[Dawn] The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) said on Friday that it had assisted in the busting of a transnational drug trafficking network through intelligence sharing.
The ANF said in a statement that it shared information with US and Sri Lankan authorities, who conducted an international joint operation, seizing 671 kilogrammes of methamphetamine (ICE) linked to the Afghanistan-based drug trafficking network from Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... and Colombo ports.
On Wednesday, Sri Lankan police and the US embassy in Sri Lanka also announced the busting of a drug network and the seizing of almost half a tonne of crystal methamphetamine in a joint operation last month. However,
some people cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go... they identified the drug network as Pak and said two Pak men had been arrested.
The US embassy in Colombo said the narcotics, valued at $21 million and concealed in bath towels, were meant to be smuggled to international markets via Sri Lanka.
In its statement, ANF said that, based on "actionable intelligence" provided by it, 200kg of methamphetamine was recovered from a container at Karachi Port. It said the criminal mastermind of the network was also arrested, whom ANF identified as Ehsanullah, an Afghan.
Local handlers part of the network were also arrested, the statement added.
"After thorough investigations from the Afghan kingpin," ANF said it shared "critical information" with Sri Lankan authorities and America’s Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
"This timely information resulted in recovery of 471kg of methamphetamine."
The DEA then coordinated with Sri Lankan authorities and conducted a joint operation at Colombo Port, resulting in the recovery of 471kg of methamphetamine concealed in towels, ANF said.
According to ANF, the busted network was attempting to use Pak territory as a transit route for transporting narcotics to international destinations.
"Pakistain remains both a transit and victim state for Afghan-origin drugs," ANF noted.
It said it utilised "advanced intelligence-based strategies" to identify the busted network", adding that the "successful operation reflects ANF’s professional capabilities, commitment to combating narcotics trafficking, and its effective cooperation with international law enforcement agencies".
"ANF’s efforts in dismantling international drug trafficking organizations and apprehending Afghan narcos and their local controllers have been formally acknowledged by Sri Lankan authorities and the US DEA, underscoring ANF’s effective role in international counter-narcotics cooperation," the statement read.
[ShabelleMedia] Somalia’s elite Danab special forces killed 14 al-Shabaab ... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda... fighters during an overnight operation in the Buula Fulaay
…alternate spelling Bula Fulaay…
area of Bay region, the Defence Ministry and military authorities said.
The forces also destroyed a hideout used by the Islamist hard boy group, the authorities said, without providing further details on the operation or the weapons seized.
The raid was part of ongoing military operations aimed at weakening al-Shabaab, disrupting its activities and improving security in areas where the group remains active, the ministry said.
The Defence Ministry and Somali National Army praised the troops involved, saying operations against al-Shabaab would continue until lasting peace and security were achieved across the country.
Al-Shabaab, which has been fighting Somalia’s federal government for more than a decade, remains capable of carrying out deadly attacks despite sustained military operations by Somali forces and international partners.
The group maintains a presence in parts of southern and central Somalia, including Bay region, where government forces have conducted repeated operations against its positions.
The military’s account of the casualties could not be independently verified. There was no immediate statement from al-Shabaab on the reported deaths.
The operation targeted positions that the militants had allegedly established secretly in the area and were using to organise and plan attacks in nearby locations, according to a statement from the Somali armed forces command.
The military said its forces also recovered a large quantity of weapons from the positions targeted during the operation.
Bay is among the regions where Al-Shabaab has maintained a significant presence, despite sustained military operations by Somali forces and their international partners.
The group has continued to carry out attacks and maintain clandestine positions in rural areas, using them to organise operations against government forces and civilian targets.
meanwhile locals are describing Muslim migrant rapes of girls in a cemetery in Ceutahttps://t.co/FiW0GDtsLk
"she, her mother, and other residents often go outside when they hear screams, that "nobody sleeps" because they're constantly worried about their children"
— Daniel Greenfield - "Hang Together or Separately" (@Sultanknish) September 4, 2026
[IsraelTimes] Death toll includes 6 civilians on bus reportedly struck by Iran-backed terror group; Saudi jets target rebel positions as government forces seen heading to front lines
Fighting between 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... ’s Saudi-backed government forces and the country’s Iran's Houthi sock puppets ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him... rebels killed more than 60 people on Saturday, including civilians, medical and military sources told AFP.
