[France24] Speaking at African Lion, the largest joint training exercise on the continent.
General Michael Langley urged African nations to take the lead in their own security, calling for greater self-reliance in the face of growing threats.
The shift comes as Islamist insurgencies gain ground while Russia and China intensify their push for influence across the region.
Let's talk more on this and speak to Paul Melly who's a consulting fellow for the Africa Programme at Chatham House.
Continued on Page 47
[NEWARAB] Egypt is ringing alarm bells over a potential plan for the transfer of a sizeable number of Paleostinians from 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 to areas controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) 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...
“Welcome to Sudan, gentlemen and camp followers. Just like the Irish who got off the boat in America during their civil war, you have a choice: fight with us or die. Your uniforms are over there, the tents for your families are ranged beyond. There is also a school and playground for the children, courtesy of America — it does not have any flaming hoops or tunnels. Again, welcome in brotherly solidarity!”
The concerns come against the background of a plan by US President Donald Trump ...The cad! Twice caught beating wimmin!... to take over the coastal Paleostinian enclave, kick its people out and build it into a "Middle East Riviera".
They also come in the wake of media reports about United Arab Emirates-sponsored attempts by RSF commander Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti, to curry favour with Trump's administration by proposing to take in some of the people of Gaza in areas controlled by his militia in Sudan.
Such a plan angers Cairo, which has been lobbying hard to foil the US president's plan.
”How dare those upstarts connive with that horrible Trump person to enable that uppity Jewish state to win against pious Muslims! Don’t they know that we were already civilized when they still painted themselves blue and danced around with bones through their noses?!”
"Egypt staunchly opposes the displacement of the people of Gaza because it is keen on protecting the rights of the Paleostinians to their land," Egyptian political researcher Mohammed Rabie al-Dehi remarked to The New Arab.
They’re no good as a weapon against the Jooooos once they’re scattered and working on survival and improving their lot.
"Hemedti's proposal to take in Gaza refugees makes it necessary for all Arab states to act to rescue Paleostinian statehood dreams," he added.
LITTLE INFLUENCE OVER RSF
There has been no confirmation of the aforementioned reports from either the US or the UAE. The RSF commander Hemedti has not spoken openly about such a plan either.
Nonetheless, Abu Dhabi maintains close relations with the paramilitary Sudanese group which has been locked in a war with the Sudanese army since mid-April 2023, one that has so far destroyed most of Sudan, caused the displacement of millions of Sudanese citizens, both inside and outside Sudan, and opened the door for the emergence of one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
Close relations between the UAE and the RSF have turned the Sudanese army and Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council, the ruling body in Sudan, against Abu Dhabi, with the council accusing the Gulf state of offering arms and financial support to its rival militia.
The Sudanese government has also filed a lawsuit against the UAE at the International Court of Justice, accusing it of complicity with the RSF in perpetrating genocide in Sudan.
Egypt's problem with a scenario where the RSF proposes to take in Gaza refugees in areas it controls in Sudan derives from the little influence it has over the Sudanese militia.
The RSF shares control over Sudanese cities with the Sudanese army. In recent weeks, the paramilitary group intensified its military campaign against the army, having apparently received a fresh supply of arms from its regional benefactors, especially unmanned aerial vehicles.
Now, the RSF controls large swaths of eastern Sudan, along with areas in the western part of the African country where allied militias prevail.
The intensification of the RSF campaign also came hard on the heels of significant victories by the Sudanese army, especially in Sudanese capital, Khartoum.
Cairo has been a strong backer of the Sudanese army, a policy enshrined in Egypt's foreign policy doctrine which bans relations with non-state actors or militias.
This backing has caused relations between Cairo and the RSF to teeter on the edge of hostility, with the militia repeatedly accusing the Egyptian air force of striking its positions and killing its fighters.
"The RSF is a fascist ...anybody you disagree with, damn them... militia that has suffered one defeat after another in the past period," Sudanese political analyst Amgad Farid told TNA.
"It works tooth and nail to prove its relevance by criticising and antagonising Egypt, a regional heavyweight whether it likes it or not," he added.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Russian President Vladimir Putin ...President-for-Life of Russia. He gets along well with other presidents for life. He is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substance. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to him. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substances... and Chairman of the Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of... i Presidential Council Rashad Mohammed al-Alimi
…that’s the rump state in southern Yemen, headquartered in Aden. The Presidential Council succeeded the Southern Transitional Council as the government of what now calls itself the Republic of Yemen. It’s backed by Saudi Arabia…
began talks in Moscow. This was reported on May 28 by the Kremlin press service.
The Russian President and the Yemeni leader shook hands and exchanged greetings before the start of the talks.
