[KhaamaPress] Federal authorities have arrested two leaders of a criminal group suspected of trafficking 20,000 migrants colonists to Los Angeles, United States. The arrests were made in connection with the group’s operation, which involved smuggling migrants colonists from Guatemala into the U.S. According to reports, these leaders were charging up to $18,000 per person to facilitate their entry into the U.S.
According to reports, these leaders were charging up to $18,000 per person to facilitate their entry into the U.S.
The two individuals, identified as Eduardo Domingo Renoj-Matul known as "Turko"and Cristobal Mejia-Chaj, were arrested last Friday. U.S. authorities have labeled Turco as the head of one of the largest human trafficking organizations operating in the United States. The arrested individuals were in the U.S. illegally and were collecting substantial fees from migrants colonists to help them cross through Mexico and reach Los Angeles.
According to reports, those who could not afford the fees were held as hostages in a hideout near Los Angeles. The authorities suggest that the suspects could face life sentences if convicted. This case highlights the ongoing illegal migrant trafficking operations that are exploiting vulnerable individuals seeking a better life.
In addition to this, the Trump administration has significantly escalated efforts to deport undocumented migrants colonists from the United States. The administration’s strict policies, including ramped-up deportations, have placed immense pressure on migrant communities, especially those from Central America.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that four different Guatemalan illegal aliens had been captured in connection to the massive smuggling ring and could now face the death penalty for their role in a trafficking operation that resulted in the death of migrants, Acting United States Attorney Joseph T. McNally told The Daily Wire.
“Eduardo Domingo Renoj-Matul, 51, a.k.a. ‘Turko,’ of the Westlake neighborhood near downtown Los Angeles, was arrested Friday morning along with his alleged right-hand man, Cristobal Mejia-Chaj, 49, also of the Westlake neighborhood,” McNally’s office said. Renoj-Matul is believed to have smuggled “approximately 20,000 illegal immigrants from 2019 through July 2024.”
“Also charged in the indictment are Helmer Obispo-Hernandez, 41, a.k.a. ‘Xavi,’ a lieutenant in the criminal organization who is a fugitive, and Jose Paxtor-Oxlaj, 44, a driver for the smuggling organization who is incarcerated in Oklahoma in connection with the fatal November 2023 car accident,” it says.
In addition to allegedly smuggling illegal aliens into the United States, Helmer Obispo-Hernandez allegedly threatened to “cut off the heads of a Homeland Security Investigations Task Force Officer and members of his family” after his residence was searched by federal authorities.
“All four defendants are charged with one count of conspiracy to bring aliens to the United States, transporting aliens in the United States, and harboring aliens in the United States for private financial gain and resulting in death,” the DOJ release explains.
The smuggling operations also resulted in the deaths of seven individuals, including one four-year-old boy.
“Paxtor-Oxlaj caused a car accident in Elk City, Oklahoma, while he was smuggling illegal immigrants from New York to Los Angeles,” the DOJ explained. “That car accident resulted in the deaths of seven people who were passengers in the vehicle he drove. Of the seven people killed, three were minors, including a 4-year-old child.”
Two more illegal aliens believed to be tied to Renoj-Matul’s smuggling ring were also captured in Los Angeles last week.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
03/04/2025 00:00 ||
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[11163 views]
Top|| File under: Human Trafficking
Give this some thought.
How long during the Biden Regime, did it take these 2, to smuggle in 20,000? Answer: About 1820+/- days.
How long did it take TRUMP to flush ICE, FBI, and the DOJ. Rebuild them and have the Human Traffickers arrested?
Answer: Less than 43 days.
So it appears, the Democrat's & Rino's, clearly supported Human Trafficking. Plus, they were clearly willing to accept all the deaths, rapes, drug hauling, and abuses traffickers were known for.
Just so they, the Democrats, could further their morbid political agenda.
[ToloNews] Local residents report that forces of the Islamic Emirate and Pak military personnel engaged in a clash at Torkham around 12:30 AM on Sunday.
According to local sources, the shooting was initiated by Pak forces against the Islamic Emirate troops and their checkpoints. As a result, some shops and houses of civilians were also affected.
The clash occurred while hundreds of travelers and patients, along with thousands of freight trucks, remained stranded on both sides of the Torkham crossing.