The renewed festivities in Yemen’s southwest over control of a gateway to the Red Sea came after Friday saw some of the deadliest fighting in years, following the collapse in July of a 2022 ceasefire.
According to three Yemeni military sources, 26 government troops were killed during several hours of fighting in the country’s southwest, while medical and military sources from the Iran-backed Houthis said 31 rebel fighters were killed.
One medical source in the government-held city of Taiz said a missile strike also killed six civilians travelling by bus and maimed seven others.
A government official blamed the strike on the bus, travelling between Taiz and the seat of Yemen’s internationally recognized government in Aden, on the Houthis.
In Taiz, a military officer said the "coming hours will be decisive" after the Houthis seized positions near the city a day earlier.
The officer added that reinforcements had been arriving from Aden in response to the Houthi offensive, which aims to cut off the government-held port city of Mokha, under fire for weeks, and advance towards areas bordering the Bab al-Mandab strait.
In Hays district, 68 kilometers northwest of Taiz towards the Red Sea coast, AFP journalists saw government forces being ferried to the front lines in pickup trucks, some carrying assault rifles and others with rocket-propelled grenades slung over their shoulders.
Rashed Maghari, a Hays resident, said "there has been heavy Houthi shelling on Hays and its residents, but the district is tough" and will be hard to capture.
On Friday, the fighting in Yemen killed 129 people, according to an AFP tally compiled from several sources.
With Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz to fat merchantmen, the Bab al-Mandab chokepoint has gained importance as a transit route for oil from Saudi Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start... , the world’s biggest exporter of crude.
A military official told AFP on Saturday that three Arclight airstrike
🚨 Iran’s proxies in Yemen are taking major losses as the Houthis lose ground across multiple fronts.
The Houthis launched their largest coordinated ground offensive on these fronts since the 2022 truce, attempting to expand around western Taiz and southern Hodeidah and increase… https://t.co/UiFiuwjBJopic.twitter.com/5nVKGrM8q5
A movement of Christian patriotic men are ready for the Battle of Britain, today turning up unannounced & shutting down Dover . pic.twitter.com/ZmVmogkUwZ
Simultaneously at different locations across Dover patriots have mobilised to close down the port . There are 3 plus locations that patriots have shut down so far with many more planned to be closed . People wanted action I’m guessing there are 100’000’s of men willing to fill… https://t.co/c56PeAzqASpic.twitter.com/LN3VkzOjYu
Dozens of masked anti-immigration protesters blocked roads leading to Britannia’s busiest ferry port on Saturday, clogging traffic and disrupting travelers and cargo vehicles heading for La Belle France.
The UK government condemned the action, saying it went beyond peaceful protest.
The Port of Dover said Saturday morning that all traffic in and out was "stopped due to an ongoing public order incident," and police said they were "engaging with the protesters."
Videos posted on social media showed several dozen men in black, their faces covered, standing across a major road near the port. One clip showed demonstrators linking arms across a main road and shouting "stop the boats."
Chris Vinson, a Conservative Party local councilor, said the protest appeared to be "illegal migration-related."
"I’m not aware that there’s been any violence, although clearly, having the path of your vehicle blocked by men wearing black paramilitary gear and balaclavas is extremely intimidating," he said.
The Labour Party government said, "the right to peaceful protest is fundamental to our democracy, but we condemn the behavior in Dover and the travel disruption it has caused."
"We appreciate the frustration of those who have been impacted today," it said in a statement.
The National Highways agency said the protest blocked all routes to the port and caused a 4-mile (6.4-kilometer) traffic jam.
Police were later filmed following protesters toward Dover’s railway station. P&O Ferries said just before midday that "access to the Port of Dover has now been restored."
P&O, which runs services between Dover and Calais in La Belle France, said passengers who missed their ferry would be offered the next available crossing.
Dover, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) southeast of London, dealt with more than 9 million passengers and 2 million freight vehicles in 2025, according to the port’s website.
The town has been the site of previous anti-immigrant protests focused on migrants colonists who cross the Channel from La Belle France in small boats. Successive UK governments have struggled to stop people — more than 40,000 last year — making the dangerous journey across one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
The issue has been described as a crisis by politicians, including Nigel Farage, the leader of the hard-right party Reform UK. He branded the asylum seekers "an invasion" in a Friday speech.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s government says stepped-up law enforcement cooperation between Britannia and La Belle France has helped reduce the number of people making the crossing so far this year by more than 40 percent compared to 2025.