Putin noted that the Russian side is very pleased with the visit of the Yemeni leader and thanked al-Alimi for finding the time for this.
"Before we begin our conversation, I would like to once again, this time personally, congratulate you on the national holiday — the 35th anniversary of Yemeni unity," the head of state said.
Putin clarified that Russia and Yemen are interacting on the international stage and thanked al-Alimi for this cooperation.
"Our diplomatic and foreign policy departments are in constant contact, which is good news," he added.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, the head of state's press secretary Dmitry Peskov spoke on May 25 about Putin's upcoming talks with al-Alimi in Moscow. Later, the Kremlin reported that the Russian president and the Yemeni leader would discuss bilateral relations, including trade.
On May 23, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov met with Deputy Secretary General of Yemen's ruling General National Congress Party Faiqu Baalwi. The parties discussed steps to resolve the military-political crisis in the republic and exchanged views on current issues on the regional agenda.
Al-Alimi came to power in April 2022 in the territories of Yemen not controlled by the Iran's Houthi sock puppets ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him... s, the Shiite movement Ansar Allah. The Presidential Leadership Council, formed in the territories controlled by the internationally recognized authorities, included leading politicians from North and South Yemen.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Victor Lavrinenko
[REGNUM] Recently, an expert report on the activities of the extremist group Muslim Brotherhood (an organization banned in the Russian Federation) in the EU, prepared at the request of the French government, was published. The strengthening of Islamist extremists is observed not only in France itself, but also in some other EU countries,
The authors of a report prepared for the French government warn that the extremist Muslim Brotherhood* movement has gained a foothold in the country, threatening both the values of local secular society and the safety of ordinary citizens.
It has been estimated that the group controls at least 200 mosques in France and has hundreds of subsidiaries.
The report stresses that the further growth of the influence of radical Islamism will have devastating consequences for the country.
At the same time, the document did not ignore the situation in other EU countries, where Islamists feel especially at ease. First of all, Sweden was named among these countries, where, according to French experts, very favorable conditions have been created for Islamic radicals.
Indeed.
Sweden is mentioned in the report several times, and it is noted that it is the active branch of the Muslim Brotherhood* that has established itself in this Scandinavian country.
The report explains this as follows: “The favourable position of the Muslim Brotherhood* in Sweden is explained by the great tolerance of Swedish multiculturalism and the good relations between the movement and local political parties, especially the Swedish Social Democrats.”
SWEDEN'S REACTION
In Sweden itself, the report did not go unnoticed.
Local Labour Minister Mats Persson has announced that he is putting together his own expert group to draw up a full picture of the spread of radical Islamism in the country.
Run a search of the Rantburg archives, your Excellency. There you’ll find much of what you need to get started.
Persson threatens that he will not let this go so easily: "We will cut off foreign funding for religious communities, especially where foreign countries finance radical mosques."
The Swedish Social Democratic Party is alarmed - they deny that they have supported or assisted extremists in any way.
On the contrary.
Party Secretary Tobias Bodin justifies himself: "We have zero tolerance for connections with extremist organizations."
“Call them something else, though, and we’re good to go!”
It should be noted that in the spring of 2023, the Social Democrats were already harshly criticized for the fact that their MP Jamal El-Hajj took part in a conference organized by the Palestinian organization Hamas.
See?
The Social Democrats then asked El Hadj to "take a break" from his parliamentary duties, but did not expel him from the party. However, a year later, the Swedish press revealed that the deputy had tried to obtain refugee status in Sweden for a certain Egyptian imam whose sermons were openly extremist. Only then did the Social Democrats ask their disgraced colleague to leave the party.
At the same time, the Swedes remember how the “social democrats”, in the name of their misunderstood “tolerance”, while they headed the government from 2014 to 2022, opened the country’s doors wide to migrants from “third world” countries.
It is not surprising that Sweden was the third country in Europe after Belgium and Austria from which the largest number of Muslims left to fight for the Islamic State*.
Definitely not surprising, no, except that France is lower on the list.
DEFENSE UNIVERSITY REPORTS
Experts have been sounding the alarm about the radicalization of Sweden's Muslim community for a long time. Back in 2018,
…alarms were sounded considerably earlier than that…
the local Defense University prepared a study on the increase in the number of Salafists in the country — supporters of "pure" Islam, advocating, in particular, for jihad against "infidels."
One of the most famous Salafi jihadists was, in particular, Osama bin Laden. Salafis advocate for the restriction of women's rights, and many of them also insist on not having friends among the "infidels" and keeping communication with them to a minimum.
At the same time, as noted at the university, radicalization often goes hand in hand with ethnic crime. Criminals really like to imagine themselves as “warriors for the faith” - this is how they justify their own actions in their own eyes.
