, have been tested throughout history, but are now at their peak in the last ten years. Both countries, facing common threats and challenges and sharing a common goal of resisting the Western dominance system, have long needed to take their relations to a new qualitative level, based on a codified and long-term strategy. Therefore, the strategic partnership between Tehran and Moscow, enshrined in the Treaty, can become a turning point for the realization of this important goal.
It is no coincidence that Article 2 of the Treaty emphasizes “the rejection of unipolarity and hegemony in world affairs,” and Moscow and Tehran undertake to “oppose interference by third parties in the internal and external affairs” of the two states.
FOR NOW, A STRATEGIC ALLIANCE INSTEAD OF A MILITARY BLOC
Against the backdrop of confrontation with the collective West, the Treaty may become a step towards the gradual transformation of bilateral relations into a full-fledged strategic alliance. Of course, this does not mean the creation of a formal military-political alliance like NATO. Unlike NATO, Article 3.3 of the Russian-Iranian agreement does not speak of mandatory aid and support, but of the inadmissibility of providing military or other assistance to the aggressor that contributes to the continuation of aggression against the signatory parties.
At the same time, the provisions spelled out in the Treaty are a significant step forward towards an alliance, and its other points open up broad opportunities for the formalization of defense and military-technical cooperation between Moscow and Tehran.
In particular, already in Article 1 of the document, "cooperation in the field of defense and security" is called one of the priorities in Russian-Iranian relations. Article 4 is devoted to cooperation between the security and intelligence services of the two countries, which will be regulated by separate agreements, as well as the exchange of information between them.
Article 5 covers all areas of defense cooperation between Iran and Russia. In turn, paragraph 4 of this article, which speaks of consultations in the event of threats, corresponds to the spirit of Article 4 of the NATO treaty, which also speaks of consultations preceding the entry into force of paragraph 5 on military assistance.
By the way, the fifth provision of the North Atlantic Treaty also allows for broad interpretations and does not oblige NATO member countries to come to the aid of a member of the bloc that has been subjected to aggression exclusively by military means, but only in the way that each of the states “considers necessary” as a result of those same consultations.
A separate Article 6 is devoted to military-technical cooperation (MTC) between Russia and Iran. The institutionalization of MTC was secured by the provision on the annual meeting of the relevant bodies responsible for such activities. And, finally, Article 7 establishes cooperation in the fight against terrorism, extremism, as well as interaction "on issues of protecting public order and ensuring public safety."
WEAK LINK
Trade and economic ties, unlike military ones, and the economy have always been the weak link in Russian-Iranian relations. The trade turnover between the two countries is within 3-4 billion dollars, while Iran's trade turnover with its neighbors from the UAE has exceeded $11 billion. The signing of the Treaty should revive the dynamics of economic and financial interaction between Moscow and Tehran.
Trade and economic ties are of particular importance given that both countries are facing a large number of tough sanctions from the United States. And the signed Treaty should help create alternative mechanisms for their neutralization through closer cooperation. And here it is important to pay attention to the certain symbolism of the signing of the agreement, which took place three days before Donald Trump , who threatens new restrictions against Iran, returned to the Oval Office. In turn, Russia was subjected shortly before the signing of the Treaty to another package of illegal sanctions, including those concerning oil exports.
According to the Russian president, there should be less bureaucracy and more "specific actions" in trade between Russia and Iran. Vladimir Putin noted that the meaning of the concluded agreement is precisely to create basic additional conditions for the development of trade and economic ties.
There have already been some advances in this direction, which was announced at the press conference following the signing of the Treaty. In particular, our countries have almost completely switched to national currencies in mutual settlements, are striving to build sustainable channels of credit and banking interaction, and are working on linking national payment systems. Thus, in 2024, the share of transactions in Russian rubles and Iranian rials exceeded 95 percent of all bilateral trade operations.
Further implementation of the North-South project is also very promising. "As for North-South, we are interested in this, these are additional opportunities for promoting our goods - both Iranian and Russian - on the world market. Not only we are interested in this, but also those countries that are actively developing trade and economic ties with us ," said Vladimir Putin.
Finally, during the talks in Moscow, Russia and Iran agreed on the route of the gas pipeline to the Islamic Republic via Azerbaijan. As it became known, the talks are in the final stage of discussing the price of supplies. At the first stage, the volume of gas transferred to Iran may amount to 2 billion cubic meters, with the prospect of increasing it to 55 billion cubic meters.
As Iranian experts emphasize, given the numerous opportunities that the two countries have, the strategic partnership agreement will give impetus to the creation of a complementary economic space. It is especially noted that Russia and the EAEU represent a very large market, and Iran's private sector, thanks to its opportunities, can benefit greatly after the mechanisms of the Treaty begin to work.
The expected entry into force of a full-scale free trade agreement between Iran and the EAEU will undoubtedly help to expand Russian-Iranian commercial ties. The Agreement may also contribute to Iran's more active and, most importantly, effective participation in tandem with Russia in the SCO and BRICS. Masoud Pezeshkian also drew special attention to this aspect.
"The changes that are taking place in our region, taking into account the role of new organizations and structures such as BRICS and SCO, are indeed new opportunities, new potential for both countries to interact in the future. The active participation of Iran and Russia in these new regional structures is of great importance for all of us ," the Iranian president said.
***
Although the signing of the Strategic Partnership Agreement had been planned for a long time and could even have taken place during the BRICS summit in Kazan, it seems most appropriate now. This is also due to the events in Syria, when a certain mistrust arose between Moscow and Tehran due to the refusal to support the Bashar al-Assad regime in the final stages of its existence.