Mike Tapp, a Labour politician who represents Dover in Parliament, criticized "idiots coming to Dover to cause disruption."
"I bet if you asked any one of those ’protesters’ they wouldn’t know small boat crossings are down by 40% and we are working hard to fix the mess," he wrote on Facebook on Saturday. "Go home, enjoy your weekend/get a job."
Hundreds of men dressed in black and balaclavas descended upon the Port of Dover on Saturday, blocking traffic in an apparent protest against the migrant crisis in the English Channel.
The Port of Dover, which stands as Britain’s main short-sea ferry and freight port on the Channel, also serves as the central hub for illegal boat migrants being brought ashore in England by the Border Force or the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).
Rather than pushing the boats back to the beaches of France, the Border Force typically collects the illegal migrants halfway through the Channel — where they are often escorted to by the French Navy — and ferries them the rest of the way to Dover.
Since the crisis began in earnest around 2019, over 200,000 illegals have successfully reached British territory via the route.
Although crossings have declined this year, over 16,000 more illegals have been brought ashore at Dover since the start of the year.
While the government has claimed that it was a result of its policies, the Migration Observatory notes that it is often “difficult to know what caused changes in small boat arrivals during a specific period” and that weather may have played just as important a role in reducing the flow of migrants across the Channel.
According to the BBC, masked protesters clad in black clothing took to the streets surrounding the port on Saturday, reportedly “blocking all traffic entering the port”.
The public broadcaster said that the protesters refused to speak to the press. However, they were heard chanting “send them back” and “stop the boats”.
Kent Police merely said that they were aware of a protest taking place and that they were ” engaging with protesters”.
The demonstrators drew some support, with veteran street organiser Tommy Robinson describing the balaclava-wearing men as “British patriots” while urging his followers on social media to “get there to support them”.
Others were critical, with Reform UK councillor for Dover West, Paul King, saying that many local women were “frightened by such a large group of men walking up the street” with masks on and that this was not the way to solve the issue.
However, West did say that he understands “why people feel motivated to protest, as this Useless Labour Government has no clue how to stop the boats.”
On Friday, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage signed an agreement with French National Rally leader, committing to sending the migrant boats back to France if both parties come to power,
What a clever idea!
an agreement which has long eluded successive British governments when dealing with the now-outgoing government of President Emmanuel Macron.
#1
Mike Tapp, a Labour politician who represents Dover in Parliament, criticized "idiots coming to Dover to cause disruption."
"I bet if you asked any one of those ’protesters’ they wouldn’t know small boat crossings are down by 40% ...
Forty percent sounds like a lot. But if 40% of something is a big number, that something was pretty big to start with.
... and we are working hard to fix the mess,"
Your "working hard" is exactly what is causing concern.
[NY Post] A teenage assassin an assassin squad and his drug-kingpin uncle were killed during a shootout with security forces in the western Mexico state of Michoacán, the government said.
Alberto "Chuchito Nini" Sandoval, 15, allegedly oversaw a team of hitmen and used his social media accounts as a tool to recruit other minors to the cartel, according to the Michoacán Attorney General’s Office.
Precocious little lad. Must have been apprenticed into the family business when he was but a tot.
Sandoval is said to have been the personal bodyguard for his uncle, Cartel de Los Reyes leader Luis "El R-5" Barragán, 39, who was wanted by the US on drug trafficking charges.
Mexican military and National Guard troops were conducting an operation with the Michoacán Attorney General’s Office and the state police after receiving intelligence about Barragán’s whereabouts when they were met with gunfire at a ranch in the municipality of Tocumbo on Aug. 30, Mexico’s security ministry said.
[IsraelTimes] Dozens of Núcleo Nacional members in Madrid participate in mass demonstrations over influx of 72,000 illegal infiltrators into enclave of Ceuta in late July
Dozens of far-right activists raised their arms in Nazi-style salutes and sang a Spanish fascist ...anybody you disagree with, damn them... anthem in the heart of Madrid on Wednesday, amid protests against the government’s handling of migration.
Dozens out of a large crowd who are not far right activists, but normal people fed up with the vicious Moslem invasion encouraged by the Socialist government. Check out the video in the tweet below.
