[SudanTribune] Sudan’s army said on Monday it had recaptured a town in the Blue Nile region following heavy fighting against a coalition of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu.
The RSF and its allies launched a major military offensive in the southeastern region in March, seizing the strategic town of Kurmuk and several surrounding areas.
Joint forces of the SPLM-N and the RSF had previously taken control of the Mogja areaةon March 26, saying it paves the way towards Ed Damazin.
The army’s 4th Infantry Division said in a statement that its forces achieved a “significant victory” by liberating Mogja. The military reported that the retreating forces suffered heavy losses in lives and equipment.
The military command stated the operation was part of a broader campaign to secure the region and clear it of RSF elements.
The Sudanese government has accused neighbouring Ethiopia of destabilizing the Blue Nile by hosting RSF camps funded by the United Arab Emirates. Both Ethiopia and the UAE have previously denied allegations of involvement in the conflict.
IS-Somalia Attack in Dhaadaar Signals Escalation as They Target Local Defenders and Infrastructure.
Credible reporting indicates that IS-Somalia carried out a late-night raid on Dhaadaar village, directly targeting a small group of armed local residents. The objective was to… pic.twitter.com/hyzfwlGFDM
IS-Somalia Attack in Dhaadaar Signals Escalation as They Target Local Defenders and Infrastructure.
Credible reporting indicates that IS-Somalia carried out a late-night raid on Dhaadaar village, directly targeting a small group of armed local residents. The objective was to destroy a water well recently constructed by Puntland authorities for pastoralist communities consistent with efforts to undermine essential civilian infrastructure.
#SecurityAlert Internal Dissent Among Foreign Fighters in Al-Shabaab Leads to Arrests
Members of foreign fighters within Al-Shabaab have reportedly become increasingly discontent. Reliable sources indicate that a number of foreign fighters, primarily from Kenya and Tanzania,… pic.twitter.com/GW5YG10Juu
— Abdurahman Sheikh Azhari (@HOA_ANALYST) April 20, 2026
Text:
Internal Dissent Among Foreign Fighters in Al-Shabaab Leads to Arrests
Members of foreign fighters within Al-Shabaab have reportedly become increasingly discontent. Reliable sources indicate that a number of foreign fighters, primarily from Kenya and Tanzania, were detained after staging protests and refusing orders. They cited poor living conditions and a lack of basic care from the group’s leadership as the main reasons for their actions. Fighters within Al-Shabaab are said to receive monthly salaries ranging between $35 and $70.
Confirmed reports state that 23 individuals have been arrested, including three senior members who had previously operated in both Kenya and Somalia. The detainees were held in the towns of Jilib and Buale.
Several terrorists killed as Air Force destroys enclave in Sambisa Forest air strike
By: Zagazola Makama
The Air Component of Operation Hadin Kai have eliminated several terrorists following a precision air interdiction mission conducted on a known terrorist enclave at Yuwe in… pic.twitter.com/7s4W7RznmR
Several terrorists killed as Air Force destroys enclave in Sambisa Forest air strike
By Zagazola Makama
The Air Component of Operation Hadin Kai have eliminated several terrorists following a precision air interdiction mission conducted on a known terrorist enclave at Yuwe in the Sambisa Forest general area.
Military sources said the operation was carried out on April 19 at about 5:45 p.m. by the Phantom Formation in collaboration with the Grey Raptor platform in support of battlefield air interdiction operations.
The mission, was launched following credible intelligence and confirmatory intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) that revealed active terrorist presence and fortified structures, including suspected bunkers within the area.
Upon arrival over the target location in the Sambisa Forest axis of Sambisa Forest, the air crew identified designated targets and engaged them with precision munitions.
Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have carried out a clearance operation targeting suspected insurgent enclaves in Kaga Local Government Area of Borno State.
Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have carried out a clearance operation targeting suspected insurgent enclaves in Kaga Local Government Area of Borno State.
Security sources said the operation was conducted on April 19 at about 1000 hrs by troops of 29 Task Force Brigade in conjunction with members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF).
The troops, mounted on Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, Armoured Personnel Carriers and gun trucks, advanced from Benisheikh through key
Angry youths, women attack soldiers, burn military checkpoint in Plateau over killing of villager
By: Zagazola Makama
Tension rose in Kassa community of Kassa District, in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State, as angry youths and women on Sunday attacked soldiers… pic.twitter.com/rkxnYSsbm8
Angry youths, women attack soldiers, burn military checkpoint in Plateau over killing of villager
By Zagazola Makama
Tension rose in Kassa community of Kassa District, in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State, as angry youths and women on Sunday attacked soldiers and set ablaze a military checkpoint following the burial of a resident reportedly killed by Fulani armed attackers.
Security sources told Zagazola Makama that the incident occurred at about 11:40 p.m. on April 20 when a crowd stormed a checkpoint at Rapung Kassa and destroyed the facility, including makeshift structures and equipment used by troops deployed in the area.
[IsraelTimes] The United Arab Emirates says it has dismantled a terrorist cell linked to Iran and arrested its members over a plot to undermine stability, state news agency WAM reports.
WAM says that the cell members carried out recruitment and mobilization operations, with the aim of gaining access to sensitive sites.
