[KhaamaPress] Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ...hereditary prime minister of the Great White North... announced that the government is taking the detention of David Lavery,
…this is the first appearance of that no doubt worthy gentleman in Rantburg’s pages. May he soon be released unharmed….
a former Canadian soldier, by the Taliban ...mindless ferocity in a turban... very seriously.
Trudeau added that consular assistance has been provided to Lavery’s family. The Taliban detained Lavery last week.
During the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Peru, Trudeau responded to questions about Lavery’s case, stating, "I can assure you that the Government of Canada takes this situation very, very seriously." He declined to provide further details.
Canadian media outlet CTV News reported on Saturday, citing its sources, that David Lavery was detained by the Taliban last Monday after arriving at Kabul Airport on a flight to Afghanistan.
Lavery has been traveling to Afghanistan for years, offering consulting services through his private security company in Kabul. He was well-known in the region for his work and frequent visits.
According to a source cited by CTV News, the Taliban had been aware of Lavery’s presence and activities in Afghanistan for several years prior to his arrest.
Global Affairs Canada, which handles the country’s diplomatic and consular relations, confirmed to CTV News that they are "aware of an incident involving a Canadian in Afghanistan" and are closely monitoring the situation.
David Lavery, known as "Canadian Dave" in Afghanistan, was the only Canadian to remain at Kabul International Airport during the fall of Afghanistan in August 2021. His presence and actions during this tumultuous time, including helping over 100 Afghans evacuate, earned him recognition.
31 Syrian Migrants Rescued Off Libyan Coast
The Libyan Stability Support Agency announced the rescue of 31 Syrian migrants off the coast near Suwai’diyah Beach in the Salloum area after their boat capsised. Among the rescued, 25 were in good health, four received critical medical care in intensive care units, and two unfortunately succumbed despite rescue efforts.
The agency reported that after receiving information about the presence of migrants at sea, Al Khoms office responded swiftly. They rescued the migrants and brought the capsised boat ashore.
The boat was subsequently destroyed by fire due to the inability to identify its owner and based on migrants’ claims that they had purchased it. This measure was taken to prevent its future use.
Legal procedures were followed, and the migrants were handed over to the relevant authorities for further processing.
Nigerian Migrants Deported by Libyan Authorities
The Libyan Department for Combating Illegal Migration recently deported a group of migrants, including seven Nigerians, three Bangladeshis, and three Ghanaians, for violations of Libyan law. The agency confirmed on social media platform X that the individuals had been held at the Qanfoudah Immigration Detention Centre before being flown out via Benina International Airport in Benghazi.
This deportation incident follows recent tensions between Nigeria and Libya, stemming from an incident involving the countries’ football teams during the qualifiers for the 2025 African Cup of Nations (AFCON). Disputes arose after the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) claimed that Nigerian players were stranded at a Libyan airport.
In response, the Libyan Football Federation (LFF) alleged similar treatment for their own players in Nigeria. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) reviewed the matter, concluding that Libya had breached AFCON regulations and CAF’s disciplinary code. Subsequently, CAF penalised Libya by awarding Nigeria a 3-0 victory, even though the match was not played after Nigeria’s decision to withdraw.
Following CAF’s ruling, rumours began to circulate about mass arrests of Nigerians in Libya, with some suggesting these were reprisals. However, Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs quickly refuted these claims, dismissing any large-scale targeting of Nigerian nationals by Libyan authorities.
Migrant Boat Capsizes Near Libyan Coast
Libya’s Ambulance and Emergency Service has reported that a migrant boat capsized off the coast of Al Khums early today, with efforts underway to rescue those on board. The service said its emergency teams were quickly dispatched from Al Khums, Msallata, Qarabulli, and Qasr Al-Akhyar to respond to the incident and conduct search and rescue operations.
The authorities have not yet disclosed the number of people on the vessel or confirmed any casualties or survivors. Rescue workers are reportedly navigating difficult conditions to reach potential survivors and continue their efforts along the coast.
Libya remains a significant transit point for migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Europe, often in unsafe and overcrowded boats. The increased migrant flows and dangerous conditions have led to numerous maritime accidents in recent years. Libya’s coastal regions, particularly areas like Al Khums, frequently witness similar incidents, prompting repeated calls for enhanced rescue capabilities and greater international assistance.
