[X] Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was shot near the neck during a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Wednesday afternoon. The incident erupted amid a student Q&A session, causing chaos as attendees fled; a suspect is in custody, and Kirk's condition is serious but not life-threatening. No other injuries were reported, with reactions from public figures highlighting concerns over political violence.
Charlie Kirk murdered at Utah Valley University during his American Comeback Tour [NYPOST] Charlie Kirk was shot and killed by an assassin while on stage during a stop at Utah Valley University kicking off his American Comeback Tour Wednesday, just as he answered a question from an audience member about mass shootings committed by transgender people.
The shooter remains on the loose, sources told The Post, despite conflicting reports that an arrest was made. Video was circulating on social media showing an older man being hauled away by police.
Even before Kirk's death was confirmed, President Trump somberly spoke of him in the past tense, telling The Post, ''He's not doing well—yes, it looks very bad,'' adding that he was feeling ''not good'' about the shooting.
''He was a very, very good friend of mine and he was a tremendous person,'' the president said.
Kirk was rushed to a nearby hospital for emergency surgery, his condition touch-and-go, a nurse told a longtime friend and former Turning Point USA employee Laci Williams who relayed that information to The Post, later confirming reports he had passed away.
The conservative influencer jerked back and appeared to recoil in pain and grab at his neck as the crack of a single gunshot rang out from the crowd, a video from the scene shows, but the extent of his injuries are not clear. Does it matter, if the end result is that he's dead?
Kirk, 31, was conducting a Q&A session from a pop-up tent on campus when a gunman fired a shot from the university's Losee Center with a long gun around 200 feet away from where he was speaking, according to sources and a university spokesperson, sending thousands of spectators into a panic.
Charlie Kirk was America First. He publicly spoke against the Muslim Brotherhood, exposed the takeover of the Palestinian Movement on young western minds and followed the trail of Qatari money.
Another radical leftist/Democrat act of political violence. 99% of these shootings are leftists. They should not be around guns or any other dangerous objects.
[FoxNews] DHS released a video showing a suspected drug vessel being destroyed after its capture
The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) captured, burned and sank a suspected "drug boat" over the weekend, video released on Tuesday by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) showed.
As part of Operation Pacific Viper, the Coast Guard conducted three interdictions in one night in which nearly 13,000 pounds of cocaine were seized and seven suspected drug smugglers were apprehended.
"ASMR: @USCG captures, burns, and sinks a drug boat," DHS wrote on X.
"Over the weekend, as part of Operation Pacific Viper, the @USCG Cutter Stone conducted three interdictions in a single night—seizing nearly 13,000 pounds of cocaine and apprehending seven suspected drug smugglers," the agency added.
The video showed the "drug boat" being blown up. The vessel was seen catching fire as it was repeatedly shot at.
Last week, the Coast Guard announced it has seized more than 40,000 pounds of cocaine in the Eastern Pacific Ocean since Operation Pacific Viper was launched early last month, averaging more than 1,600 pounds interdicted per day.
"Through Operation Pacific Viper, the Coast Guard is accelerating counter-drug operations in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, where significant transport of illicit narcotics continues from South America," the Coast Guard said in a press release on Thursday. "In coordination with international and interagency partners, the Coast Guard is surging additional assets—cutters, aircraft and tactical teams—to interdict, seize and disrupt transshipments of cocaine and other bulk illicit drugs."
The sinking of the boat comes after a Marine strike on Sept. 2 hit a vessel in the southern Caribbean Sea while allegedly carrying members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua smuggling narcotics headed for the U.S.
Our forces have captured 2 fleeing #ISIS terrorists attempting to secretly enter Bosaso. Both are Ethiopian nationals; one spoke limited Somali and claimed they escaped from #ISIS. Each carried only dry food & a bottle of water. #Calmiskaad#Puntland#Somaliapic.twitter.com/4VQQmh1jxu
— Puntland Counter-Terrorism Operations (@PL_CTOperations) September 9, 2025
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Islamic State extremists have hacked at least 50 civilians to death at a funeral in eastern Congo.
The gruesome attack happened on Monday night in the town of Ntoyo, in Lubero territory, North Kivu province, local administrator Macaire Sivikunula said.
'I can confirm a provisional death toll of 50. The victims were caught off guard at a mourning ceremony in the village of Ntoyo at around 9 p.m., and most of them were killed with machetes,' he said. 'The search is continuing.'
Colonel Alain Kiwewa, the military administrator for Lubero, told Reuters the toll was around 60 and could rise as there were still people missing.
The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an armed group originally from Uganda, pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in 2019 and now operates as its Central Africa Province.