[IsraelTimes] Police say UK seeing ‘pressure of hostile states’ as the number of arrests for six recent attacks on Jewish or Iranian-dissident targets rises to 15
UK police said Monday they had arrested two teenagers after the latest arson attack on sites including Jewish ones in London, bringing the number of arrests for six recent attacks on Jewish or Iranian-dissident targets to 15.
Matt Jukes, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said the new apprehensions came amid a pattern of "thugs for hire" as the United Kingdom sees "the pressure of hostile states bearing into our communities."
The London force has been probing whether the attacks have been instigated by Iranian proxies, as Britannia’s chief rabbi warned of "a sustained campaign of violence and intimidation" against Jews in the UK.
In the latest incident late Saturday, a bottle containing "some sort of accelerant" was thrown through a window of Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow, northwest London, according to police.
Smoke was seen inside the room, but no injuries were reported, police said.
"I’m really pleased to say that overnight, we have news of two arrests in relation to that incident, 17- and 19-year-old males," Jukes told BBC Radio 4.
Police said they remained in jug early Monday.
Jukes noted there had now been 15 arrests following six separate incidents including against a Jewish-led ambulance service and a Persian-language media outlet.
He added the possible involvement of proxies was "a very serious line of inquiry."
"We’ve seen a pattern with other actors of thugs for hire — people taking cash. It looks like quick and easy money," Jukes said, noting convictions last year in a case involving individuals working for Russia’s Wagner Group.
"This is part of the modern hybrid war fought by proxies," he added. "We clearly see the pressure of hostile states bearing into our communities, and policing is going to respond to that."
The newly founded Islamist group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI), or Movement of the Companions of the Right Hand of Islam, which has links to Iran, has grabbed credit for many of the recent attacks across Europa ...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum... on American, Israeli and Jewish targets, according to SITE Intelligence Group.
In a statement published on Telegram on Sunday, HAYI said that it had targeted the Kenton United Synagogue because it is "one of the centers of Zionist influence in the British capital."
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed Sunday to bring the perpetrators of the "abhorrent" recent attacks to justice, as concern over the spate of incidents intensified.
Chief rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said in a post on X that "a sustained campaign of violence and intimidation against the Jewish community of the UK is gathering momentum."
"Thank God, no lives have been lost, but we cannot, and must not, wait for that to change before we understand just how dangerous this moment is for all of our society," he added.
Separately, the UK’s The Sunday Times said the Islamist group had also grabbed credit for a Friday night arson attack on a building in north London’s Hendon neighborhood that displayed the sign for Jewish Futures, an educational organization. There were no injuries.
The incident came after police arrested two people over a separate arson attack on a synagogue in Finchley on Wednesday.
In late March, four Jewish community ambulances were torched in Golders Green, also in north London.
Monitoring groups have reported an upsurge in antisemitic incidents in Britannia, particularly since the start of the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... war sparked by Hamas ..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,... ’s terror onslaught on October 7, 2023.
The Community Security Trust recorded 3,700 instances of anti-Jewish hate across the UK last year, a four percent rise on 2024, but down on 2023.
British police said Tuesday that a 17-year-old boy has been charged in connection with a counter-terrorism investigation into an arson attack on a synagogue in north London over the weekend.
The boy, who was charged with arson not endangering life, is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court later Tuesday, police said in the statement. UK police announced his arrest, along with that of a 19-year-old male, on Monday.
Might be more information on this story from Regnum… there aren’t enough details to say.
[PJ] According to the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) and Costa Rica's Ministry of Public Security (MSP), the two countries have come together once again to make the Western Hemisphere a little safer. Last week, a joint anti-narcotics operation involving the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), and the Costa Rican Coast Guard ended with the seizure of a lot of drugs, the arrest of three individuals, and a hit to the organized crime and drug smuggling that is plaguing our region.
It happened on Thursday. U.S. officials spotted a suspicious 32-foot vessel off Costa Rica's Pacific Coast, about 175 nautical miles off Blanco Cape, in the Nicoya peninsula. The boat was named the "Poseidon," but it had no registration numbers or national flag. A U.S. aircraft tracked it until the Costa Rican Coast Guard found it and intercepted it. They arrested three Colombian nationals and towed the boat back to shore, where they found approximately two tons of cocaine. Costa Rican prosecutors are seeking to slap all three men with international drug trafficking charges.
This might be another take on this story about a joint raid with Costa Rico last Thursday — there aren’t enough details to be sure.
[Regnum] Three people were killed in a US military strike on a vessel in the Caribbean Sea allegedly used by drug traffickers. This was reported by the US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) on April 19.
"Under orders from Southern Command Commander Francis Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear launched a lethal strike on the vessel on April 19," explained a statement posted on X's social media account.
Intelligence reports are cited that allegedly confirm the vessel was sailing along drug smuggling routes in the Caribbean and was being used for drug trafficking.
Earlier, the US military carried out another strike on a vessel involved in illegal drug trafficking in the Pacific Ocean. Three people on board were killed.
The United States carried out previous similar strikes on vessels suspected of drug smuggling on April 13 and 14. The strikes killed two men on board. Four more drug-trafficking suspects were later reported killed.
