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Army unveils new fitness test with tougher standards ‐ could you pass it?

The highlights:

[FoxNews] 5-event test holds combat soldiers to 'sex-neutral' standards

"Army Strong" is more than just a tagline — for soldiers, it’s a requirement for duty.

The U.S. Army requires that all active-duty soldiers prove their physical prowess by passing a rigorous fitness test. There have been multiple versions of the test over the years — and the Army recently announced that a new version has been adopted.

On June 1, 2025, the military branch will roll out its new Army Fitness Test (AFT) as a replacement for the current Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT).

The new test — based on "18 months of data analysis and feedback from thousands of test iterations" — will introduce updated scoring standards that emphasize "readiness and combat effectiveness," according to an Army press release.

Soldiers will have until Jan. 1, 2026, to meet the new AFT requirements without facing "adverse actions."

AFT scores are recorded during basic training for soldiers and initial training for officers, the Army states on its website.

Active-duty soldiers are required to complete the test twice a year, while soldiers in the Army Reserve and Army National Guard must record scores once a year.

5 COMPONENTS OF THE TEST
The AFT consists of the following five events, as described on the Army’s website.

1. Three-repetition maximum deadlift

In this challenge, the soldier must lift the maximum weight possible three times using a 60-pound hex bar and plates.

2. Hand-release push-up

The soldier must complete as many hand-release push-ups as possible in two minutes, using proper technique.

3. Sprint-drag-carry

With the sprint-drag-carry (SDC), the soldier is tasked with completing five 50-meter shuttles (sprint, drag, lateral, carry, sprint) as quickly as possible, using two 40-pound kettlebells and a 90-pound sled.

4. Plank

The soldier must maintain a proper plank position for as long as possible, testing muscular endurance and balance.

5. Two-mile run

The soldier must complete a timed two-mile run on a flat outdoor course in a test of aerobic endurance.

The standing power throw event, which was part of the previous version of the test, is no longer included as a requirement.

Posted by: Skidmark 2025-05-24 00:00 Edit Publish Page 47 Preview 369 words Top ePoster

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Russians step up attacks in Kursk region - Ukrainian General Staff

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] The Ukrainian Armed Forces are engaged in heavy fighting in the east and south of Ukraine.

In the Kursk direction, the Ukrainian Armed Forces units repelled 19 enemy attacks. Three more clashes are ongoing.

Since the beginning of the day, 84 combat clashes have occurred on the front. Enemy activity in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation has increased significantly. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in an operational report as of 16:00 on Friday, May 23.

Thus, in the Kharkov direction, the enemy tried to break through the defense near Vovchansk and was rebuffed.

In the Kupyansk direction, the enemy tried to advance three times in the areas of Kolesnikovka and Zagrizovoye, but was stopped by our defenders.

In the Liman direction, the invading army attacked six times near the settlements of Novoye, Novomikhaylovka, Zelenaya Dolina, Torskoye and in the direction of Grigorovka; three clashes continue.

In the Kramatorsk direction, the Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled one attack by enemy units in the direction of Belaya Gora.

In the Toretsk direction, the enemy attacked nine times near Ozaryanovka, Krymskoe, Druzhba and Toretsk. Currently, two combat clashes are ongoing.

In the Pokrovsky direction, the occupiers carried out 25 assaults in the areas of the settlements of Shevchenko Pervoye, Mirolyubovka, Elizavetovka, Malinovka, Lisovka, Udachnoye, Novomikolaevka, Troitskoye, Kotlyarovka and Andreyevka. The defense forces repelled 21 attacks. Four clashes continue.

In the Novopavlovsk direction, the enemy attacked 13 times near the settlements of Novopol, Zelenoe Pole, Volnoe Pole, Bogatyr, Vesyoloye and Burlatskoye. One battle is still ongoing.

In the Orekhov direction, the occupiers unsuccessfully advanced three times in the Stepovoye area and in the direction of Novodanilovka.

In the Dnieper direction, the enemy made one unsuccessful attempt at an offensive.

In the Kursk direction, the Ukrainian Armed Forces units repelled 19 attacks by Russian invaders, and three more clashes are ongoing. It should be noted that as of yesterday at 16:00, nine battles were recorded in the Kursk region. That is, enemy activity has increased significantly.

Let us recall that on May 22, Russia lost more than 1,000 fighters killed and wounded in one day. The total number of Russian losses will soon exceed 1 million people.

Posted by: badanov 2025-05-24 00:00 Edit Publish Page 47 Preview 373 words Top Poster

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Demolition of the mosque in Leninaul brings the issue of the Aukhovsky district to the forefront

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[KavkazUzel] The Chechen mosque in Leninaul was demolished in violation of the order of the Mufti of Dagestan, the issue will be resolved with the participation of theologians from the republics of the North Caucasus Federal District, stated the Mufti of Chechnya Salakh Mezhiyev, announcing a discussion of the restoration of the Aukhovsky District.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot", in Leninaul, Kazbekovsky District, Dagestan, despite agreements with the authorities, a Chechen mosque built in the 19th century was demolished, village residents stated in a video message. The plot of land in Leninaul, where, according to representatives of the Chechen community, the 19th century mosque was located, was sold at auction to a representative of the Avar community, who transferred it for the construction of a mosque.

The authorities did not find any documents in the archives about the ownership of this plot of land by the Chechens, the administration of the Kazbekovsky District stated. The Muftiate and the Council of Chechens of Dagestan agreed to resolve the issue of demolishing the mosque in Leninaul according to Sharia law. Islamic scholars called the demand to build a mosque on the site of the demolished one not a norm of Islam, but simply a local tradition.

There are many unclear points in the story of the demolition of the mosque in Leninaul, but the decision to demolish it was hasty and provoked interethnic tensions, commentators pointed out, drawing attention to the lack of reaction to the statement of the Chechen Accidents by the Chechen authorities.

The Mufti of Chechnya, head of the Coordination Center of Muslims of the North Caucasus (CCMC) Salakh Mezhiev, stated that those who demolished the mosque in Leninaul disobeyed the Mufti of Dagestan.

"Before this happened, on May 6, we sent our delegation, our representatives to the Mufti of Dagestan. They reported that such a question was at issue, to which the Mufti of Dagestan quite rightly, clearly and distinctly said that this was unacceptable," he said in a video published on the KCMSC Telegram channel.

But the mosque was demolished. "The people who did this disobeyed, first of all, the Mufti of Dagestan. After that, we sent our delegation again, and the Mufti of Dagestan, of course, expressed his dissatisfaction with what happened. We agreed that after the Hajj we would sit down and discuss this at the level of theologians," the publication from May 23 says.

He noted that the Dagestani side had called for this investigation. Therefore, this incident will be resolved according to Islamic norms with the participation of theologians from other republics of the North Caucasus.

This has been a sore point for many years. Upon returning from exile after Stalin's repressions, Chechens are unable to move into their homes

"There will be two questions. Firstly, to what extent does the demolition of the mosque comply with the norms of Islam, what happened, and what should we do next. The second question is a sore point for many years. Upon returning from exile after Stalin's repressions, Chechens cannot move into their homes. As the chairman of the Coordination Center of Muslims of the North Caucasus Federal District, I would like to note that this trial will not only be between theologians of Dagestan and Chechnya. Other theologians from all spiritual administrations of the North Caucasus will also be present there," the mufti emphasized.

The Aukhovsky district, where the Chechens-Akkintsy lived compactly, was liquidated in 1944 after Stalin's deportation of the Chechens and Ingush. In the northwestern part of the district's territory, the Novolaksky District was formed, this part was populated by Laks from the mountainous part of Dagestan, and the southeastern part of the district was transferred to the neighboring Kazbekovsky District together with the villages of Yurt-Aukh and Aktash-Aukh and populated by Avars from the neighboring village. Thirteen years later, in 1957, the Akkin Chechens, like the rest of the deported Vainakh peoples, were allowed to return to their historical homeland.

Posted by: badanov 2025-05-24 00:00 Edit Publish Page 47 Preview 664 words Top Poster

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Current information on the situation on the front line on May 23 (updated)

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 20:44 FPV drones of the "Southern" group of troops destroyed UAV control point and ammunition depot of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kramatorsk-Druzhkivske direction.

Drone operators of the "East" group of forces hit command and communication facilities of Ukrainian formations in the area of the settlement of Otradnoye in the South Donetsk direction.

20:35 Around 19:30 Moscow time by air defense systems on duty destroyed two Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the airplane type over the territory of the Belgorod region.

19:48 The Russian Armed Forces have expanded control in the Otradny area, –MAP.

18:01 Novopavlovskoye direction

Units of the 36th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the Group of Forces "Vostok" drove the enemy out of the village of Otradnoye and continue their offensive in the direction of the village of Komar.

17:44 Published frames of combat work of fighters of the "Center" group of forces on May 22 to destroy military equipment, weapons, infantry and positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces during active combat operations in the Pokrovsky direction.

16:56 The 36th Separate Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 29th Army liberated the settlement of Otradnoye in the South Donetsk direction –MAP

16:31 UAV crews of the GuardsTula paratroopers of the "North" group continue to carry out the task of creating a security strip in the Sumy region.

On video: Archival footage of the destruction of a Ukrainian vehicle on the Yunakovka-Sudzha "death highway", which is already filled with burned-out enemy equipment on Ukrainian territory.

14:37 Some of the combat groups of the Ukrainian Armed Forces are camouflaging their equipment in forest belts in order to move into position at night. The enemy transport that was detected was destroyed by FPV drone operators of the 6th Combined Arms Army.

13:46 Three Ukrainian aircraft were destroyed by a missile strike.

Three light aircraft of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, used to combat Russian drones, were parked in a cluster at the airfield,video.

13:24 Summary of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the progress of the special military operation from May 17 to 23, 2025

From May 17 to 23, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation carried out 12 group strikes with high-precision weapons and attack unmanned aerial vehicles, which resulted in the destruction of enterprises of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine, the infrastructure of military airfields, weapons and ammunition depots, production and storage sites for attack unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as temporary deployment points of Ukrainian armed formations and foreign mercenaries.

Over the course of a week, units of the North military group liberated the settlement of Maryino in Sumy Oblast during active offensive operations.

Air strikes, unmanned aerial vehicles and artillery fire damaged the manpower and equipment of a tank, five mechanized, two airborne assault brigades, two assault regiments of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and four territorial defense brigades.

Over the course of a week, in the area of responsibility of the North group of forces, the enemy's losses amounted to over 1,180 servicemen, five tanks, 14 combat armored vehicles and 67 automobiles. 34 field artillery guns were destroyed, including three 155mm M-777 guns made in the USA, three electronic warfare stations and three ammunition depots.

As a result of decisive actions by units of the "West" military group, the settlement of Radkovka in the Khar'kov region was liberated.

The manpower and equipment of three mechanized, mountain assault, airmobile, assault brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, a territorial defense brigade and two national guard brigades were damaged.

The enemy lost over 1,585 servicemen, three tanks, 13 armored combat vehicles, including two US-made M113 armored personnel carriers, 65 vehicles, 11 field artillery pieces, including six made by NATO countries, seven electronic warfare stations, and 15 ammunition depots.

Units of the "Southern" group of troops occupied more advantageous lines and positions, and defeated the formations of six mechanized, assault, motorized infantry, airmobile brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and a territorial defense brigade.

Over the past week, the Ukrainian armed forces have lost more than 1,665 servicemen, two tanks, 24 combat armored vehicles, including two HMMWV armored vehicles and three US-made M113 armored personnel carriers. 29 vehicles, 16 field artillery pieces, including five Western-made ones, 13 electronic warfare stations, and 15 ammunition depots have been destroyed.