Since then, the ADF has escalated its attacks in the region, targeting civilians with machetes and guns. Last month they killed more than 50 civilians in several attacks.
The group finances its operations through illicit activities and maintains a strong jihadist propaganda presence.
Despite joint military efforts by Congo and Uganda, the ADF continues to operate with impunity in the region.
[IsraelTimes] The 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... s in 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... take responsibility for this evening’s ballistic missile attack on Israel, claiming to have targeted "several sensitive targets" in the Jerusalem area using a projectile with a cluster bomb warhead.
According to the military, the missile was successfully intercepted. There were no reports of injuries or damage.
The Iran-backed Houthis have fired several missiles with cluster bomb warheads at Israel in recent weeks.
The terror group also claims to have launched three drones at Israel today, targeting Ramon Airport and "two vital targets" in the Eilat area.
The IDF reported shooting down one drone over southern Israel. The other two likely failed to reach the country.
[IsraelTimes] Israel officials barred from participating in four-day event, but 51 Israeli defense companies will attend, including government-owned Rafael and Israel Aerospace Industries
Pro-Paleostinian protesters gathered Tuesday outside a major arms fair in London as it opened without the presence of Israeli government officials because of tension between Britannia and Israel over the 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... conflict.
Police watched as around 300 protesters waved Paleostinian flags and held up placards, including one reading "UK: Stop arming Israel. Stop the Gaza Genocide."
The British government excluded Israeli officials from the four-day event, but 51 Israeli defense companies are set to attend, including major arms manufacturer Elbit.
…which recently closed its entire operation in all of Britain. No more skilled employment and taxes for the British government, nor cozy dinners to discuss the cost of rearming the armless British military. Consequences, biyatches.
Rafael and Israel Aerospace Industries, both government-owned, will also have exhibitions, making Israel the fifth-largest national contingent at the fair at the Excel London exhibition center.
The Israeli companies "should be investigated for crimes against humanity, not invited to profit from the unspeakable devastation they have caused in Gaza," Campaign Against Arms Trade spokesperson Emily Apple said in a statement.
Britannia’s defense ministry announced at the end of August that no Israeli government delegation had been invited, citing Israel’s "decision to further escalate its military operation in Gaza."
Israel labeled the exclusion of its officials from the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) fair as "discrimination."
The decision "serves holy warriors, grants legitimacy to terror, and is driven by political considerations that fall outside the professional and customary framework of international defense exhibitions," the Foreign Ministry said at the time.
At the same time, President Isaac Herzog is due in London on Tuesday for a three-day visit at the invitation of the UK’s Jewish community.
A diplomatic official has told The Times of Israel that he is likely to meet with Prime Minister Keir Starmer while he is there, possibly in addition to Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.
’OFFENSIVE WEAPONS’
The arms fair "includes unrivalled access to international governments, ministries of defense... alongside all UK front line commands," according to the DSEI UK website.
A record number of exhibitors and visitors are expected at the event, as global conflicts, including the Russia-Ukraine war, have prompted European and other governments to ramp up military spending.
La Belle France, which is also represented at the show, had in June blocked access to the stands of several Israeli arms manufacturers at the Gay Paree Air show for displaying what it termed "offensive weapons."
Starmer has said Britannia will formally recognize a Paleostinian state later this month
Israel’s burgeoning campaign to capture Gaza City, in the enclave’s north, as well as rampant settler violence in the West Bank, has caused tension with the UK, and Starmer’s government has in recent months announced plans to recognize a Paleostinian state if Israel does not take steps to improve the situation, including agreeing to a ceasefire in its war against Hamas ..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",... in Gaza, which was sparked by the terror group’s brutal invasion and massacre inside Israel on October 7, 2023.
London has suspended trade talks with Israel over the conflict, as well as some export licenses for arms used in Gaza, but some UK-made parts, such as components for Israeli F-35 jets, are still exported.
[NEWS.SKY] The Metropolitan Police has said 890 people were arrested at a protest against the banning of Paleostine Action as a terror group on Saturday - including 17 on suspicion of assaulting officers.
A total of 857 individuals were arrested in Parliament Square in London under the Terrorism Act 2000 over alleged offences, the force said.
It added that a further 33 were arrested for other offences, with 17 of those detained on suspicion of assaulting officers. The Met Police did not say what the other 16 arrests were for.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Claire Smart, who led the policing operation, thanked Met Police officers for their "professionalism and tireless work despite the level of abuse that they faced".
Pic: PA
Ms Smart said: "The violence we encountered during the operation was coordinated and carried out by a group of people, many wearing masks to conceal their identity, intent on creating as much disorder as possible.
"Many of those individuals have now been arrested and we have begun securing charges."