[IsraelTimes] Israel confirms incident, says it immediately contacted Russian authorities to secure release of travelers, who say they were told that any enemy of Tehran is ‘our enemy as well’
At least 40 Israeli citizens were detained and later released after arriving at a Moscow airport from Tel Aviv on Sunday, the Foreign Ministry confirmed following a Russian report on the incident.
The travelers were reportedly held on suspicion of having ties to Israel’s war against Russia’s ally, Iran. Security forces at Domodedovo Airport reportedly stressed to the detainees that Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... is an ally of Russia and that anyone who is an enemy of Iran is "our enemy as well."
"Immediately upon learning of the incident, at the instruction of Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, the Foreign Ministry acted both with the foreign ministry in Moscow and with the Russian embassy in Israel," the ministry said in a statement on Monday.
"Following this intervention, the incident was resolved, and the Israelis’ entry was approved. The Russians were made to understand that this conduct is completely unacceptable, and Israel views the incident with great seriousness," the ministry added.
While the ministry could not address other details of the detention, a source familiar with the incident told the independent Russian outlet Mediazone that the travelers were interrogated by Russian security forces on suspicion of being involved in Israel’s war against Iran, and held for five hours without access to food, water, or restrooms.
Those detained, among whom were both dual citizens and Israelis without Russian passports, were reportedly told to unlock their phones. When the Israelis refused, they were told to turn them off instead, the report said.
The Israeli citizens were released only after signing documents stressing the "inadmissibility of violating the law" and warning against such violations, according to the report.
Domodedovo Airport was the scene of an incident in 2019, when several Israelis were denied entry into Russia in a spat over a bilateral visa agreement. On that occasion, they were also eventually permitted to continue their journey.
#2
Security forces at Domodedovo Airport reportedly stressed to the detainees that Iran is an ally of Russia and that anyone who is an enemy of Iran is "our enemy as well."
I hope these Security "people" will enjoy their new postings
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] China sent Iran 'a gift' that was intercepted by US forces in the region, Donald Trump said Tuesday morning while venting about Chinese President Xi Jinping a month before their Beijing meeting.
Speaking with CNBC about the US-Iran war, the President noted how the Islamic Regime is 'trying to move [their] missiles around even during the ceasefire.'
'They probably have done a little bit of restocking. We caught a ship yesterday that had some things on it, which wasn't very nice, a gift from China,' Trump said.
'Perhaps, I don't know. But I was a little surprised, because I have a very good relationship, and I thought I had an understanding with President Xi. But that's alright. That's the way war goes.'
He did not expand upon what the mysterious 'gift' was.
#1
Reuters (yeah, I know) also reports a very alarming detail: the Touska is loaded with dual-use chemicals used to manufacture ballistic missiles. The Washington Post has confirmed this detail as well.
In admiralty law, prizes (from the Old French prise, "taken, seized") are equipment, vehicles, vessels, and cargo captured during armed conflict. The most common use of prize in this sense is the capture of an enemy ship and its cargo as a prize of war. In the past, the capturing force would commonly be allotted a share of the worth of the captured prize. Nations often granted letters of marque that would entitle private parties to capture enemy property, usually ships. Once the ship was secured on friendly territory, it would be made the subject of a prize case: an in rem proceeding in which the court determined the status of the condemned property and the manner in which the property was to be disposed of
[IsraelTimes] Turkey on Monday says it has arrested 90 people with suspected links to Islamic State jihadist group, two weeks after a deadly shootout outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul.
A total of 198 people were detained a day after the April 7 attack in a nationwide sweep against “the terrorist organization Daesh,” another name for the Islamic State terror group.
The 90 other suspects arrested in 24 of Turkey’s 81 provinces include “members of the terrorist organization,… people… involved in its financing… and suspects disseminating propaganda,” the interior ministry says.
Authorities have not officially connected these arrests to the shootout outside the Israeli consulate in which two police officers were wounded.
One of the three gunmen, who was killed by the police, was linked “to a terrorist organization that instrumentalizes religion,” the authorities said, without naming IS.
At the end of December, three Turkish police officers were killed during an anti-IS operation in the northwestern province of Yalova.
Six suspects, all Turkish nationals, were also shot dead in clashes that lasted several hours.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
04/21/2026 2026-04-21 04:38 ||
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Link ||
[1796 views]
Top|| File under: Islamic State
#1
Could also be Gülenists, Kurds, or just random folks that Türkiye wants to relieve themselves of.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
04/21/2026 8:32 Comments ||
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#2
I didn’t realize there were any Gulenists still running free in Turkey. Wasn’t it in 2015 when they were accused of plotting to overthrow the government, thrown in prison, and stripped of their possessions?
[IsraelTimes] The IDF says two Hamas operatives “who posed an immediate threat” were killed in separate strikes in the Gaza Strip over the past day.
The first strike in central Gaza yesterday killed Ayman Housna, a Hamas operative who the military says was involved in manufacturing and repairing weapons for the terror group.
The second strike, carried out earlier today, killed Anas Khaled Safi, a Hamas operative who the IDF says was planning an “imminent” attack on troops.
“Both terrorists posed an immediate threat to the troops and were eliminated in precise aerial strikes,” the military says.
[IsraelTimes] Palestinian media outlets in Gaza affiliated with Hamas have published footage showing armed men firing in Khan Younis, claiming they are Hamas operatives targeting militias backed by Israel.