As a result of decisive actions by units of the Center group of forces, the settlements of Alexandropol, Novoolenovka and Novaya Poltavka of the Donetsk People's Republic were liberated.

The manpower and equipment of six mechanized, assault, airmobile, and ranger brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, a naval infantry brigade, a territorial defense brigade, and three national guard brigades were damaged.

The enemy's losses amounted to over 2,875 servicemen, a tank, 42 armored combat vehicles, 39 cars and 11 field artillery pieces.

Over the past week, units of the "East" military grouping have liberated the settlement of Bogatyr in the Donetsk People's Republic as a result of active operations.

Defeat was inflicted on the formations of three mechanized brigades, an airborne assault brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a naval infantry brigade, a territorial defense brigade and a national guard brigade.

The enemy lost more than 1,185 servicemen, two tanks and 21 combat armored vehicles. 36 vehicles, 12 field artillery guns, including four produced by NATO countries, as well as five electronic warfare stations were destroyed.

Units of the Dnepr group of forces inflicted losses on the manpower and equipment of the mechanized, mountain assault brigades, two coastal defense brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and four territorial defense brigades.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost over 415 servicemen, a tank, five combat armored vehicles and 30 cars. Four field artillery guns, six electronic warfare stations and 10 ammunition depots were destroyed. Between May 17 and 23, 46 Ukrainian servicemen surrendered.

Over the course of a week, air defense systems shot down 30 JDAM guided aerial bombs and 12 HIMARS multiple launch rockets made in the United States, as well as 1,548 aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles.

During the repelling of a massive attack by enemy drones (from 8 p.m. on May 20 to 8 a.m. on May 23), 1,177 aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed, including 788 UAVs shot down by air defense systems outside the special military operation zone.

In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 662 aircraft have been destroyed,

283 helicopters,

58,984 unmanned aerial vehicles,

607 anti-aircraft missile systems,

23,487 tanks and other armored combat vehicles,

1,563 multiple launch rocket systems, 25,195 field artillery pieces and mortars,

35,831 units of special military vehicles.

13:22 During the repelling of a massive attack by enemy drones (from 20:00 on May 20 to 08:00 on May 23) destroyed 1,177 aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles, including 788 UAVs shot down by air defense systems outside the special military operation zone.

13:14 From May 17 to 23, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation inflicted 12 group strikes with high-precision weapons and attack drones, which resulted in the destruction of enterprises of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine, the infrastructure of military airfields, weapons and ammunition depots, production and storage sites of attack drones, as well as temporary deployment points of Ukrainian armed formations and foreign mercenaries.

12:25 From the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in the interests of the Russian Ministry of Defense implemented launch of the Soyuz-2.1b launch vehicle with a spacecraft on board.

12:11 Servicemen of the motorized rifle regiment of the North group of forces during the assault captured four Ukrainian Armed Forces militants.

The Ukrainian servicemen tried to put up fierce resistance, but realizing the hopelessness of their situation, they decided to surrender.

The fighters of the "North" military group disarmed the enemy and delivered him to the rear area, providing the necessary medical assistance.

10:46 FPV drone calculations at Rubicon Center struck manpower, armored vehicles, communication systems, UAVs and firing positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

09:54 Footage released of destruction of enemy heavy copters in the Khar'kov region.

09:22 Russian Armed Forces advance near Dvurechnaya and Kamenka –MAP.

08:55 Russian Armed Forces advance near Yunakovka –MAP.

07:35 From 20:00 on May 22 of this year, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed and 112 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:

24 UAVs – over the territory of the Moscow region,

22 UAVs – over the territory of the Republic of Crimea,

18 UAVs – over the territory of the Tula region,

11 UAVs – over the territory of the Kursk region,

Eight UAVs – over the territory of the Oryol region,

Eight UAVs – over the territory of the Bryansk region,

Six UAVs – over the territory of the Ryazan region,

Five UAVs – over the territory of the Kaluga region,

Three UAVs - over the territory of the Belgorod region,

Three UAVs - over the territory of the Ivanovo region,

Two UAVs – over the territory of the Vladimir region,

One UAV – over the territory of the Voronezh region,

One UAV – over the territory of the Lipetsk region.

07:31 Changes to map over the past 24 hours:

Advance in Volchansk

Russian Armed Forces consolidated their position in Otradnoye

Advance in Otradnoye➡️

Correction of the control zone in the Novaya Poltavka area in favor of our troops.

06:38 Crews of T-90M "Proryv" tanks of Ivanovo and Kostroma paratroopers destroyed strongholds with Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel in the Chasov Yar area in the DPR.

Posted by: badanov 2025-05-24 00:00 Edit Publish Page 47 Preview 1502 words Top Poster

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A Naval Blockade of Russian Oil Exports Risks a Military Showdown

[Carnegie Politika] The sanctions deployed against Russia have failed to break Vladimir Putin’s war machine, and now the West is looking for ways to make them more potent. In doing so, Western policymakers should remain clear-eyed about potential risks and side effects.

by Sergey Vakulenko
Published on July 5, 2024

Two and a half years ago, in the run-up to Russia’s full-fledged war against Ukraine, Moscow was promised "sanctions from hell." It was widely expected that these sanctions would crush the Russian economy. That did not happen, and one of the reasons was that Russia managed to maintain its oil exports’ prewar volume and revenues. It was clear from the outset that it would be next to impossible to completely eliminate Russian oil from the global markets, but there were strong hopes that the price cap mechanism would at least put pressure on the price and put the cash flows under control of the Western coalition, which might eventually drastically reduce the resources available for the Russian military effort.

Russia, for its part, was determined to keep its oil trade outside of the Western-controlled system—and has succeeded. Initially, Russian crude prices fell significantly, and Moscow had to spend money building up a shadow fleet of tankers, since Western-owned ones were no longer available to it, but the discounts are much smaller now, and oil revenues are higher than pre-COVID and prewar levels. So far, the price cap mechanism has been ineffective.

The price cap mechanism was built on a belief that the West has a monopoly on the services needed to move oil from Russian ports to Asian refineries: that Russia would not be able to manage without Western-owned tankers, insurance underwritten by Western-led P&I clubs, or bank transactions in Western currencies passing through Western banks. That belief turned out to be incorrect. Russia managed to organize a parallel system to handle its oil trade by amassing a shadow fleet and finding alternative insurance providers.

This is a deeply unsatisfying state of affairs for Western policymakers, from both a reputational and practical point of view. First, it undermines the authority of the Western coalition and the effectiveness of future sanctions, since they are dependent on the willingness of potential sanctions violators and violation abettors to take risks, having weighed up the likely losses and rewards. Second, the failure of the price cap keeps Russian coffers full and the war machine running. Accordingly, Western governments are looking for more radical solutions and fixes.

Danish and Finnish officials have announced that they are looking for legal ways to deny passage to ships carrying Russian crude and diesel through marine chokepoints such as the Danish straits, the entrance to the Gulf of Finland, and the English Channel if they are not operating in accordance with the price cap mechanism. In all these cases, the ships would have to pass within 12 nautical miles of Danish, Finnish or Estonian, or English or French shores.

The ships in question often belong to non-Russian owners, sail under non-Russian flags, and carry cargo owned by non-Russian traders. They might have insurance certificates issued by Russian insurers that don’t belong to international insurance clubs, but those insurers had a substantial share of the oil cargo business before the war.

The 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which governs international marine traffic, cites the right of peaceful passage as a fundamental legal principle. In some cases, free passage is governed by much older treaties, such as the 1857 Copenhagen Convention for the Danish straits. Naval blockades have been tools of war and casus belli many times in history. UNCLOS was drafted and signed with the idea of eliminating this source of tensions and lowering the chances of war. As a result, it left very little room for littoral states to hinder the free passage of commercial vessels.

The challenge European policymakers are facing now, therefore, is how to make a blockade—an act often used during hostilities—look like a justified peacetime measure within the framework of conventions written to avoid hostilities. In other words, how to conduct an act of war while technically not conducting an act of war.

Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen has said: "It’s just not very easy because international maritime law is basically geared towards opening navigation and making it very difficult for any country to intervene with free traffic. The law was built for a completely different world than what we are now looking at."

It is understandable that the West prefers to take a measured approach in its conflict with Russia, sticking to commercial issues and avoiding any show of physical force. As tempting as it is to use technicalities to pursue strategic goals and justify a forceful course of action in the confrontation between Russia and the West, stopping tankers carrying Russian crude in the Danish straits could prompt an escalation on Russia’s part, such as an armed naval escort.

This approach also erodes trust and respect for the rules-based international order. Rules are commitment devices: their true value is demonstrated when they are applied against the current interests of their authors and proponents. If the conventions signed in the Cold War era are of no use today, then what is? Russia has long accused the West of hypocrisy and has justified its actions by citing double standards and manipulation of the rules to the advantage of the United States and EU. The use of UNCLOS to exercise a naval blockade against Russia will only provide Moscow with another story to tell the Global South.

The West still has the means to enforce the price cap more strictly and more broadly by going after profit-seekers who are willing to help move Russian oil for a fee and turn a blind eye to phony price cap compliance attestation. The West could also threaten secondary sanctions against Chinese and Indian buyers—if it has the will to expend political capital on the issue. But attempts to stop the physical flow of Russian oil through international straits would amount to a blockade, and will be seen as such.

That’s not to say that it’s not the right thing to do—but it should be done with a full and clear understanding of the significance of the act and possible consequences, rather than naively sleepwalking into the next level of conflict.

Posted by: Abu Uluque 2025-05-24 00:00 Edit Publish Page 47 Preview 1043 words Top ePoster

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Russian army is heading to Krasnoarmeysk. Ukrainian Armed Forces are on the verge of a major defeat

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Sergey Adamov

[REGNUM] Fighters of the Russian group of troops "Center" continue their successful advance toward the city of Pokrovsk (Krasnoarmeysk) in the DPR. As reported by the Ministry of Defense, in the Pokrovsk direction, the militarily important village of Novaya Pokrovka has been occupied - it is located on the highway that connects two defense nodes of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Pokrovsk and Konstantinovka.

With the liberation of the Novaya Poltavka region, Russian troops reached the outskirts of the settlement of Novoekonomicheskoe, which is closely adjacent to Mirnograd, a satellite city of Pokrovsk.

Earlier, the villages and settlements of Novoolenovka (Novoelenovka), Malinovka and Yelizavetovka were liberated in this direction. Combat operations continue in the area of the settlements of Popov Yar, Poltavka, Mirnoye and Shevchenko Pervoye. The goal of our troops here is to expand the control zone along the strategically important T0504 Konstantinovka-Pokrovsk highway. This will allow us to cut the enemy group and create the preconditions for a new offensive.

The Pokrovsk agglomeration finds itself in a semi-ring. However, even in such conditions, the assault on the city can lead to major losses, since the Ukrainian Armed Forces still have supply routes at their disposal: the T0406 highway, which connects Pokrovsk with the Dnepropetrovsk region, and the road to the Kharkov region through the villages of Rodinskoye and Dobropolye.

In the near future, it can be expected that the second route will be cut off in the foreseeable future, a front-line source for IA Regnum noted.

"Both Pokrovsk and the surrounding settlements have been turned into a powerful fortified area. This is an agglomeration where about 100 thousand people lived. There is dense construction and a large industrial zone. But there are no large settlements north of Pokrovsk, so it is possible to bypass the city from the north. The existing reserves hold the route from Pokrovsk to the Dnepropetrovsk region, so the Ukrainian Armed Forces will have to either remove them or wait for the front north of Pokrovsk to collapse," our interlocutor said.

