[IsraelTimes] US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth denies a report in the Washington Post that at least four more American servicemembers have been killed during the Iran war than the 18 acknowledged by the Pentagon.
“This is DISGUSTING and FAKE. A complete LIE,” he writes on X. “Shame on the Washington Post — they’re worse than Iranian state media.”
[JTN] U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is expanding partnerships with local law enforcement in Tennessee, resulting in major arrests of violent criminals.
State and local law enforcement have expanded 287(g) partnerships with ICE in a concerted effort to identify and apprehend criminal foreign nationals who pose public safety threats and to find missing children.
Congress created the 287(g) program through the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1996, which authorizes ICE to delegate to state and local law enforcement officers the authority to perform specified immigration functions only under ICE’s direction and supervision.
Under previous administrations, only one 287(g) partnership was used, a Jail Enforcement Model (JEM). The Trump administration is advocating for law enforcement to participate in three: the JEM, a Task Force Model (TFM) and Warrant Service Officer (WSO) model, The Center Square reported.
In Tennessee, state and local law enforcement agencies have submitted 136 287(g) applications, the majority of which are for the WSO and JEM. Roughly one-third are for the TFM. As of Sept. 15, 55 applications are pending, according to the latest ICE data.
[GaroweOnline] The United States has agreed to give the United Nations ...a formerly good idea gone bad... an additional year to phase out its logistical support for the African Union ...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia, AUSSOM, as uncertainty grows over how the mission will be supported after the transition.
The transition period is expected to begin in January 2027, allowing the United Nations to gradually scale back and eventually end logistical services provided to AUSSOM, according to Rooters.
Through the United Nations Support Office in Somalia, or UNSOS, the U.N. currently provides AUSSOM with essential logistical services including food, fuel, medical support, transportation, communications, engineering and aviation capabilities. U.N. documents describe UNSOS as a key logistical support mechanism for AUSSOM and Somali security forces working jointly or in coordination with the African Union mission.
The United States, however, has said it will no longer fund or support UNSOS, whose annual budget is about $500 million, Rooters reported. No fully developed alternative system has yet been secured to replace the broad logistical support currently provided by the United Nations.
The decision gives AUSSOM, Somalia and countries contributing troops to the mission additional time to prepare for the change in the logistical support system.
AUSSOM was established to support Somalia's efforts to improve security and stabilize the country as Somali forces assume greater responsibility for national security. The mission operates alongside Somali security forces in efforts to counter al-Shabaab ... al-Qaeda's tentacle in East Africa... The U.N. Security Council's current authorization provides for UNSOS logistical support to AUSSOM through Dec. 31, 2026. Resolution 2809, adopted in December 2025, directs the U.N. secretary-general to continue providing a logistical support package through UNSOS for AUSSOM personnel and certain Somali security forces participating in joint or coordinated operations with the mission.
The new arrangement does not amount to a permanent extension of U.N. logistical support. Instead, it creates additional time for the United Nations to wind down its role while Somalia, the African Union and international partners consider alternative arrangements.
The future of the support system remains a significant issue for AUSSOM because the mission depends on logistical capabilities that are difficult to replace quickly, particularly fuel, transportation, medical evacuation, communications and aviation support.
The United Nations has previously described UNSOS logistical assistance as an important component of Somalia's security transition. Its support has included rations, fuel, transportation, medical evacuation, communications and other supplies for Somali forces operating jointly or in coordination with AUSSOM.
The U.S. decision comes as international partners face growing pressure to secure predictable and sustainable financing for AUSSOM. The mission's ability to maintain operations after the U.N. support drawdown will depend in part on whether alternative funding and logistical mechanisms can be established during the transition period.
For Somalia, the change could increase pressure to strengthen its own logistical capacity while securing continued international assistance for security operations.
The additional year therefore provides more time for planning, but does not resolve the longer-term question of how AUSSOM will be financed and logistically supported once the U.N. drawdown is complete.
At least they believe the Jews and are embarrassed by what they did.
[IsraelTimes] The Church of England said yesterday it took down a tapestry listing 16,800 names of people killed in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza after the Jewish community provided evidence it listed terrorists, British media reports.
The “Stitch Their Names Together” memorial, which opened on September 11, was meant to be on display at Leeds Minster until Sunday, but was taken down early after the Leeds Jewish Representative Council shared evidence that the tapestry listed the names of at least 18 terrorists, according to the BBC.
Leeds JRC chairman Simon Myerson KC tells The Telegraph: “At no stage was the Jewish community consulted about the plan to potentially display the names of terrorists in a church in Leeds.”
He decries the fact that the display was put up during the holiest period of the Hebrew calendar year.