Hussam al-Astal, the leader of a militia in the Khan Younis area established last year and supported by Israel, tells The Times of Israel that Hamas operatives opened fire on around 20 of his fighters as they were finishing distributing food to civilians in central Khan Younis.
“We were there for three hours — Hamas wasn’t there. As we were leaving, they hid among the people, opened fire, and launched an RPG at us,” al-Astal says.
According to him, one militia member was killed in the attack, and two others were lightly wounded. He adds that while the fighters were armed, they did not return fire in order to avoid harming Gazan civilians who were present at the scene. After the shooting, they left the scene.
[IsraelTimes] 7 IDF and police officers accused of money laundering as cops seize NIS 50 million; IDF officer charged for smuggling goods to Gaza
State prosecutors filed indictments in the Central-Lod District Court on Monday against seven military and coppers on charges of taking bribes, theft by a public servant, money laundering, obstruction of justice, tax offenses, and other crimes.
The defendants, members of "operational units" in the IDF and police, "abused their office and their authorities" over the course of several months and pocketed sums of money and property amounting to tens of millions of shekels, the State Attorney’s Office said.
Most of the defendants laundered the money through cryptocurrency. State law enforcement agencies seized over NIS 50 million during the course of the investigation.
According to the indictment, three of the defendants sought to destroy evidence of their crimes after they discovered that an investigation was underway, and that one of the suspects had been arrested.
The indictment was based on a joint investigation by the Shin Bet, the Israel Police, IDF Military Police, and the Department for Internal Police Investigations in the State Attorney’s Office. The exact details of the criminal activity committed by the seven defendants were barred from publication by the court.
The State Attorney’s Office requested that the court keep four of the defendants in detention until the end of legal proceedings against them, and requested restricted release conditions against the other three.
Separately, multiple people were indicted for smuggling goods into the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... Strip on Monday.
In one case, a lieutenant in the IDF was indicted for smuggling contraband into the Gaza Strip in exchange for millions of shekels, the military announced.
Military prosecutors charged the officer, who served as a deputy company commander, with "aiding the enemy," taking a bribe, smuggling goods under aggravated circumstances, and other offenses, following an investigation by the Military Police.
According to the indictment, in September 2025, the junior officer and others planned to smuggle a truck containing contraband into Gaza.
The lieutenant, who was stationed at the Kerem Shalom border crossing at the time, agreed to "exploit his military position, familiarity with procedures, and operational authority to allow the truck’s entry into the Strip, in exchange for payment of millions of shekels," the military said.
On the evening of September 19, the truck arrived at Kerem Shalom. The lieutenant, who arrived in an army jeep, ordered soldiers at the crossing to allow the truck through as he escorted it into Gaza.
The military said the truck contained mobile phones, cigarettes, tobacco, silicone, solar panels, and "large quantities" of electric bicycles, all of which Israel currently bans from entering Gaza. Israel bans so-called "dual use" items, which have both civilian and military uses, from entering the Strip.
Those involved in the smuggling "received significant sums of money," which was divided among them, with the lieutenant receiving approximately NIS 5 million, according to the IDF.
The military said it views the phenomenon of smuggling into Gaza "gravely, as it poses a risk to state security in general, and especially in cases where IDF personnel in the standing army or reserves are involved."
In addition, a man from Kafr Kasim, Mundar Badir, 48, was indicted for being part of a Gaza smuggling operation, according to Hebrew media reports. Badir was alleged to have worked to procure the contraband and act as a liaison with people in Gaza. He was accused of helping smuggle cigarettes, and of attempting to smuggle generators, voltage converters, gas fittings, and SIM cards, with the aim of making millions of shekels per truck of stolen goods.
He was also charged with aiding the enemy during wartime and fraudulently obtaining goods in aggravating circumstances.
In February, state prosecutors filed charges against 15 suspects, among them IDF reservists, accused of taking part in a major smuggling ring that trafficked goods into the Gaza Strip.
That alleged smuggling ring is linked to Bezalel Zini, the brother of Shin Bet chief David Zini, who is thought to have helped the network’s members smuggle cigarettes, taking advantage of his IDF reserve service in Gaza.
[IsraelTimes] 19-year-old kept contact with Iranian agent even after ‘threatening messages’ sent to his family members, bought ticket to meet his handler in Dubai
Two young men were charged in court Monday with espionage for Iran, including one who allegedly bought a ticket to Dubai to meet his handler.
The pair were brought before a judge in the Lod Central District Court and indicted on security offenses. The judge issued a gag order barring the publication of details that could identify either of the defendants, despite police having named the pair in an earlier blurb.
The main suspect, a 19-year-old from central Israel, was allegedly in contact with an Iranian agent for three months before his arrest in March.
According to the Ynet news site, the main defendant admitted to being fully aware he was interacting with a hostile Iran-linked actor, but nevertheless sought to make money off the contact by providing him with what he claimed was fake intelligence.
The State Attorney’s Office said the young man had already bought a ticket to Dubai by the time of his arrest, and had planned to meet his handler there. Earlier, the Shin Bet and police said he had agreed to undergo "training" in an Arab country.
He also allegedly provided an Iranian agent with the personal information of his brother, an IDF soldier, and lied about his brother’s position in the army. He created the false impression that his sibling served in the IDF’s Military Intelligence Directorate and had access to sensitive information, prosecutors said.