Abdul Mateen Qani, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior, commented on the incident: "The Pak side initiated the conflict around midnight, which lasted for eleven days. Our defensive forces were compelled to respond, resulting in the destruction of some opposing checkpoints and casualties on their side. On our side, one Mujahid was martyred, and two others were maimed. The issue has now been resolved."
"When the clash happened last night, families were in a dire situation. It was raining, and they had to leave their homes," said Hemat Shinwari, a local resident.
"Some people were asleep, while others had just returned from Taraweeh prayers when the gunfire started at midnight. The fighting was intense, forcing families to abandon their homes and leave the area overnight," said Lal Nazar, another resident.
Meanwhile,
...back at the revival hall, the SWAT team had finally arrived... truck drivers urge Pak authorities to resolve issues with Afghanistan through dialogue instead of conflict and to reopen the Torkham crossing as soon as possible.
"Thousands of trucks are stuck by the roadsides. It has been ten days since we have been here. We request that the route be reopened because we are extremely worried," said Rahmat Gul, a truck driver at Torkham.
This is not the first time Pak forces have opened fire on the Islamic Emirate's troops. Previously, Pak military personnel have repeatedly attacked Afghanistan's security forces without any justification.
The Torkham crossing was closed to all movement ten days ago when Islamic Emirate forces were constructing facilities on their side of the hypothetical Durand Line, prompting Pakistain to block access.
At least one person has been killed in clashes between Pakistani and Taliban security forces at the Torkham border crossing. Afghanistan’s Ministry of Interior confirmed that one member of its security forces died and two others were injured in the overnight fighting. The Torkham crossing, a key transit point, was closed last month by Pakistan after a dispute over Afghanistan’s construction of a new border post.
Two Pakistani security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to Aljazeera that members of their security forces had also been wounded in the clashes. The violence erupted on the first working day of Ramadan, a time when food imports from Pakistan typically peak in Afghanistan.
The fighting has led to about 5,000 trucks, carrying essential goods, being stranded on both sides of the border. These trucks have been stuck in harsh winter conditions, creating a significant logistical and humanitarian crisis. The conflict is expected to worsen the already dire economic situation in Afghanistan, where millions face hunger and nearly half the population needs humanitarian aid to survive, according to the United Nations.
The Torkham border crossing has a history of being closed due to deadly incidents involving crossfire between Pakistani and Taliban forces. Pakistan has long accused Afghanistan of harboring militants who attack from Afghanistan soil, a claim denied by the Taliban government. In December, Pakistan conducted military strikes on Afghanistan territory, killing dozens.
Abdul Mateen Qani, a spokesperson for the Taliban Interior Ministry, blamed Pakistan for initiating the violence, stating that Taliban security forces acted defensively after failed dialogue attempts. A Pakistani official, however, claimed that the Taliban opened fire unprovoked, targeting Pakistan’s border post with automatic weapons, prompting a return of fire.
The closure of the Torkham crossing has resulted in significant economic losses. According to local officials, the closure has caused at least $15 million in damages to Pakistan, while Afghan traders are losing $500,000 a day due to the disruption of trade.
[ShabelleMedia] The Somali military announced Monday that it had killed more than 40 al-Shabaab ... the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord... hard boyz during a coordinated operation in the central Hirshabelle state, marking a significant blow to the al-Qaeda-linked bully boy group.
Somalia’s national television first reported the operation on Sunday, stating that over 40 fighters were "eliminated" in what authorities described as a successful mission. A statement from the Somali army later confirmed that the offensive took place in the Biya Cadde area, with support from international partners.
"The national armed forces, alongside international allies and vigilant local communities, continue their efforts to eliminate terrorist threats," the army said in a post on the social media platform X.
Al-Shabaab, once controlled large swathes of territory in the country. The group was forced to abandon Mogadishu in 2011 after a sustained military push, shifting to a guerilla campaign against the Somali government and its allies. In February 2012, al-Shabaab formally pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda.
Somalia has grappled with persistent insecurity for years, with al-Shabaab and the ISIS/ISIS groups posing the most significant threats to stability in the Horn of Africa nation. The latest operation underscores ongoing efforts by Somali forces and their international backers to dismantle the bully boys’ networks.