In the near future, the Ukrainian Armed Forces command may attempt to stabilize the front line along the Kazenny Torets River by fortifying the settlements of Novoekonomicheskoe, Razino, and Novotoretskoe. If the enemy fails to "slow down" the front in the coming weeks, Russian troops will be able to launch an offensive on Rodinskoe and cut off one of the enemy's two supply routes to Pokrovsk, bringing the city closer to being completely encircled.

For the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the loss of Pokrovsk will be the largest military defeat, which, as the Regnum news agency’s interlocutor believes, could lead to the collapse of the front line in Donbass or in the neighboring Dnepropetrovsk region.

Russian troops are also building on their success in another strategically important area – the border between the Kursk and Belgorod regions and the northwestern regions of Ukraine. Earlier, Vladimir Putin set the task of creating a buffer zone along the Russian-Ukrainian border, designed to secure Russian territory.

According to reports from the field, the operation to create such a buffer zone is continuing in the Sumy region, where Russian troops have liberated the village of Loknya and reached the outskirts of the village of Yunakovka, from where the invasion of the Kursk region began almost a year ago.

The liberation of Yunakovka will allow the creation of a full-fledged bridgehead that will be able to cover the Sudzhansky district from new attempts at invasion by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Another sign of the last few days is the intensification of air attacks on Ukrainian Armed Forces positions, which consolidate the successes of the ground forces. The enemy admits: Russian aviation (including Su-34 frontline bombers, which strike with guided bombs with planning and correction modules) carried out a series of strikes on the rear of the groups in the Donetsk and Sumy directions.

One of the targets was the Ukrainian National Guard training ground in the city of Shostka in the Sumy region, 50 km from the border with Russia. The enemy lost dozens of fighters. A significant success was the destruction of the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system, which our aerial reconnaissance detected near the village of Ordzhonikidze in the Dnipropetrovsk region. The Iskander operational missile system worked against the American-made air defense system. It "covered" the control center, the AN/MPQ-65 radar station and three launchers.

Footage of the Patriot's destruction was published by the Russian Ministry of Defense.

The destruction of one air defense battery can be considered a major success, the consequences of which will have a direct impact on the course of military operations in the near future, military expert Alexander Romanenko told Regnum news agency.

"Here we need to look first of all not at the quantity - how much of what was destroyed, but at the result in a strategic sense. In essence, an entire region was left without air cover. In this case, Dnepropetrovsk, where military enterprises are located, the rear of the group in Donbass and in the Zaporizhia region, was left without cover. Now they will be under attack, and the front will not receive shells, reinforcements, etc.," Romanenko noted.

The source believes that in order to detect the position of the Patriot complex, aerial reconnaissance used means that record the thermal field and infrared radiation reflected by objects. Overall, the success of the operation was achieved thanks to the coordinated work of reconnaissance means and Iskander complexes. This combination has already proven itself: in particular, it allowed for serious damage to be inflicted on Ukrainian aviation stationed at military airfields.

In the foreseeable future, it should be expected that aviation will increase the intensity of strikes on the enemy's rear in Donbass, which is left without air cover, which means that the pace of the Russian army's summer offensive will gradually increase.

Posted by: badanov 2025-05-24 00:00 Edit Publish Page 47 Preview 969 words Top Poster

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Aidar command has begun withdrawing its main forces from the DPR

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The main forces of the Ukrainian group "Aidar" (a terrorist organization whose activities are banned in the Russian Federation) are withdrawing from the DPR on the orders of the command. This was reported to TASS by Russian security agencies

According to the agency's interlocutors, only recruits who were recently transferred here remain in the southern Donetsk direction, but there are not many of them. These newly mobilized youth were instructed to hold settlements on the border.

"Aidar" is withdrawing its main forces from the southern Donetsk direction deep into the Dnipropetrovsk region. The reasons are huge losses," the security forces explained.

As reported by the Regnum news agency, the Aidar militants, despite very heavy losses, have set up field crematoriums in populated areas on the border of the DPR and the Dnipropetrovsk region. According to Russian security forces, they are taking bodies from the front line in whatever they can, including ordinary plastic bags.

Conflicts have begun within the group between veterans and new recruits who oppose the secret cremation of the dead. Young fighters are said to be demoralized and depressed.

On May 18, it became known that up to 15 Aidar militants had been destroyed as a result of the use of three high-explosive aerial bombs by the Russian military near the settlement of Novoukrainka on the border of the DPR and Dnipropetrovsk region. Another 20 militants were wounded.

More from regnum.ru
Aidar militants deploy field crematoriums on the border of the DPR and Ukraine

Militants of the Ukrainian nationalist battalion "Aidar" (an extremist and terrorist organization whose activities are banned in the Russian Federation) have deployed field crematoria in populated areas on the border of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and the Dnipropetrovsk region. This was reported by Russian security agencies.

"They take away bodies and fragments from the front line in whatever they can, even ordinary supermarket bags. The militants themselves call them field boiler rooms," TASS quoted a representative of the security forces as saying.

The source added that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are suffering very heavy losses. According to him, field crematoria are being created primarily to hide the significant number of victims.

The security forces also reported that conflicts between veterans and new recruits have begun within the Aidar unit. Young fighters are against the secret cremation of the dead, but continue to arrive at the border to hold positions. At the same time, it is noted that the new recruits are in a depressed and demoralized state.

As reported by the Regnum news agency, in November last year the Kiev regime opened a new crematorium in Nikolaev. According to the coordinator of the Nikolaev underground, Sergei Lebedev, the main "clients" are soldiers who died in the Kherson direction. Sealed bags are also brought here, in which, according to doctors, there are corpses without organs. He explained that there are no more burial places in the city cemeteries.

Captured Ukrainian border guard Ivan Kuts said that the bodies of numerous Ukrainian soldiers are being burned to avoid paying compensation to the families of the dead. According to him, the stationary crematorium in Kharkiv cannot cope, so mobile crematoriums were brought in and people are being burned to avoid paying compensation to the families of the dead. Foreign mercenaries are also being burned to hide their presence in Ukraine. Kuts admitted that the number of wounded is very high, but the number of killed is even higher.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry as of early April, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have lost over 138,000 people since the beginning of 2025. In the border areas of the Kursk region alone, since August 2024, the losses of the Ukrainian army have exceeded 71,420 soldiers, 403 tanks, and 329 infantry fighting vehicles.

At the end of February, the head of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Sergei Rudskoy, reported that the number of killed and wounded Ukrainian soldiers in the previous year alone was 590 thousand. In total, since the beginning of the special operation, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have lost 1 million people, he emphasized.

Posted by: badanov 2025-05-24 00:00 Edit Publish Page 47 Preview 753 words Top Poster

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Only military objects will be selected as targets

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin.
[ColonelCassad] Russian Foreign Ministry on enemy UAV attacks.

The Kiev regime does not stop terrorizing civilians and civilian objects in many Russian regions, including Moscow.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, from May 20 to 08:00 on May 23, a multiple increase was recorded - 788 attacks by aircraft-type UAVs and Western-made missiles on the territory of the Russian Federation, and outside the Special Military Operation zone. Our air defense forces destroyed 776 drones and missiles, 12 UAVs, unfortunately, reached their target.

There are dead and wounded. On May 22, as a result of an attack on the village of Panteleimonovna in the DPR, 8 people were wounded. On the same day, in the Vasilievsky municipal district of the Zaporizhia region, as a result of drone strikes, a girl born in 1990 was killed, four children were wounded - 10, 9, 8 years old and a one-year-old child.

On the night of May 23, as a result of the crash of a downed UAV, which caused a fire in the industrial zone of the city of Yelets in the Lipetsk region, 8 people were injured. In addition, the Armed Forces of Ukraine carried out two strikes with "Hymars" missiles on civilian objects in the city of Lgov in the Kursk region, where people were also injured, including two children.

It should also be noted that even after the Kursk region was cleared of Ukrainian servicemen, the Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to try to penetrate our territory and strike with UAVs, as well as long-range artillery and missiles.

Under these conditions, the President of the Russian Federation was forced to make a decision to create a security zone in the adjacent territory in order to minimize the possibility of infiltration by the Armed Forces of Ukraine and strikes on our border areas using various weapons.

The latest barbaric terrorist actions by the Kiev regime have been undertaken in an attempt to disrupt the process of direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations, which have resumed with the assistance of the US Administration and are aimed at a final settlement of the conflict, and to prevent the implementation of the first agreements agreed upon in Istanbul on May 16, including a large-scale exchange of prisoners of war.

The course taken by the Ukrainian "war party" also includes violations of the so-called "energy" and Easter truces, which Russia strictly observed, as well as the ceasefire we declared during the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory.

Of course, Russia will give an adequate response to the massive terrorist attacks by the Kiev regime. Unlike the Ukrainian side, only military facilities and enterprises of the military-industrial complex will be selected as targets.

But, we emphasize, our fundamental commitment to a constructive search for ways to peacefully resolve the conflict through dialogue remains unchanged.

Diplomatic preparations for a massive strike on Ukraine. We are waiting.

Lavrov also separately spoke about the need for regime change in Ukraine.

"If Zelensky's junta expects that somehow an agreement will be reached to end the hostilities, and what remains of Ukraine will live according to the laws that they adopted, this is an illusion, this cannot be allowed under any circumstances. Millions of people on the territory of Ukraine speak Russian, it is their native language, and putting them under the leadership of a junta that has banned even speaking Russian - this will be a very big crime. We will definitely not allow this" (c)

The Nazi regime in Ukraine is a guarantee of the resumption of war in a certain amount of time.

Without the denazification of Ukraine, the goals of the SVO cannot be achieved.

More from regnum.ru
Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the Russian Federation will give an adequate response to the massive drone attacks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces

The goal of the massive attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on Russian territory is to disrupt the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations that have begun, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on May 23.

The department recalled that in recent days the Ukrainian Armed Forces have increased the number of strikes on Russian territory using drones and missiles. As a result of terrorist attacks, there are civilians killed and injured, including children.

“The latest barbaric terrorist actions by the Kiev regime have been undertaken in an attempt to disrupt the process of direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations, which have resumed with the assistance of the US administration and are aimed at a final settlement of the conflict, and to prevent the implementation of the first agreements agreed upon in Istanbul on May 16, which include a large-scale exchange of prisoners of war,” the statement said.

Russia will give an adequate response to these attacks, but only military facilities and defense industry enterprises will be selected as targets, the ministry noted.

“But, we emphasize, our fundamental commitment to a constructive search for ways to resolve the situation peacefully through dialogue remains unchanged,” the Foreign Ministry added.

As reported by the Regnum news agency, the Kiev regime has recently stepped up targeted attacks on civilians in Russian regions. On May 19, the Chairman of the Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, reported that 621 civilians had been killed as a result of shelling by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Russian regions, and at least 3,217 people had been injured. Most of the attacks were recorded in the Belgorod, Kursk, Bryansk, Rostov regions, Krasnodar Krai, as well as in Crimea and Sevastopol.

On May 22, the Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked Lgov in the Kursk region. Sixteen people were injured, including two teenagers. On the same day, eight people were injured in the village of Panteleimonovka near Avdiivka in the DPR in a HIMARS missile strike. Also on May 22, Ukrainian forces attacked a civilian car in the Vasilievsky municipal district of the Zaporizhia region. One person was killed and four children were injured.