"A gang of bastards walk into a grocery store. If the cashier isn't wearing a hijab, they take whatever they want without paying. They call the cashier a 'Swedish whore' and spit at her," says a police officer from the city of Västerås.
"Often young Muslims ask Syrians and Kurds, restaurant or shop owners, about their religion. If the answer is 'not Islam', they are persecuted. We have also seen Muslims as young as 10 or 12 say to older Swedish women: 'We are at home here,'" he adds.
In Gothenburg, Salafists demanded that Muslims not vote in local elections because it is "haram." The radicals threatened their fellow believers that they would answer "on the day of judgment" for all the actions of the dishonest politicians for whom they voted.
“In some areas they raised the flag of the Islamic State (an organization whose activities are banned in the Russian Federation),” the local police shared.
And there they told about the preacher Said Regea (a native of Somalia) who came from Canada and, speaking in one of the mosques in Gothenburg, emphasized the importance of “purity.” In order to maintain it, it is important, according to him, not to allow children to be interested in the customs of “Jews, Christians or Zoroastrians.”
Seven years ago, the Defense University emphasized that cafes and shops owned by non-Muslims periodically become victims of vandalism, and that Christian priests are threatened with beheading.
However, the radicals are no better at treating so-called "secular" Muslims who do not adhere to Salafism. They are often harshly ostracized and discriminated against in every possible way. As a result, some refugees have begun to complain that, having moved to Sweden, they are faced with scenes familiar to them from their native Iraq or Afghanistan - for example, they see three-year-old girls in niqabs.
BANDIT JIHAD
In addition, as already mentioned, experts from the Defense University noted the alarming fact of the fusion of religious radicalism and organized crime - sometimes jihadists and members of ethnic gangs join forces to make it easier to terrorize the surrounding population.
Salafis and Islamists are actively taking control of mosques and Muslim cultural associations, as well as businesses created by former refugees, forcing them to pay tribute.
At the same time, the native Swedes, for a time, simply had no idea what processes were taking place in the vicinity of their large cities, where people from Asia and Africa settled.
The police didn’t open files, the news media didn’t report about it, and the politicians kept their eyes firmly shut while piously lecturing the voters about the necessity of tolerance. And when the native Swedes tried to talk about the viciousness of thr Moslem newcomers, they were shut up, by force if necessary.
But there are areas where local legislation has lost its force: gender segregation is actively practiced; radical religious leaders order women not to complain to the authorities about their husbands’ cruelty.
The text of the study ended with criticism of the Swedish authorities for their inability to put obstacles to the spread of radical ideology. In particular, examples were given from the activities of ordinary Swedish secular schools, where the administration, having yielded to the demands of radical parents, forced girls to wear hijabs.
Seven years have passed since then, and the problem has become even more acute. And it’s not as if Sweden’s current moderate-conservative ruling coalition, which replaced the migrant-loving Social Democrats in 2022, is doing nothing at all to counter radicalism.
For example, the authorities are closing radical Islamist schools, trying to legislate against women covering their faces, tightening entry rules, and promising migrants money to return home. The trouble is, these measures are both insufficient and long overdue.
Fortunately for the Swedes, the numerous ethnic gangs do not act as a united front, otherwise the natives would have a very bad time. Criminal organizations fiercely fight each other for food supplies - they shoot and blow up competitors with enthusiasm. In this case, selfish interests are higher than empty slogans about the "unity of brothers in faith."
INVASION OF NORWAY
The fierce competition between Swedish gangs has already led to them, like a cancerous tumor, beginning to subjugate neighboring countries, in particular Norway.
The head of the local National Criminal Investigation Service (Kripos), Christine Quinje, recently addressed the government with a warning about the growing threat from organised crime.
Despite all the efforts of the police, criminal networks in Norway continue to grow and develop, according to Kvinje.
And although the national budget for 2024 allocated 600 million Norwegian kroner (52 million euros) to combat organised crime, according to Kvinje, this has not produced tangible results.
She seriously fears that organised crime will grow to such proportions that it “will threaten democracy and the welfare state and will cause destabilisation of society.”
A characteristic feature of Swedish gangs is the hiring of minors, who do not face the same harsh penalties as adults. According to police, the number of underage robbers in Oslo has doubled between 2023 and 2024.
And in Norway in 2023, 21,800 criminal cases were initiated against minors, which is 28% more than in 2022. The Norwegian publication Aftenposten writes that more and more criminal elements are now appearing in this country, having managed to “leave their mark” in Sweden.
According to Norwegian police inspector Yngve Myrvoll, branches of the Swedish gangs Foxtrot and Gottsunda have emerged in the country, actively recruiting young people. These gangs are involved in large-scale drug trafficking and various fraudulent operations.