Egyptian Migrants Deported from Libya
The Libyan Anti-Illegal Migration Authority announced on Wednesday the deportation of Egyptian migrants via the Imsaad Land Crossing. In a statement on its social media page, the authority confirmed the migrants’ removal due to violations of entry laws and regulations governing entry to Libyan territory. While the exact number of deported individuals was not disclosed, the authority indicated that deportation efforts are ongoing.
In a related context, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported on July 23 that over 80,000 migrants have been voluntarily repatriated from Libya to their home countries since 2015 through the Voluntary Humanitarian Return program. The IOM has facilitated the return of migrants from 49 different countries across Africa and Asia, ensuring they receive necessary assistance upon arrival in their home countries. This support includes comprehensive reintegration aid, such as economic, social, and psychosocial assistance to help migrants rebuild their lives.
Libyan Security Forces Foil Human Trafficking Attempt to Europe
On Tuesday, Libyan security forces detained 90 migrants in Sabratha who were allegedly about to be smuggled to Europe by a human trafficking gang. The migrants, from various African nations, were discovered in a hideout used as a staging point for illegal crossings of the Mediterranean.
Sabratha, a city in western Libya, is frequently used by traffickers as a key launch site for unauthorized migration to Europe. Libyan authorities have intensified efforts to intercept these operations, with ongoing arrests in areas where trafficking is prevalent. These interventions underscore the challenges Libya faces in managing migration routes and curbing human trafficking from its borders.
According to the Sabratha Security Directorate, the successful raid was carried out by intelligence and patrol units who acted on a tip-off, detaining the migrants before they were taken to the coast. Legal actions have been initiated against those involved in the smuggling network, and the migrants have received the necessary care and assistance.
In a separate incident, Libya’s Interior Ministry reported that security patrols rescued 13 African migrants who were found stranded in the Hamada Al-Hamra desert. The migrants, who had lost their way in the vast desert, were provided with medical care and transported to a safe location.
Libya’s expansive deserts pose severe risks for migrants attempting remote border crossings. Authorities have previously recovered the remains of migrants who perished after becoming lost in these harsh conditions, highlighting the dangers faced by those seeking to enter Libya through isolated routes.
[IsraelTimes] A suspected attack by 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 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 targeted a commercial ship late Sunday night traveling through the southern reaches of the Red Sea, though it caused no damage nor injuries, authorities say.
A ship’s captain saw that "a missile splashed in close proximity to the vessel" as it traveled near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center says in an alert.
The attack happened some 30 miles (48 kilometers) west of Yemen’s port city of Mocha.
"The vessel and crew are safe and proceeding to its next port of call," the UKMTO adds.
The Houthis do not immediately claim the attack. However,
today is that tomorrow you were thinking about yesterday... it can take the rebels hours or even days to acknowledge their assaults.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The Ansar Allah (Houthis) movement struck a target in the city of Eilat in southern Israel. This was reported on his page on the X social network (formerly Twitter) by the movement's military spokesman Yahya Saria.
“The Air Force <…> carried out a military operation against a key Israeli enemy target in the Umm al-Rashrash area (the Arabic name for Eilat. – Ed.) in the south of occupied Palestine using drones,” he wrote on November 16.
Once again confusing wish and fulfillment. Inshallah.
Saria stressed that such strikes will continue until Israel abandons its aggressive policies in Gaza and Lebanon.
On November 12, Saria announced a successful attack on the US aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea. According to Yemeni media, the operation lasted eight hours. In addition to the aircraft carrier, the Houthis attacked two US destroyers in the Red Sea.
Attacked, yes. Beyond that, nothing.
On October 28, Ansar Allah reported attacks on three commercial vessels using missiles and drones. It was noted that in the southern Arabian Sea, the SC Montreal was attacked by two drones, the bulk carrier Motaro was attacked with ballistic missiles in the Red Sea, and a cruise missile was fired at the Maersk Kowloon in the Arabian Sea.
On October 22, the Houthis announced their first strike using a hypersonic missile against an Israeli military base in Tel Aviv.