On May 23, the Ministry of Defense reported that during the repelling of a massive drone attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which has been ongoing since May 20, air defense systems shot down more than 1,100 drones.

On May 22, at a meeting with members of the government, President Vladimir Putin said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces and their foreign mercenaries were using terrorist methods. The head of state emphasized that the target of Ukrainian strikes was not military facilities, but ambulances, agricultural machinery, and other civilian targets.

Posted by: badanov 2025-05-24 00:00 Edit Publish Page 47 Preview 1094 words Top Poster

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Trump threatens 25% tariff on iPhones, 50% tariff on EU goods amid trade tensions

[FoxBusiness] President Donald Trump is demanding that iPhone production takes place in America and accuses European Union of $250B trade deficit

President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to impose fresh tariffs on both Apple and the European Union, saying that the iPhone manufacturer and the trading bloc have not heeded to his previous demands.

In two quick-fire posts on Truth Social, Trump warned he would slap a 25% tariff on imported iPhones if Apple refuses to make the smartphones in the U.S. The move comes after Trump met with Apple CEO Tim Cook at the White House on Wednesday, Fox confirmed.

Trump also threatened the EU with a straight 50% tariff, writing that the bloc has been very difficult to deal with in trade negotiations.

"I have long ago informed Tim Cook of Apple that I expect their iPhones that will be sold in the United States of America will be manufactured and built in the United States, not India, or anyplace else," Trump wrote.

"If that is not the case, a Tariff of at least 25% must be paid by Apple to the U.S. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"

Bringing back manufacturing jobs to the U.S. is a cornerstone of Trump’s "America First" agenda, with Trump also calling out Cook last week in Qatar, saying that he had a "little problem" with the tech giant using facilities in India to make iPhones for sale in the U.S.

Apple has been turning to India for more future production of phones destined for the American market to try to reduce its dependence on China for manufacturing and deal with tariffs, according to Bloomberg.

Meanwhile, Trump accused the EU of exploiting the U.S. through trade barriers, taxes, penalties and lawsuits.

He said the U.S. has a trade deficit of more than $250 billion and that current trade negotiations are "going nowhere."

Trump is proposing a 50% tariff on all EU goods starting June 1, unless they are made in the U.S.

"The European Union, which was formed for the primary purpose of taking advantage of the United States on TRADE, has been very difficult to deal with," Trump wrote.

"Their powerful trade barriers, vat taxes, ridiculous corporate penalties, non-monetary trade barriers, monetary manipulations, unfair and unjustified lawsuits against American companies, and more, have led to a trade deficit with the U.S. of more than $250,000,000 a year, a number which is totally unacceptable.

"There is no tariff if the product is built or manufactured in the United States. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"

Posted by: Skidmark 2025-05-24 00:00 Edit Publish Page 47 Preview 471 words Top ePoster

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France to build supermax prison to isolate drug lords and Islamists in Amazon

[RFI.FR] La Belle France plans to build a maximum-security prison wing for narcos and radicalised Islamists near a former penal colony in its overseas department of French Guiana, sparking outcry among residents and local officials.
Kids! Kids! Devil's Island is coming back!
The wing will form part of a $450 million prison announced in 2017, which is expected to be completed by 2028 and hold 500 inmates.

The prison is to be built in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, a town bordering Suriname that once received prisoners shipped by Napoleon III in the 1800s, some of whom were sent to the notorious Devil's Island off the coast of French Guiana.

French Justice Minister G rald Darmanin announced plans to build the high-security wing during an official visit to French Guiana on Saturday, saying: "I have decided to establish La Belle France's third high-security prison in Guiana."

DRUG TRAFFICKING
Darmanin was quoted by French weekly newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche as saying that the prison also aims to keep suspected narcos from having any contact with their criminal networks.

French prison attack probe shifts from terrorism to narco gangs

''We are seeing more and more drug trafficking networks,'' he told news hounds. "My strategy is simple — hit organised crime at all levels. Here in Guiana, at the start of the drug trafficking route. In mainland La Belle France, by neutralising the network leaders. And all the way to consumers. This prison will be a safeguard in the war against narcotrafficking."

Darmanin, who forged a reputation for a tough stance on drugs in his previous role as interior minister, added that the prison's location "will serve to permanently isolate the heads of drug trafficking networks" since "they will no longer be able to contact their criminal networks".

He also said in a Facebook post that 15 of the wing's 60 spaces would be reserved for Islamic murderous Moslems.

French media, quoting the Justice ministry, reported that people from French Guiana and French Caribbean territories would be sent in priority to the new prison.

Posted by: Fred 2025-05-24 00:00 Edit Publish Page 47 Preview 396 words Top Poster

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At least 12 injured in knife attack at Hamburg train station: emergency services

[GEO.TV] A knife attack at the main station in the German city of Hamburg left at least 12 people injured with some of them in a life-threatening condition, local emergency services said.

"According to initial information, a person injured several people with a knife at the main train station," Hamburg police said in a post on X.

"The suspect was apprehended by the responding forces."

A front man for the Hamburg fire department told AFP that 12 people had been injured in the attack.

Among them were "six people with life-threatening injuries", the front man said.

Some of the victims were being treated in trains, according to the German daily Bild.

Germany has been rocked by a series of ~~violent~~ mostly peaceful attacks in recent months.

On Sunday, four people were maimed in a stabbing at a bar in the city of Bielefeld.

The investigation into the attack had been handed over to federal prosecutors after the suspect in the attack told the coppers who arrested him that he had murderous Moslem beliefs.

The Times of Israel adds:

German police on Friday said they had arrested a woman after at least 17 people were maimed in a knife attack at the main station in the northern city of Hamburg.

Some of the victims sustained life-threatening injuries in the stabbing, which took place in the middle of the city’s evening rush hour, emergency services said.

The suspect, a 39-year-old German woman, was arrested at the scene by law enforcement, a Hamburg police front man said said.

Officers "approached her, and the woman allowed herself to be arrested without resistance," Florian Abbenseth told journalists in comments carried by public broadcaster ARD.

"We have no evidence so far that the woman may had a political motive," Abbenseth said.

"Rather, we have information based on which we now want to investigate whether she may have been experiencing a psychological emergency."

The suspect was thought to have "acted alone," Hamburg police said in a post on X.

Four of them had suffered life-threatening injuries, the front man said, revising down an initial figure.

A previous statement by the fire department said six people were in a life-threatening condition.

Among the 17 victims were six severely injured people and seven people with light injuries, the front man for the fire department said.

The attack was reported by German media to have taken place just after 6:00 p.m. local time on one of the platforms in front of a standing train.

The suspect was thought to have turned "against passengers" at the station, a spokeswoman for the Hanover federal police directorate, which also covers Hamburg, told AFP.

More from Breitbart:

Twelve people are injured and three of them are in “mortal danger” after a mass stabbing at Germany’s Hamburg Central railway station.

Update 2100 — Four are in critical condition

A clearer picture of today’s mass stabbing in Germany is developing, with Die Welt reporting the number of known injured has risen to four in critical condition. A further six are seriously injured and seven more suffering light wounds. 17 in all were injured.

The attack is the second mass stabbing in Germany in a matter of days. As previously reported, a stabbing in the early hours of Sunday morning in Bielefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia, allegedly by a Syrian migrant was days later classified as a possible terror attack after Islamist literature was found on the attacker and at his home. As well as using a knife, the man is alleged to have wielded a spear and a bottle of petrol.

More from Breitbart about the Bielefeld attack:

A Syrian migrant, identified 35-year-old as Mahmoud Mhemed, was arrested on Monday by police on attempted murder charges in relation to a mass stabbing in Bielefeld in North Rhine-Westphalia. Five people were injured, and four of them seriously: the German Justice minister revealed they “barely escaped with their lives”.

The bar where the attack took place said in a social media post that one of those “critically injured” men had been a member of the public who had bravely fought the knifeman to end the attack. They said: “Had it not been for him, things would probably have been even worse”.

Now the investigation into that attack has been taken over by the Federal Prosecutor on suspicion of a religious terrorism motive. Per a report by Germany’s Die Welt, they believe they have found evidence for Islamism, that the suspect had an interest in the Islamic State, and had been in contact with a known Islamist fundamentalist.

It is stated the attack, which took place at a bar in the city, saw football fans attacked by a man wielding a knife and a home made spear, being a knife tied to a pole. A group of patrons fought back, causing the suspect to flee. As previously reported, the man dropped a bag containing “multiple knives, a liquid that smelled of gasoline, and personal documents indicating Syrian nationality”.

Zeit states a spokesman for the Federal Prosecutor, which has specialist counter-terror investigators and takes suspected terror cases over from local non-specialised prosecutors, who said the mass stabbing is being treated as an attack on Germany’s liberal democratic order and that at the time of the suspect’s arrest “a document was found on him that suggests the crime may have been religiously motivated.”

Further, images concerning Hezbollah and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) are said to have been found at the suspect’s apartment.

Suspect Mhemed entered Europe through the territory of Turkey and was granted temporary refugee status by the German Migration Office in 2023. Earlier reports that he had no police record have been superseded, Focus reports, noting he had previously been investigated for “politically motivated crime” .

He was arrested on Monday after leading police on a 100 mile chase through Germany, taking several trains and other public transport from Bielefeld to Essen and to other towns beyond, finally being found in an apartment of a relative in Heiligenhaus.

Posted by: Fred 2025-05-24 00:00 Edit Publish Page 47 Preview 1255 words Top Poster

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Canada's energy-rich province signals to Trump it's ready for new pipelines, partnership

[JustTheNews] Top oil and gas executives in Canada and the United States confirmed Alberta's top industry companies would love to get past any tariff issues and begin building pipelines.

Amid high-stakes U.S. trade negotiations and internal secession rumblings, Canada's energy-rich province of Alberta is signaling to President Donald Trump it is ready to move further from China and embrace new partnerships and pipelines with America.

"It turns out that China is not developing the way we thought," Alberta Premier Danielle Smith told Just the News in an exclusive interview Thursday night.

"They're not becoming a more democratic jurisdiction, and they're using capitalism against us to hollow out our various industries. So I think that there has been a lot of re-calibration that has had to happen about our relationship with China, and certainly the U.S. president is causing us to have that rethink," she added.

Smith is Canada's most prominent conservative after liberal Mark Carney won the election last month to become its new prime minister.

During a wide-ranging interview with the Just the News, No Noise TV show, she addressed the impact of Trump's tariffs, the growing movement within her province to hold a vote on seceding from Canada and its more liberal provinces, and the disappointment and harm former President Joe Biden created when he canceled the Keystone pipeline that ran between the two nations.

She said she believed it was possible for Alberta to strike a new energy partnership and build new pipelines to the United States even in the midst of a tariff dispute between the U.S. and Canada so that both countries could capitalize on the energy-thirsty Artificial Intelligence revolution

…a critical point, that…

and to expand North America's booming liquefied natural gas exports to Europe.

"We're looking to see if we can normalize our partnership, so that we can get into talking about what those new pipelines might look like," Smith said of the relationship with Trump. "Not only would we be able to have, I think, a bitumen heavy oil pipeline that would link our heavy oil to the heavy oil refining capacity in the US Gulf Coast, but also the opportunity for us to continue to provide additional supply of gas so that it can feed some of the European markets."

Top oil and gas executives in Canada and the United States confirmed Alberta's top industry would love to get past any tariff issues and begin building pipelines southward.

"It's being talked about behind the scenes," Mike Rose, the CEO of Tourmaline Oil, told Just the News when asked about new oil and gas pipelines that would traverse Canada and the United States.