“We need a church investigation into how such an event can be put on without any apparent diocesan oversight or proper due diligence,” he says.
Stitch Their Names project founder Mary Evers says the criticism was an attempt to “smear and delegitimize the love and empathy of hundreds of stitchers and thousands of followers for their fellow human beings.”
“Just this week, an attempt to sideline the rap artist Macklemore for speaking out for Palestinian lives has drawn him far more attention and support than his critics bargained for. The world sees through these bad-faith attempts to silence those who speak out for humanity,” she says.
She says the names on the tapestry came from the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry’s register, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.
[AnNahar] The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor... has revoked the license of Iran's Bank Mellat, a semi-private financial entity that has been subject to Western sanctions for years, the official gazette said early Saturday.
The decision was announced some two weeks after Washington slapped sanctions on a Ottoman Turkish bank over alleged ties to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) although it was not immediately clear whether the two issues were related.
The smart money says even if they were not, President Erdogan was clever enough to see the warning.
The move follows a decision by Turkey's banking regulator over the Tehran-based bank, which provides financial support to Iran's government and is subject to U.S., EU and UK sanctions, according to OpenSanctions, an open-source database of information on sanctions-hit entities.
The Iranian government is also the largest shareholder of the bank, it said.
In revoking Bank Mellat's license, the Ottoman Turkish regulator cited article 71b of the banking law, which says the entity's "continued operation poses a threat to the rights of depositors and participation fund holders and to the security and stability of the financial system".
Bank Mellat has been subjected to Western sanctions for years over accusations Tehran was pursuing an atomic weapon under the cover of a civil nuclear program.
Those sanctions were lifted as part of a landmark 2015 deal between Tehran and world powers to curb its nuclear ambitions.
But the U.S. unilaterally pulled out of the deal in May 2018, reimposing biting economic sanctions on Iran.
Bank Mellat was also hit by U.S. and Gulf sanctions in 2019 after being named as one of 25 entities linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards.
- U.S. STEPS UP PRESSURE -
On September 4, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Turkey's Golden Global Bank over its alleged ties to the Revolutionary Guards as it sought to step up financial pressure on Iran.
The Ottoman Turkish investment bank denied the accusations.
A few days later, Washington imposed sanctions on 36 entities, including three Ottoman Turkish ground services companies, for helping Iran's Mahan Air -- a civilian carrier accused of supporting the Revolutionary Guards.
Following the move, Mahan Air said this week it would suspend all flights to Turkey from September 21 at the request of Ottoman Turkish aviation authorities, Iran's ISNA news agency reported. The Ottoman Turkish authority did not respond to a request for comment.
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... has been at war since late February, when the United States and Israel launched a surprise bombing campaign that killed the Islamic republic's supreme leader.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said Washington was declaring an "economic D-Day" on Iran, warning of harsh consequences for countries that do not join the campaign.
The move by Turkey's banking regulator comes just days before President His Enormity, Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First ...Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey. In Anatolia did Recep Bey a stately Presidential Palace decree, that has 1100 rooms. That's 968 more than in the White House, 400 more than in Versailles, and 325 more than Buckingham Palace, so you know who's really more important... is reportedly due to hold talks with U.S. President Donald Trump ...The Hero of Butler, Pennsylvania... on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, which begins in New York on Tuesday.
Got it. His Excellency wants to have something that can be made to look solid to show The Donald when they get together.
ANKARA, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Saturday that Saudi Arabia may have military needs due to the ongoing attacks by Yemen's Houthis and that Turkey was ready to help under a trilateral defence pact that also includes Pakistan.
"We see there are very serious attacks on Saudi Arabia's territorial integrity, sovereignty. We have an alliance agreement in our pact. We are in serious solidarity on this point... They may have some military needs, especially on some technical issues. We would have no issues in meeting these," Fidan told broadcaster NTV.
The joint defence agreement, dubbed the "Mecca Joint Defence Agreement", signed last month stipulates that an armed attack on any one of the three countries will be regarded as an attack on all of them.
The Houthis, who control the most populous parts of Yemen, have been launching attacks on Saudi Arabia since declaring a naval blockade against Riyadh in July, a new front in the wider war that began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February.
The attacks have targeted Saudi cities, energy infrastructure and shipping, threatening global oil supplies and the main alternative Red Sea route for Gulf exports while traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted.
US President Donald Trump has rebuffed pleas from the Saudis for military support to fight the Houthis, who agreed a ceasefire with the United States last year after Washington bombed the group for two months.