Following the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Yemen's Houthis have warned that they will shell Israeli territory and prevent ships linked to the Jewish state from passing through the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. Since October 7, 2023, they have attacked more than 190 ships linked to Israel, the United States and the United Kingdom.
[IsraelTimes] Dutch police say 9 people have been identified and arrested; number of suspects still expected to increase, based on analysis of security footage
Dutch police said Sunday they were probing 45 people for violent mostly peaceful crimes in relation to violence against Israeli soccer fans following a match in Amsterdam earlier this month, with nine of them already identified and arrested.
"Because of the seriousness of the crimes, but also because of the social impact, we immediately scaled up to a special investigation team," Dutch police chief Janny Knol said in a statement.
Police are "looking at all crimes committed in the run-up to the game and in its aftermath," Knol said after violence in the Dutch capital before and after the Europa League match between Dutch club Ajax Amsterdam and Maccabi Tel Aviv on November 7 shook the country, resulting in several protests and a near-government collapse.
The number of suspects is expected to increase "based in part on the analysis of a large amount of footage," police added.
Israeli officials said 10 people were maimed in the Thursday night violence carried out by local Arab and Moslem gangs against Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer fans.
Hundreds more Israelis huddled in their hotels for hours, fearing they could be attacked. Many said that Dutch security forces were nowhere to be found, as the Israeli tourists were ambushed by gangs of masked assailants who shouted pro-Paleostinian and anti-Israel slogans, while they hunted, beat and harassed them.
After the game, youths on scooters engaged in "hit-and-run" assaults on Maccabi fans, Dutch officials said. Some social media posts had included calls to "hunt Jews," according to police.
Prime Minister Dick Schoof said the attacks amounted to "unadulterated antisemitism."
Amsterdam police chief Peter Holla said that, before the match, Maccabi fans burned a Paleostinian flag, attacked a taxi and chanted anti-Arab slogans. Footage of the incidents was also widely circulated on social media.
"The investigation is in full swing," Knol said on Sunday.
"It goes without saying, but I think it is good to emphasize that we are looking at all crimes committed in the run-up to the game and in its aftermath. Regardless of who the perpetrator or who the victim was," Knoll added.
Moslem rights groups condemned the antisemitism, but have argued that the violence in Amsterdam was not one-sided.
Schoof last week blamed the violence on people with "migrant backgrounds."
On Friday night, Schoof’s right-wing government coalition narrowly avoided collapse with crisis talks after junior minister Nora Achahbar resigned over alleged racist comments made by cabinet colleagues relating to the attacks.
The coalition is led by the anti-Moslem populist PVV of Geert Wilders, which came top in a general election a year ago. It was installed in July after months of tense negotiations.
Wilders has repeatedly said Dutch youth of Moroccan descent were the main attackers of the Israeli fans, although police have given no details about the background of the suspects.
Wilders last Wednesday blamed Moroccans for attacks on Israeli soccer fans, claiming that "we saw Moslems hunting Jews" and added it was fueled by "Moroccans who want to destroy Jews." He said those convicted of involvement should be deported if they have dual nationality.
Schoof strongly denied the allegations. No, no! Certainly not! of racism among coalition members and tried to allay concerns following emergency talks.
Addressing "the incidents in Amsterdam last week," Schoof said: "There is a lot of upheaval in the country. It was an emotional week, a heavy week and a lot has been said and a lot happened."
Ceremonial Objects
"Divans...
And some scimitars wielded by Jans
In defense of Islam,
And a suicide balm...
And this very rich niche
Holds the bones of a snitch
Who sold out some old bitch.
More Korans..."
[TurkiyeToday] Istanbul police arrested 10 suspects in coordinated counterterrorism operations targeting groups linked to ISIS and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, formerly al-Nusra, before that it was called something else ...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State... (HTS), an al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group, formally known as the Nusra Front and other affiliated groups.
The Istanbul Counterterrorism Department initiated an operation against individuals suspected of ties with terrorist organizations ISIS, HTS and other affiliated groups.
Authorities identified suspects based on connections to conflict zones and their potential threat of planned activities in Istanbul.
SIMULTANEOUS RAIDS
The operations involved simultaneous raids at identified locations, resulting in the arrest of 10 individuals, categorized as "foreign terrorist fighters." The suspects have been taken into custody for further investigation.