"We can increase our exports of natural gas, certainly, and Canada is just about to enter the world LNG market," Rose explained. "We've been shipping gas to the Gulf Coast for over two years now, to the liquefaction complex down there, and then AI on both sides of the border is an added sleeve of demand that, to be fair, I don't think you know really, most of us on the producing side were thinking about two years ago."

Brendan McCracken, CEO of the natural gas company Ovintiv, said Americans are uniquely positioned to further grow their ties to Alberta because they are allowed to buy Canadian oil and natural gas at a huge discount compared to other countries.

"Looking over the past several years, the interconnectedness of our energy systems has meant that the U.S. gets Canadian oil at about a 20% discount and Canadian natural gas at up to a 60% discount to global prices," he said. "So it's been a really powerful part of the economic engine for Americans."

Pete Hoekstra, the new U.S. ambassador to Canada, said while much work needs to be done with Carney to get a deal, he is optimistic one will be reached, in part because the Alberta-American energy alliance makes so much sense.

"For much of the last four or five months, the only thing that you've heard in Canada is people being very critical of the United States and not talking about the economic strength of the relationship benefiting both countries," Hoekstra said, praising Smith's focus on the benefits of the US-Canada relationship.

"Prosperity for our people and confronting the threat from China — it's an important message for all Americans to hear, but also for all Canadians to hear," he said.

Smith signaled one advantage Trump and his energy-friendly policies hold with Alberta: many in her province chafed at the impact of liberal policies over the last decade, from Biden canceling the Keystone pipeline to ex-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's climate agenda holding back energy production.

"There's been a lot of damaging policies that have come in that have chased away tens of billions, indeed hundreds of billions of dollars worth of investment," she noted, saying such economic repression has driven a growing number of Albertans to seek a vote to secede from Canada.

“America's production has grown dramatically, whereas Alberta has stayed stagnant, and that's because of the policies of the federal government,” she continued. "... So I think that that is at the heart of some of the frustration that you're seeing. I believe that we can make Canada work. That's what I'm working towards."

Posted by: Skidmark 2025-05-24 00:00 Edit Publish Page 47 Preview 938 words Top ePoster

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Thar's Gold In Them Thar NGOs!

[HotAir] You'll remember one of the biggest drop-mic revelations was the $20B slush fund new Environmental Protection Agency head Lee Zeldin, along with Musk's DOGE waste-huntin' hounds found stashed in a sketchy secret Citibank account.

That money was allocated to just eight climate-related NGOs in last-minute 'awards' from the Biden administration as they shoveled bucks out the door like a steam-driven locomotive's fireman flings coal. The most egregious of which was an earmarked $2B award to a Stacey Abrams-connected NGO called 'Power Forward Communities,' which was only a little over a year old and had less than $100 in the bank.

The Washington Free Beacon reports that the Biden EPA awarded a group linked to Stacey Abrams with no real track record a 2 billion dollar environmental grant in 2024.

Everyone has been dying to know more as Zeldin turned to clawing back the money.

In the meantime, other folks started digging into the Power Forward Communities (PFC) NGO, and one of them uncovered the web of deep money progressive tentacles that run all through these seemingly humanitarian organizations. Sadly, they are, in fact, usually only money laundering schemes for progressive elites and their foot soldiers.

Integral to the PFC story is a fellow named Shaun Donovan, who cut his political progressive teeth as the Commissioner of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development. He left the city to become, first, Obama's Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and then his director of the Office of Budget Management.

When Obama left, Donovan knew he needed a new gig, so he slid on over to the Ford Foundation, which lobbies the federal government using Henry Ford's fortune. Eventually, through all his connections, he became the new CEO of Enterprise Community Partners (ECP).

The previous CEO of this non-profit NGO - one wealthy enough to boast about investing $72B for a million energy efficient homes - earned $900K a year, which is quite a chunk for a charity, you'd think. But, according to Mr Chavous' research, the co-CEO pulled down a cool $800K, and the NGO spent over 27% of all its considerable income on salaries.

What does this have to do with Power Forward Communities (PFC)?

For one thing, the well-compensated and connected CEO of ECP, Mr Donovan, is the one who then formed that NGO and bragged about scoring the $2B award for his umbrella organization.

Small, incestuous, lucrative world, these NGOs, aren't they?

It also explains what went down in Lee Zeldin's testimony to Congress yesterday about the specifics that they have been finding about the proposal that came with PFC's grant paperwork.

What was in the documents required to meet the 'eligibility requirements' for the federal handouts was so outrageous, it blew even the Biden administration EPA staff's mind. To the point where, when they were screening the paperwork, as internal documents have subsequently revealed, they wrote notes and memorandums about it to cover their own asterisks. One staff member reviewing the proposed salary structure thought they were so out of whack that they worried it might look bad should the public catch a glimpse.

But, if you look at the mothership, ECP, that's where they all are as far as numbers go.

On 12 May, PFC filed a status report with the D.C. district court claiming 'irreparable harm,' as they still could not access their Citbank funds because of mean old Lee Zeldin.

Posted by: Skidmark 2025-05-24 00:00 Edit Publish Page 47 Preview 717 words Top ePoster

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ActBlue officials decline to testify, Congress threatens subpoenas in foreign donations probe

[JustTheNews] The witnesses initially agreed to voluntary interviews but pulled back after President Donald Trump signed an order instructing the Justice Department to probe ActBlue, correspondence shows.

The chairmen of three powerful House committees on Thursday threatened to issue subpoenas after several current and former top officials of the Democrat online fund-raising platform ActBlue declined to testify in a probe into possible foreign and fraudulent political donations, according to correspondence obtained by Just the News.

House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, House Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wis., revealed in the letters that several of the witnesses initially agreed to voluntary, transcribed interviews, then pulled back through their lawyer earlier this month after President Donald Trump signed an order instructing the Justice Department to probe the platform.

“As we have explained, the Committees are examining allegations that ActBlue, a leading political fundraising organization, allowed bad actors, including foreign actors, to exploit the company’s online platform to make fraudulent political donations,” the chairmen wrote in letters to the witnesses, which were sent to a lawyer representing them, Danny Onorato.

"Fraudulent political donations corrupt American elections could amount to interstate criminal conduct," the letters also state.

The letters laid out the testimony flip-flops for each of the witnesses, including ActBlue’s former chief revenue officer, Peter Slutsky.

“On April 21, Mr. Onorato indicated that you had agreed to appear for a voluntary transcribed interview and began the process of scheduling your appearance. However, on May 7, Mr. Onorato notified the Committee that you had changed course and now would not appear for a voluntary transcribed interview,” the chairmen stated.

“He cited a reported Executive Branch investigation into ‘the unlawful use of online fundraising platforms to make ‘straw’ or ‘dummy’ contributions or foreign contributions to political candidates and committees’ as the basis for your refusal to cooperate voluntarily with the Committees,” the letter to Slutsky and Onorato also states.

You can read that letter here:

Similar language was used for nearly all the witnesses who got the letters, which told the witnesses that an ongoing DOJ probe wasn’t a valid excuse for refusing to testify to Congress.

“The relevant precedent is clear that the mere existence of state or federal law enforcement investigations has no bearing on Congress’s oversight power,” the lawmakers wrote. “As such, an Executive Branch investigation into matters related to versight by the Committees is not a legitimate basis on which you may decline our request.”

The letters demanded each witness schedule their interview by no later than May 29 or risk facing a subpoena.

“The Committees are prepared to resort to compulsory process, if necessary, to obtain compliance with our requests,” the lawmakers warned.

The committees have been probing ActBlue over lax security measures and whether those vulnerabilities allowed foreign entities to donate to U.S. political campaigns, which is illegal.

In October, Steil and Sen. Ron Johnson, a fellow Wisconsin Republican, wrote to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, FBI Director Christopher Wray and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines about concerns that four U.S. adversaries may have donated through the platform.

“We write to you to raise an urgent concern regarding potential illicit election funding by foreign actors,” the lawmakers wrote Yellen in a letter dated Thursday. “CHA has been investigating claims that foreign actors, primarily from Iran, Russia, Venezuela, and China, may be using ActBlue to launder illicit money into U.S. political campaigns.”

They also said: “Our investigation has indicated that these actors may be exploiting existing U.S. donors by making straw donations without their knowledge.”

The lawmakers specifically demanded access to any Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) related to money passing through the fundraising platform generated by any U.S. financial institution as part of their anti-money-laundering activities. Congress has been pouring through those SARs in recent days after gaining access to them under the Trump administration.

ActBlue has acknowledged to Congress that it has updated its donor verification policy to automatically reject donations that “use foreign prepaid/gift cards, domestic gift cards, are from high-risk/sanctioned countries, and have the highest level of risk as determined,” by its solution provider, Sift.

The change occurred just three days after Steil introduced the Secure Handling of Internet Electronic Donations (SHIELD) Act, on Sept. 6, 2024, to ensure foreign money stayed out of online political fundraising. Before the change, Steil said, donations made with foreign gift cards were not automatically rejected by ActBlue before the change, Just the News reported.

ActBlue has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and says that it is fully cooperating with ongoing investigations.

"Democratic and progressive campaigns have trusted ActBlue’s two-decade-long track record of innovation and dependability to deliver during big fundraising moments," the firm said in a statement in June 2024 celebrating its 20th anniversary in business.

According to internal company documents reviewed by the committees, during the 2024 campaign cycle, ActBlue issued new standards encouraging staff to “look for reasons to accept contributions.” Before the policy change, the platform already failed to require CVV numbers for credit card transactions, increasing fraud risks.

An internal assessment by the company determined the policy change led to “between 14 and 28 additional fraudulent contributions each month,” the committees said.

The documents also show the platform began monitoring potential fraudulent donations from several foreign sources, including hundreds of donations from Brazil, Colombia, India, Iraq, the Philippines and Saudi Arabia, and other countries.

The lawmakers and Trump have both asked DOJ to probe ActBlue for possible criminal conduct.

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Judge blocks Trump admin from revoking Harvard enrollment of foreign students

[GEO.TV] A US judge on Friday blocked the Trump administration from revoking Harvard University's ability to enroll foreign students, a move that ratcheted up White House efforts to conform practices in academia to President Donald Trump

...Perhaps no man has ever had as much fun being president of the US...
's policies.

US District Judge Allison Burroughs' order provides temporary relief to the thousands of international students who were faced with being forced to transfer under a policy that the Ivy League school called part of the administration's broader effort to retaliate against it for refusing to "surrender its academic independence."

The Trump administration may appeal Burroughs' ruling. Spokespeople for the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In a lawsuit filed in Boston federal court earlier on Friday, Harvard called the revocation a "blatant violation" of the US Constitution and other federal laws, and had an "immediate and devastating effect" on the university and more than 7,000 visa holders.

"Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard," the 389-year-old school said in the lawsuit filed in Boston federal court.

If not Harvard, will whatever it becomes be safe for Jewish, Zionist, white male, and conservative students?

Harvard enrolled nearly 6,800 international students in its current school year, equal to 27% of total enrollment.

The termination of Harvard's Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification, effective with the 2025-2026 academic year, was announced on Thursday by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

Posted by: Fred 2025-05-24 00:00 Edit Publish Page 47 Preview 324 words Top Poster

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Israel targeted Muhammad Sinwar in rare moment when he had no hostages around him — report

[IsraelTimes] TV report says Hamas chief made mistake of meeting with top commanders without his usual protective ‘hostage belt’; when Israel was sure no captives were present, it bombed

The strike that targeted and possibly eliminated Hamas
Hamas

..a regional Iranian catspaw,...
leader Muhammad Sinwar 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...
earlier this month was made possible when the terror chief made the rare mistake of moving without a defensive "hostage belt" protecting him, according to a Friday report.