Details of casualties on the military side, if any, were not disclosed in the statement. The army said operations against al-Shabaab would persist as part of its broader campaign to restore peace and security.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Law enforcement officers have thwarted attempted terrorist attacks at a religious Jewish institution in the Moscow region and at one of the Moscow metro stations, which were being prepared by a supporter of radical Islam, who was neutralized during his arrest. This was reported on March 3 by the Public Relations Center (PRC) of the Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia.
It is noted that the Russian citizen, who is a native of one of the Central Asian countries, planned to detonate homemade explosive devices "in a cult Jewish institution" in the Moscow region and at one of the stations of the capital's metro. To do this, the man conducted reconnaissance and bought the necessary components, and after committing the terrorist attacks, he intended to go to Afghanistan to join the ranks of an international terrorist organization.
“When detained, the criminal offered armed resistance to Russian FSB officers and was eventually neutralized by return fire,” the statement said.
Weapons and materials for making explosive devices were found and seized in the terrorist's apartment. The Investigative Department of the UFSB of Russia for Moscow and the Moscow Region opened a criminal case on this fact under Part 1 of Article 30, Subparagraph "a" of Part 2 of Article 205 ("Preparation for a terrorist act") and Part 2 of Article 205.5 ("Participation in the activities of a terrorist organization") of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on February 28, the FSB prevented a terrorist attack by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (GUR) against Metropolitan Tikhon ( Shevkunov ) of Simferopol and Crimea. The terrorist attack was to be carried out by the Metropolitan's assistant, Ukrainian citizen Denis Popovich, recruited by the Ukrainian special services.
On February 27, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that the number of terrorist crimes in Russia has increased, and most of them are planned by Ukrainian special services. In this regard, the head of state instructed the FSB, under the coordination of the National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAC), to use available forces and means as effectively as possible and pay special attention to preventive measures, increasing the anti-terrorist protection of military and industrial facilities, life support systems, public facilities, as well as energy and transport infrastructure.
Adds regnum.ru
FSB officers filmed the body of the liquidated Islamist in a private home, his pistol, bullet marks in the wall, as well as components for making explosives and Islamist symbols found during the search. In addition, the FSB showed information from the Islamist's phone - correspondence about preparing a terrorist attack, instructions for assembling a bomb, and a video of shouts of Islamist slogans.
[X]
Breaking: Russian FSB thwarts Islamist terror attack on a Jewish religious institution & Moscow metro. The terror suspect, was planning IED explosions, he was eliminated by the security forces. #Moscow#Terrorismpic.twitter.com/4C4vqk92VW
Follow up to this story from yesterday, when it was revealed that the miscreant’s name is Alexander S.
[GEO.TV] A car drove into a crowd in the western German city of Mannheim on Monday, killing at least two people and injuring 11 others, overshadowing carnival celebrations in the region where police had been on alert for attacks.
Police detained the driver, who appeared to have ploughed intentionally into the crowd given the speed at which he was driving, prosecutors said in an act Interior Minister Nancy Faeser labelled "horror in broad daylight".
He did not appear to have been politically or religiously motivated, but there were reasons to believe he was psychologically unwell, said Mannheim Chief Public Prosecutor Romeo Schluessler.
He did not appear to have been politically or religiously motivated, but there were reasons to believe he was psychologically unwell, said Mannheim Chief Public Prosecutor Romeo Schluessler.
Prosecutors have initiated investigative proceedings against the suspect, a 40-year-old German man from the neighbouring state of Rhineland-Palatinate, on two counts of murder and multiple counts of attempted murder.
The suspect has not been questioned yet as he had to undergo medical treatment after shooting himself in the mouth with a blank-firing gun after the attack.
He appeared to be a landscape gardener who lived alone, prosecutors said, adding that they were now investigating his home for clues.
Security has been a key concern in Germany following a string of violent mostly peaceful attacks in recent weeks, including deadly car rammings in Magdeburg in December and in Munich last month, as well as a stabbing in Mannheim in May 2024.
"The incident — like the terrible acts of the past months — serves as a stark reminder: we must do everything possible to prevent such acts," said Germany's likely next leader, Friedrich Merz, whose conservatives won a national election last month.