Between 60 and 70 members of Núcleo Nacional, an ultra-nationalist anti-immigrant group, participated in Madrid during mass demonstrations across Spain, a spokesperson for the group told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. The protests were in response to an influx of migrants colonists from Morocco into Ceuta, a Spanish territory in North Africa.
The broader demonstrations in Madrid were called by Spain’s conservative People’s Party and far-right Vox party, drawing about 50,000 people to the streets, according to government estimates. The protests were planned for Ceuta Day, a holiday marking the Portuguese conquest of Ceuta from the Marinid Sultanate of Morocco in the 15th century, beginning centuries of Portuguese and later Spanish rule.
Núcleo Nacional activists were shown on video making the outstretched-arm gesture associated with neo-Nazi ...adherents of a philosophy that was seen even at the time as pure evil, which makes them either consciously purely evil, or attention-seeking ratbags. Pick one, or both.... movements and chanting, "Ceuta is not for sale, Ceuta will defend itself." They also sang the song "Cara al Sol," a fascist ...anybody you disagree with, damn them... anthem from 1935 that became central to the regime of former Spanish dictator Francisco Franco, who ruled from 1939 to 1975. Núcleo Nacional denied a link between their gesture and Nazi history.
The demonstration ended in festivities between protesters and police, with four people arrested and four coppers injured, according to local authorities. Protesters were also shown on camera grabbing, pushing and cursing at multiple journalists who were covering the rally.
Francisco Martín Aguirre, the delegate of the Spanish government in Madrid, condemned "the violent mostly peaceful acts that occurred at the end of the gatherings in Madrid."
"All respect to those who legitimately and peacefully protest for the cause they deem fit," he said on X. "Violence is never the way and those who daily incite it are also responsible."
A spokesperson for Núcleo Nacional told JTA that the group was not performing a Nazi salute, but an "Iberian or Roman salute."
"It represents our ancestors," the spokesperson said. They added that the group was protesting to "support the people of Ceuta."
The outstretched arm salute in Nazi Germany was inspired by a gesture popularized in the 1920s in Italia’s fascist movement, which later allied with the Nazis. The Italians called it a Roman salute, though researchers say there is no evidence linking it to ancient Rome. Franco also instituted the gesture in 1937, then instructed Spaniards to abandon it in 1945 after the Axis powers lost World War II.
More than 72,000 Moroccan migrants colonists crossed into Ceuta between July 30 and July 31, with at least 100 people dying in the attempt. Most have returned to Morocco, but some 5,000 remain in makeshift shelters or on the streets and beaches, inflaming tensions between migrants colonists and local residents and heaping pressure on the left-wing government of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
Núcleo Nacional has about 2,000 members, many from neo-Nazi and Francoist groups that lost their capacity to mobilize, according to the Global Network on Extremism and Technology. The group has grown rapidly and opened four regional branches since its founding in 2024. Earlier this year, it registered a political party as Noviembre Nacional.
Cuando estos ignorantes españolitos de Manolo Escobar, mi carro me lo robaron y viva España, hablan de Ceuta, hablan de una pura situación geográfica, a ellos los padecimientos de la clase trabajadora ceutí les da igual, como les da lo mismo.
The group pledges to defend the white race, Christianity, the Spanish nation and Europa ...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum... against foreign and domestic enemies, including migrants colonists, internal independence movements and "multicultural globalism." Spain’s Civil Guard last year opened an investigation into Núcleo Nacional after it posted a video calling for groups to "actively defend" the streets and "jointly fight against the invasion" of immigration.
Núcleo Nacional leaders have also denied the Holocaust and suggested that Israel orchestrates migration to Europe, according to the Observatory of Antisemitism, a Spanish watchdog organization. Núcleo Nacional said in a 2024 statement, "Any Spanish patriot should not forget that it is Israel that is financing the Maghrebi invasion to which all of Europe is being subjected."
On Núcleo Nacional’s social media channels, it has claimed that it is targeted by "the Jewish-Zionist lobby in Spain" and accused the "international Jewish-American financial elite" of "buying up Spain at bargain prices while ruining us."
#1
The Inquisition all over again. They'll blame Jews for collaborating with the Islamic invaders and before you know it a new Torquemada appears. Mossad will zap him though.