According to police, several of the suspect’s family members received "threatening messages" from the Iranian agent after the young man disclosed their personal details to him. Despite this, he maintained contact with his handler.
During his interrogation, the young man allegedly incriminated a 21-year-old Israeli, also from the center. The second man is suspected of helping the main defendant forge a document detailing a fake US-Israeli plan to attack Iran, supposedly originating from his brother’s computer.
Justifying their request to keep the pair in jug until convicted, prosecutors said the defendants are highly dangerous, since "the transfer of false information about Israel’s readiness for immediate war could have led to a surprise attack by Iran."
The main defendant allegedly received tens of thousands of shekels from the agent. Some of the money was paid to him in cryptocurrency, while some was transferred directly to his bank account from a company’s bank account after Iran-linked hackers managed to access its funds, prosecutors added.
The pair are the latest to be arrested on suspicion of spying for the Islamic Theocratic Republic, a burgeoning phenomenon which the security establishment has struggled to stem, even during the recent war against Iran.
[IsraelTimes] After terror group ignored his first ultimatum, Nickolay Mladenov says an agreement must be reached in two weeks at most before loss of momentum will be too difficult to overcome
The Board of Peace’s lead envoy for 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... admitted Monday that talks with Hamas ..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,... on disarmament are going to take more time, even though the ultimatum he gave for the terror group to accept his proposal on handing over its weapons expired nine days earlier.
"We’ve had some very serious discussions with Hamas over the last few weeks. They’re not easy," Nickolay Mladenov told Rooters in an interview during a visit to Brussels. "I’m fairly optimistic that we will be able to come up with an arrangement that works for all sides and, most importantly, works for the people in Gaza."
US President Donald Trump ...His ancestors didn't own any slaves... introduced the Board of Peace in September to oversee his plan to end the Israel-Hamas war, subsequently saying it would tackle other conflicts.
The UN Security Council went on to recognize the board, which is chaired by Trump, though many major powers have not joined.
Trump’s Gaza plan, which was initially embraced by Israel and Hamas, calls for Israeli troops to withdraw from Gaza and reconstruct to start as Hamas lays down its weapons.
The disarmament of Hamas has been a key sticking point in talks to implement the plan and cement the ceasefire reached in October, which halted two years of full-blown war triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel. Violence has continued in the Gaza Strip, much of which remains in ruins.
Mladenov has been holding talks with Hamas leaders for weeks, and toward the beginning of the month gave the group until April 11 to accept the Board of Peace’s proposal for it to gradually hand over all of its arms.
The plan, partially leaked to the media, follows an eight-month timeline, beginning with Hamas handing over its heavy weaponry in addition to maps of its tunnel network within 90 days.
HAMAS SAID WILLING TO GIVE UP AUTOMATIC RIFLES, ’OTHER WEAPONS’
The New York Times
...which still proudly claims Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize... reported Monday that Hamas has countered with its own proposal through which it would give up thousands of automatic rifles and "other weapons" held by its internal security forces, while maintaining the rest of its arsenal.
While the offer marked the first time Hamas has expressed willingness to give up at least some of weapons, it still falls well short of the Board of Peace’s proposal, which requires the complete disarmament of all Gaza terror groups.
The counteroffer would also allow Hamas to hold onto its heavy weapons, such as rockets and missiles, which are supposed to be handed over first along with maps of Gaza’s underground tunnel network, according to the Board of Peace’s proposal.
The Hamas proposal also stipulates that its internal security forces will hand over their weapons to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, the technocratic panel set up by the Board of Peace to govern the Strip.
The two Hamas officials cited by the New York Times did not provide a clear answer when asked if the NCAG could seize weapons belonging to Hamas’s military wing.
HAMAS CLAIMS TO TARGET ISRAELI-BACKED MILITIAS IN KHAN YOUNIS
While the NCAG was formally established in January, the Board of Peace has held off on installing the new government in Gaza until enough progress has been made in stabilizing the situtation there and creating the conditions for the technocratic government to succeed.
While Hamas has expressed its interest in having the NCAG replace it in running Gaza, it has continued to work on reestablishing its dominace in the Strip.
Paleostinian media outlets in Gaza affiliated with Hamas published footage on Monday showing gunnies firing guns in Khan Younis, claiming they were Hamas operatives targeting militias backed by Israel.
Hussam al-Astal, the leader of a militia in the Khan Younis area established last year and supported by Israel, told The Times of Israel that Hamas operatives opened fire on around 20 of his fighters as they were finishing distributing food to civilians in central Khan Younis.
"We were there for three hours — Hamas wasn’t there. As we were leaving, they hid among the people, opened fire, and launched an RPG at us," al-Astal said.
According to him, one militia member was killed in the attack and two others were lightly maimed. He added that while the fighters were armed, they did not return fire in order to avoid harming Paleostinian civilians who were present at the scene. After the shooting stopped, they left the area.
Also Monday, the IDF said two Hamas operatives "who posed an immediate threat" were killed in separate strikes in the Gaza Strip over the 24 hours.
The first strike in central Gaza on Sunday killed Ayman Housna, a Hamas operative who the military says was involved in manufacturing and repairing weapons for the terror group.