Foxtrot's presence in Norway was widely reported after a powerful explosion rocked the streets of the local town of Drøbak last October. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but police suspected attempted murder.
Experts noted that this is a typical “Swedish manner” – it is members of Swedish criminal groups who have recently taken to blowing up competitors in the criminal business right in their homes.
These suspicions were confirmed during the investigation - it turned out that the explosion was carried out by members of Foxtrot.
Since then, members of this network have given Norwegians many more reasons to speak ill of them. The criminals who came from Sweden, who so often like to pose as "true Muslims", make Norway forget that until recently it was considered a peaceful and safe country.,
[GEO.TV] Pakistain's National Cyber Emergency Response Team (NCERT) has urged citizens to change their social media passwords after a major global data leak exposed 184 million unique account credentials.
In an advisory issued on Monday, the body said that the breach exposed usernames, passwords, emails, and associated URLs tied to services from Google, Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, as well as government portals, banking institutions, and healthcare platforms worldwide.
The leaked database is believed to have been compiled using infostealer malware — malicious software that extracts sensitive information from compromised systems.
This data, the advisory mentioned, was stored in plain text and left completely unprotected, with no encryption or password safeguarding.
The body said that immediate action is recommended to mitigate associated risks and to secure systems potentially impacted by this breach.
Breach's impact
Successful exploitation of the leaked credentials may result in:
1. Credential stuffing attacks — automated login attempts across services using reused credentials
2. Account takeovers — unauthorised access to user accounts and personal services.
3. Identity theft and fraud — theft of digital identity for committing scams or impersonation.
4. Ransomware deployment and espionage — assassinations on individuals and enterprises.
5. Government and critical sector compromise — unauthorised access to sensitive government systems.
6. Targeted phishing and social engineering — tailored scams using personal communication history.
[IsraelTimes) Israel is set for the first time to deport citizens convicted of terrorism who are receiving payments from the Paleostinian Authority, Defense Minister Israel Katz and Coalition Whip Ofir Katz announce.
In a joint statement, the officials say four individuals are currently in advanced stages of the deportation process, with proceedings initiated against hundreds more.
The announcement follows a classified Knesset committee meeting earlier attended by Interior Minister Moshe Arbel, where they reviewed the implementation of a February 2023 law allowing the revocation of citizenship from convicted holy warriors and their deportation.
Officials say four individuals are currently in advanced stages of the deportation process, with proceedings initiated against hundreds more.
Defense Minister Katz says, "Terrorists and terror supporters who are citizens or residents of Israel will receive no reward for their actions," adding that "those who choose murder and hatred will be deported and stripped of their citizenship."
Coalition Whip Katz calls the move "a historic moment," adding: "In the fight against terror, there are no compromises."
The law, an amendment to Israel’s 1952 Citizenship Law, applies to both Israeli citizens and permanent residents incarcerated following a conviction for terror, aiding terror, harming Israeli illusory sovereignty, inciting war, or aiding an enemy during wartime.
The law enables citizenship to be revoked even if the person has no other citizenship, provided they have a permanent residence status outside of Israel. Once citizenship is revoked, the person would be denied entry back into Israel.
A source familiar with the discussions held at the Knesset meeting told Haaretz that Deputy Attorney General Gil Limon told participants that the attorney general has assessed that the four cases would stand up to challenges in the High Court.
The joint statement said that after a delay of two years spent preparing to implement the law, this week the defense minister instructed relevant bodies in the security establishment to pass on to the interior minister the details needed to immediately apply the law.
The PA practice of paying allowances to those convicted of carrying out terror attacks on Israelis, and to the families of those killed while carrying out attacks, has been pilloried by critics as incentivizing terror, and held up by Israel as a symbol of PA corruption and its inability to serve as a partner for peace.
Palestinian leaders have long defended the payments, describing them as a form of social welfare and necessary compensation for victims of what they said is Israel’s callous military justice system in the West Bank.
Haaretz reported that those subject to the law can also be expelled to the Palestinian Authority.
Under pressure from the Trump administration, in February, the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas signed a decree ending what critics had dubbed the “pay-to-slay” system.
Rather than conditioning welfare payments to Palestinian security prisoners on the length of their sentences in Israeli jails, the decree stated that families of prisoners and slain attackers will be eligible for stipends based solely on their financial needs, as is the case with other Palestinians.
In April, the PA invited the Trump administration to verify that the change is being implemented.
Continued on Page 47
[IsraelTimes] Amnesty International issues a scathing condemnation of Hamas amid the terror group’s crackdown on protesters demonstrating against its rule in the Gaza Strip.
The rights group says that over the past two months, it interviewed 12 people — 10 men and two women — who organized or took part in protests against Hamas and were interrogated, threatened, or beaten by the terror group’s security forces as a result.