#2
The Inquisition??? You definitely found the good stuff. If you’d read the article to the end, you’d know they’re blaming somethiing on the international Jewish-American financial elite.
#3
"Regard, dar al-harb, with alarm
This increase in 'extremist right arm,'
And ignore, if you please,
Half a billion of these
As we communists smear them with smarm."
[IsraelTimes] Police said early Friday that they had killed a man who attempted to stab officers near Damascus Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem, adding that none of them were hurt.
The assailant had reportedly tried to stab several civilians before the officers arrived on the scene.
The incident occurred around 3:45 a.m., when officers spotted a terrorist, according to a police statement. Then, the suspect — a 33-year-old man from East Jerusalem — allegedly attempted to stab the officers with a knife.
The officers shot the man, and his death was pronounced on site, the police said in a statement.
Graphic footage shared on social media showed the slain assailant lying on the ground along with the knife he had apparently wielded. Other footage showed the covered body being wheeled away.
Police did not specify whether the suspect was an Israeli citizen or merely a permanent resident, as many East Jerusalem residents are.
The Ynet news site, in an unsourced report, said the assailant had arrived at the scene on a cycle of violence and initially tried to stab several civilians. Those civilians managed to escape, and called the police.
The police statement did not include this alleged part of the episode.
There have been numerous knife and gun attacks by Paleostinians at the heavily policed Damascus Gate over the years, some of them deadly.
In 2024, a 33-year-old Israeli man from the Bedouin town of Ar’ara Banegev, south of Beersheba, stabbed a Border Police officer at the site, lightly wounding him before other officers shot and killed him.
In 2023, police said they foiled an attempted stabbing by a 31-year-old from the Bedouin town of Rahat.
And in 2022, a Paleostinian man from the West Bank town of Abwein, north of Ramallah, stabbed a Border Police officer in the neck, nearly killing him. The assailant in that attack, Nadheer Dar Ahmad, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the incident, but was released in October 2025 as part of a ceasefire, hostage, and prisoner-release deal with the Hamas ..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,... terror group.
[AnNahar] A bodyguard of Free Patriotic Movement Despite its name a Christian party allied with Hizbullah, neither free nor particularly patriotic... chief Gebran Bassil is also a State Security member and the brother of a detainee in the case of the Hezbollah-linked ring that allegedly planned attacks against the forces of Syria's new government, MTV reported on Friday.
In his confessions, the bodyguard revealed extensive details about how he handled the explosives that were hidden in a grove in Akkar, the TV network said.
"The detainee confessed that after the network was exposed and the first arrests began, he rushed to move the bombs and explosives that had been hidden inside the 11 rooms in Akkar and in houses there. He disposed of them by throwing them directly into the waters of the Nahr al-Kabir River on the Lebanese-Syrian border, in an attempt to conceal the criminal evidence and facilitate the escape of those involved before the security forces raided and arrested him," MTV added.
Meanwhile,
...back at the shootout, Butch shot Black Bart's knife out of his hand...... the five detainees -- two Lebanese and three Syrians explained "the full extent of Hezbollah's involvement in supporting and managing this network," the TV network said, adding that "the confessions recorded in the investigation reports confirmed that Hezbollah operatives provided complete financial and logistical support to the individuals arriving from the Syrian coast, with the aim of subjecting them to training courses on detonating explosives and preparing drones at a special camp in the Bekaa Valley."
According to the detainees' reported confessions, the support provided took the following forms:
"Hezbollah members allocated monthly salaries and financial aid to each trainee, ranging from $300 to $500. They also provided them with shelter in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Sources also told MTV that an association affiliated with Hezbollah handled the direct financial and logistical needs of these groups."
Investigations also revealed that communication between Hezbollah members and the network was conducted via a phone network using foreign numbers originating from the southern suburbs.
This prompted the judiciary to expand the investigation to identify the Hezbollah members facilitating the network's operations, MTV said.
[IsraelTimes] 23 people wounded; IDF says strikes were on Hezbollah members, infrastructure after drone targeted troops in south Lebanon; IDF says UAV was intercepted, no troops injured
Leb ...an Iranian satrapy until recently ruled by Hassan Nasrallah situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel... reported at least three people killed and 23 maimed late Friday in IDF strikes that the military said targeted Hezbollah after the Iran-backed terror group launched a drone at troops in Israeli-held territory in the country’s south.
