I checked the Hodhod Yemen News site last night and saw nothing on this story.
[IsraelTimes] Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels claim responsibility for an attack that twice targeted a Panama-flagged bulk carrier traveling through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden yesterday.
Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree makes the claim about the attack on the Anadolu S in a prerecorded statement.
Missiles twice splashed down near the ship yesterday, causing no damage or injuries.
[Rudaw] The British consulate general in Erbil on Tuesday expressed its "heartfelt" condolences for the loss of two commanders and a fighter from joint Kurdish and Iraqi forces earlier this week.
In addition to the death of the three members of the joint brigade, three others were also maimed when an improvised bomb (IED) went kaboom! on them in Salahaddin province’s Tuz Khurmatu, located about 65 kilometers south of Kirkuk city.
"The UK remains steadfast in its partnership with the Joint Brigades, committed to supporting Iraq’s security, stability, and illusory sovereignty," the British diplomatic mission said in its message of condolence on X.
On Monday, the US consulate also extended its condolences to the victims of the attack which was claimed by ISIS.
The attack has been condemned by Iraqi and Kurdish officials, with some of them reiterating the need for greater cooperation between Peshmerga and Iraqi forces to counter terrorism.
Iraq and the Kurdistan Region continue to carry out regular operations against ISIS Death Eaters, and officials have said that the threat from the terror group is contained.
[IsraelTimes] Border Police officers surround building in Qabatiya, near Jenin, after coming under fire during arrest raid; troops find rifles, bombs, other combat equipment
Three button men from the Paleostinian Islamic Jihad ...created after many members of the Egyptian Moslem Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah... terror group were killed by Israeli forces during a firefight in the northern West Bank, the army said Tuesday.
No Israeli soldiers were maimed in the Tuesday morning exchange, which came as troops raided the Jenin area as part of an ongoing anti-terror operation.
Border police troops had entered the town of Qabatiya south of Jenin to arrest Raed Hanaysha, 24, a PIJ operative previously imprisoned for terrorism. Hanshaya is suspected of being involved in shooting and bombing attacks against soldiers in the West Bank that did not cause casualties, according to a joint statement from the Israel Defense Forces, Israel Police, and Shin Bet security service.
Officers laid siege to the building where Hanaysha was holed up after coming under fire from two other button men in the building, using a tactic known as a "pressure cooker," which involves escalating the volume of fire against a building to flush suspects out.
Both Hanaysha and the two button men were killed, with Islamic Jihad later confirming that the three had been members of the terror group. The other two men were identified by PIJ as Anwar Saba’neh, 25, and Suleiman Tazazaa, 32.
Three assault rifles and other military equipment were found on the bodies of the terrorists. In addition, the Israeli troops found three more weapons and destroyed two bomb-making labs, as well as several bombs that had been placed under roads to harm soldiers.
Since October 7, 2023, when the Hamas ..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,... terror group attacked Israel, starting the ongoing war in Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... , troops have arrested some 5,250 wanted Paleostinians across the West Bank, including more than 2,050 affiliated with Hamas.
According to the Paleostinian Authority health ministry, more than 716 West Bank Paleostinians have been killed in that time. The IDF says the vast majority of them were button men killed in exchanges of fire, rioters who clashed with troops or murderous Moslems killed while carrying out attacks.
During the same period, 41 people, including Israeli security personnel, have been killed in terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank. Another six members of the security forces were killed in festivities with terror operatives in the West Bank.
Since October 7, 2023, the IDF has carried out more than 70 Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s in the West Bank, using drones, attack helicopters, and fighter jets.
[Rudaw] An bomb on Tuesday killed the mayor of the Kafrnan subdistrict in the central Homs province, state media reported.
"Kafrnan mayor, Mohammad al-Ismail was martyred in an bomb exploding which was planted in his car in Tasnin village, northern Homs countryside," Syrian state media (SANA) reported on X.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was planted inside a kindergarten bus and went kaboom! before the students got on the bus.
An investigation into the incident has been launched.
Earlier this month, a Russian soldier, a translator, and a civilian sustained various injuries in an IED explosion in an ambulance belonging to Russian forces in Hasaka province, according to SOHR.
The incident took place in the so-called Security Square in Hasaka, which is controlled by the Syrian regime forces.
Syrians rose up against the President Bashir al-Assad’s regime in 2011, leading to a full-scale civil war that has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and has left millions more in need of dire humanitarian assistance.
Over 13 million Syrians, half the country’s pre-war population, have been displaced since the start of the civil war, more than six million of which are refugees who have fled the war-torn country, according to UN figures.
[Rudaw] The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said on Monday that it has thwarted an infiltration attempt near the town of Gire Spi (Tal Abyad), northern Raqqa province, leaving several casualties, amid conflicting reports.
"SDF forces thwarted an infiltration attempt by the Ottoman Turkish occupation mercenaries on the village of Abdouki, west of the occupied city of Tal Abyad, fierce festivities erupted resulting in the elimination of several Ottoman Turkish-backed mercenaries and the injury of others," read a statement from the SDF.