The interviews revealed a “disturbing pattern of threats, intimidation and harassment, including interrogations and beatings by Hamas-run security forces against individuals exercising their right to peaceful protest” even amid Israel’s ongoing war, Amnesty says.
One of the protesters, a resident of northern Gaza’s Beit Lahia who lost multiple family members in an Israeli strike, tells Amnesty that after he took part in a protest in April, he was dragged to a makeshift detention center and beaten by armed men in civilian clothes.
“They accused me of being a traitor — a collaborator with the Mossad,” he tells Amnesty. “I told them we took to the streets because we wanted to live, we wanted to eat and drink.”
He says he was released after nearly four hours of detention and interrogation, and was warned not to attend any further protests.
In total, seven of the 12 protesters interviewed say that they were accused by Hamas of being “traitors” and of working with Israel.
In another instance, a protester from Beit Lahia says he was summoned to an interrogation but refused to show up, until Hamas forces came to his home and “beat me with sticks, and punched my face.”
He says a Hamas member later threatened to shoot him in the foot if he attended another protest.
“The authorities in Gaza must allow peaceful protesters, dissidents, and journalists to exercise their rights without intimidation, harassment, or violence. Interrogation of protesters must cease immediately, and those responsible for violence or threats should be held accountable,” says Erika Guevara-Rosas, a senior director for research, advocacy, policy and campaigns at Amnesty International.
“The authorities in Gaza must respect the rights of the people in Gaza and protect them, at a time when their survival is at stake.”
Continued on Page 47
#6
The American ACLU also seems to cherry pick some fringe group case every few years so they can claim nonpartisanship ...while sneering their superiority to the "right wing subhumans" at the same time.
[IsraelTimes] In defiant speech to Knesset, Netanyahu says accomplishments wouldn’t have been made if government had listened to opposition; Lapid blames him for Oct. 7, ‘nadir’ in US relations
In a fiery ...a single two-syllable word carrying connotations of both incoherence and viciousness. A fiery delivery implies an audience of rubes and yokels, preferably forming up into a mob... speech to the Knesset plenum on Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed what he said were his government’s "tremendous achievements" in the war in Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... that "changed the face of the Middle East" and that "broke the stranglehold of the Iranian axis."
Reeling off a list of accomplishments, including the liquidation of senior Hamas ..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,... leaders, Netanyahu also announced for the first time that the IDF had successfully eliminated Muhammad Sinwar, a key Hamas leader and the brother of slain Hamas leader in Gaza and October 7 architect Yahya Sinwar.
The prime minister rejected allegations that he had given up on efforts to release the remaining 58 hostages in Gaza, and took credit for having secured the release of 197 hostages, "148 of whom are alive." He contended that only military pressure had brought about their release.
Netanyahu also claimed that if the government had listened to the opposition, none of the achievements would have been obtained.
Netanyahu made his speech in the Knesset plenum after the opposition secured 40 votes to require the prime minister to be present at a debate on the topic of "The total failure of the government in achieving the war aims — returning the hostages and destroying Hamas."
Netanyahu tore into the opposition parties from the plenum podium and said they were "disconnected from reality" in failing to see the government’s achievements.
"Have you fallen on your heads? Are you on planet Earth? ... In Israel’s wars there have never been so many achievements on so many fronts," averred the prime minister.
"We repelled the terrorists, eliminated Deif, Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar and Muhammad Sinwar. We cut off the supply of weapons to Hamas, returned about 90 percent of the residents of the Gaza border region to their homes, and we are making a dramatic change in the Gaza Strip."
The premier argued that Israel’s military campaign had also "changed the face of the Middle East" and "broken the strangleholds of the Iranian axis," describing these achievements as "the total opposite" of the failure claimed by his opponents.
Beyond accusing the government and Netanyahu of shirking responsibility for the disaster of October 7 itself, critics say the leadership has failed to steer the war in a clear direction with obtainable goals, dragging out the campaign and refusing to build an alternative to Hamas in Gaza while leaving Jerusalem increasingly isolated globally.
Netanyahu described claims he had given up on efforts to bring about the release of the remaining hostages as "lies," and maintained that the government was still committed to that goal.
"Every hostage means the world to me. I am working to return all our hostages, the living and the dead," he said.
The prime minister also argued that most of the 251 hostages taken on October 7 would not have returned if the government had listened to opposition parties, claiming that they would have stopped the war and eased the military pressure on Hamas.
"Hamas would have fortified its power in Gaza... We would have had more kidnappings, more rape, more massacres, more Hamas on the fences," argued Netanyahu, and said that the "total victory" he envisioned was the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip and the exile of Hamas’s remaining leaders.