Fidan said that it was unacceptable for Saudi Arabia to be made a part of the US-Iran war as it had no desire to join the conflict. He added, without elaborating, that proposals have been conveyed to all sides to end the fighting.
"There are many initiatives, but the sides need to accept these," he said. "There are new proposals, I hope they accept them. Otherwise, the crisis was tolerated until a certain point, but the economic reflections have started to exceed the point of being tolerable."
Turkey, which has NATO's second-largest army, has said the pact with nuclear-armed Pakistan and top oil exporter Saudi Arabia was open to expansion and did not seek to replace any existing alliances.
[NationalInterest] Turkey is moving quickly to adopt the fighter jet to close a capability gap with Greece.
NATO member Turkey (Türkiye) is closer to formally adopting the Eurofighter Typhoon, and Turkish aviators have begun flight training on the multirole combat aircraft.
“Within the scope of the Eurofighter Typhoon procurement signed with the United Kingdom Government, our Air Force Command pilots who began the training process in August have completed their terminology training and commenced flight training,” Turkish Defense Minister T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı wrote in a post on X.
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is now providing flight instruction to the first three of 10 flight instructors, and plans call for approximately 100 maintenance instructors to begin training on the aircraft in the coming weeks.
For decades, Turkey relied heavily on American-made platforms, notably the F-16 Fighting Falcon.
While Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom developed the Eurofighter Typhoon at the end of the Cold War, Turkey became a core partner in the US-led development of the F-35 Lightning II. Turkey expected to be fielding a fifth-generation fighter by now, so it saw no urgent need to invest in what was seen as a costly 4.5-generation European fighter. Turkey was expelled from the F-35 program in 2019 for its adoption of the Russian made S-400 Triumf air defense system.
After Washington further showed reluctance to sell upgrades for the F-16s, and Turkey faced delays with its domestically built TAI Kaan fifth-gen aircraft, it sought the Typhoon as a stopgap.
Turkey’s interest in the Typhoon was also largely driven by its regional rival Greece adopting the French-made Dassault Rafale and securing a deal to obtain the F-35. Turkish defense officials have openly acknowledged that the Eurofighter bid was a direct move to close the capability gap and prevent Greece from maintaining air superiority over the Aegean, even as both nations are NATO members.
The four nations that built the Eurofighter Typhoon each had veto power over export sales. German officials raised concerns over Turkey’s cross-border military operations in Syria, its domestic political crackdowns, and tensions regarding energy drilling in the Eastern Mediterranean. In July 2025, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz reversed the previous government’s opposition, which opened the way for Turkey to obtain the aircraft.
[IsraelTimes] Middle and high schoolers gather outside Gracie Mansion for prayers, songs and speeches, but claim it’s not a protest; critics say event ‘needlessly inflames tensions’
Several hundred Jewish students held a solidarity rally outside New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s official residence in Manhattan on Friday morning.
The middle and high school students were from SAR Academy and The Ramaz School, two of the leading Modern Orthodox schools in New York City.
Students and organizers said the gathering was a statement from the community against antisemitism and marginalization, but not a protest.
Jews are targeted in hate crimes far more than any other group in New York City, and critics say Mamdani’s anti-Zionist activism increases risks against the Jewish community.
"We come from a people who know how to carry hard things and keep going," a student told the crowd. "Being Jewish means being part of something that has survived, and more than survived. It has kept choosing joy, kept choosing community, kept showing up."
Other organizers included the advocacy group IMPACT, the Israeli-American Council, Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun and the Romemu congregation.
The crowd gathered on the sidewalk two blocks south of Mamdani’s residence, Gracie Mansion, on the Upper East Side. The event began with prayers led by students and songs, followed by speeches from students and organizers.
Some of the non-student speakers connected the gathering to Mamdani, and several adults in the crowd wore yellow shirts that read, "Fire Mamdani."
"We stand here because we want to show that we are unafraid and that the campaign to diminish our love for Israel will not work," said Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz of Kehilath Jeshurun. "This summer, the mayor of New York demonized supporters of Israel and focused on singling out the Jewish state for criticism."
"In this climate of criticism, we need you to remember who you are and we need you to stand tall," he said. "We are not running. We are standing here in the open in the streets of New York."
The event drew some pushback. Several hundred opponents, including affiliates of the schools, signed a petition, saying the rally risked using students as "political pawns" and that the location "will likely be interpreted as a political statement against the mayor, rather than as a response to rising antisemitism."
"This gathering needlessly inflames tensions between the mayor and the Modern Orthodox Jewish community, as opposed to inviting him into conversation as a potential ally," said the petition organized by the Halachic Left activist group.
Mamdani was not seen by the ralliers, and his schedule did not list any public events for the morning.