The second strike, carried out earlier today, killed Anas Khaled Safi, a Hamas operative who the IDF says was planning an "imminent" attack on troops.
"Both Death Eaters posed an immediate threat to the troops and were eliminated in precise aerial strikes," the military said.
RISK OF LOSING MOMENTUM
In the interview with Rooters, Mladenov said work was underway on an implementation plan that would include disarmament, new governance in Gaza and provisions for an Israeli withdrawal.
"It obviously will take time, but we’re trying to make sure that the arrangements for the implementation of the plan are agreed to as quickly as possible," Mladenov, a former UN Middle East envoy and Bulgarian politician, said.
Asked about when an agreement could be reached on implementation, Mladenov said: "We have a matter of days, maximum a couple of weeks, that is my assessment. Because otherwise we will lose the momentum of what we have, and then every decision will become even more difficult."
While declining to comment on the details of ongoing negotiations, the envoy said he believed there was "a good way forward that is being discussed with both sides."
One of the issues under discussion was the "yellow line" demarcating the territory Israel has occupied since the October ceasefire, Mladenov said. Rooters has reported that Israel has moved the "yellow line" deeper into Gaza.
"There’s a whole set of issues that need to be handled on the ground, including the yellow line," Mladenov said, adding that matters such as access for aid and medicine are also under discussion with Israel.
He also pointed to some changes on the ground.
"We’ve been able to, over the last few days, gradually and very carefully increase the number of people that are allowed to cross through the Rafah crossing. We’re looking at increasing the number of trucks of goods that are going into Gaza," he said. The Rafah crossing connects Gaza to Egypt.
There is also a need to build trust, Mladenov said.
"It’s a very complicated process," he said. "But it is a process that is taking a lot of small steps to get us ultimately to an agreement on the full implementation of the plan."
Trump in February said that US allies have contributed over $7 billion to relief efforts in Gaza and that the US will contribute $10 billion to the Board of Peace. Rooters has reported that the Board of Peace has only received a fraction of what was pledged.
"All the monies that were committed in Washington are there for the Board of Peace," Mladenov insisted. "We don’t have any financial issues related to the work of the Board of Peace."
Member states can earn permanent membership of the board by paying $1 billion.
More than $71 billion will be needed over the next decade for recovery and reconstruction in war-ravaged Gaza, according to the Gaza Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment developed by the United Nations ...an organization originally established to war on dictatorships which was promptly infiltrated by dictatorships and is now held in thrall to dictatorships... and the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... , in coordination with the World Bank, which was published on Monday.
[IsraelTimes] Representatives for Donald Trump’s Board of Peace have held discussions with state-owned Dubai multinational DP World about managing supply chains and other infrastructure projects in Gaza, the Financial Times reports, citing three people familiar with the matter.
The talks examine whether DP World could enter into a partnership with the Board of Peace to run the logistics for humanitarian aid and other goods entering Gaza, the report says.
#2
Hubris. The problem with Trump is he wants to be loved be everyone. Board of Peace. Or Board of Failure. Only time will tell, Ha! Hell no. Board of Failure is all but guaranteed.
[IsraelTimes] The IDF says it struck a primed Hezbollah rocket launcher north of its “forward defense line” in southern Lebanon overnight.
The loaded launcher in the Qalaouiyah area “posed an immediate threat to IDF troops and Israeli citizens,” the military says.
The incident takes place during a ceasefire in Lebanon. The IDF says that during the truce it will “continue to take the necessary measures for self-defense against threats, while maintaining the security of Israeli civilians and the troops deployed on the ground.”
[IsraelTimes] The US military has directed 27 vessels to turn around or return to an Iranian port since the beginning of its blockade on Iranian ports around the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Central Command says in a statement on X.
[IsraelTimes] The European Union will expand the criteria of its Iran sanctions to include those responsible for blocking the Strait of Hormuz, which has been largely shut for nearly two months, upending global energy and commodities markets, two EU diplomats say.
Tehran effectively closed the strait after US-Israeli strikes on Iran began on February 28, cutting off roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.
More than a dozen tankers sailed through Hormuz after Iran briefly declared it open on Friday, but the ceasefire agreement was thrown into jeopardy after the United States seized an Iranian cargo ship as it maintained its own military blockade of Iranian ports.
“There was a political agreement among ambassadors that we indeed would change the criteria in Iran’s sanctions regime so that we could also list persons and entities that are responsible for the obstruction of the freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” one of the diplomats says.
A second diplomatic source says the European External Action Service would need a few weeks to prepare any new listings. The EEAS is in charge of placing people and companies under sanctions, while the European Commission handles sector-wide restrictions.
In January, the EU designated Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, and in March, it listed Iranian officials for human rights violations.
[IsraelTimes] The Israeli Air Force killed several Hezbollah operatives who “violated the ceasefire understandings” and posed a threat to troops in southern Lebanon today, the military says.
In two separate incidents, soldiers of the Paratroopers Brigade spotted several Hezbollah operatives in the Bint Jbeil area, which is located in the IDF-held security zone.
The military says the operatives “approached the forces in a manner that posed an immediate threat,” and a short while later, the IAF “struck and eliminated the terrorists to remove the threat.”
In another incident, troops of the Golani Brigade spotted several Hezbollah operatives near the Litani River.