"Germany must once again become a safe country. We will work with full determination to achieve this."
Messages of solidarity were sent from across Europe.
"To all the people of Mannheim, especially to all the relatives of the victims of the attack, to the German people. La Belle France is at your side," French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on the social media platform X.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/04/2025 02:46 ||
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[11144 views]
Top|| File under: Moslem Colonists
[GEO.TV] With the authorities continuing to probe various aspects of the infamous Mustafa Amir's alleged murder, the arrest of prime suspect Armaghan Qureshi along with Sahir Hasan, son of renowned actor Sajid Hasan, has disrupted the operation of the narco mob in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... 's upmarket neighbourhoods, The News reported on Tuesday.
The case relates to Mustafa's, a BBA student, alleged kidnapping and murder after going missing on January 6. The whole saga unfolded after Armaghan shot up a team of the Anti-Violent Crime Cell (AVCC) — a specialised unit of the Karachi police responsible for tackling cases related to murder and extortion — during a raid at his residence in Karachi's DHA on February 8.
With possible facets of money laundering, fraud and illegal call centre, the investigation so far also unravelled the presence of alleged drug trafficking in the said case.
The resulting crackdown has caused a halt in the supply of marijuana — commonly known as weed — causing massive financial losses to drug pushers.
Amir's murder and the subsequent arrests have exposed multiple aspects of a narco mob that had been operating in the city for years.
Use of dark web, social media platforms
Karachi's high-end weed market is dominated by three different types: Jungle Boy, which is the most expensive, as it is sold at Rs15,000 per gram; Gelato, which is priced at Rs12,000 per gram; and Pamela, which is the least expensive but still costs Rs10,000 per gram.
These drugs are being bought and sold reportedly on the dark web and across various social media platforms and apps. Some courier companies have also reportedly been linked to their transportation.
In Karachi, this trade was controlled by three individuals, but now two of them are dead and the third is in police custody. The big question is; does the death and arrest of these three mean the cartel has permanently been shut down?
Experts believe that completely dismantling such networks is nearly impossible.
While this particular setup has been disrupted for now, it is only a matter of time before new dealers and suppliers emerge.
This billion-rupee industry is too profitable for the mafia and new players to abandon. In the end, the trade will continue, even if the faces change.
"You won't find weed being sold anywhere now,'' Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Muqaddas Haider told the publication, adding: "The suppliers have disappeared, and the supply has almost completely stopped".
Posted by: Fred ||
03/04/2025 03:07 ||
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[11142 views]
Top|| File under: Narcos
[IsraelTimes] The Defense Ministry says it is carrying out activities to clear explosives from an area of the Golan Heights near the Syrian border today.
Crews are being deployed to areas around the community of Ein Zivan to clear mines and other unexploded ordnance in the ground there.
“As part of the planned operations, blasts from explosions will be heard and clouds of smoke will be seen in the area,” the Defense Ministry says.
Many areas of the Golan Heights are pocked with mines left over from previous wars with Syria in past decades, and mine-clearing operations there are not rare. The strategic plateau was captured from Syria in 1967 and later effectively annexed into Israel.
It was repeatedly targeted by mortar, rocket, missile and drone fire from Hezbollah and Iran-backed groups following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack, and also suffered spillover violence from the Syrian civil war in past years.
Most explosive disposal efforts in the past several years have focused on areas near Ein Zivan. Mine clearing last took place there in early February.
Tuesday’s announcement is not thought to be linked to Israel’s recent signaling that it could expand its operations in southern Syria to protect the Druze community there, with Syrian reports overnight claiming IDF troops were 13 kilometers (8 miles) inside the enemy country.
Analysts have speculated that Jerusalem is interested in the establishment of a Druze-controlled autonomous zone south of Damascus to serve as a buffer between Israel and the Islamist forces now running Syria, a move that would somewhat insulate border communities like Ein Zivan.
[IsraelTimes] Four others hospitalized with moderate to severe injuries; assailant identified as Israeli citizen from Druze community in Shfar’am, reportedly held German citizenship
A suspected terrorist stabbed several people at a major Haifa transit hub Monday, killing a man and injuring at least four others, authorities said.