The Israeli strikes hit five locations in the southern Tyre and Nabatieh regions and the eastern Beqaa Valley, Lebanon’s health ministry said.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported two young men were killed while riding a cycle of violence in the Nabatieh-area Ali Taher Ridge, where the IDF on Thursday said it finished clearing out a "strategic" underground Hezbollah facility.
Another Israeli strike on the Tyre-area village of Rmadiyeh killed a third person and maimed 15 others, including two children, three women and six rescuers, according to the health ministry.
A rescue service source told AFP that the strike in the village, which is sheltering people displaced from other southern areas, had hit a house.
The IDF said Saturday morning that its strikes targeted Hezbollah members and infrastructure, including weapons depots intended for attacks on Israel.
The military had said Friday night that it was striking Hezbollah in Lebanon in response to a Hezbollah drone attack that targeted Commando Brigade troops operating in the IDF’s southern Lebanon security zone.
The Hezbollah drone was shot down and no soldiers were hurt, the military said.
It added that the drone launch "constitutes a blatant violation by the Hezbollah terror organization" of the June Lebanon ceasefire deal.
The US-brokered agreement came three months after Hezbollah again dragged Lebanon into the wider regional conflict by firing rockets at Israel in support of Iran.
In June, Israel and Lebanon signed a framework agreement committing Lebanon to restoring illusory sovereignty over its territory through the "verified disarmament of non-state gangs," which would in turn enable a progressive Israeli withdrawal.
The State of Lebanon, along with Israel and the US, signed the agreement, but Hezbollah and its allies are opposed to it.
Israel pulled forces out of three pilot zones into which the Lebanese army entered, but has said it will not carry out any further withdrawals before Hezbollah is disarmed.
[AnNahar] An Associated Press photographer who visited the village of Kfar Rumman on Friday saw no sign of Israeli military presence on the strategic Ali al-Taher hill, a day after Israel announced seizing "operational control" of the ridge.
The hill, topped with a shrine to a Muslim scholar, sits north of the Litani river, which has become the de facto boundary of the area captured by Israel since its latest war with Hezbollah began in early March.
Israel has been conducting military operations around Ali al-Taher since July, said Nasser Khdour, a Middle East researcher at the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, or ACLED, a U.S.-based group that tracks conflicts around the world.
Hezbollah official Mahmoud Qmati told a Lebanese podcaster in late August that the group’s fighters were repelling attempts by Israeli troops to take Ali al-Taher. But he, and others, downplayed the significance of the site should Israel take it.
“Ali al-Taher is important, but if it is lost it does not mean the end of Hezbollah,” Qmati said.
In mid-August, Israel carried out a series of airstrikes on southern Lebanon that it described as retaliation for a Hezbollah drone attack on Ali al-Taher that seriously wounded three soldiers. The Israeli strikes, which killed 11 people, including women and children, were the deadliest since the U.S.-brokered ceasefire went into effect in late June.
On Aug. 27, Israel carried out a series of airstrikes, killing one person and wounding six, after the military said Hezbollah fired two explosive drones at Israeli troops in the area. Hezbollah did not claim responsibility for any of the attacks.
Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri told an Arab TV station in late August that the Lebanese Army was ready to take over Ali al-Taher. He accused Israel of blocking the army due to its own political considerations ahead of Israeli national elections on Oct. 27.
“The problem is not in the Lebanese Army’s readiness but in Israel’s stance,” he said. Lebanese and Israeli officials are set to meet for negotiations in Rome later this month.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah, which has always refused to speak directly to the U.S., appears to be changing its policy after the major setbacks it has suffered during its wars with Israel since 2024.
A Lebanese official told The Associated Press that indirect contacts are going on between the U.S. and Hezbollah, but refused to give any details. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
A Lebanese official told The Associated Press that indirect contacts are going on between the U.S. and Hezbollah, but refused to give any details. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
The U.S. ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa, said recently that Washington is ready to speak with Hezbollah if the group agrees to disarm.
Still, Hezbollah is not likely to take any move forward regarding talks with the U.S. without a green light from its main backer, Iran.
While talks with the U.S. over their war have stalled, Iran has sought guarantees that Israel will halt its attacks on Hezbollah as part of any permanent deal.