The Islamic Republic also fears that after Trump's arrival in the White House, peace talks in Ukraine will begin, and Iran may become a "bargaining chip." At the same time, Moscow is also watching with some caution the reformist government's readiness to make concessions to the West and gradually surrender its positions in the region in exchange for lifting sanctions. Now Iran may be required to refuse cooperation with Russia.
The treaty should at least reduce such concerns and make Moscow and Tehran trust each other more. The strategic nature of the relationship and partnership between the two countries is now formalized and enshrined in paper, along with the corresponding obligations - and this is not something that can be easily ignored.
Posted by: badanov ||
01/19/2025 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11133 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
As long as Hezbollah and the Lebanese army do as committed to in the ceasefire agreement, Israel will withdraw. If they do not, Israel will not. See how simple that is?
[IsraelTimes] UN chief meets newly-elected Joseph Aoun in Beirut, hails ‘new chapter of peace’; Hezbollah chief urges government to confront Israel over ‘more than hundreds’ of violations
Leb ...The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else?... ’s new president Joseph Aoun said Saturday that Israel must "withdraw from occupied territories" in his country’s south by the January 26 deadline set in the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire agreement.
In a speech before visiting United Nations ...boodling on the grand scale... Chief António Guterres ...Portuguese politician and diplomat, ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations. Previously, he was the UN High Commissioner for Refugees between 2005 and 2015. He was the Prime Minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002 and was the Secretary-General of the Socialist Party from 1992 to 2002. He served as President of the Socialist International from 1999 to 2005. In both a 2012 and 2014 poll, the Portuguese public ranked him as the best Prime Minister of the previous 30 years... , Aoun also decried "Israel’s continued violations" of the agreement.
"Blowing up homes and destroying border villages, completely contradicts what was stated in the ceasefire agreement," he said, according to the Lebanese president’s office.
His remarks followed a speech by Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem ... the Grand Vizier of the Hezbullies... who urged Beirut to confront Israel over "more than hundreds" of violations.
Despite the ceasefire, which was signed November 27 after 14 months of war, Israel has continued striking south Lebanon, saying the attacks targeted Hezbollah fighters and weaponry violating the accord, including by continuing to operate south of the Litani River, some 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the border with Israel.
The agreement gives Israel the right to operate against imminent threats. Israel has also accused the Lebanese military and UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL of failing to enforce the agreement in the face of Hezbollah violations.
The ceasefire gave Israel 60 days, until January 26, to withdraw from south Lebanon. After that, the Lebanese Armed Forces and UNIFIL will be the only armed forces permitted to maintain a presence between Israel and the Litani.
However,
the hip bone's connected to the leg bone... there have been some reports in Israel that this deadline could be delayed, ostensibly due to the Lebanese military’s failure to deploy throughout the region quickly enough.
Aoun, elected January 9, has pledged to give the Lebanese state a monopoly on the right to bear arms — a veiled threat against Iran-backed Hezbollah, the only Lebanese militia that did not surrender its arms to the state after the 1975-1990 civil war.
A former head of the army, Aoun clinched the presidency with the backing of 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 rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start... , the United States and La Belle France, which figures heavily in the politics of its former protectorate Lebanon.
HEZBOLLAH CHIEF SEEKS CONFRONTATION
On Saturday, Qassem called "on the Lebanese state to be firm in confronting violations, now numbering more than hundreds. This cannot continue."
"We have been patient with the violations to give a chance to the Lebanese state, responsible for this agreement, along with the international sponsors, but I call on you not to test our patience," he said in a televised speech.
Qassem’s speech came as Guterres met top Lebanese officials, including Aoun and his designated prime minister, outgoing International Court of Justice chief Nawaf Salam.
Analysts say Hezbollah’s weakening in the war with Israel allowed Lebanon’s deeply divided political class to elect Aoun and to back him in naming Salam as premier.
But Qassem insisted that the backing of Hezbollah, and its ally Amal, "is what led to the election of the president by consensus," after around two years of deadlock.
"No one can exploit the results of the aggression in domestic politics," he warned. "No one can exclude us from effective and influential political participation in the country."
Qassem also praised the ceasefire deal 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... , saying the Paleostinians’ sacrifices had stopped Israel’s attempts to erase "the Paleostinian cause."
Meeting with Aoun later Saturday, Guterres said that the election of a president and premier made it possible to consolidate the Lebanese institutions and to deploy the Lebanese army across the country, including areas from which Israel is to withdraw.
Guterres expressed hope that Lebanon could open "a new chapter of peace," and pledged the international community’s support "for what we believe will be a speedy recovery of this country, making it again the center of the Middle East."
"As soon as the conflict ends, reconstruction begins," he said.
On Friday, Guterres had called for Israel to end its military operations and presence in Lebanon’s south. He also said UNIFIL had found more than 100 weapons caches belonging "to Hezbollah or other gangs" since the ceasefire deal was concluded.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who met with Guterres in Lebanon on Friday, also said there must be an "accelerated" implementation of the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire.
The US- and La Belle France-brokered ceasefire in late November came two months after Israel massively escalated operations in Lebanon in a bid to stem Hezbollah’s persistent rocket fire, which forced the displacement of some 60,000 residents of northern Israel.
Israel’s offensive in Lebanon all but decimated Hezbollah’s top brass, drastically weakening the terror group.
Unprovoked, Hezbollah began its near-daily attacks on October 8, 2023 — a day after fellow Iran-backed group Hamas ..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,... stormed southern Israel to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages, sparking the war in Gaza.
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.
[GEO.TV] Dr 
...46th president of the U.S. The man who made Barack Obama and Jimmy Carter look competent, if only by comparison....
......
...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 
...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 rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start...