The IDF says the operatives “operated within the forward defensive line area, and approached the forces in a manner that posed an immediate threat.”
A short while after the operatives were identified, the military says the IAF “struck and eliminated the terrorists.”
Lebanese media reported that the latter strike targeted several people at a previously destroyed Litani River crossing in the town of Qaaqaait al-Jisr.
[IsraelTimes] Mohammad Masoum Shahi and Hamed Validi found guilty of collaborating with ‘hostile groups’ and receiving training abroad
Iran executed two men convicted of cooperating with Israel’s intelligence service and planning attacks inside the country, the judiciary’s news outlet Mizan reported on Sunday, the latest in a string of executions since the outbreak of war with Israel and the United States.
Mizan said the two, identified as Mohammad Masoum Shahi and Hamed Validi, were accused of belonging to a spy network linked to the Mosssd ...sees all, knows all, gets 'em all in the end... and had received training abroad, including in Iraq’s Kurdistan region.
It did not say when they were arrested.
They were convicted on charges including "enmity against God" and collaboration with "hostile groups and the Zionist regime," Mizan said.
Their death sentences were upheld by the Supreme Court before being carried out, Mizan added.
Iran has carried out multiple executions since the start of war with the United States and Israel on February 28, with strikes that killed the Islamic Theocratic Republic’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei ...the very aged actual dictator of Iran, successor to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini...> . A fragile two-week ceasefire has been in place since April 8.
Iran is the world’s second most prolific executioner after China, according to rights groups based outside the country.
Earlier this month, Iran’s hardline judiciary chief urged courts to speed up verdicts linked to the US-Israeli war, including capital punishment, as activists sounded the alarm about surging hangings of convicts seen as political prisoners.
"You need to speed up the issuing of sentences for executions and the confiscation of property," judiciary chief Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei told a televised meeting of senior judiciary officials.
Using existing laws on punishing espionage, "it is necessary to continue issuing judicial verdicts for elements and agents of the aggressor enemy with greater speed," he added.
Most of those executed are young men, including teens, alleged to have been either involved in the nationwide protests in January that were brutally suppressed by the regime — with thousands rubbed out in the streets — or members of banned opposition groups.
Earlier this month, Iran executed a man named Ali Fahim convicted over an alleged attempt to storm a military facility and access an armory during unrest in January.
Iran has already executed three others linked to the incident.
[IsraelTimes] Iran executed a man who was accused of being a leader of a network linked to Israel’s intelligence service and of setting fire to a mosque in Tehran during January protests, the judiciary’s news outlet Mizan reports.
Mizan identifies the man as Amirali Mirjafari, saying he had been convicted of carrying out arson at the Qolhak mosque in Tehran and leading anti-security activities.
His death sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court and carried out early on Tuesday, Mizan adds.
Iran was rocked by nationwide anti-government protests earlier this year, which were repressed in the biggest crackdown in the Islamic Republic’s history.
[IsraelTimes] Talks to take place in Washington with envoy Yechiel Leiter leading Israeli side; Hezbollah politician says terror group to remain armed; Lebanese PM: Aim is for Israel to withdraw.
A politician for Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... and is sworn to Israel’s destruction, castigated the direct talks and vowed to continue "resistance" against Israeli troops’ presence in the south of the country. He also vowed that his terror group would not lay down its weapons, something both Israel and the Lebanese government have demanded.
In an interview with AFP, Hezbollah politician Hassan Fadlallah said, "We will bring down this yellow line through the resistance," meaning military action. The "yellow line" refers to the parts of Leb ...home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade.... that Israel controls.
"The attempt by the Israeli army to establish a buffer zone, under the title of a defensive line, a yellow line, a green line, and a red line," he added, "all these lines will be broken, and we will not accept any of them."
Fadlallah also vowed that "no one in Lebanon or abroad will be able to disarm the resistance."
But Lebanese President Joseph Aoun stood by the negotiations, saying he hoped they would "save" his country.
"Lebanon is facing two options: either the continuation of the war, with all its humanitarian, social, economic, and sovereign repercussions, or negotiations to put an end to this war and achieve lasting stability," he said. "I have chosen negotiations, and I am full of hope that we will be able to save Lebanon."
Conflict has simmered since the ceasefire took effect on Friday. Two IDF soldiers have been killed by Hezbollah explosives, and the IDF has struck Hezbollah, which accuses it of violating the truce.
Hezbollah took responsibility for an bomb that detonated on an IDF armored vehicle in southern Lebanon on Sunday. In a statement, the terror group said that a convoy of eight Israeli armored vehicles driving between Taybeh and Deir Siryan was hit by a "series of bombs planted earlier" by its operatives.
The military, in response to a query, confirmed that one armored vehicle was "likely hit by an bomb," and that no injuries were caused. It was investigating the incident.
A senior Hezbollah-allied politician said on Monday, meanwhile, that Israeli forces had carried out varying degrees of destruction in 39 villages in southern Lebanon since the ceasefire began.
Ali Hassan Khalil, a top aide to parliament speaker Berri, said the powerful explosions set off by Israeli forces had destroyed civilian homes in the south and that it amounted to "a clear war crime."