Defend Our Juries, which organised the demonstrations, insisted the rally was "the picture of peaceful protest"
[IsraelTimes] Another stage of major competition in Spain forced to end early as pro-Palestinian demonstrators attempt to block road, clash with cops
After pro-Paleostinian protesters against Israel forced a premature end to yet another stage of the Vuelta a Espana on Tuesday, race director Javier Guillen said the intention is to finish the race in Madrid on Sunday as planned and called the disruptions illegal.
Stage 16 ended 8 kilometers before the finish after a large protest blocked the road 3 kilometers from the scheduled stage end, similar to stage 11 when riders had to finish 3 kilometers from the line due to protesters causing disruption at the finish in Bilbao.
"I’m here before you because, from La Vuelta, we want to clearly express our strongest rejection of what we experienced today," Guillen told news hounds.
"Fortunately, the stage was completed in terms of timing and the stage winner but, obviously, the stage did not end where we had planned.
"The main message I want to share with you today is that we are going to continue with La Vuelta, and tomorrow we will start the next stage."
The focus of the protests has been the presence of the Israel-Premier Tech team at the Vuelta, with the demonstrators opposed to Israel over its 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... against Hamas ..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,... The first disruption came during stage five’s team time trial when the Israel-Premier Tech team were stopped on the road by protesters holding Paleostinian flags.
Since then, riders have crashed because of protesters’ actions and, while Israel-Premier Tech removed their name from the riders’ jerseys on Saturday, Tuesday’s events show that this has had no effect on the protesters.
Videos on social media showed them attempting to block the road, with Spanish police trying to push them back and dragging some away.
"Complicit... get out of here," protestors chanted at police.
"You cannot cut stages short, you cannot block the cyclists’ path," Guillen said.
"It’s illegal because it’s defined as such both in the Penal Code and in the Sports Law. We are a sport and sport is meant to unite, anything that doesn’t serve that purpose isn’t linked to sport.
"We want to defend our sport, we want to defend our race, and that’s why we want to keep working."
NO SUSPENSION
There have been calls to suspend the Israel-Premier Tech team from the race, but Guillen reiterated the Vuelta’s stance that this is a decision which is out of the organizers’ hands.
"Yesterday, there was a match between Italia and Israel. A football match was played, and a European Cup in which Israel participated has taken place," Guillen said following Monday’s soccer World Cup qualifier played in Hungary.
"The participation of these teams is not prohibited because no international federation has done so, none. And there hasn’t been any international body that has imposed sanctions requiring us, the world of sport, to act accordingly.
"From now on, what we want is for the race to continue because all the teams participating in La Vuelta have legitimacy."
Guillen said the Vuelta is deploying every possible resource when it comes to security, but it is impossible to cover every area in a race of this size. The director was asked if a Plan B was in place for Sunday’s final stage.
"No Plan B for reaching Madrid, no replacing the Madrid stage, absolutely not," Guillen replied.
[BBC] The firm guarding sites where aid is distributed in Gaza has been using members of a US biker gang
…most motorcycle clubs have dentists and insurance salesmen as their members, Only 1%, as I recall, are truly criminal gangs. In this case, given that the members are military veterans, the odds are high this is merely a law-abiding club with a fondness for risk taking…
with a history of hostility to Islam to run its armed security, a BBC investigation has found.
BBC News has confirmed the identities of 10 members of the Infidels Motorcycle Club working in Gaza for UG Solutions - a private contractor providing security at Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites, where hundreds of civilians seeking food have been killed in scenes of chaos and gunfire.
We can reveal that seven members of the gang are in senior positions overseeing sites at the controversial aid operation backed by Israel and US President Donald Trump.
UG Solutions (UGS) defended its employees' qualifications for the job, saying it does not screen people out for "personal hobbies or affiliations unrelated to job performance".
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said it has "a zero-tolerance policy for any hateful, discriminatory biases or conduct".
Infidels MC was set up by US military veterans of the Iraq war in 2006 and members see themselves as modern Crusaders, using the Crusader cross as their symbol - a reference to the medieval Christians who fought Muslims for control of Jerusalem.
The gang is currently hosting anti-Muslim hate speech on its Facebook page and has previously held a pig roast "in defiance of" the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
"Putting the Infidels biker club in charge of delivering humanitarian aid in Gaza is like putting the KKK in charge of delivering humanitarian aid in Sudan. It makes no sense whatsoever," said Edward Ahmed Mitchell, deputy director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a leading Muslim civil rights organisation in the US.
"It's bound to lead to violence, and that's exactly what we've seen happen in Gaza."
#5
Aren't all the Mohammedans jaunty
Who bounce up and down Auntie?