The knife attack at the northern city’s Lev Hamifratz bus station appeared to be the latest in a string of terror attacks targeting public transportation in Israel, after a ramming attack at a bus stop on Thursday and a series of botched bus bombings near Tel Aviv a week earlier.
The assailant, identified by police as an Israeli citizen from the Druze community, was shot and killed by a bus station security guard and an armed passerby. Family members denied he any terror motive and said he had suffered from mental illness.
Hebrew outlets named the attacker as Jethro Shahin, a man in his 20s. Unconfirmed reports claimed he held German citizenship.
The victim was identified in reports as Hassan Karim Dahamsheh, a 70-year-old resident of Kafr Kanna, an Arab town in the Galilee.
According to police, the assailant stabbed Dahamsheh in the back several times, killing him. Four others were maimed, including a 15-year-old boy rushed to Haifa’s Rambam Medical Center with life-threatening injuries.
The hospital said the teen was stable after undergoing emergency surgery.
Three others, including a woman in her 70s and a man and woman in their 30s, were hospitalized with moderate wounds, health officials said.
Graphic video of the attack captured by a surveillance camera showed the victim attempting to reach a security booth as the stabbing apparently began.
The assailant then rushes the man, tackling him to the ground and repeatedly knifing him until a guard and another man shoot the attacker.
An eyewitness told the Walla outlet that the stabber got off a bus from Shfar’am that pulled into the station, shouted "Allahu Akbar" and began stabbing those around him.
Police said the assailant was a Druze citizen of Israel from Shfar’am, who returned to Israel a week ago after spending several months abroad.
Israel Police chief Daniel Levy said forces were working to verify that the attacker had acted alone.
Reports said that police raided the home of the suspected assailant and were questioning his family. It was unclear if he had a criminal record.
Shfar’am Mayor Nahad Hazem told the Kan public broadcaster that two of those injured were from his city, one of them a relative of his own office director.
"It is a heinous crime, and I completely condemn it," Hazem said.
MK Hamed Amar, a Druze politician from the right-wing Yisrael Beytenu party said the attack did not represent the Druze community in Israel, which is largely integrated into society.
He described the suspected assailant as a "terrorist with German citizenship who was born and lived in Germany."
"Such an act of terrorism is contrary to every moral and human value and certainly does not reflect the loyal spirit of the Druze community in Israel, which is a full partner in defending the state and its values," said Amar, who hails from Shfaram.
However,
death is not the end. There remains the litigation over the estate... relatives denied Shahin was a terrorist, saying that he had struggled with mental illness.
"I am a disabled IDF veteran and his other uncle is a reserve soldier. We have nothing in our family hostile to the state," the attacker’s uncle Roni Kharis told the Ynet news site.
The forum of the heads of the Druze and Circassian authorities put out a statement saying it "stands united and determined against any attempt to harm the security of Israeli citizens."
"We are certain that the identity of the attacker and his mental condition will soon become clear, and that the attacker is likely of German origin," the statement read.
Acting National Security Minister Haim Katz held a situation assessment after the attack, which occurred at a central transit hub for buses and trains linking northern Israel to Tel Aviv.
#2
Sudden Jihad Syndrome attacks are all the rage, so it oughtn’t be a surprise that the mad are equally fashionable, as it were. Historically madness follows zeitgeist fashions; whether the delusional think themselves Napoleon, ordered by heavenly angels, or called by Allah depends on how other madmen explain their perceived environment and actions.
[IsraelTimes] Members of the October Council — which represents October 7 survivors, former hostages and victims’ families — attempt to force their way past Knesset guards after being blocked from entering the plenum guest gallery.
The incident devolves into a shoving match, with guards pushing and grabbing at protesters at the base of a stairwell leading to the observer’s gallery.
In a statement, the group calls on Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana to intervene “immediately.”
In a statement, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid says he approached Ohana at the plenum rostrum and demanded the families be allowed in. He says Ohana replied: “I’m checking.”
The families wanted to scream at the government for failing to magically get all the hostages back by completely surrendering to Hamas in all particulars.