Asked about the event at a Wednesday presser, Mamdani said he supported the students, but would likely not be at his residence.
"I welcome them. They can have a vigil, or I’ve heard some describe it even as a protest," Mamdani said. "Whatever it is intended to be, they have the room and space to do so outside of Gracie Mansion. I think that at the time that they are there, I will probably be somewhere else across the city."
The rally ended with the crowd singing Israel’s national anthem, "Hatikvah," and the "Star-Spangled Banner."
"Our people have been here before. Not this exact moment, but this exact feeling. We have been exiled and returned, scattered and rebuilt, told again and again throughout history that this would be the end of us," one of the students said in a speech. "Every single time, we are here, still lighting candles, still telling stories, still choosing to live Jewish lives."
🚨 OMG. Stunning resurfaced footage shows Ugandan Mayor Mamdani saying the plan is to manipulate white leftists into electing 3rd worlders like him
Spoken in his 3rd world accent: "You need someone to be a validator, tell them to TRUST US."
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited by Ilya Maximov
[Regnum] The UN Fact-Finding Mission on Iran has released a report concluding that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the United States committed war crimes during Operation Epic Fury. This relates to at least two incidents: the attack on an elementary school in Minab and the attack on a sports center in Lamerda on February 28, 2026.
The United States, of course, was quick to dismiss these findings, declaring that the UN officials were "talking nonsense," but this did not affect the credibility of the evidence.
On February 28, 2026, the first day of the war, between 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. local time, Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in Minab (Hormozgan Province) was hit by rockets. The school housed boys and girls aged 6 to 13.
The first rocket hit the area next to the building; the principal and teachers moved the children to the prayer room on the top floor. The second hit the top floor directly, killing most of the students. The teachers and the principal were also killed.
Iranian authorities reported 180 deaths, of which at least 120 were schoolchildren (73 boys and 47 girls).
Analysis of the debris and published videos revealed that the strike was carried out by a US Tomahawk cruise missile. The United States is the only party to the conflict to possess this weapon.
However, the Pentagon began to deny obvious culpability. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated at the time: " In this conflict between us and Iran, there is only one side that never targets civilians, literally never. Iran does." He also promised to conduct his own investigation into the causes of the tragedy.
Later in May, US Central Command chief Brad Cooper confirmed that preliminary findings pointed to the possibility of a US strike, but called the investigation complex because the school was allegedly located on an active Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) base.
Now the UN mission has established that the school building was the intended target of the strike, and that this was not an accident.
"The mission concluded that the school building was the intended impact point and that the damage was not the result of a stray strike or collateral damage from the attack on the adjacent Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps compound," the report said.
The school building was indeed once part of a military base: until 2015, it was part of a complex affiliated with the IRGC Navy. However, by October of that year, it had been walled off, the guard towers demolished, and separate entrances from the street were created.
Playgrounds and a place for school assemblies were built near the building. Satellite images show children in the courtyard and murals on the walls. "There is no information indicating that the school was used for military purposes at that time," the authors of the document emphasized.
That same day, at around 5:10 PM, several hours after the school attack, an American missile struck a sports center in Lamerda (Fars Province). A women's volleyball team was inside the hall at the time of the strike.
The Shahid Haj Khalil Naimi Cultural and Sports Complex, also known as the Shahid Naimi Sports Hall, had a sign at its entrance and was used for sports and children's activities. It was visually separated from the adjacent IRGC complex.
"Based on satellite imagery, media reports, and open source information, the sports center is clearly separated from the adjacent Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps compound," the report states.
According to investigations, the attack involved an American Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) air-burst missile. Its lethal range is between 50 and 170 meters.
The strike killed 22 people, including two schoolgirls, two schoolboys, and a two-year-old girl.
More than 100 people were injured, according to some sources, up to 170. Nearby residential buildings, an elementary school, and a child development center were damaged.
The United States then again denied any involvement. On March 31, the United States Central Command stated that American forces had not carried out any strikes in the region at that time, blaming Iran itself.
"US forces did not conduct any strikes on the town of Lamerd or within a 30-mile radius on the first day of Operation Epic Fury... Furthermore, videos circulated by media outlets claiming US involvement do not show the PrSM precision-guided missile. The PrSM is 13 feet long. The munition depicted in the video appears to be twice that length, consistent with the size and silhouette of the Iranian Hoveyzeh cruise missile," the US military stated.
Experts immediately dismissed this claim as unconvincing. Even established Western media outlets like the BBC and NYT reported that independent analysts confirmed the use of PrSM.
Now the UN has confirmed this same conclusion. "The mission considers that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the munitions used in the airstrike on and around the Lamerda sports hall were PrSM missiles," the report states.