Following the attempt, the Ottoman Turkish army heavily bombarded the area with heavy artillery, according to the statement.
There are conflicting accounts of the incident with the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that the SDF "infiltrated positions held by Ottoman Turkish forces and their allied factions in the village of Abdouki al-Kabir, west of Tal Abyad in northern Raqqa, with artillery and rocket support," targeting the village with over 20 rockets and mortar shells.
The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire... has carried out three major military campaigns against the SDF since 2016 on the grounds that the multi-ethnic force is affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The SDF has denied any ties with the PKK.
Since the start of the operations in 2016, Turkey has invaded key towns near the border such as Afrin, Sari Kani (Ras al-Ain), and Gire Spi.
Ankara wants to complete its long-desired 30-kilometer "safe zone" along Syria’s northern border with Turkey, on the grounds of "resolving security issues".
The Syrian regime, on the other side, has repeatedly condemned Ankara and its plans for the zone, calling the Ottoman Turkish military presence in Syria a violation of the country’s territorial integrity. Russia has also condemned the Ottoman Turkish incursion.
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[IsraelTimes] Lebanese speaker notes some details still need to be worked out after meeting with Amos Hochstein, who may travel to Israel Wednesday; IDF division expands southern Lebanon incursion.
A senior US mediator said Tuesday that a ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon was “within our grasp” as he arrived in the region to clinch a long-sought halt to the war.
Special Envoy Amos Hochstein’s trip to Lebanon Tuesday came as fighting showed little sign of easing, with dozens of rockets fired into northern Israel, an Israeli reservist killed in a Hezbollah drone attack in southern Lebanon and a key Hezbollah commander killed in an airstrike.
Hochstein said he had held “very constructive talks” with Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih "Knobby" Berri, an ally of Hezbollah who is mediating on the group’s behalf.
“Specifically today, we have continued to significantly narrow the gaps,” the envoy told reporters after the two-hour meeting.
“I came back [to Lebanon] because we have a real opportunity to bring this conflict to an end,” Hochstein said at a press conference after the meeting, adding that gaps between the sides had been “significantly narrowed” in the talks Tuesday.
Hochstein also met with Lebanese Armed Forces Commander General Joseph Aoun.
Berri said the “situation is good in principle,” though some unresolved technical details remain. The Lebanese side was now waiting to hear the results of Hochstein’s talks with Israeli officials, he told the Asharq al-Awsat newspaper.
The speaker said that Hochstein told him that the US had already coordinated with the Israelis about the proposal.
An Israeli official told The Times of Israel that Hochstein would likely travel to Israel on Wednesday, though the visit is not certain.
The proposal on the table entails both the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group and Israeli ground forces withdrawing from southern Lebanon, where a UN buffer zone would be bolstered by thousands of additional UN peacekeepers and Lebanese troops.
Israel has called for a stronger enforcement mechanism to keep Hezbollah from rebuilding its force near the Israeli border, where it could threaten northern Israel towns with anti-tank missile fire or an armed infiltration. Israel reportedly wants to reserve the ability to redeploy against any Hezbollah threats, something Lebanon is likely to oppose.
On Monday, a top Lebanese official told Reuters that Lebanon and Hezbollah had agreed to a US ceasefire proposal — though each had some reservations — describing the effort as the most serious yet to end the fighting.
“Lebanon presented its comments on the paper in a positive atmosphere,” said Ali Hassan Khalil, an aide to Berri, declining to give further details. “All the comments that we presented affirm the precise adherence to (UN) Resolution 1701 with all its provisions.”
Israel is highly unlikely to sign off without the additional clause allowing the IDF to return as it deems necessary.
UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended a previous war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006, requires Hezbollah to have no armed presence in the area between the Lebanese-Israeli border and the Litani River, which runs some 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the frontier — clauses the terror group violated from the get-go.
The resolution also forbids Israel from entering Lebanese airspace, which Beirut says Israel repeatedly broke over the years. Israel reportedly demanded last month that the Air Force have freedom of operations in Lebanese airspace as part of its ability to disarm Hezbollah, while Lebanon may be seeking to beef up enforcement of the airspace restrictions.
No IAF freedom of operations, no agreement.
According to Saudi-based al-Arabiya, Lebanon dropped some demands regarding “state sovereignty” that had constituted sticking points in favor of pressing its demands on the airspace issue.
Israel’s Channel 12 reported that Jerusalem was insisting on the deal including a cause allowing its troops to act in case of a Hezbollah threat, while Lebanon did not believe the deal needed to include such language.
Lebanon is wrong.
The sides have also failed to come together on the makeup of the bolstered buffer zone force, with Israel insisting on Western countries contributing troops and Lebanon seeking contributions from Arab countries, Channel 12 reported.
Are there any Arab countries currently ready and willing to put their own troops in front of the IDF firing squad? Not even Iran is ready for that, and they’ve been overtly and covertly at war with Israel for years.
A possible solution, according to the channel, would be a force made up of troops from the US, France, the UN and an Arab country to be named later, overseen by a general from the US’s Central Command.