"We achieved all the achievements because we didn’t listen to you," Netanyahu said.
"We withstood pressures at home and abroad and stuck to the goal of destroying Hamas’s military and governmental capabilities and returning the hostages. The majority of the people support us," he asserted, claiming that polls showing otherwise are deliberately skewed.
Continued on Page 47
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Leonid Tsukanov
[REGNUM] The months-long saga of appointing the head of the Israeli General Security Service (Shabaq) is nearing its end. General David Zini, who foresaw the Hamas breakthrough six months ago, is tipped to replace counterintelligence chief Ronen Bar.
Despite the fact that Zini does not cause much anger among the opposition, they are trying with all their might to disrupt his imminent appointment. Or at least to delay it. Otherwise, the victory in the protracted struggle between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Shin Bet could be officially awarded to the former.
Guys, when even Russia calls you out on it, it’s time to give up the nonsense,
GENERAL-SEER
General Zini's career path is not much different from the stories of his colleagues in the craft. Behind him is service in the elite anti-terrorist unit "Sayeret Matkal", specialized infantry and armored units; leadership of reserve brigades and training units.
In addition, shortly before his invitation to the Shin Bet, Zini oversaw an army project to increase the military conscription of ultra-Orthodox Jews - one of the most sensitive and controversial in the history of the Israeli army.
However, the average person will remember the future chief of counterintelligence not for his management and command skills, but for his foresight.
In March 2023, more than six months before Hamas broke out of the Gaza Strip, Zini prepared a report for the Gaza Division command on the results of the division's combat readiness.
The conclusion was negative - the soldiers serving near the danger zone relied too much on advanced technology and were hardly prepared to stop serious incidents. The threat of a breakthrough existed in almost all areas entrusted to the military.
Although the central command ignored Zini's report, considering that the "old commando" was exaggerating, subsequent events confirmed that he was right.
Moreover, Zini’s forecast served as one of the arguments for his transfer to the Shin Bet – the Israeli leadership needed a person who could take a fresh look at the “battlefield” of the Iranian and Israeli intelligence services, where Tel Aviv is currently primarily in the position of being attacked.
SUPPORT FOR THE "HAWKS"
Conservative and right-wing forces in the Israeli government were very happy about Zini's move to the Shin Bet. The "hawks" saw in him an "offensive officer" and a man who would "reboot" the agency and lead it out of crisis.
The ruling coalition's support for Zini's candidacy for the post of head of counterintelligence was unanimous.
Of course, the process was not without its incidents.
Prime Minister Netanyahu was so keen to keep the decision to appoint Zini a secret until the very end that he forgot to consult with Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, to whom the latter was directly subordinate.
And although the "tank general" ultimately accepted the prime minister's position, recommending that Zini retire to the reserves in a timely manner, the decision and behavior of his subordinate clearly hurt him. Especially since after the purges and reshuffles in the General Staff initiated by Netanyahu, there were not many trusted officers left around Zamir.
Moreover, the prime minister's desire to reach into the army's personnel reserve with every appointment, without taking into account the interests of the military, deepens the contradictions between the General Staff and the government, which plays even more into the hands of the opposition. Almost half of the Knesset dreams of luring Zamir to their side.
OPPOSITION AGAINST
It is worth recalling that Zini is not the first candidate for the high post. Before him, the laurels of Shin Bet chief were tipped for Vice Admiral Eliyahu Sharvit, whose appointment was agreed upon at the end of March and then just as quickly recalled by the prime minister without explanation.
And while the opposition, albeit reluctantly, approved Sharvit’s candidacy, Zini’s figure caused more controversy in the Knesset.
Not all Israeli politicians considered the choice of prime minister adequate, especially considering that the future Shin Bet chief's previous experience was exclusively in the army, without any contact with counterintelligence work.
The opposition rightly notes that the new head of the department will have no one to rely on: under pressure from the prime minister’s office, his key deputies are planning to resign following the disgraced Bar.
The leader of the "generals' opposition" Benny Gantz decided to go even further and actually suggested that Zini ask to resign even before he was officially confirmed in office. And thus make a public demarche with the aim of sobering up the prime minister.
Otherwise, Gantz believes, the Shin Bet will become mired in political squabbles, turning into a punitive instrument in the hands of the prime minister.
The opposition is echoed by the government's legal adviser, Gali Baharav-Miara. According to her expert opinion, the appointment cannot be considered legal, since it contains a clear conflict of interest.
By choosing the most loyal figure from among the security forces, Netanyahu may well try to collapse the case of corrupt ties between Israeli officials and Qatar (“Qatargate”), in which he himself is a suspect.