Don't even the chumps
That aren't bumping her humps
All applaud as she gets the full monty?
[IsraelTimes] Some residents say they’ll stay put, believing nowhere is safe; defense minister says Gaza ‘will be razed’ unless Hamas surrenders; Gazans say 5 high-rises toppled by IDF since weekend
The IDF on Tuesday issued the first widespread evacuation order for 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... City, saying all Paleostinian civilians must leave the entire city immediately, ahead of a major military ground offensive against Hamas ..a regional Iranian catspaw,... Previous warnings issued by the IDF in recent days had only included specific buildings and the area surrounding them.
"The IDF is determined to defeat Hamas and will operate in the Gaza City area with great force, just as it has throughout the Strip," Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson, said on X.
Paleostinian civilians were instructed to head to the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone in the Strip’s south via the coastal road.
"Remaining in the area is extremely dangerous," Adraee warned.
The announcement also provided a phone number for Paleostinians to "report Hamas roadblocks or attempts by its members to prevent evacuation."
Last week, Israeli officials accused Hamas of preventing civilians from evacuating Gaza City, saying the terror group was using them as human shields while amplifying claims of "forced displacement" to sway international opinion.
Witnesses said Tuesday Israeli military aircraft dropped hundreds of leaflets on Gaza City, urging residents to flee southwards.
Israel has declared Gaza City, in the north of the territory, a combat zone amid plans for the military to take it over in a campaign to push Hamas into submission. Parts of the city are already considered "red zones" from which Paleostinians have been ordered to evacuate ahead of expected heavy fighting.
While pictures out of Gaza showed some leaving to the south, there were no immediate signs of a mass exodus in the wake of Israel’s warnings.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said some 100,000 people had evacuated Gaza City so far, far short of the city’s estimated one million residents.
Hamas-affiliated media outlets in the Strip reported that dozens of people in Gaza City held a protest, insisting that they would not leave.
Footage showed demonstrators carrying signs reading "We will not leave" and expressing the sentiment that they will only leave when they’re dead.
Public protests are rare in Gaza, and the fact that it was publicized by Hamas media may indicate that the rally was organized by the terror group rather than being a spontaneous demonstration.
Gaza’s Hamas-run civil defense agency said Monday that five high-rises had been destroyed by the Israeli military in the last 72 hours, a tally far smaller than claims from Netanyahu and Katz that dozens such buildings had been hit in recent days.
The five buildings, most of them 10-15 stories, housed some 4,100 people in 209 apartments, said the rescue and emergency body.
Strikes targeting the buildings also destroyed 350 nearby tents sheltering some 3,500 people, it added.
A day after four IDF soldiers were killed in a Hamas attack on the outskirts of Gaza City, the Hamas-run civil defense agency said Israeli Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s continued overnight across Gaza City.
"All we hear are bombings and ambulances carrying deaders," Laila Saqr, a resident, told AFP by telephone.
Israel has been intensifying its strikes on Gaza City in preparation for an operation to take control of it, despite repeated entreaties from Western nations and aid agencies.
The families of the hostages held in Gaza have said they are deeply concerned for their loved ones as the Gaza City operation intensifies, citing the murder of six hostages in a Rafah tunnel last year as their captors heard Israeli troops nearing.
According to Channel 13 news, the military admits it has incomplete intelligence on the locations of the hostages in Gaza, and has assessed that Hamas may try to move captives into Gaza City ahead of the intensified IDF operation there.
IDF Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir has been widely reported to oppose the Gaza City takeover plan, and has urged ministers from Netanyahu’s hardline cabinet to instead reach a hostage-ceasefire deal. Zamir has reportedly tried to reassure the families of hostages, saying in a recent meeting with them that "the operation will be conducted by me, with responsibility toward the troops and the hostages," according to Channel 12 news.
[IsraelTimes] Around 150,000 Palestinians are estimated by the military to have evacuated from Gaza City, including tens of thousands in the past day, according to defense officials.
Yesterday, for the first time, the IDF ordered all of Gaza City to evacuate immediately, ahead of an upcoming offensive against Hamas there.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said 100,000 people had left Gaza City, out of around one million estimated to be residing in the city.
Setting up a future career in politics, it appears.
[IsraelTimes] Attack came as officials in terror group, including Gaza leader Khalil al-Hayya, were discussing new US ceasefire proposal; Netanyahu says strike could pave way to ending war; Hamas says it shows he doesn’t want deal
A bold Israeli Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... targeted a meeting of Hamas ..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,... ’s top leaders in Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... ’s capital, Doha, on Tuesday, as they were said to be gathered to discuss a new US-sponsored hostage-ceasefire proposal aimed at ending the 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... , with reports differing as to whether the attack was successful.