The capture of Ali Taher would open the way to Nabatieh and also lead to the nearby Iqlim al-Tuffah and Rihan Mountain, where Hezbollah has been building up its presence since the late 1990s.
Israeli leaders have repeatedly pledged to leave troops in Lebanon and threatened to escalate military pressure until Hezbollah disarms.
“Israeli control of the area is an operational and military setback for Hezbollah,” said Khdour of ACLED. He said clearing these sites helps Israel protect towns in the northern part of Israel, and increases pressure on Hezbollah.
“This will strengthen Israel’s position in any future negotiations over its withdrawal,” said Khdour.
Israel's military said overnight that troops had cleared Hezbollah fighters from two underground routes, killing some while others fled. It said operations were ongoing. An Israeli official meanwhile said that no Iranians were found in the tunnels.
The pro-Hezbollah al-Akhbar newspaper meanwhile said that “what lies beneath the Ali al-Taher hill is not a single facility whose capture could be considered control over the entire infrastructure there, as the enemy claims, nor is it a cave with a defined entrance and exit.”
“According to available information, beneath the hill is a network of interconnected facilities ... Therefore, the enemy's access to one of these facilities, or even several, does not necessarily guarantee access to the others,” the daily added.
“During the war, the facilities on the hill housed personnel, commanders, computers, and weapons. At that time, the resistance was anticipating the Israeli offensive that had reached the outskirts of Ali al-Taher, with the possibility of it extending towards the city of Nabatieh. There, the attack was decisively repelled. Reports indicate that ‘an entire squadron of enemy soldiers was hit during the confrontation, with casualties among its ranks,’" al-Akhbar said.
“The confrontations did not end there, however, as they were followed by repeated infiltration attempts and clashes on the hill. In all these confrontations, information indicates that the enemy's losses far outweighed the sacrifices made by the resistance in Ali al-Taher,” the newspaper added.
“Israel claims to have killed dozens of resistance fighters in the area. However, according to al-Akhbar's sources, only two were martyred, while dozens of Israeli soldiers were killed or wounded,” al-Akhbar said.
[IsraelTimes] One vessel ‘permanently disabled’ near Kharg Island, another near port of Jask; Tehran has vowed strong response to attacks on Kharg, which further jeopardize economy
The US military said Saturday it had struck and destroyed three oil tankers linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps after the Iranian military organization fired on American warships.
"Following Iran’s failed attacks, CENTCOM permanently disabled the IRGC crude oil carriers M/T Downy off the coast of Kharg Island and M/T Stark 1 near Jask. American forces also completely destroyed the unladen crude oil carrier M/T Kylo... in the Gulf of Oman, striking the vessel in multiple critical locations to render it inoperable after the crew was directed to abandon ship," US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement on X.
The semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim had earlier reported that a tanker was hit by US forces near Kharg Island, a key oil export hub in the Persian Gulf.
According to a Tasnim correspondent from Kharg, the tanker was hit by four US missiles in the area of Kharg Island’s anchorage. Tasnim quoted local sources as saying there were no casualties and the tanker’s crew was being evacuated.
There was no immediate official announcement by Iranian authorities.
US President Donald Trump ...Oh, noze! Not him!... said on August 31 in a one-line social media post, accompanied by an AI-generated video, that Kharg Island was being "blown to smithereens." Iranian authorities have vowed a strong response if Kharg is attacked.
“Let the message to the IRGC be clear: If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost —taking out three of yours. We will not hesitate to defend American forces, and if necessary, destroy Iran’s limited and exposed oil fleet.” — Adm. Brad Cooper,… pic.twitter.com/UGGcSGsUtd
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 the third-largest producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and exported 90 percent of its crude via Kharg Island before the war, but flows have been disrupted since a US blockade of Iranian oil exports began in mid-April.
A US attack on Kharg would heap further pressure on Iran’s oil industry and its wider economy, which is already reeling from the naval blockade.
US JOINT STAFF MEMBERS SAID POLYGRAPHED OVER LEAKS
While the US and Iran have continued exchanging fire, multiple outlets have reported that American forces face a munitions shortage.
Last month, CNN ...formerly the Cable News Network, now who know what it might stand for... reported that the US military had used up to nearly 80% of its interceptors for the THAAD anti-ballistic missile defense system and approximately 50% of its Patriot interceptors, leaving the supply of those munitions "dangerously low."