However, Netanyahu has already managed to overcome the “legal veto” more than once. Earlier, he returned Itamar Ben-Gvir to the post of Minister of National Security in a similar manner.
After his demonstrative exit from the ruling coalition, he came under the attention of the financial police and could not apply for a high post until the end of the investigation. Zini's appointment is apparently proceeding in the same way.
There are a little more than two weeks left until the official "changeover" of the Shin Bet chiefs. During this time, Bar will have to settle the bureaucratic formalities and also hand over the affairs to his successor.
And although Zini continues to appear in all official counterintelligence releases as a “candidate,” few doubt his assertion any more.
Everyone expects the new boss to make quick and precise decisions. At least in those matters that affect the image and position of the prime minister's office.
[IsraelTimes] The EU imposes sanctions on three Syrian militia groups and two of their leaders for serious human rights abuses over their alleged involvement in deadly ethnic violence in March, an official document showed.
All three are units in Turkey’s Syrian National Army.
The Sultan Sulaiman Shah Brigade, the Hamza Division and the Sultan Murad Division, as well as the heads of the first two kkgroups, were added to Brussels’ sanction list for their “part in the violence in the coastal region of Syria, targeting civilians and especially the Alawite community,” the EU’s official journal reads.
“In relation to the wave of violence that took place in Syria’s coastal region in March 2025, the Council has introduced new restrictive measures under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime, targeting two individuals and three entities for serious human rights abuses,” the EU Council said in a statement.
Included in the sanctions list are Mohammed Hussein al-Jassim (Abu Amsha) and Seyf Boulad Abu Bakr, the notorious commanders of the Turkish-backed Suleiman Shah Brigade and Hamza Division, respectively, as well as their associated factions and the Sultan Murad Division.
The SNA is a coalition of militias backed by Turkey that have largely been integrated into the Syrian defense ministry. Throughout the course of the Syrian civil war, they have been complicit in attacks on minority communities such as Kurds and Alawites.
The EU accused all three factions of “targeting civilians and especially the Alawite community, including by committing torture and arbitrary killings of civilians,” stressing that they are “therefore responsible for serious human rights abuses.”
The measures are binding and directly applicable in all EU member states.
In March, violence erupted in Alawite-majority areas after armed groups, many loyal to ousted president Bashar al-Assad, launched attacks on forces allied with the government, prompting Damascus to respond with force.
Around 1,500 people, mainly Alawite civilians, were killed, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which said most of the casualties were caused by government or government-affiliated forces.
Two weeks ago, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on Damascus to exclude those with records of abuse from the Syrian security forces - referring to SNA militants - and said the fighters continue to detain and extort civilians in northern Syria.
Syria’s new authorities have faced backlash, particularly from the Kurds, for appointing militia figures complicit in serious human rights abuses against the community.
Sharaa’s interim government, headed by interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, has faced repeated criticism for its treatment of minority groups, with many Syrians and foreign powers fearing it will impose strict religious rule, posing a threat to Kurds, Druze, Christians, and Alawites. The violence heightened concerns over the future of these populations.
On May 20, the EU officially decided to lift all economic sanctions on Syria.
“The Council has also removed 21 entities from the EU list of those subject to the freezing of funds and economic resources,” the Council said on Wednesday. “Several of these entities are banks, including the Central Bank of Syria, or companies operating in key sectors for Syria’s economic recovery.”
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas hailed the decision, saying it comes at a “historic” time to safeguard Syria’s economic recovery.
“The EU has stood with the Syrian people throughout the last 14 years, and it will continue to do so. Today the EU reaffirms its commitment as a partner for the transition,” Kallas said.
Continued on Page 47
[IsraelTimes] Iran may pause uranium enrichment if the US releases frozen Iranian funds and recognizes Tehran’s right to refine uranium for civilian use under a “political deal” that could lead to a broader nuclear accord, two Iranian official sources say.
The sources, close to the negotiating team, say a “political understanding with the United States could be reached soon” if Washington accepted Tehran’s conditions. One of the sources says the matter “has not been discussed yet” during the talks with the United States.
The sources tell Reuters that under this arrangement, Tehran would halt uranium enrichment for a year, ship part of its highly enriched stock abroad, or convert it into fuel plates for civilian nuclear purposes.
A temporary pause to enrichment would be a way to overcome an impasse over clashing red lines after five rounds of talks between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff to resolve a decades-long dispute over Tehran’s nuclear program.
US officials have repeatedly said that any new nuclear deal with Iran – to replace a failed 2015 accord between Tehran and six world powers – must include a commitment to scrap enrichment, viewed as a pathway to developing nuclear bombs.
The Islamic Republic has repeatedly denied such intentions, claiming it wants nuclear energy only for civilian purposes, and has publicly rejected Washington’s demand to scrap enrichment as an attack on its national sovereignty.