ADDITIONAL ARRESTS FOR FRAUD AND ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION
During the raids, police also detained two individuals wanted for cyber fraud and five undocumented migrants colonists found at the targeted addresses.
[Rudaw] Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) on Sunday announced the launch of a fresh operation against Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS) cells in the western Anbar province, amid a countrywide effort to rid the country of the jihadists.
"The operation comes as part of a strategy to track down terrorist sleeper cells and prevent them from gaining any foothold by closing all security gasp in front of them in these areas," the PMF said on Telegram.
According to the statement, the campaign will mostly be centered on Anbar’s district of al-Qaim, near the border with Syria.
[IsraelTimes] The Israel Defense Forces says it shot down a UAV fired "from the east," after sirens were activated in the Red Sea resort city of Eilat.
The IDF generally uses "from the east" to denote projectiles launched from Iraq.
The military says the air force downed the drone before it entered Israeli territory.
It does not comment on videos appearing to show a failed interceptor rocket falling in the city.
The United Hatzalah rescue service says it is treating a number of people seeking help for acute anxiety following a drone alert that sounded in Eilat.
The Magen David Adom rescue service says it is also responding to a call related to the attack, but that it does not yet have any details on possible casualties.
The launch is claimed by the Islamic Resistance® in Iraq, an Iran-backed militia, which claims it targeted a "vital asset" in the Eilat area.
[IsraelTimes] Kfir soldiers killed in sniper attack, clash with Hamas gunmen Beit Lahiya; among them is nephew of Gadi Eisenkot; Hamas officials claim dozens killed or injured in an airstrike
The Israel Defense Forces on Sunday announced the deaths of three soldiers killed during fighting in the northern Gaza Strip in the past day, while Hamas-controlled officials in the Palestinian enclave claimed that dozens were killed or injured in an airstrike on a building.
The slain troops were named as:
Sgt. First Class (res.) Idan Keinan, 21, from Ramat Gan.
Cpt. Yogev Pazy, 22, from Giv’ot Bar
Staff Sgt. Noam Eitan, 21, from Hadera
They all served with the Kfir Brigade’s Nahshon Battalion.
According to an initial IDF probe, Keinan was killed by sniper fire on Saturday in northern Gaza’s Beit Lahiya.
Pazy — a platoon commander — and Eitan, were killed on Sunday morning in an exchange of fire with Hamas operatives, also in the Beit Lahiya area. Another soldier with the battalion was seriously wounded in the same incident, the IDF said.
Their deaths brought Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas and during operations on the border to 378.
Pazy was the nephew of former IDF chief of staff and former war cabinet observer minister Gadi Eisenkot. Eisenkot’s son, Master Sgt. (res.) Gal Meir Eisenkot, 25, was killed while fighting in Gaza in early December, followed by his nephew, Sgt. Maor Cohen Eisenkot, 19, a day later.
Keinan was buried at the Kiryat Shaul cemetery at 4 p.m. He was survived by his parents, a sister, and a brother. His sister Linoy wrote in a social media post that her brother “died as a hero.”
“How did they take you from us?” she asked. “I will never manage to get over a loss such as you.”
She also shared a message that he had written two months ago to his grandmother.
“If the Father in Heaven decides that someone needs to die for our people, it is the greatest merit in the world,” the soldier wrote. “I know what the dangers are and what could happen and I am at peace with that, and more than that, this is the path that I chose and this is the path that I believe every man in the country should choose.”
The military said over the weekend that it was continuing operations in the northern Gaza areas of Jabalia and Beit Lahiya, which have been the targets of an intense offensive since early October.
According to local medics, tens of Palestinians were killed or injured in an Israeli strike on a multistory residential building in Beit Lahiya on Sunday. The IDF in response to a query by The Times of Israel on the matter confirmed that the military had targeted several “terror targets” in the Beit Lahiya area overnight, but expressed skepticism over the casualty numbers claimed by Hamas.
“The IDF calls on the media to be careful with the information published by Hamas and the Health Ministry — which operates as a communication arm of Hamas, as has been proven in several previous events,” the IDF said.
“It should be noted that in the recent period, evacuation efforts were made for the civilian population in order to move them from the combat area, alongside the effort to expand the humanitarian space in the Mawasi area,” the military continued, adding that it “IDF acts in a targeted manner and makes great efforts to avoid harming [civilians].”