US government Sherlocks have polygraphed about 50 members of the US military’s Joint Staff over suspected leaks to journalists, including on the munitions shortage, The New York Times
...which still proudly claims Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize... reported Friday, citing officials briefed on the extraordinary move.
According to the report, military officers and civilian employees were questioned in August as to whether they had leaked classified information.
Between 1,500 and 2,000 people work for the Joint Staff, "which coordinates operations, policy and war plans with combatant commanders around the world," the Times said.
Rear Adm. Donald J. Guter, a retired top judge advocate general for the Navy, called the move "unprecedented."
"I’ve never seen polygraphs employed this broadly or at this seniority level," he told the Times.
The Pentagon said in a statement to The Times that it "does not comment on internal personnel or investigative matters but takes all leaks of classified national security information extremely seriously and investigates accordingly."
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) early Sunday confirmed that it had targeted a US aircraft carrier and destroyer with ballistic missiles, hours after the US military said it struck three Iranian crude oil tankers in retaliation for the attack.
"The Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, using several ballistic missiles, attacked an aircraft carrier and a destroyer of the aggressor, child-killing US military that had been harassing Iranian ships and participating in a naval blockade," the IRGC said in a statement.
"These two warships, after sustaining damage and out of fear of a renewed attack, were forced to flee the conflict zone," it claimed.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said late Saturday that its forces struck three Iranian crude oil tankers after Iran "launched ballistic missiles toward two U.S. Navy warships patrolling regional waters."
The US military added, "A U.S. aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer successfully evaded multiple unprovoked Iranian attacks. No American personnel were harmed."
It accused the three [Iranian] tankers of being part of a multibillion-dollar network financing the IRGC and its regional allies.
Iranian state media reported that the tanker struck near Kharg Island suffered no casualties, while crews from other targeted vessels were evacuated.
The IRGC late Saturday also published footage purportedly showing its attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
[Rudaw] Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Saturday that its forces killed two members of a "terrorist cell" in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan who were allegedly planning attacks in coordination with the United States and Israel.
The IRGC Ground Forces’ Quds Headquarters said the group was identified through intelligence surveillance and targeted in a joint operation involving the provincial intelligence ministry, IRGC intelligence and police.
The cell had planned attacks on pre-selected targets in the province, the IRGC claimed, adding that the group was linked to the United States and Israel and intended to carry out the attacks alongside the ongoing US war against Iran. It provided no evidence to support the allegations.
Sistan and Baluchestan, which borders Pakistain and Afghanistan, is one of Iran’s poorest provinces and has long been a flashpoint for festivities between security forces and Baluchi gangs.
Several Baluchi groups operate in the region and have fought the IRGC and other Iranian security forces, saying they seek greater rights for the country’s marginalized Baluchi minority. Several of the groups formed a coalition in December known as the Popular Fighters Front to coordinate their activities against Tehran.
In a clash last week between members of Jaish al-Adl,
Jaish al-Adl ("Army of Justice” or “People’s Fighters’ Front” in Arabic, depending on the translator, sometimes transliterated as Jaysh al-Adl) appeared in 2012 as a successor to the Salafist Balochi independence group Jundullah (Soldiers of God), which operates on both sides of the Pak-Iranian border but was based in Pakistan. In December 2025, Jaysh al-Adl and other Baloch nationalist organizations announced merging into a single united organization, the People's Fighters Front.
a Baluchi krazed killer group that is part of the coalition, and the IRGC in Saravan, one member of the group was killed and six others were detained, according to an IRGC statement carried by the Tasnim news agency.
Baluchi krazed killer groups have grabbed credit for a series of attacks and liquidations targeting intelligence and police officials in recent months, prompting intensified operations by the IRGC and other security forces in the province.
Iranian authorities regularly accuse Baluchi and Kurdish opposition groups of receiving support from foreign powers, particularly the United States and Israel. The groups and their supporters have in turn accused Tehran of using such allegations to delegitimize demands for greater political and cultural rights.
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.
... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda...
...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...
[NY Post] A teenage assassin an assassin squad and his drug-kingpin uncle were killed during a shootout with security forces in the western Mexico state of 
...anybody you disagree with, damn them...
..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,...
...an Iranian satrapy until recently ruled by Hassan Nasrallah situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel...