Israel was said to be "increasingly optimistic" about the results of the strike, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said could open the door to the immediate end of the war. Hamas, by contrast, said the strike had been a failure.
The gathering was believed to include all of the terror group’s top leadership outside Gaza, including the leader of Hamas’s Gaza units, Khalil al-Hayya; Zaher Jabarin, who leads Hamas in the West Bank; Muhammad Darwish, the head of Hamas’s Shura Council; Nizar Awadallah, and Khaled Mashaal, the head of Hamas abroad.
The gathering was believed to include all of the terror group’s top leadership outside Gaza, including the leader of Hamas’s Gaza units, Khalil al-Hayya; Zaher Jabarin, who leads Hamas in the West Bank; Muhammad Darwish, the head of Hamas’s Shura Council; Nizar Awadallah, and Khaled Mashaal, the head of Hamas abroad.
While Israel confirmed the strike, dubbed "Operation Summit of Fire" by the Israel Defense Forces, and awaited the outcome, an official statement published by Hamas said that five people had been killed, but insisted none were members of the group’s big shotship cadre.
The terror group said the dead were Himam al-Hayya, son of Khalil al-Hayya; Jihad Labad Abu Bilal, Khalil al-Hayya’s office director; and three “associates” — apparently bodyguards or advisers to senior Hamas officials — Abdullah Abu Khalil, Muaman Abu Omar, and Ahmad Abu Malek.
The terror group said the dead were Himam al-Hayya, son of Khalil al-Hayya; Jihad Labad Abu Bilal, Khalil al-Hayya’s office director; and three “associates” — apparently bodyguards or advisers to senior Hamas officials — Abdullah Abu Khalil, Muaman Abu Omar, and Ahmad Abu Malek.
Qatar said one member of its security forces was also killed.
Hamas said the attack took place as the terror group’s delegation was discussing the US proposal, and asserted this showed Netanyahu’s government is “not interested in reaching any agreement.”
Netanyahu said, however, that Israel had targeted a leadership that had planned and celebrated the October 7, 2023, invasion and massacre in southern Israel, and urged Gazans: “Make peace with us, and accept President Trump’s proposal. Don’t worry, you can do it… But you’ve got to take these people out of the way. If you do, there is no limit to our common future.”
Despite claiming that Israel had failed in the operation, Hamas offered no immediate proof that its top leaders had survived. The terror group has been known in the past to only confirm the death of its leaders weeks or months after the fact.
Most of Hamas’s leadership in Gaza has been killed during the past two years of war with Israel, but until now, its political leadership abroad has been mostly untouched. Notable exceptions were former politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated on a visit to Iran, and his former deputy Saleh al-Arouri, who was killed in Beirut, both in 2024.
EXPLOSIONS IN DOHA
The first reports of the blasts emerged at around 4 p.m. on Tuesday, when eyewitnesses reported hearing several explosions in the Qatari capital, and smoke was seen rising over the city’s Katara District.
Reuters eyewitness said plumes of black smoke could be seen billowing from the city’s Legtifya gas station. Next door to the station is a small residential compound that has been guarded by Qatar’s emiri guard 24 hours a day since the beginning of the war in Gaza.
Oh? How very interesting.
Shortly after reports of the strike began to circulate, the IDF and Shin Bet confirmed that they had targeted Hamas’s leadership in Doha with a strike carried out by the Israeli Air Force.
“The members of the leadership who were struck led the terror organization’s activities for years, and are directly responsible for carrying out the October 7 massacre and waging the war against the State of Israel,” the statement said.
The military said it had taken steps to mitigate civilian harm in the strike, including by using precision munitions and other intelligence.
More than 10 IAF fighter jets dropped over 10 munitions in the strike, according to military officials, and all hit the target building within seconds.
In Israel, the office of Netanyahu said in an English-language statement that the strike had been an entirely Israeli operation.
“Today’s action against the top terrorist chieftains of Hamas was a wholly independent Israeli operation,” wrote the PMO. “Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility.”
While Israeli media initially reported that US President Donald Trump ...Perhaps no man has ever had as much fun being president of the US... was aware of the planned strike ahead of time and had given his blessing for it to go ahead — despite Qatar being a close US ally and home to the largest US airbase in the Middle East — an official White House statement told a different story.
Reading out a statement several hours after the strike, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt criticized Israel for “unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a sovereign nation and close ally of the United States that is working very hard and bravely taking risks with us to broker peace.”
“It does not advance Israel’s or America’s goals,” she said.
Yes, it does, given the goal is to eradicate all involved in the 10/7 attack. But saying it doesn’t is what the cognoscenti call diplomacy.