Earlier on Sunday, an Israeli airstrike killed at least 10 people in the Bureij camp in the central Gaza Strip when a missile hit a house, Gazan medics said. Hamas-controlled Gaza authorities do not distinguish between fighters and civilians in their updates.
The army sent tanks into Beit Lahiya and the nearby towns of Beit Hanoun and Jabalia, the largest of the Gaza Strip’s eight historic refugee camps, last month in what it said was a campaign to fight Hamas terrorists waging attacks and prevent them from regrouping. It says it has killed hundreds of gunmen in those three areas, which residents said Israeli forces had isolated from Gaza City.
Meanwhile, a Hamas source told the Qatari-run al-Araby al-Jadeed newspaper Sunday that there has been no communication with commanders in the field responsible for holding the hostages for about a month as a result of strict security measures around the hostages. The source said that the only way to save the remaining living hostages is via a negotiated agreement for their release that would include a ceasefire. However, the source denied claims that Hamas political leaders no longer have command over fighters in Gaza and asserted that decisions are being coordinated at various levels. The source said that members of the Hamas military wing, the Qassam Brigades, have pledged their allegiance to Hamas’s new leadership, which is based in Qatar. The new leadership was installed after Israel last month killed long-time Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar, the architect of the October 7 invasion and massacre, shortly after he had been selected as the overall leader of the terror group.
The source also reported that Hamas’s refusal to provide any information about the hostages, and in particular US citizens it is holding, without receiving something in return has caused Washington to increase pressure on negotiation mediators. He claimed Hamas had refused to provide information or video clips about the captives because the US did not give Hamas convincing indications about ending the fighting.
The source said Hamas had started a recruitment drive for more fighters, the second such campaign since the war started.
[IsraelTimes] Mohammed Afif targeted at Syrian Ba’ath Party offices; military carries out new wave of strikes in terror group’s Dahiyeh stronghold; drone apparently launched from Iraq shot down
An Israeli Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... on a building in a central neighborhood of the Lebanese capital Beirut on Sunday reportedly killed the top front man for the Hezbollah terror group.
Two Lebanese security sources told Rooters that Hezbollah’s media relations chief Mohammed Afif was killed in the strike on the Ras al-Naba’a neighborhood. A Hezbollah official, speaking anonymously, confirmed this to The News Agency that Dare Not be Named.
The Israel Defense Forces did not immediately issue a comment on the strike.
Unlike dozens of other Israeli attacks carried out in Beirut this past week, the strike killing Afif was not carried out in the southern suburbs of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold known as Dahiyeh.
The building where Afif was targeted housed the offices of the Syrian Ba’ath Party, Lebanese media reported. The IDF did not issue any evacuation warning before the strike, as it was an liquidation and did not target Hezbollah’s infrastructure.
Good to know.
Afif had been especially visible after Israel’s military escalation in September and following the liquidation of longtime Hezbollah leader His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah ...The late, lamented satrap of the Medes and the Persians in Leb...> , who was also killed in an Israeli airstrike.
Last month, Afif was forced to interrupt a presser in Dahiyeh after the IDF’s Arabic language front man, Col. Avichay Adraee, issued an evacuation order for residents of the area ahead of an airstrike.
"The bombing does not scare us, nor the threats," Afif said at the time. |Our will is firm and our determination is strong."
Also on Sunday, the IDF said it had completed a wave of airstrikes against Hezbollah targets in Dahiyeh. The targets hit by fighter jets included command rooms and other infrastructure, according to the military. Before those strikes were carried out, the IDF issued evacuation warnings to civilians in the area.
In recent days, the IDF has ramped up strikes against Hezbollah targets in Beirut with over 50 Hezbollah sites hit in the past week. One of the targets struck by Israeli fighter jets in Beirut on Saturday was an apartment formerly belonging to Nasrallah, according to the IDF. The military said Nasrallah was targeted at the home during the 2006 Second Leb ...an Iranian satrapy until recently ruled by Hassan Nasrallah situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else? It is the home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... War, and it was later rebuilt. The apartment was currently being used by Hezbollah for its activities, the IDF said.