The weapons' identification renders the theory of Iranian involvement technically untenable in both cases. The United States, as well as Australia, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Japan, possess Tomahawks, but they are not involved in the conflict. The PrSM is unique to the United States.
However, the Americans are not giving up. White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said: "The only party in this conflict that has committed war crimes is the Iranian regime." She also added that the UN Human Rights Council "has achieved nothing in its mandate and has been spouting nonsense for decades."
The State Department, in turn, said it "does not trust the report's findings."
According to published data, the United States has effectively refused to cooperate with the UN mission's investigation. The mission sent requests for information and meetings on this matter to the American side, but received no response.
As noted, both the school and the sports center may have once been affiliated with the IRGC, but at the time of the strikes, they were clearly civilian objects. However, under international law, even their association with the IRGC does not deprive such objects of protection, as long as they are not used for military action.
The tragedy may have been caused by controversial personnel decisions made at the Pentagon. Even before the war, Hegseth had reduced the staff of the Civilian Protection Center of Excellence from approximately 200 to fewer than 40, and the Central Command Civilian Casualty Team from 10 to one.
The units haven't been shut down, but they've effectively lost their operational capability. The targeting system relies on a database that should be updated every three to five years, but this isn't happening. Furthermore, immediately after the strikes on civilian targets, The Washington Post claimed that the targets were selected using an AI system that made a mistake in analyzing the information.
"The Pentagon's intelligence agency, I think, was checking 100-200 Central Command targets a year. We all knew it wasn't enough, but the leadership thought it was fine," a US military official, who wished to remain anonymous, told Sky News.
"The fact that our secretary of defense, our head of Central Command, can't tell us whether they dropped a bomb on that location is completely unacceptable," Wes Bryant, the former head of the Pentagon's civilian damage assessment office, told Politico. He said this further highlights the "recklessness in the planning and execution of this campaign" and the fact that Pentagon leadership "has no idea what's going on."
While the published report covers only two incidents, the scale of the tragedy is far broader. In the first 11 days of the war alone, the US and Israel struck over 5,000 targets in Iran. More than 3,000 civilians are known to have fallen victim to the attacks.
Those responsible for many of these war crimes have yet to be determined. However, there is already no doubt that Washington will deny any accusations, even in the face of overwhelming objective evidence.
The question is whether they can do this forever, amid ever-louder calls to identify those responsible.
#6
Once upon a time, the United Nations seemed like good idea. The last, best hope for mankind, as it were. Now, we are ready to burn it down for the nails. I am starting to believe this is the natural trajectory for such endeavors.
“Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket.”
-- Eric Hoffer
#7
Learn history, the League of nations was the original UN and the Japanese pretty much stood on their stage and told them to go fuck themselves when they started the impirialist goals and they didn't do shit then just like the UN is worthless as fuck. You sound like the same dumbass fucks who are always calling for jail time when no real offenders go to jail!
Posted by: chris ||
09/20/2026 22:07 Comments ||
Top||
[Rudaw] The United States remains committed to withdrawing its military forces from Iraq by September 30, a State Department spokesperson said Friday, reaffirming Washington's adherence to the agreed timeline for ending coalition military operations in the country.
“The United States is proceeding with the mutually determined transition timeline for coalition forces to end military operations in Iraq,” the spokesperson told Rudaw’s Diyar Kurda in response to an email.
“We remain focused on implementing the withdrawal of US military forces from Iraq by September 30 consistent with the announced conclusion of Operation Inherent Resolve,” the spokesperson added.
The comments come less than two weeks before the deadline and as the Iraqi government pursues a parallel effort to bring weapons held by armed groups under state control.
Washington said the transition reflects the growing capabilities of Iraqi forces, including the Kurdish Peshmerga, and marks a new phase in relations between the two countries.
The United States also reiterated its support for Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and his “efforts to enforce and exercise Iraqi sovereignty as the country embarks on a new direction under his leadership, in full partnership with the United States.”
More at the link
Posted by: badanov ||
09/20/2026 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[82 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iraq
[IsraelTimes] Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto chants “Free Palestine” at a speech in East Java, marking the 100th anniversary of the Pondok Modern Darussalam Gontor Ponorogo Islamic boarding school.
It comes almost a year after Subianto raised eyebrows by ending his speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York with the word “Shalom.”
The leader of the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, which has no formal relations with Israel — spoke in an unexpectedly sympathetic tone about the Jewish state during the speech, saying that the world must “recognize,” “respect” and “guarantee the safety and security of Israel. Only then can we have real peace.”