But not Argentina. Argentina is outa there.
In the UAE, French defense minister Sebastien Lecornu urged wealthy Gulf states to find ways to bolster Lebanon’s armed forces, including “operational support,” saying they will be crucial for securing border areas after Israel’s war with Hezbollah.
“To secure the border between Israel and Lebanon, and to reinforce Lebanon’s sovereignty, the armed forces must be properly armed,” he told AFP.
Why? Against whom are they to fight?
Israeli troops have been fighting near the frontier in southern Lebanon since October 1, where they have carried out raids aimed at destroying Hezbollah infrastructure, including bunkers, tunnels, rockets and small arms.
It launched the intensified campaign against Hezbollah in September to halt a year of rocket attacks on northern Israel that have displaced some 60,000 people living near the border, with the goal of allowing them to return home safely.
A reservist was killed in the fighting early Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces said, marking the 71st fatality among troops in Lebanon and near Israel’s northern border. Israel says 44 civilians have also been killed. Sgt. First Class (res.) Omer Moshe Gaeldor, 30, of the Golani Brigade’s logistics unit, was killed some two kilometers from the Israeli border in southern Lebanon, where his unit was providing security for soldiers fighting deeper inside the country.
According to an initial Israel Defense Forces probe, Gaeldor and three other soldiers were hit by an explosive-laden drone launched by Hezbollah.
Near the eastern end of the frontier, troops from the 98th division were expanding into new areas of southern Lebanon to locate and destroy Hezbollah infrastructure threatening the Kiryat Shmona area, the military said Tuesday. Before the operation, the IDF launched numerous airstrikes on the area, which had been used by Hezbollah for rocket attacks on the Galilee Panhandle and Kiryat Shmona, Israel’s largest city on the border.
The army also confirmed that it had killed Ali Tawfiq Dweiq, the commander of Hezbollah’s medium-range rocket unit, in an airstrike a day earlier on the village of Jouz, adjacent to the southern Lebanon city of Nabatieh.
The medium-range rocket unit is responsible for attacks on Haifa and other areas deep in northern Israel, as well as central Israel. The IDF said Dweiq was responsible for over 300 rockets launched at Israel since he took over the role.
A busy, hard-working man.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem was expected to give a speech Tuesday, but the group postponed the address moments after it was announced. No reason was given.
”Mahmoud heard a buzz, and screamed ‘Drone!!’ so everyone fled. But it turned out to be a bumblebee.”
The IDF said that since Sunday, over 150 strikes were carried out against Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, including 25 weapon depots and some 30 rocket launchers. At least 11 strikes were carried out in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Lebanon said three of its soldiers were killed in an Israeli strike on an army post in southern Lebanon. The health ministry earlier said at least two people were killed in the strike near Beirut, and 28 others were killed Monday.
UNIFIL, the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, said four Ghanaian Blue Helmets were injured when a rocket fired by a “non-state actor” hit their base.
That’d be Hezbollah or one of its allies. The IDF is a state actor.
The IDF said Hezbollah had twice fired rockets on Tuesday that damaged UNIFIL posts.
It tallied at least 70 rockets and drones fired into central and northern Israel Tuesday, where they lightly injured five people and caused damage to some areas. Hezbollah in the past week has launched some 400 rockets at Israel. Since Thursday, the IDF said, 22 out of 27 drones launched by Hezbollah from Lebanon were intercepted.
On Monday, one woman — Safaa Awad, 41– was killed, and dozens of others were wounded in several Hezbollah rocket barrages. Among the wounded victims were a woman aged 41 and a 4-year-old boy in serious condition, Rambam Hospital in Haifa said.
All Arab-Israelis, not Jewish ones. Way to make friends and influence people, Hezbollah.
According to Lebanon, 3,544 people have been killed by Israel since Hezbollah began firing over the border in October 2023. The figures do not differentiate between civilians and fighters.
The IDF estimates that some 3,000 Hezbollah operatives have been killed in the conflict, most of them in Lebanon. Around 100 members of other terror groups, along with hundreds of civilians, have also been reported killed in Lebanon.
The UN said Tuesday that over 200 children had been killed in Lebanon in less than two months since Israel escalated its attacks targeting Hezbollah in September.
“Despite more than 200 children killed in Lebanon in less than two months, a disconcerting pattern has emerged: their deaths are met with inertia from those able to stop this violence,” James Elder, spokesman for the UN children’s agency UNICEF, told reporters in Geneva.
“Over the last two months in Lebanon, an average of three children have been killed every single day,” he said.
Elder declined to comment on who was responsible for the killings, saying that it was clear to anyone who follows the media.
“It’s become a silent normalization of horror,” Elder said. “In Lebanon, much the same as has become the case in Gaza, the intolerable is quietly transforming into the acceptable.”
About that ceasefire to be enforced by the Lebanese army:
[IsraelTimes] Nation’s military, scraping by on limited resources, could find itself overwhelmed by task of keeping powerful terror group in check and maintaining peace along volatile border
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..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,...
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire...