Channel 12 aired new details on the massive strike on Sinwar and other top Hamas officials in a Khan Younis tunnel on May 13 that is currently believed to have killed Sinwar, the de facto commander of Hamas in Gaza, following Israel’s killing of his brother Yahya last October.

The network said Muhammad Sinwar was almost always surrounded by hostages throughout the war, as Hamas leaders realized this was a strong deterrent against Israeli liquidation attempts. And indeed, Channel 12 said Israeli intelligence had long tracked Sinwar but repeatedly ruled out potential strikes on him when presented with the opportunity due to fears there were hostages in his vicinity.

"No risks are taken if there’s even a one percent chance that hostages are in the area," a security source told the network.

The report said Sinwar became even more careful following the death of his brother in a firefight with Israeli forces, and that only a very small number of people knew his location at any time, echoing a report Thursday in the Wall Street Journal.

However,
a poor excuse is better than no excuse at all...
for unknown reasons, Sinwar decided on May 13 to meet with the commander of the Rafah Brigade in Hamas’s military wing, Mohammad Shabana, as well as other senior commanders, without his usual escort of hostages.

The Wall Street Journal quoted Hamas and Arab officials who said the meeting of tap-ranking Hamas figures was convened to discuss their approach to talks on a ceasefire and hostage release deal, among other matters.

Presented with this opportunity, the Israeli Air Force immediately began preparing for a strike, the report said, though top officers expected it would likely be called off due to fears of harming hostages.

However,
a poor excuse is better than no excuse at all...
when ironclad intelligence arrived that no hostages were present, the IAF was given the green light, jets were scrambled, and the bombing went ahead.

The strikes targeted an underground command compound below the European Hospital. The Hamas-run health ministry reported 16 dead and over 70 maimed in the strike, though there was no immediate word if Sinwar was among the casualties.

The IDF later bombed the area several more times, in an apparent attempt to prevent anyone from approaching the tunnel and aiding the terror operatives.

According to the officials cited by the Wall Street Journal, Hamas recovered Sinwar’s body a day after the strike and temporarily buried it in another tunnel, with the intention of moving his remains to a more suitable grave once the fighting ceases.

Saudi channel al-Hadath reported that Sinwar’s body was was recovered along with the remains of 10 of his aides. Hamas has not confirmed this.

Israel has also not confirmed that Sinwar was killed, but Defense Minister Israel Katz said that "according to all the indications Muhammad Sinwar was eliminated."

Following the killing of Hamas’s top military commander, Muhammad Deif, last July, Muhammad Sinwar took charge of the terror group’s military wing. Later, after Sinwar’s older brother Yahya was killed by IDF troops, he became the de facto leader of the terror group in the Strip.

Israeli officials have described Muhammad Sinwar as obstinate concerning negotiations for the release of hostages, and an obstacle to reaching a ceasefire deal.

The younger Sinwar was also wanted for terrorist actions against Israel and has been active in Hamas for decades.

He was locked away
Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out!
by Israel in the 1990s for nine months and spent an additional three years in a Paleostinian Authority prison in Ramallah, from which he escaped in 2000. In 2006, Sinwar was part of the Hamas cell that kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. He also previously commanded Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade.

Most of Hamas’s leadership has been eliminated by Israel during the ongoing war, which was sparked when the terror group stormed southern Israel on October 7, 2023, to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages.

On Thursday, Paleostinian media reported that Zakaria Sinwar, brother of Yahya and Muhammad Sinwar, succumbed to wounds sustained in an Israeli ~~Arclight~~ airstrike
...KABOOM!...
on Saturday night.

Zakaria, a lecturer at the Islamic University in Gaza, was initially said to have been killed in the strike, but media reports later said he had been critically injured.

Posted by: trailing wife 2025-05-24 00:00 Edit Publish Page 47 Preview 903 words Top Hoover

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Katz Offers a Fight: Swinger Spies Tried to Kill Israeli Hawk

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Leonid Tsukanov

[REGNUM] Spy scandals in Israel have reached a new level: Israel Katz, the head of the Israeli Defense Ministry and one of the close associates of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is in the crosshairs of Iranian intelligence.

The Israelis have uncovered an assassination attempt on Katz and are certain that its goal was to disrupt the operation to destroy the Iranian nuclear arsenal.

However, the desire to emphasize the “Iranian trace” in the spy story rather suggests the opposite: Tel Aviv is desperately looking for a reason to disrupt negotiations between Tehran and Washington, and at the same time justify its own operations against Iran.

CONSPIRATORIAL FRIENDS
The main defendant in the case is considered to be Roy Mizrahi, a 24-year-old computer science student at the Technion, one of the oldest and leading engineering schools in the country.

Mizrahi is known to have fallen into a honey trap and was recruited by Iranian operatives through the Haifa swingers' community he belonged to.

Moreover, by the time of the meeting with the Iranians, the suspect had accumulated a lot of debt due to his passion for card games, which gave Tehran's special services another lever of influence. The young programmer found himself firmly entangled in a spy network.

At first, he was entrusted with simple tasks: distributing propaganda materials and collecting information about the mood of Israeli youth. However, a little later they decided to use his computer engineer skills to his advantage.

On the orders of the Iranians, Mizrahi installed a live camera near the Haifa port and gave access to it to his handlers. According to some reports, he also participated in organizing small DDoS attacks on city institutions several times.

A few weeks later, when the new agent's loyalty was no longer in doubt, Mizrahi helped the Iranians expand their spy network by recruiting his friend Almog Atias.

He worked as a driver-forwarder and was known as a gambling addict, and therefore needed money. To "deepen the acquaintance" the Iranians gave him a "starting allowance" of $300.

At that time, Iranian intelligence apparently decided to entrust a promising agent with a truly big task.

OPERATION HAWK
The plotters were ordered to eliminate Israeli cabinet member Israel Katz. Since becoming defense minister in the fall of 2024, he has become one of the most ardent "hawks" in the coalition government and a lobbyist for a preemptive strike on Iran's nuclear infrastructure. His elimination was entirely in Tehran's national security interests.

A few days after learning about the plan, the newly formed team was transferred to the south of the country, to the community of Kfar Ahim, where Katz lived permanently. There they were supposed to install a surveillance camera, ensuring constant monitoring of the minister's home. However, the appearance of a police patrol ruined their plans.

Fearing surveillance, the conspirators destroyed the camera and switched to a backup plan: an attack on the ministerial motorcade. For this purpose, a rifle and a pistol with silencers were purchased on the black market, as well as several homemade bombs.

Also, according to testimony, the accused tried to bribe the driver and security guard of the Minister of Defense in order to take his car away from crowded streets and eliminate strong resistance during the assassination attempt.

The plan was to eliminate Katz on the eve of the country's Independence Day (from April 30 to May 1), turning the assassination attempt into a political manifesto and "revenge for the bloody operation" in the Gaza Strip.

However, as further investigation showed, neither Mizrahi nor Atias shared the idea of Palestinian independence and voiced this version during interrogations only in the hope of creating international publicity.

Be that as it may, they failed to carry out their plan: a few days before the alleged assassination attempt, both were arrested.

The Israeli intelligence services did not make a fuss and preferred to first look for other leads in the Iranian network. Especially since the agents who were arrested began to give each other up, telling about caches of money, ammunition and special equipment.

Subsequently, in the wake of the “Mizrahi-Atias affair,” several more investigations with a “Persian flair” were initiated, but Israeli operatives were never able to generalize them and discover a single spy network.

OCTOPUS HEAD
The Minister of Defense, by all appearances, took the news of the assassination attempt philosophically. His statements, made after the arrest of the conspirators (who were not yet officially known at the time), not only did not become more restrained, but, on the contrary, acquired a more militant tone.

Among other things, Katz declared a vendetta against the leaders of the Yemeni Houthis and promised to destroy the leadership of Hamas and Hezbollah. He used the news of the foiled plot, announced by counterintelligence, as a basis for attacks on Iran.

In particular, he called Tehran “the head of a terrorist octopus” and reaffirmed his commitment to “preventing at any cost” the Iranians from acquiring nuclear weapons.

It is noteworthy that the Israeli minister announced his readiness to fight on the eve of a new round of Iranian-American negotiations on peaceful nuclear energy.

Katz and his entourage have been pressing the White House for months to give the green light to an air operation against the opponent's nuclear facilities before the window of opportunity due to Iran's weakened air defenses closes completely.

Washington is slow and trying to keep interaction with Tehran on a diplomatic track. As a gesture of goodwill, the United States even withdrew some of the strategic bombers from the Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean that were transferred there in March 2025, and also agreed to a ceasefire with the Yemeni Houthis.

The easing of tensions between Washington and Tehran is weakening Tel Aviv's pressure. That is why Israeli military hawks led by Katz are desperately trying to use the "Mizrahi-Atias affair" as an argument to justify further confrontation.

EASTERN HINTS
The wave of criticism provoked by this spy story, at first glance, passed by the Iranians. Tehran had not reacted too violently to scandals with agents attributed to it before, and after the number of those arrested in spy cases exceeded fifteen, it began to essentially ignore the accusations of Tel Aviv.

At the same time, Katz’s speech with promises to respond to Tehran’s actions at any cost received a comprehensive response.

Official releases appeared (within a few hours of each other) on the websites of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, parliament and government; comments were given by high-ranking officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and intelligence officials.

True, none of the agencies focused on the “Mizrahi-Atias affair,” limiting criticism to the inadmissibility of threats to Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.

The Iranian position was summed up by the country's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. In one of his appeals to believers, he dressed up criticism of Israel in a religious story, emphasizing that "the one who constantly deceives will eventually become a victim of deception."

Thus, he pointed out that in the event of aggression against Iran, it would be too naive for Tel Aviv to count on unconditional military support from the United States. Especially in light of Donald Trump’s desire to “castle” in the Middle East and focus on supporting Arabian allies rather than Israel.

In general, the Iranian side made it clear to its opponents that Tel Aviv's speculations around spy stories do not frighten them and that Tehran is prepared to take a hit. In contrast, the Iranians put forward their own question: is Israel ready to face them one-on-one if something happens?

And, apparently, official Tel Aviv does not yet have a clear answer to it.

Posted by: badanov 2025-05-24 00:00 Edit Publish Page 47 Preview 1296 words Top Poster

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Mysterious 18th-century warship unearthed at [9/11] Ground Zero site gets new home

[FoxNews] Revolutionary War vessel was studied for 14 years before New York State Museum exhibition

A lost Revolutionary War-era ship that was unearthed at the site of the World Trade Center will finally be exhibited in a museum over a decade after it was found.

The New York State Museum announced in a mid-May press release that the ship will be housed in its Albany headquarters. The 18th-century vessel was found during an excavation of Ground Zero in July 2010.

But details about the boat have perplexed historians until now – just in time for America's 250th anniversary.

With help from Texas A&M University historical preservationists, experts have been working for 14 years to gather facts about the ship while preserving it carefully.

The ship, which measures 50 feet long and 18 feet wide, has been identified as a "rare" American-built gunboat.

The vessel was likely built in the Philadelphia area in the 1770s.

It was used during the Revolutionary War but was decommissioned after roughly two decades.

"[B]y the 1790s, the ship was out of commission and repurposed as landfill to expand New York City, ultimately ending up beneath what would become the World Trade Center," the New York State Museum said.