Lebanese Energy Minister Joe Saddi also told Rooters on Monday that a map published by the Israeli military showing a "naval forward defense area" extending from the Lebanese coastline into the sea did not impact the maritime border agreed between the two countries in 2022.
"From a legal point of view, this map doesn’t change anything about the fact that there is a maritime border agreement," he said. "Very simply, the agreement is in effect and nothing is changing."
Lebanese authorities say the subsequent Israeli offensive has killed more than 2,300 people, including 177 children, and forced more than 1.2 million to flee. These figures do not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
Hezbollah has not disclosed its casualty figures, but the IDF says at least 1,800 Hezbollah fighters have been killed since March 2.
Hezbollah has fired some 5,500 rockets at IDF troops operating in the south of the country, as well as around 2,500 at Israel amid the fighting.
The terror group’s attacks have killed two civilians in Israel, while 15 Israeli soldiers have been killed in southern Lebanon. Additionally, an Israeli civilian was mistakenly killed in the north by Israeli artillery shelling.
[IsraelTimes] The United States is expected to request that Lebanon repeal its law criminalizing any contact between Lebanese citizens and Israelis, during the ongoing direct talks it is hosting between Beirut and Jerusalem, sources tell Saudi daily Asharq Al-Awsat.
Repealing the legislation — rooted in Lebanon’s 1955 Israel Boycott Law, which was enacted as part of broader Arab efforts to block normalization with Jerusalem — would mark a significant step in the direct talks, which aim to reach a long-term security and potentially peace agreement between the countries. A second round of talks is expected to take place in Washington on Thursday.
[IsraelTimes] Arrests by Azerbaijan over planned synagogue and embassy attacks exposed drone plots and intelligence gathering operations; ringleaders killed during Iran war
Israel in recent months exposed an Iranian terror network that targeted Israeli officials and assets around the world, according to a joint statement Monday by the Mosssd ...sees all, knows all, gets 'em all in the end... , Israel Defense Forces, and Shin Bet.
Senior operatives in the network were killed during the US-Israeli campaign against Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... that began on February 28.
The Israeli statement said the network was uncovered following the arrests of several members of the network in Azerbaijan in March.
Azerbaijan said last month that it had foiled a series of Iranian terror attacks on its territory, including ones targeting the Israeli embassy in Baku, a synagogue and Jewish community leaders. At least seven Azeri nationals were arrested in connection with the probe.
In a statement, Azerbaijan’s state security service said at the time that it had "prevented terrorist acts and intelligence operations in Azerbaijan organized by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)."
Also among the planned targets was the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, which runs through neighboring Georgia and The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...just another cheapjack Moslem dictatorship, brought to you by the Moslem Brüderbund... and carries around a third of Israel’s oil imports, it said.
According to Monday’s Israeli statement, members of the cell had smuggled explosive drones into Azerbaijan and were gathering intelligence on potential targets under the direct instructions of their Iranian handlers.
The arrests of the cell members led to the uncovering of the terror network and its chain of command.
Rahman Moqadam, head of the Special Operations Division (4000) within IRGC intelligence, was in charge of the network. He was killed at the beginning of the war with Iran, known in Israel as Operation Roaring Lion.
Moqadam recruited and trained operatives both inside and outside of Iran, and asked them to gather intelligence on Israeli politicians, security officials, Israeli and Western military installations, ports, and Israeli ships around the world.
Moqadam served under senior IRGC intelligence official Majid Khademi, Israel said. Khademi was also killed by Israel during the war.
A central player in Moqadam’s network was Mohsen Suri, another member of Division 4000, who met with terror cells outside of Iran. He too was killed during the war in an Israeli strike on an IRGC safehouse.
Mahdi Yekeh-Dehghan led the network in Azerbaijan and beyond. His role was discovered in January, when Ottoman Turkish authorities arrested six people, including an Iranian national, on charges of political and military espionage for Iran, after coordinated raids across five provinces. Yekeh-Deghan directed the cell, working to smuggle explosive drones from Iran through Turkey to Cyprus, and to gather intelligence on US forces at Turkey’s Incirlik Base.
The Israeli statement noted that in the wake of the US-Israeli war against Iran, the IRGC has redoubled its efforts to establish terror cells abroad and carry out attacks.
Throughout the course of the war, European countries have stepped up their domestic security efforts over rising fears that Iran would try to orchestrate terror attacks on their soil in retribution.
Since February 28, Europa ...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum... has seen a string of attacks, largely targeting Jewish and Israeli institutions, including a blast that caused damage to a synagogue in Belgium and an arson attack on four ambulances run by the Jewish medical charity Hatzolah in London. Several of the attacks have been claimed by the Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya group, a newly established Iran-linked terror organization.
Additionally, last December, the IDF said troops arrested several members of a terror cell deployed by Iran in southern Syria, targeting the group based on intelligence gathered in the weeks leading up to the raid.
#3
I'm sure that the IRGC wants to, but that doesn't mean they are able to conduct operations in the US.
We all like to mock the CIA, FBI and other agencies and sometimes it is justified, but that doesn't mean the counter intelligence people are completely incompetent. It's not like I would have gone to DC for wrestling or New Jersey for FIFA anyway, but I'l be avoiding any likely targets just in case.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,...
...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 
..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,...
...sees all, knows all, gets 'em all in the end...
...home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade....