Several outlets, including The Times of Israel, reported that Subianto was set to visit Israel after a ceasefire-hostage release deal was reached in Gaza in October.
Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry issued clear denials of any such trip, affirming its longstanding support for the Palestinians in Gaza. Another source later told The Times of Israel that Subianto had approved the visit, but backed out once the plan leaked to the press, fearing backlash at home.
In today’s speech, Subianto says “the continuing attacks against Palestinians should encourage Indonesia to build its national strength,” according to Indonesia’s Antara news agency.
During the event, Palestinian Ambassador Abdulfattah A.K. Al-Sattari presents the Subianto with a keffiyeh.
[IsraelTimes] Chief of the US Central Command, Adm. Brad Cooper, says American forces have enabled over one billion barrels of crude oil to exit the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz in recent months, amid an ongoing blockade against Iran.
“CENTCOM forces have supported more than one billion barrels of crude oil leaving the Gulf. That’s one billion barrels of crude oil out through the Strait of Hormuz in the last couple of months. We’ve reached this significant milestone while assisting over 2,000 commercial ship transits through the strait by providing coordinated protection. Clearly, momentum is building,” Cooper says in a video statement.
He says that “primary transit lanes in the strait are clear of mines” planted by Iranian forces, and “thousands of ships have passed through the strait.”
“Over one billion barrels of crude have been shipped from Gulf partners through the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran has exported zero barrels thanks to our ironclad blockade,” Cooper continues.
He says the “volume of crude oil, cargo, and liquid natural gas these past two weeks is higher than at any point in the past six months.”
“We’re also working with every partner in the region, enhancing their air defense, forming a new coalition attack drone unit, and keeping the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding waters open and clear,” Cooper adds.
[IsraelTimes] After decades of identifying as Syrian, community that saw kids killed by Hezbollah rocket and brethren massacred by forces controlling Damascus pivots toward ‘protector’ Israel
Sitting on a street-level porch facing Majdal Shams’ bustling main drag, Qasem Sabbagh offered his visitors Ottoman Turkish coffee and then reflected on the change in the psychic landscape for the Druze on the Golan Heights.
For decades, the Golan’s Druze had maintained loyalty to Syria and resisted integration into Israel, which captured the strategic plateau in 1967 and effectively annexed it in 1981. But over the last two years, a fundamental transformation had taken place for the 29,000 residents of Majdal Shams and three neighboring Druze towns, Mas’ada, Ein Qiniyye, and Buq’ata, driven by a pair of traumatic events with distinct geopolitical roots but a common tragic result for the community.
The first was the rocket attack by Iran’s proxy terror group, Hezbollah — a close ally of former Syrian President Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Horror of Homs... — on a local soccer field in July 2024 that killed 12 Druze children, followed by the July 2025 massacre of over 2,000 Druze in Sweida, Syria, by forces loyal to Syria’s current president, Ahmed al-Sharaa.
"When we were growing up, we were taught to speak of ourselves as Syrians," said Sabbagh, 50, whose work involves protecting flocks of birds near local wind turbines. "There has been a big change in Druze society."
The two tragedies caused a "very profound shift for Druze in the Golan," said Lorena Kizel Khateeb, 29, the Druze CEO of Together Vouch for Each Other (in Hebrew, B’Yachad Arevim Zeh L’Zeh), who succeeded Yosef Haddad in the position.
One outgrowth of that shift has been a dramatic spike in citizenship applications by Golan Druze since 2025, after decades in which the vast majority of Druze opted instead for permanent residency, which provides full health care, education, and legal status.
Israel’s capture of the plateau had sundered families in two, with close relatives separated by a hostile border and a UN-patrolled buffer zone.
Those who wound up on the Israeli side stayed loyal to Syria, partly out of fears that switching allegiances would trigger retaliation against their families across the border. But they also tried to maintain close ties with Syria out of the expectation that the Golan would eventually return to Syria.
Despite Israel and Syria remaining in a state of belligerence, Druze students continued to attend university in Damascus until the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011. Marriages were arranged across the border, with Druze women from the Israeli Golan relocating to villages in Syria.
The Golan Heights’ famed apples and other agricultural products also made the journey, crossing the border under special arrangements to be sold in Syrian markets.
Those family and community ties persist, but in contrast to past years, Druze on both sides of the border no longer envision reunification as a return to Syrian rule, casting a wary eye on Shaara’s Islamist government and increasingly viewing Israel as the community’s protector.