"Today, it stands as one of the few American-built Revolutionary War ships to be identified, studied and preserved in New York State."

In total, 600 pieces of wood and roughly 2,000 artifacts were found at the site, including musketballs.

After years of carefully preserving each piece of wood and artifact, the preservation team began the process of reconstructing the vessel at the New York State Museum on May 14.

In a statement, New York State Historian Devin Lander said, "We’re not just unveiling a ship – we’re resurrecting a lost relic of the American Revolution, right before your eyes," Lander said.

"New York stood at the epicenter of our fight for freedom, and this gunboat is a physical reminder of that courage and grit."

The historian added, "To watch it rise again, plank by plank, is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to witness the intersection of archaeology, storytelling and national identity."

Posted by: Skidmark 2025-05-24 00:00 Edit Publish Page 47 Preview 343 words Top ePoster

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Iran-backed Palestinian terror groups said to leave Syria under pressure from Sharaa

[IsraelTimes] Flight of pro-Assad factions comes amid Trump’s demand that the new regime crack down on Palestinian terrorism as a condition for sanctions relief

Leaders of Iran-backed Paleostinian terror groups in Syria close to former president Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
Leveler of Latakia...
have left the country under pressure from the regime of Ahmed al-Sharaa, who led the ouster of the Iran-backed strongman in December, Paleostinian sources said Friday.

The armed factions’ flight comes amid a White House demand that Sharaa crack down on Paleostinian terror groups as a condition for the removal of Washington’s sanctions on Damascus. There have also been unconfirmed reports that Syria’s new regime has held indirect talks with Israel on potential normalization between the two countries, despite Israeli leaders’ deep suspicion of Sharaa due to his jihadi past.

The crackdown did not appear to affect the Syrian presence of 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...
-based Hamas
..one of the armed feet of the Moslem Brüderbund millipede,...
, which is also backed by Iran, nor that of Fatah, the secularist faction that dominates the West Bank-based Paleostinian Authority.

The leader of one Iran-backed Paleostinian group, who left Syria after Assad’s overthrow, said on condition of anonymity that "most of the Paleostinian factional leadership that received support from Tehran has left Damascus" to countries including Leb
...an Iranian satrapy until recently ruled by Hassan Nasrallah situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel...
. Another faction leader still in Damascus confirmed the development.

The first faction leader said "the factions have fully handed over weapons in their headquarters or with their cadres" to the authorities, who also received "lists of names of faction members possessing individual weapons" and demanded that those arms be handed over.

A third Paleostinian faction source in Damascus said that after Assad’s overthrow, "we gathered our members’ weapons ourselves and handed them over, but we have kept individual light weapons for protection... with the [authorities’] authorization."

In Yarmouk, a Paleostinian refugee camp in the Damascus suburbs that was devastated during Syria’s civil war, factional banners usually displayed at the entrance were gone and party buildings were closed and unguarded, AFP photographers said. Factional premises elsewhere in Damascus also appeared closed.

Many Paleostinians fled to Syria in 1948 following the creation of Israel, and from the mid-1960s Syria began hosting the leadership of armed Paleostinian factions. Iran-backed Paleostinian groups enjoyed considerable freedom of movement under Assad.

Washington, which designates some of the factions as terrorist organizations, last week announced it was lifting sanctions on Syria. The White House had earlier said the new Syrian regime would have to comply with demands, including suppressing terrorism and preventing "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 ~~Jews~~ ~~Zionists~~ Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
and its proxies from exploiting Syrian territory."

According to the White House, during a meeting in 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...
last week, US President Donald Trump
...Never got invited to a P.Diddy party...
gave Sharaa a list of demands that included deporting "Paleostinian terrorists."

The Iran-backed Paleostinian factions in Syria, along with other terror groups from Lebanon, Iraq and 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...
, are part of Iran’s so-called Axis of Resistance®, which is openly committed to Israel’s destruction. Some Axis members fought alongside Assad’s forces when civil war erupted in Syria in 2011.

In neighboring Lebanon, a government official told AFP that the disarmament of Paleostinian camps, where factions usually handle security, would begin next month based on an accord with visiting Paleostinian Authority President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas
...aka Abu Mazen, a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial. While no Yasser Arafat, he has his own brand of evil, just a little more lowercase....>
, who also met with Sharaa in Damascus last month.

’UNWELCOME’
The Iran-backed Paleostinian groups in Syria "did not receive any official request from the authorities to leave Syrian territory" but instead faced restrictions, the first faction leader told AFP.

Some factions "were de facto prohibited from operating," or their members were arrested, he said, adding that the new authorities have seized property from "private homes, offices, vehicles and military training camps in the Damascus countryside and other provinces."

Syrian authorities did not immediately provide a comment to AFP when asked about the matter.

Earlier this month, officials from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Paleostine-General Command (PFLP-GC) said Syrian authorities briefly detained factional chief Talal Naji.

In April, Islamic Jihad
...created after many members of the Egyptian Moslem Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah...
said Syrian official Khaled Khaled and organizing committee member Yasser al-Zafri were tossed into the calaboose "without explanation." A source from the group told AFP on Friday that they were still detained.

The second Paleostinian faction leader, from a group that has remained in Damascus with limited representation, said there was "no cooperation between most of the Paleostinian factions and the new Syrian administration."

"The response to our contact is mostly cold or delayed. We feel like unwelcome guests, though they don’t say that clearly," he added, also requesting anonymity.

A Hamas official in Gaza told AFP that it had "channels of communication with our brothers in Syria."

Hamas has minimal representation in Syria, having left the country after the civil war there began. Hamas’s ties with the Assad regime had deteriorated amid the terror group’s support for opposition demands.

Yarmouk camp resident Marwan Mnawar, a retiree, said that "nobody knows what happened to the factional leadership," adding that "people just want to live, they are exhausted" by the conflict and factional infighting.

Posted by: trailing wife 2025-05-24 00:00 Edit Publish Page 47 Preview 1366 words Top Hoover

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Iran-backed Palestinian terror groups said to leave Syria under pressure from Sharaa

...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...
last week, US President Donald Trump
...Never got invited to a P.Diddy party...
gave Sharaa a list of demands that included deporting "Paleostinian terrorists."

The Iran-backed Paleostinian factions in Syria, along with other terror groups from Lebanon, Iraq and 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...
, are part of Iran’s so-called Axis of Resistance®, which is openly committed to Israel’s destruction. Some Axis members fought alongside Assad’s forces when civil war erupted in Syria in 2011.

In neighboring Lebanon, a government official told AFP that the disarmament of Paleostinian camps, where factions usually handle security, would begin next month based on an accord with visiting Paleostinian Authority President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas
...aka Abu Mazen, a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial. While no Yasser Arafat, he has his own brand of evil, just a little more lowercase....>
, who also met with Sharaa in Damascus last month.

’UNWELCOME’

The Iran-backed Paleostinian groups in Syria "did not receive any official request from the authorities to leave Syrian territory" but instead faced restrictions, the first faction leader told AFP.

Some factions "were de facto prohibited from operating," or their members were arrested, he said, adding that the new authorities have seized property from "private homes, offices, vehicles and military training camps in the Damascus countryside and other provinces."

Syrian authorities did not immediately provide a comment to AFP when asked about the matter.

Earlier this month, officials from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Paleostine-General Command (PFLP-GC) said Syrian authorities briefly detained factional chief Talal Naji.

In April, Islamic Jihad
...created after many members of the Egyptian Moslem Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah...
said Syrian official Khaled Khaled and organizing committee member Yasser al-Zafri were tossed into the calaboose "without explanation." A source from the group told AFP on Friday that they were still detained.

The second Paleostinian faction leader, from a group that has remained in Damascus with limited representation, said there was "no cooperation between most of the Paleostinian factions and the new Syrian administration."

"The response to our contact is mostly cold or delayed. We feel like unwelcome guests, though they don’t say that clearly," he added, also requesting anonymity.

A Hamas official in Gaza told AFP that it had "channels of communication with our brothers in Syria."

Hamas has minimal representation in Syria, having left the country after the civil war there began. Hamas’s ties with the Assad regime had deteriorated amid the terror group’s support for opposition demands.

Yarmouk camp resident Marwan Mnawar, a retiree, said that "nobody knows what happened to the factional leadership," adding that "people just want to live, they are exhausted" by the conflict and factional infighting.

Posted by: trailing wife 2025-05-24 00:00 Edit Publish Page 47 Preview 1366 words Top Hoover

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Hezbollah seeks boost in Lebanon vote as disarmament calls grow

[IsraelTimes] Though the terror group was badly weakened by the war with Israel, popular support among Lebanese Shi’ites remains strong

Amid the rubble left by Israeli bombardment of south Leb
...Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects....
, campaign posters urge support for Hezbollah in elections on Saturday as the group aims to show it retains political clout despite the pounding it took in last year’s war.

For Hezbollah, the local vote is more important than ever, coinciding with mounting calls for its disarmament and continued Israeli ~~Arclight~~ airstrike
...KABOOM!...
s, and as many of its Shi’ite Moslem constituents still suffer the repercussions of the conflict.

Three rounds of voting already held this month have gone well for the Iran-backed terror group. In the south, many races won’t be contested, handing Hezbollah and its allies early wins.

"We will vote with blood," said Ali Tabaja, 21, indicating loyalty to Hezbollah. He’ll be voting in the city of Nabatieh rather than his village of Adaisseh because it has been destroyed.

"It’s a desert," he said.

The south’s rubble-strewn landscape reflects the devastating impact of the war, which began when Hezbollah began launching regular attacks on Israel in October 2023 in support of Hamas
..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,...
following the latter terror group’s devastating attack on southern Israel.

After nearly a year of war, Israel launched a major offensive against the organization. Hezbollah emerged as a shadow of its former self, with its leaders and thousands of its fighters killed, its influence over the Lebanese state greatly diminished, and its Lebanese opponents gaining sway.

In a measure of how far the tables have turned, the new government has declared it aims to establish a state monopoly on arms, meaning Hezbollah should disarm.

Against this backdrop, the election results so far indicate "the war didn’t achieve the objective of downgrading Hezbollah’s popularity in the community," said Mohanad Hage Ali of the Carnegie Middle East Center, a think tank. "On the contrary, many Shia now feel their fate is tied to Hezbollah’s fate.

Hezbollah’s election performance "really matters," Hage Ali added. "It shows they still represent the great majority of Shi’ites and underlines the reality that any attempt by other Lebanese to disarm them by force would risk being seen as a move against the community and jeopardize civil peace."

Hezbollah’s arms have long been a source of division in Lebanon, sparking a brief civil conflict in 2008. Critics say Hezbollah has unilaterally involved Lebanon in wider Middle East conflicts.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has called for dialogue with Hezbollah over a national defense strategy, implying discussion of its weaponry, but talks have yet to begin.

Wednesday saw the Lebanese and Paleostinian Authority presidents agree that Paleostinian factions won’t use Lebanon as a launchpad for any attacks against Israel, and to remove weapons that aren’t under the authority of the Lebanese state.

Foreign Minister Youssef Raji, a Hezbollah opponent, has said that Lebanon has been told there will be no reconstruction aid from foreign donors until the state establishes a monopoly on arms.

Hezbollah, in turn, has put the onus on the government over reconstruction and accuses it of failing to take steps on that front, despite promises that the government is committed to it.

A US State Department spokesperson said that while Washington was engaged in supporting sustainable reconstruction in Lebanon, "this cannot happen without Hezbollah laying down their arms."

"We have also made clear that transparency and economic reform are the only path to greater investment and economic recovery for the country," the spokesperson said in response to a Rooters query.