A senior Qatari official similarly panned Israel for striking Hamas as it was discussing the ceasefire and hostage deal proposal submitted by US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
“Hamas received the new US proposal from us, which we obtained from Witkoff last week in Paris. Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Abdulrahman Al Thani met with Hamas negotiators yesterday,” the official said. “The Hamas delegation then decided to meet again today to discuss the proposal, traveling from Turkey to Qatar where the strike took place.”
All gathered nicely under the falling sword.
He said that any hope of reaching a deal to end the bitter fighting in Gaza had once again been “undermined” by Israel, “further prolonging the war and complicating efforts to bring back the hostages.”
Or neatly focussing the minds of those who were not in the room yesterday. We’ll soon see if they are capable of learning from the experience they missed.
The US-crafted proposal that Hamas was discussing at the time of the strike reportedly envisions the terror group releasing all remaining hostages within the first 48 hours in exchange for an assurance from the US that Israel would not subsequently resume the war, along with the release of several thousand Palestinians imprisoned in Israel. Israel would be expected to withdraw gradually from Gaza in the first days of the ceasefire.
An official briefed on the talks told Reuters on Monday that Qatar’s al-Thani was pushing the terror group’s leadership to “respond positively” to the proposal.
WHO DID ISRAEL TARGET7
The Hamas officials targeted in Israel’s attack are the most senior figures the group has left, as its leadership has steadily been whittled down by Israel over the past two years of war.
Al-Hayya has been the head of Hamas’s operations in Gaza since the assassination of his predecessor Yahya Sinwar, the architect of the October 7, 2023 slaughter, in 2024. Prior to that, he had served as Sinwar’s deputy. He became the public face of Hamas’s leadership following Haniyeh’s death that same year, and has resided in Qatar since he left the Gaza Strip shortly before the October 7 assault. He is a key player in ceasefire negotiations, and has headed multiple delegations to Egypt over the past two years for this purpose.
Mashaal, the leader of Hamas abroad, is the former head of the organization, having filled the position between 1995 and 2017, at which point he was replaced by Haniyeh, amid reports of his declining influence within the movement. hIn 1997, Israeli Mossad agents made a failed bid to poison Khaled Mashaal in Jordan, but were forced to deliver the antidote after Jordan’s then-king Hussein threatened to void the still-fresh peace treaty between Jerusalem and Amman. His net worth is estimated to be around $5 billion.
Jabarin also found himself rising through the terror group’s ranks in the wake of Israeli assassinations, having been appointed to lead Hamas in the West Bank after his predecessor al-Arouri was assassinated in Beirut, Lebanon, in January 2024. Jabarin has lived abroad since 2011, when he was released from prison in the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange, which was in part negotiated by Awadallah. In recent years, he has reportedly spent most of his time in Turkey.
Darwish, who leads Hamas’s Shura Council, the body tasked with advising Hamas leadership on strategic matters, has lived his whole life abroad, having been born in a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon. Little is known about Darwish’s activities within the terror group, although he has headed several delegations during recent ceasefire and hostage release deals.
Awadallah, a negotiator in the Shalit deal, has lived abroad since the October 7 onslaught, but originally hails from Gaza City. He was arrested by Israel in 1989 and served six years in prison. Upon his release, he kept a low profile for roughly a decade, before becoming active in the group again in the mid-2000s, this time in the political branch.
STRIKE COMES DAY AFTER DEADLY JERUSALEM SHOOTING
The attack on Hamas’s leadership in Doha came shortly after Hamas’s armed wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, claimed responsibility for a deadly terror attack in Jerusalem on Monday. Six people were killed when a pair of Palestinian terrorists opened fire on vehicles and pedestrians in Ramot Junction.
The strike in Doha was a direct response to the Jerusalem shooting, as well as to a deadly attack on an Israeli tank in northern Gaza, also on Monday, Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a joint statement.
Netanyahu told security agencies on Monday night to prepare for a strike on Hamas leaders abroad, and Katz had “fully supported the move,” the two said.
An “operational opportunity” was identified at noon on Tuesday, the statement added, and the IDF and Shin Bet received the green light to go ahead with the attack.
“The prime minister and defense minister believed the operation was fully justified, given that this Hamas leadership was the one that initiated and organized the October 7 massacre,” Netanyahu and Katz said, “and has since continued to carry out murderous attacks against Israel and its citizens, including taking responsibility for the murder of our civilians in yesterday’s attack in Jerusalem.”
Israel has long threatened to strike Hamas leaders wherever they are, and not just stick to eliminating those within the Gaza Strip itself.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir reiterated that warning as he authorized Tuesday’s strike, saying that Israel would “settle accounts” with its enemies anywhere in the world.