[IsraelTimes] Israel reportedly mulling measures to coerce Hamas to accept extension of first phase of hostage-ceasefire deal, as international community condemns decision to block aid to Strip
Two Paleostinians were reportedly rubbed out by Israeli troops in the Rafah area in the southern Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... Strip Monday morning, as Jerusalem was said to be planning additional measures to pressure Hamas ..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,... into concessions in negotiations to resume a recently expired hostage-ceasefire deal.
The Israel Defense Forces said troops opened fire on two suspects who approached them in the southern Gaza Strip and "posed an imminent threat." Paleostinian media later reported two dead in the incident.
Israeli forces are still deployed to a buffer zone along the Gaza border and the Egypt-Gaza border amid the ceasefire — the first phase of which lapsed Saturday — and the IDF has repeatedly warned Paleostinians against approaching the area.
Residents said Israeli tanks stationed near the eastern and southern borders of Gaza intensified gunfire and tank shelling throughout the night, raising fears among the population that fighting could resume.
A Paleostinian official with a group allied to Hamas told Rooters a state of alert had been declared among fighters.
The IDF also said Monday that it struck a suspicious vessel that crossed a maritime boundary set by the military off the coast of northern Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip earlier in the day.
Before the strike, warning shots were fired at the vessel, which the military said was identified as a threat. It was unclear whether the vessel sank or remained afloat.
The IDF has repeatedly warned fishermen, swimmers, and divers not to enter the sea along the entire Strip during the ceasefire.
ISRAEL SAID READYING MEASURES TO PRESSURE HAMAS Meanwhile,
...back at the alley, Bugs Moroni was holding Slats from behind while his brother Greasy Thumb was pounding his face into paste ... with negotiations on the continuation of the ceasefire deal deadlocked, the Kan public broadcaster reported that Israel is planning to keep piling pressure on Hamas to accept a new proposal extending the deal’s first phase and securing the release of all the hostages the terror group is holding, in addition to Sunday’s halt to aid entering the Gaza Strip.
Israel’s proposal would jettison the second phase framework that Israel and Hamas had agreed to for a new outline on releasing the remaining 59 hostages in two batches toward the beginning and end of the Ramadan and Passover holidays that run through March and until April 19. Hamas has accused Israel of violating the original deal and has insisted on continuing on to the second stage.
Kan reported that the next stages of Israel’s "maximum pressure" plan, said to have been drafted over the past few weeks, is to again move the Gazook population from northern Gaza to the territory’s south — as had been the case for most of the war — and later, if needed, cutting all electricity to the Strip.
The final planned measure is reportedly a full return to war, this time with billions’ worth of arms and military equipment the new US administration is sending Israel, including the heavy bombs withheld by the previous administration.
Israel has not directly threatened a return to war following the ceasefire’s lapse, instead reminding the public — and Hamas — that the initial agreement allows Israel to return to fighting after March 1 if negotiations are deemed ineffective.
Israel and Hamas were supposed to begin negotiations regarding the terms of phase two a month ago, but Israel refrained from doing so since that phase requires — in exchange for the release of the remaining living hostages — a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a permanent ceasefire, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ruled out.
[IsraelTimes] Syrian media report that Israeli forces are operating near the Tel al-Mal peak in the Daraa Governorate, where a military post belonging to the former Syrian regime once stood.
The hill is located some 13 kilometers (over 8 miles) from Israel’s border, well outside a buffer zone between the countries, which Israel captured following the fall of the Assad regime.
According to a report by the local Daraa 24 outlet, sounds of bulldozers can be heard in the area, as well as overhead flights of helicopters and drones.
Israeli military vehicles were also reportedly seen in the nearby town of Masharah, and on a road connecting the town to the village of al-Tyha.
[IsraelTimes] IDF confirms strike, says it targeted ‘infrastructure’ at former Assad regime military facility in Qardaha, near port city of Tartous
Israel carried out an Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... in Syria on Monday evening, targeting a military facility near the city of Tartous, in the country’s northwestern coastal region.
Alternate spelling Tartus.
The strike was first reported by Syrian media, with the state-run SANA news agency saying there were "airstrikes carried out by Israeli occupation aircraft on the surroundings of Tartous city," and that there were no reports of casualties at the time.
"Civil defense and specialized teams are working to confirm the location of the targets," SANA added.