Hezbollah claims its weapons are now gone from the south, but links any discussion of its remaining arsenal to Israel’s withdrawal from five positions it still holds, and an end to Israeli strikes.

Israel says Hezbollah still has combat infrastructure, including rocket launchers in the south, calling this "blatant violations of understandings between Israel and Lebanon." It says the five positions are necessary to defend northern Israel from the threat of Hezbollah, which had planned an October 7-style attack on northern communities.

A French diplomatic source said reconstruction would not materialize if Israel continues striking and the Lebanese government does not act fast enough on disarmament.

Donors also want Beirut to enact economic reforms.

Hashem Haidar, head of the government’s Council for the South, said the state lacks the funds to rebuild, but cited progress in rubble removal. Lebanon needs $11 billion for reconstruction and recovery, the World Bank estimates.

In Nabatieh, a pile of rubble marks the spot where 71-year-old Khalil Tarhini’s store once stood. It was one of dozens destroyed by Israeli bombardment in Nabatieh’s central market.

He has received no compensation and sees little point in voting. Expressing a sense of abandonment, he said: "The state did not stand by us."

The situation was very different in 2006, after a previous Hezbollah-Israel war. Aid flowed 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 ~~Jews~~ ~~Zionists~~ Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
and Gulf Arab states.

Hezbollah says it has aided 400,000 people, paying for rent, furniture, and renovations. But the funds at its disposal appear well short of 2006, recipients say.

Hezbollah says state authorities have obstructed funds arriving from Iran, though Tehran is also more financially strapped than two decades ago due to tougher US sanctions and the reimposition of a "maximum pressure" policy by Washington.

As for Gulf states, their spending on Lebanon dried up as Hezbollah became embroiled in regional conflicts and, echoing the US, they declared it a terrorist group in 2016. Saudi Arabia

Posted by: trailing wife 2025-05-24 00:00 Edit Publish Page 47 Preview 1270 words Top Hoover

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After 5th round of nuclear talks, Iran says discussions with US ‘complicated’

[IsraelTimes] Oman’s FM says ‘some but not conclusive progress’ made in negotiations

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday that Tehran’s discussions with the United States over its nuclear program were "complicated," as the fifth round of talks concluded in Rome.

"The negotiations are too complicated to be resolved in two or three meetings," said Araghchi, who leads the Iranian negotiating team in the talks mediated by Oman.

Araghchi said there was potential for progress in nuclear negotiations after Oman made several proposals.

Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi said "some but not conclusive progress" was made. "We hope to clarify the remaining issues in the coming days to allow us to proceed toward the common goal of reaching a sustainable and honorable agreement."

The talks, which began in April, are the highest-level contact between the foes since the United States quit a landmark 2015 nuclear accord during President Donald Trump
...The tack in the backside of the Democratic Party...
’s first term.

Since returning to office, Trump has revived his "maximum pressure" campaign on Iran, backing talks but warning of military action if diplomacy fails.

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 ~~Jews~~ ~~Zionists~~ Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
wants a new deal that would ease the sanctions, which have battered its economy.

The fourth round of talks, in the Omani capital Muscat, ended with a public spat over enrichment. Witkoff said Washington "could not authorize even one percent" enrichment — a position Tehran called a red line, citing its rights under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Ahead of Friday’s talks, Araghchi said "fundamental differences" remained with the United States, while adding that Tehran was open to its nuclear sites undergoing more inspections.

"We will not have an agreement at all" if the United States wants to prevent Iran from enriching uranium, he said.

The talks came ahead of a June meeting of the UN nuclear watchdog, the Vienna-based ineffective International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and the October expiry of the 2015 accord.

The deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, aimed to allay Western suspicions that Iran was seeking a nuclear weapons capability, an ambition that Tehran has denied, while enriching uranium to levels that have no civilian application.

In return for curbs on its nuclear program, Iran had received relief from international sanctions. But the accord was torpedoed in 2018 when Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States and reimposed sanctions. Iran responded by ramping up its nuclear activities.

It is now enriching uranium to 60 percent — far above the deal’s 3.67 percent cap but below, though close to, the 90 percent level needed for a nuclear warhead.

Analysts in Tehran said Iran was unlikely to back down.

"It’s quite simple; if the US expects Iran to halt nuclear enrichment, then there can’t be a deal," said Mohammad Marandi, a political scientist who was once an adviser on the nuclear issue.

The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran says the country’s nuclear industry employs 17,000 people, similar to other countries where uranium is enriched for civilian use.

"The Netherlands, Belgium, South Korea, Brazil and Japan enrich without possessing nuclear weapons," its front man Behrouz Kamalvandi said.

Iran’s enmity with Israel, whose main backer is the United States, has been a constant backdrop to the talks.

In a letter to the United Nations
...the Oyster Bay money pit...
, Araghchi wrote: "We believe that in the event of any attack on the nuclear facilities of the Islamic Theocratic Republic of Iran by the Zionist regime, the US government will also be involved and bear legal responsibility."

The warning came after CNN
...formerly the Cable News Network, now who know what it might stand for...
, citing unnamed US officials, reported Israel was making preparations to carry out such a strike.

The White House said Trump had a "productive discussion" with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday about Iran and the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staff in Washington.

Friday’s talks took place before an IAEA Board of Governors meeting in Vienna in June, during which Iran’s nuclear activities will be reviewed.

The 2015 deal provides for the possibility of UN sanctions being reimposed through a mechanism called "snapback" if Iran fails to fulfil its commitments.

The agreement’s three European parties — Britannia, La Belle France and Germany — have warned they will trigger the mechanism if the continent’s security is threatened.

Araghchi said such a move would have "consequences — not only the end of Europe’s role in the agreement, but also an escalation of tensions that could become irreversible."

Mosssd
Mosssd

...sees all, knows all, gets 'em all in the end...
chief David Barnea and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer met US negotiator Steve Witkoff in Rome on Friday on the talks’ sidelines.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to unleash ~~Arclight~~ airstrike
...KABOOM!...
s targeting Iran’s program if a deal isn’t reached. Iranian officials increasingly warn they could pursue a nuclear weapon if the nation is threatened.

"Iran almost certainly is not producing nuclear weapons, but Iran has undertaken activities in recent years that better position it to produce them, if it chooses to do so," a new report from the US Defense Intelligence Agency said.

"These actions reduce the time required to produce sufficient weapons-grade uranium for a first nuclear device to probably less than one week."

However,
corruption finds a dozen alibis for its evil deeds...
it likely still would take Iran months to make a working bomb, experts say.

Asked about the negotiations, US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said "we believe that we are going to succeed" in the talks and in Washington’s push for no enrichment.

"The Iranians are at that table, so they also understand what our position is, and they continue to go," Bruce said Thursday.

One idea floated so far that might allow Iran to stop enrichment within the country but maintain a supply of uranium could be a consortium in the Mideast backed by regional countries and the US.

There are also multiple countries offering low-enriched uranium that can be used for peaceful purposes by countries.

However,
corruption finds a dozen alibis for its evil deeds...
Iran’s Foreign Ministry has maintained that enrichment must continue within the country’s borders, and a similar fuel-swap proposal failed to gain traction in negotiations in 2010.

Posted by: trailing wife 2025-05-24 00:00 Edit Publish Page 47 Preview 1215 words Top Hoover

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Jihadists Launch Deadly Attack On Russian Airbase On Syria's Coast

(ZeroHedge] In another clear indicator of just how drastically everything has changed in Syria in the wake of Bashar al-Assad's ouster in December last year, a militant group attempted to storm Russia's Hmeimim air base on Syria’s coast on Wednesday. Already the future of the base is uncertain, but Russia has still been maintaining it - given also Hmeimim is Moscow's only airbase on the Mediterranean.

"Militants attacked a Russian air base in Syria, killing two soldiers, a Syrian government official and a local activist said Wednesday," according to The Associated Press. Russian statements, which offered little detail, did not indicate if the slain were Russian soldiers or possibly foreign nationals who were contractors.

At least two militants were killed during their assault on the airbase. They are being widely reported as foreign Islamist fighters affiliated with the new Syrian government's military under President Sharaa (Jolani).

The Jolani/HTS government has tried to distance itself from the attack, as it is still seeking diplomatic normalization with Russia and a reset in relations:

The government official said the two militants who were killed were foreign nationals who had worked as military trainers at a naval college that was training members of the new government’s military. He said they had acted on their own in attacking the base and were not officially affiliated with any faction.

Damascus has on Thursday deployed additional forces in an effort to stabilize the security situation in villages near the airbase.

"The city of Jableh and the villages surrounding the Russian Hmeimim air base in the Jableh countryside are witnessing a security alert. Heavy deployment of public security forces has been observed in the villages of Al-Sharashir and Al-Qubaisa, both close to the base," the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) says.

SOHR had further described "clashes in which medium and heavy machine guns were used, coinciding with the sounding of alarm sirens inside the base" - when the incident unfolded.

One regional outlet has said Russian soldiers were killed, and that it was Uzbek terrorists behind the assault:

According to a report by the Erem outlet, the 20 May attack resulted in the killing of three Russian soldiers and the injury of at least six others. The report says the attack was carried out by an Uzbek-led faction, which afterwards began to mobilize in the village of Al-Sharashir, just two kilometers from the base.

Erem also said the Uzbek armed group, responsible for past atrocities including the killing of children, have displaced and intimidated scores of residents and have seized homes in in the nearby town.

#BREAKING | Islamist militants reportedly affiliated with ruling HTS attacked Russia’s Khmeimim Air Base in Syria around 4–5 AM. Russian forces returned fire, reportedly killing four militants. https://t.co/UQGcfjWqt0 pic.twitter.com/JorasQW3My
— The Global Eye (@TGEThGlobalEye) May 21, 2025

This coastal area near Latakia has for months seen attacks and massacres conducted by Islamic militant factions against the minority Alawite community of Syria. Christians and Druze have also been targeted.

Thousands of Alawites have been reported killed, and while the Jolani government has formally condemned the killings, eyewitnesses have consistently said the attacks had the involvement of HTS (Hayat Tahrir al-Sham) fighters, which remains the ruling faction in Damascus.

During the height of the sectarian killings, Alawite families sought refuge at Hmeimim air base in large numbers. Many thousands have been camped out on the base tarmac, with at times Russian troops seen handing out food and water and necessities of survival.

Back in March, Alawites expressed their distrust of HTS provided "security"...

HTS AlQaeda reps try to convince Syrian Alawi refugees to leave the Russian Hmeimim air base and go home. "Trust us now, mistakes happen, things got out of control". pic.twitter.com/JIpzSHpAB0

— tim anderson (@timand2037) March 18, 2025

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov earlier this week expressed particular concern about the chaotic situation in Syria, where he said extremist militant groups are carrying out "real ethnic cleansing and mass killings based on ethnic and sectarian identity". He blasted what he called the West’s "stunning" indifference to mass killings acts of terrorism.

The strong comments followed in the wake of President Trump meeting with Syria's Sharaa while in Saudi Arabia earlier this month. This stunned even some Washington officials, given that Sharaa/Jolani has long been a US-designated terrorist. Trump has said he wants to give Syria a fresh start, and also announced the US will drop sanctions.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio this week told a Senate hearing that Syria could collapse within just weeks; however, he didn't acknowledge in the testimony that it was the CIA's Operation Timber Sycamore which served to weaken and destabilize the country in the first place.

Posted by: Skidmark 2025-05-24 00:00 Edit Publish Page 47 Preview 851 words Top ePoster

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