Israel has offered full citizenship to its Druze residents since 1981. Until recently, the vast majority rejected it, opting for permanent residency,
In 2025, Druze applications for citizenship spiked dramatically and according to data from earlier this year, four in 10 Golan Druze are now naturalized citizens
And while most Druze still carry hope of reunification with families on the other side of the border and UN-patrolled buffer zone, they no longer envision it as part of a return to Syria.
"Under Assad senior, there was a clear sense that Syria was the homeland, and loyalty to Syria was an integral part of one’s identity," Khateeb told The Times of Israel, referring to Hafez Assad, who ruled Syria from 1971 to his death in 2000. "But the tragedy on the soccer field was the first emotional and cognitive turning point. It reinforced the understanding that the security of Golan residents is first and foremost here in Israel, where they live, rather than in concepts of loyalty to a state across the border."
A year later, the killings in Sweida would turbocharge those changes.
After the Sweida massacre, "hope died inside us," Sabbagh said. "We’re all very disappointed. I cannot ever belong to a country that does not respect its own people. Here in Israel, my family is respected, and this is where I want to be."
Last month, Syrian Druze leader Hikmat al-Hijri once again called for the minority to separate from Syria and become a "confederation" with Israel, saying that Israel is the "only country" that can protect them from another bloodbath.
’WOLF IN A SUIT’
The Druze, a mystical sect that broke away from Shiite Islam in the 11th century, are thought to number approximately 1 million worldwide, with most living in Syria, Leb ...Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects.... , The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor... , Jordan and Israel. The Galilee is home to some 150,000 Druze who, in contrast to the Golan Druze, have long pledged fealty to Israel, including participating in military service.
Followers keep many tenets of their religion a secret, but they view Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Mohammed as prophets. The religion does not accept converts and eschews national self-determination, with communities remaining loyal to the country where they live.
Despite supporting Assad throughout most of the Syrian civil war, Druze were initially hopeful following his ouster by Sharaa.
The head of a rebel group formerly linked to al-Qaeda, Sharaa swept through Syria in a matter of days in late 2024, prompting Assad to flee to Moscow and ushering in a new era for the war-torn state.
The stunning ouster came shortly after Israel agreed to halt weeks of fighting in neighboring Lebanon that had significantly weakened Hezbollah, depriving Assad of the support of a heavily armed Iran-backed proxy group that had helped keep him in power over 13 years of civil war.
Israeli officials initially regarded Sharaa warily, given his bad boy ties.
Druze in the Golan, however, said they felt a sense of renewed pride in their Syrian identity in the wake of Assad’s fall, especially after Sharaa pledged to respect Syria’s minorities. Celebrations broke out in Majdal Shams, with people saying they were optimistic about the change.
The jubilation did not last. Relations between Syrian Druze, who make up about 3 percent of the country’s population, and the Islamists now in power became tense, though occasional armed festivities were quickly resolved before they could escalate.
"A lot of people were initially relieved when the regime fell in Syria, but then everything changed," said Butsama, a 20-year-old Golan Druze who asked that her last name not be used.
Ties broke down for good in July 2025, after armed fighting broke out in southern Syria’s Sweida province between Druze locals and Bedouin clans amid tit-for-tat kidnappings. Sharaa sent forces into the area, ostensibly to quell the festivities, but they effectively sided with the clans, carrying out mass slayings in what locals now refer to as "the Druze October 7."
More than 2,000 people were killed over several days, including 789 Druze civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor. A committee formed by the Syrian government said it had documented the killing of 1,760 people.
Government forces and their allies were accused at the time of executing civilians and committing other abuses. In one video that emerged from Sweida, button men in military uniform can be seen asking an unarmed man about his identity. When he replies that he is Syrian, the button men demand, "What do you mean Syrian? Are you Sunni or Druze?" When the man says he is Druze, the men open fire, killing him.
The massacres sparked fierce outrage from Druze in Israel, whose leaders urged the government to involve itself in the fighting to protect their Syrian brethren.
Israel responded by launching Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s on southern Syria and Damascus with the stated aim of forcing the withdrawal of forces that attacked Druze civilians.
In a Galilee village, local Druze set up a war room to organize shipments of medicine, food and supplies into Syria. Locals continue to monitor threats to Druze living in Syria.
Many Druze saw the government’s attacks in Sweida as an extension of a wave of sectarian violence that broke earlier on Syria’s coast. Clashes between the new government’s forces and Assad loyalists spiraled into Dire Revenge killings targeting members of the Alawite minority to which Assad belongs.
After the violence in Sweida, Sharaa vowed to hold perpetrators to account and restated his commitment to protecting rights for Syria’s minority groups.
Western countries with whom Sharaa’s government has successfully courted closer ties with the West appear to have been appeased by his promises.