The IDF later confirmed carrying out an airstrike in northwestern Syria, saying that the attack targeted a military facility belonging to the former Syrian regime in the town of Qardaha, east of Latakia, where weapons were being stored.
"Due to the latest developments in the area, it was decided to strike infrastructure at the site," the army said, adding that it continues to monitor Syria for potential threats to Israel.
Qardaha, the hometown of deposed president Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Light of the Alawites... , is located in Latakia province, some 60 kilometers (40 miles) north of the city of Tartus.
Last Tuesday, the IDF said it carried out airstrikes targeting military sites containing weapons in southern Syria. At least two people were killed by a strike on one of the sites, the headquarters of a military unit southwest of Damascus.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last month that southern Syria must be completely demilitarized, warning that his government would not accept the presence of the forces of the new Syrian Islamist-led government near its territory.
Even before Assad’s fall, during Syria’s civil war, which broke out in 2011, Israel carried out hundreds of strikes in the neighboring country, mainly on government forces and Iranian-linked targets.
The same day Assad was ousted, Israel announced that its troops were entering a UN-patrolled buffer zone that separated Israeli and Syrian forces on the strategic Golan Heights.
The IDF described its presence in southern Syria’s buffer zone as a temporary and defensive measure, though Defense Minister Israel Katz has said that troops will remain deployed to nine army posts in the area "indefinitely."
Participants in Syria’s national dialogue conference last week affirmed their rejection of "provocative" statements by Netanyahu and urged the international community to pressure Israel to stop any "aggression and violations," condemning "the Israeli incursion into Syrian territory."
Israeli leaders have also publicly warned Syria’s government not to harm the Druze in southwestern Syria, and have regularly spoken with foreign leaders about the importance of protecting them, along with Syria’s Kurds.
Most recently, Israel over the weekend threatened action after unrest in a Damascus suburb, home to members of the Druze religious minority.
[X]
غارات إسرائيـ ـلية تستهدف عدة مواقع بالقرب من محافظة طرطوس مع تحليق مستمر لطائرات الإحتلال الإسرائيـ ـلي pic.twitter.com/C58tzLXA3z
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) on Monday launched an airstrike on a military site in northwestern Syria, stating that the target belonged to the ousted Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad.
“The IDF struck a military site where weapons belonging to the previous Syrian regime were stored in the area of Al Qardahah,” the IDF said in a statement posted on X.
Qardaha, in Syria’s Latakia province, is not only the hometown of the Assad family, which ruled Syria from 1970 to 2024, but is also considered the heartland of the Alawite religious sect.
The IDF further explained that following “recent developments in the region, it was decided to strike military infrastructure at the site.”
For its part, the state-run Syrian news agency (SANA) reported on Monday that an Israeli aircraft struck the city of Tartous, which is also located in Latakia, but around 65 kilometers south of Qardaha.
SANA said that “an Israeli occupation aircraft carried out strikes on the outskirts of Tartous,” adding that no casualties were recorded. Syrian civil defense teams and “specialized teams are working to confirm the locations that were targeted,” the state-run agency added.
Meanwhile, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) on Monday corroborated SANA’s report, stating that “a violent explosion rocked Tartous port after unidentified aircrafts, probably Israeli, flew over” the city.
SOHR added that locals in the region received text messages on their mobiles urging them to “stay away from the terrorists’ locations.”
At the time of writing this report, it remained unclear whether both Qardaha and Tartous were struck separately or if one of them was targeted in one operation.
Following a swift offensive, a coalition of opposition groups led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) on December 8 toppled the regime of former Syrian dictator Assad, who fled to Russia with his family.
Since Assad’s ouster, Israel has significantly ramped up its military operations in Syria, targeting military assets, weapons depots, and strategic installations.
Israeli forces have also advanced into areas in southern Syria along the border with the Israel-annexed Golan Heights, while Tel Aviv is rejecting calls for withdrawal and insisting that its operations are against what it perceives as threats in the region.
SOHR reported on Monday that, since the beginning of 2025, Israel has launched 17 airstrikes and two ground attacks on Syria, “damaging and destroying 21 targets” including “arms and ammunition depots, [military] headquarters and centers.”
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.
... the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord...
..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,...
...