“These are the terrorists whose only aspiration was to be the spearhead for the destruction of the State of Israel. We will continue to carry out this mission everywhere, at any range, near and far, in order to settle accounts with our enemies,” he told the Israeli Air Force pilots who set out to carry out the strike, according to a readout published by the IDF.
״We are settling a moral and ethical account on behalf of all the victims of October 7. We will not rest and we will not be silent until we bring back our hostages and defeat Hamas.”
[IsraelTimes] Israel has been planning the strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar for months, Channel 12 reports. According to the report, the IDF stepped up preparation in the past month, and a previous date for the operation was delayed for unspecified reasons.
Hamas says its top leaders survived the Israeli strike on Qatar and that five lower-ranking members died.
A Qatari security personnel was also killed, the Hamas statement said.
Hamas, which has sometimes only confirmed the assassination of its leaders months later, offered no immediate proof its top leaders had survived.
Israel launched a strike targeting Hamas’ leadership in Qatar on Tuesday as they considered a U.S. proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The strike on the territory of a U.S. ally marked a stunning escalation and risked upending talks aimed at winding down the war and freeing hostages.
WHAT TO KNOW:
The son of Hamas’ leader in Gaza killed in strike: The son of Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas’ leader for Gaza and top negotiator, was killed along with the head of al-Hayya’s office, said Suheil al-Hindi, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, speaking to Al-Jazeera. A member of Qatar’s Internal Security Force was killed and others were wounded, Qatar’s Interior Ministry said.
The US knew about the strike in advance: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that U.S. diplomatic envoy Steve Witkoff passed along a warning to the Qataris once the White House was made aware of the strike. The U.S. military did not participate in the strikes, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. However, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari derided the warning, saying in a post on X that it came just as “the explosions from the Israeli strikes were being heard.”
Qatar responds: Qatar condemned what it referred to as a “cowardly Israeli attack” on Hamas’ political headquarters in Doha. Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari called it a “flagrant violation of all international laws and norms.”
#3
Qatar gets to be publicly embarrassed and privately pleased, if they so choose. And after all, they neither warned Hamas nor did anything to block the attack, so the private pleasure is well earnt.
#6
Well since Hamas is truth-challenged, they'll need to hold a news conference where all the surviving members are present so their continued existence can be verified. This meeting should be well publicized in advance so all the MSM can be there.
[IsraelTimes] IDF troops demolished the homes of two Palestinian terrorists who carried out a deadly shooting attack in the West Bank last year, the military says.
According to the IDF, Abd al-Arouf Masri and Ahmed Abu Ara were among members of a Hamas cell that carried out the shooting on August 11, 2024, at the Mehola Junction on Route 90, the main north-south artery in the Jordan Valley, killing Yonatan Deutsch, 23, and wounding Anas Jaramana, 32.
Abu Ara was killed in a drone strike on August 16, 2024 and Masri was killed in an exchange of fire with troops on October 8, 2024.
The army says troops demolished the homes of the two gunmen, in the West Bank village of Aqabah yesterday.
The IDF previously announced that it had razed the home of a Palestinian gunman accused of carrying out a deadly December 2024 shooting attack yesterday.
As a matter of policy, Israel demolishes the homes of Palestinians accused of carrying out deadly terror attacks.
The process of razing a terrorist’s home usually takes months as their family can appeal to the High Court against the move, and the military waits for “optimal conditions” to carry out the demolition.
[FoxNews] Israel's military targeted senior Hamas ..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,... leadership in Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... with an Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... on Tuesday.
"The IDF and ISA [Shin Bet] conducted a precise strike targeting the big shotship of the Hamas terrorist organization," the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.
Khalil al-Hayya and Zaher Jabarin were the two targets of the Israeli strikes, Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst said Tuesday, citing initial reports. Israeli officials told Fox News Digital that the U.S. was informed in advance of the strikes.
"For years, these members of the Hamas leadership have led the terrorist organization's operations, are directly responsible for the brutal October 7 massacre, and have been orchestrating and managing the war against the State of Israel. Prior to the strike, measures were taken in order to mitigate harm to civilians, including the use of precise munitions and additional intelligence," the IDF added.
"The IDF and ISA will continue to operate with determination in order to defeat the Hamas terrorist organization responsible for the October 7 massacre," it also said.
Qatar's Foreign Ministry said in a statement obtained by Fox News that, "The State of Qatar condemns in the strongest terms the cowardly Israeli attack targeting the residential headquarters of several members of the Hamas Political Bureau in the Qatari capital, Doha.