Sunday’s strikes came after a barrage of some 20 rockets was launched from Lebanon at the Western Galilee and Haifa Bay area in the morning. According to the IDF, some of the rockets were intercepted by air defenses, while the rest struck open areas, causing no injuries.
The IDF also released footage on Sunday showing a Hezbollah weapons cache and tunnel being demolished by combat engineers in southern Lebanon. The site had been discovered by troops of the Kfir Brigade’s Haruv reconnaissance unit, who are operating in Lebanon under the Alon Reserve Brigade. It marked the first time in the unit’s history that it was operating in Lebanon. According to the IDF, during a raid in a southern Lebanon village, the troops found a tunnel shaft that led to underground infrastructure. Next to the shaft was a weapons depot, ammunition and a cycle of violence, which the IDF says "were prepared for an invasion" of Israel.
Three IDF divisions have been operating in southern Lebanon in recent days, as the military has expanded its offensive against Hezbollah.
Meanwhile,
...back at the desert island, Bert was realizing to his horror that he'd had only one bottle for one message, and he'd forgotten to include a return address... the IDF reportedly removed roadblocks on the northern border which were set up to prevent civilians from driving on roads that were exposed to anti-tank missile fire from Lebanon. According to a Sunday morning report by Army Radio, all of the military roadblocks on the Lebanon border were removed in recent days, ahead of a possible return of the displaced residents of the north to their homes.
"The reality in the north has changed," IDF officials were cited by the radio station as saying.
"There are no longer places where you can’t drive. Bypass roads are no longer needed, and citizens can also drive on these roads," the officials were cited as saying, adding that this freedom of movement is due to the IDF having taken control of key areas in south Lebanon, thereby reducing the threat.
Some 60,000 residents were evacuated from northern Israeli towns on the Lebanon border shortly after fellow terror group Hamas ..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",... ’s October 7, 2023, onslaught in southern Israel, amid fears Hezbollah would carry out a similar attack, and increasing rocket fire by the Lebanese terror group.
For months since October 8, 2023, Hezbollah-led forces attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... amid the war there.
Hezbollah has since expanded its attacks to also target cities in central and northern Israel with rockets, in addition to the attacks on the border, though in recent days the IDF has seen a decrease in the number of attacks.
The attacks on northern Israel have resulted in the deaths of 43 civilians. In addition, 70 IDF soldiers and reservists have died in cross-border skirmishes and in the ensuing ground operation launched in southern Lebanon in late September. Two soldiers have been killed in a drone attack from Iraq, and there have also been several attacks from Syria, without any injuries.
The IDF estimates that some 3,000 Hezbollah operatives have been killed in the conflict. Around 100 members of other terror groups, along with hundreds of civilians, have also been reported killed in Lebanon.
Meanwhile,
...back at the desert island, Bert was realizing to his horror that he'd had only one bottle for one message, and he'd forgotten to include a return address... on Sunday morning, the IDF also said a drone launched at Israel "from the east" — usually code for Iraq — was intercepted by air defenses over southern Israel. Footage posted to social media showed a cloud of smoke above a Bezeq antenna farm near Rehovot, apparently following the interception of the drone. There were no reports of injuries. Shrapnel from the interception sparked a small fire in the area.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the drone.
Meanwhile, a lawmaker from Lebanon’s al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya, or Islamic Group denies a report on official media that the Islamist group aligned to Hamas and Hezbollah was the target of the strike.
Imad Hout tells AFP that “no center or institution affiliated with the group is located in the area targeted by the strike, and no member of the group was targeted.”
A Lebanese security source tells AFP that the strike hit an electronics store in the Mar Elias district, a commercial and residential area.
In recent days, the IDF says, the 282nd Artillery Regiment’s 411th Battalion crossed the northern border with its self-propelled M-109 howitzers and began to shell Hezbollah targets from within southern Lebanon.
The military says this increases its artillery range and allows better support for the ground troops battling Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
Since the start of the ground offensive in late September, the IDF says, the 282nd Regiment has shelled thousands of Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, including weapon depots, command centers, and rocket launching sites, and has killed hundreds of Hezbollah operatives.
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.
...hereditary prime minister of the Great White North...
...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the 
...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State...
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling 
..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",...