Last month, the United States removed Syria from the state sponsors of terror list, taking another step to lift severe economic restrictions on Damascus, in a move seen as a vote of confidence in Sharaa.
But Druze have put little stock in Sharaa’s promises.
Adham Safadi, a Majdal Shams resident who lost his daughter in the Hezbollah rocket attack, called Sharaa "a wolf in a suit."
"We can only hope they get rid of him before he gets rid of the suit," he said.
Khateeb called the Sweida bloodshed "the most significant catalyst" for the Druze shift in perspective.
"Suddenly, the question was no longer just ’who are we loyal to?’ but also, ’who truly protects us when we are in danger,'" she said. "A historical connection to Syria does not necessarily mean the future will be what they expected."
The changed attitude has been seen most concretely in citizenship numbers. Israel has offered Golan Druze full citizenship since 1981, but for three decades, naturalizations were few and far between.
Druze requests for Israeli citizenship first began to tick up in 2021, reaching 500—600 annually from 2022 to 2024.
In 2025, the trend went kaboom!, with 3,750 people applying. As of March 2026, roughly 40 percent of the Druze living in the four Golan towns are naturalized Israeli citizens, according to Interior Ministry data.
"Applying for Israeli citizenship used to be viewed almost as an act of treason," Khateeb said. "Today, more and more people understand that they can hold a strong Druze identity and connection to their roots while choosing Israeli citizenship out of considerations for security, the future, rights, and a sense of belonging to the place where they live, as well as contributing their share to the security of the country."
While Sabbagh and his wife have not yet applied for citizenship — meaning they cannot vote in national Knesset elections — he embraces local civic life. "I’m not so interested in what happens in the Knesset," he said. "But I’ll vote in the local elections, because I can see and feel what happens on the local level."
More at the link.
In June, al-Sharaa said in an interview that his country was working toward a security agreement with Israel, which he said could eventually pave the way for comprehensive peace between the two neighbors.
Separately, Israel and Lebanon signed a US-brokered framework agreement on June 26 aimed at paving the way toward an eventual peace deal.
Tehran, September 19, 2026, 11:02 PM — Regnum News Agency. Iranian authorities conveyed to the United States, through a Qatari intermediary, the terms for ending the military conflict. This was announced by Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei to Al Jazeera on September 19.
“We are in contact with the Qatari mediator, who conveyed to Washington our conditions for ending the conflict,” Rezai clarified.
He indicated that Iran's demands include a cessation of hostilities on all fronts, lifting the naval blockade, and the unfreezing of Iranian assets. Rezi added that Tehran is currently awaiting a response from US President Donald Trump.
A new escalation in the Middle East began after the US resumed military operations against Iran on July 10. Four days later, Washington announced a complete naval blockade of Iranian ports and carried out several series of strikes against Iranian targets. In response to the US actions, Iranian forces again began attacking American bases in the region.
On August 20, US President Donald Trump declared that the American administration was launching an unprecedented "economic war and isolation" against Iran. He claimed that no one had offered the Islamic Republic more opportunities to reach an agreement than he had. In response, Iran threatened retaliatory measures against neighboring countries if they joined US sanctions against Tehran.
On August 25, Iranian and US officials agreed to a ceasefire. However, late in the evening of August 30, the US and Iran exchanged missile strikes. The US attacked Lark in Hormozgan Province, killing two people and injuring two more. In response, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced the destruction of US fighter jet sites in Jordan.
On September 17, Mohammad Bagher Zolqadr, Iran's political adviser, said the Strait of Hormuz would not open to shipping as long as US President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were in power.
[North Press] More than 5.7 million people remain internally displaced across Syria despite over two million returning to their areas of origin since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in late 2024, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Friday.
According to the IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), about 5.73 million people are currently internally displaced in Syria, while an estimated 2.19 million have returned to their places of origin since December 2024.
The UN migration agency said conditions vary across the country. While conditions for newly returned people are generally favorable, several obstacles continue to affect the sustainability of returns.
These include psychological distress, limited access to basic services, a lack of legal documentation, child protection risks, community safety concerns and family separation, an IOM spokesperson told Rudaw.
Access to essential services, employment and sources of income remains among the main challenges facing returnees, including in northeastern Syria.
More than a decade of conflict forced millions of Syrians from their homes, with displacement particularly affecting areas that experienced repeated fighting and shifts in territorial control.
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.
... al-Qaeda's tentacle in East Africa...
...Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey. In Anatolia did Recep Bey a stately Presidential Palace decree, that has 1100 rooms. That's 968 more than in the White House, 400 more than in Versailles, and 325 more than Buckingham Palace, so you know who's really more important...
...Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects....