Iran’s nuclear program currently enriches uranium up to 60% purity, which has no civilian purpose and is a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90%.
[IsraelTimes] US President Donald Trump confirms that he asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a call last week not to take military action against Iran that could disrupt Washington’s ongoing nuclear negotiations with the Islamic Republic.
“Well, I’d like to be honest. Yes, I did. Next question,” Trump tells reporters in the Oval Office in response to a direct question on the matter.
“I told [Netanyahu] this would be very inappropriate to do right now because we’re very close to a solution,” Trump says.
“That could change at any moment. It could change with a phone call. But right now, I think [Iran] wants to make a deal, and if we can make a deal, [that would] save a lot of lives.”
“We’re having very good discussions with [Iran], and I said [to Netanyahu], ‘I don’t think that’s appropriate right now.’ Because if we can settle it with a very strong document — with inspections and [not based on] trust,” he continues. “I want [the deal to be] very strong where we can go in with inspectors, we can take whatever we want. We can blow up whatever we want, but [with] nobody getting killed.”
Continued on Page 47
[NEWARAB] Leb ...Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects.... 's municipal elections, which concluded on 24 May, were considered by observers as an important test for Hezbollah's popularity following the recent war with Israel.
The devastation caused by the conflict, which spanned from October 2023 until the ceasefire agreement in late November 2024, as well as the delayed reconstruction process, are factors that have impacted the group's popularity.
Moreover, the fall of the Assad regime in Syria in December 2024 and the Lebanese government's heightened scrutiny at the Lebanese-Syrian border have also affected the group financially, as Hezbollah had been receiving funds and weapons from 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... through Syria for years.
Considering these elements, Hezbollah had invested a lot of importance in local elections to show domestic players in Lebanon, as well as foreign countries, that it still dominates its popular base despite the challenges it faces.
Before this month's vote, the last municipal elections were held in 2016, having been postponed three consecutive times since 2022 due to logistical, security, or financial reasons.
Although municipal elections are not widely seen as an accurate reflection of popular sentiment due to low voter turnout and the distinct nature of local political dynamics, at least compared to the national level, they still give some indication of the influence of political parties on local populations.
Uncontested councils
Hezbollah and the Amal Movement managed to win a large number of municipalities in Bekaa and Southern Lebanon through convincing people and potential contestants not to participate in the elections or to withdraw their candidacies, meaning the council was uncontested.
In the villages where the elections took place - rather than decided by acclamation - the Hezbollah-Amal lists won a majority of seats in Shia villages, albeit with exceptions in some Southern Lebanon municipalities.
While the acclamation strategy was initially presented as a way to limit risks to voters amid the tense security situation in Southern Lebanon, both parties may have sought to demonstrate that they are uncontested in their areas of control.
Despite the ceasefire agreement, Israel continues to bombard Southern Lebanon almost daily and still occupies five areas within Lebanese territories.
Continued on Page 47
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[NEWARAB] Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Tuesday urged Syrians to join the "battle for reconstruction" as he spoke at an event in the northern city of Aleppo, which has been heavily damaged in regime bombing during the war.
The event, titled "Aleppo, the Key to Victory", was held at the Aleppo Citadel's amphitheatre to mark the "victory of the Syrian revolution" and the city's liberation from Assad regime control.
Aleppo was the first city to fall in a rebel offensive in November and December, which eventually led to the collapse of the former regime and flight into exile of Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Oppressor of the Syrians and the Lebs... "Oh, great Syrian people, the battle of reconstruction has just begun. Let us all join hands and seek God's help to create a bright future for a venerable country and a deserving people," al-Sharaa said.
"Our war with the tyrants has ended and our battle against poverty has begun."
The interim president paid tribute to the sacrifices of the people of Aleppo, which fell to rebel forces for the first time in December 2024 - shortly before the Assad regime's collapse.
Parts of Aleppo, particularly a former rebel stronghold in the city's east, were destroyed in regime offensives and years of regime bombing.
Abeer Fares, an official in the Public Relations Office of the Political Affairs Department, told The New Arab's Arabic-language sister site, al-Araby al-Jadeed, that the event was not only a celebration of Aleppo's liberation but also a way of raising support for the families of those killed in the uprising from the city.
The event was also attended by figures who took part in the Syrian revolution and have now joined the state's security apparatus. Among them was Mohammed Fawaz Qalb, a fighter from Hayaat Tahrir al-Sham, formerly al-Nusra, before that it was called something else ...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State... 's (HTS) elite Red Headbands Brigade which participated in Aleppo's liberation.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
...a 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...
...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the 
..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,...
...Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects....
...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State...