"The Ministry affirms that security agencies, civil defense, and relevant authorities immediately began responding to the incident and taking the necessary measures to contain its consequences and ensure the safety of residents and surrounding areas," the spokesperson said. "This criminal attack constitutes a flagrant violation of all international laws and norms and a serious threat to the security and safety of Qataris and residents of Qatar.
More from regnum.ru
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. UN chief condemns Israeli strike on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned Israel's strike on leaders of the Palestinian Hamas movement in Doha, Qatar, calling it a gross violation of sovereignty.
Of course. The man is consistent in his vicious stupidity, which is something. Not a good thing, but something, anyway.
"I condemn this blatant violation of Qatar's sovereignty and territorial integrity," he told reporters.
According to Guterres, the parties to the Palestinian-Israeli settlement must work to achieve a long-term ceasefire, not its destruction.
The Israeli Air Force struck the Hamas headquarters in Doha on the afternoon of September 9. The Israeli army said the strike targeted members of the Palestinian movement who are responsible for terrorist attacks in Israel, including the attack on October 7, 2023. Eyewitnesses reported several explosions in Doha.
According to Israeli media, the country's authorities notified the United States and Qatar before the strike. At the same time, the Qatari Foreign Ministry condemned Israel for the attack, which endangered civilians.
Even more from regnum.ru Qatar failed to use US air defense systems in attack on Doha
The United States could have remotely disabled the Patriot air defense system so that the Qatari army could not use it during Israel's attack on Doha. This was stated by military expert and air defense specialist Yuri Knutov.
"Qatar uses American Patriot air defense systems, which can be easily switched off remotely if necessary - the design provides for this. I am sure that the Americans simply switched them off," Knutov explained to the Vzglyad newspaper.
The expert specified that Patriot is a system connected to satellite reconnaissance and long-range radar detection aircraft. The very presence of the shutdown button can be explained by the need to prevent damage to one's own forces and the ability to block the use of weapons when not necessary.
Earlier, it was precisely because of this feature that Türkiye decided to abandon the American air defense system and purchased the Russian S-400 system, the expert recalled.
Again, more from regnum.ru White House says Israeli strike on Doha could pave way for peace
US President Donald Trump believes that the Israeli army's attack on the Hamas negotiating delegation in the Qatari capital Doha could open "an opportunity for peace" in the Middle East. White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt made this statement on September 9.
"President Trump believes that this unfortunate incident could be an opportunity for peace," she said at a briefing.
She also confirmed that the US knew in advance about the planned strike, and also made the claim that Washington warned the Qatari authorities about the attack and assured them that this Israeli operation would be a one-off. Lies. She said nothing of the sort
#1
The United States could have remotely disabled the Patriot air defense system so that the Qatari army could not use it during Israel's attack on Doha. This was stated by military expert and air defense specialist Yuri Knutov.
#3
Remotely disabled, eh? An alternative explanation is that the Qataris never bothered to turn on their air defenses which would suggest that however they may object to violations of their illusory sovereignty, they are OK with the results.
Feel free to choose according to your priors.
Also, Jewish Space Lasers!
[IsraelTimes] A security source tells AFP that an alleged Israeli strike Tuesday south of Beirut targeted a member of the Hezbollah terror group.
State media in Lebanon confirms that a drone attacked a car in an area some 30 kilometers (18 miles) south of the capital.
“An enemy drone targeted a little while ago a car… between the towns of Jiyeh and Barja,” the National News Agency reports.
The security source, requesting anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media, says the strike targeted “a Hezbollah member, who was wounded but not killed.”
[IsraelTimes] No immediate comment from IDF on reported strikes near Homs, Latakia and Palmyra
Israel struck in the vicinity of Syria’s central city of Homs, the coastal city of Latakia and the historic city of Palmyra, Syrian state-affiliated media said on Monday night.
There was no immediate comment from Israel.
Syria’s Foreign Ministry condemned the alleged Israeli Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s as "a blatant infringement" of its illusory sovereignty and regional stability, saying in a statement on Tuesday they were part of an ongoing series of "escalations" pursued by Israel against Syrian territory.
Syrian media did not elaborate on the scale or the impact of the reported strikes.
Britannia-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which relies on a network of sources on the ground, reported that "the Israeli strike near Homs targeted a military unit south of the city."
Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria since the overthrow of president Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Light of the Alawites... in December, despite initiating an unprecedented dialogue with the new authorities.
In late August, the Israeli army launched an aerial and ground operation south of Damascus, according to a Syrian state media outlet.
Israel has not confirmed the attack, but Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that forces operate "day and night" wherever necessary for the country’s security.
SANA reported earlier this month that Israeli soldiers detained seven people in the southern province of Quneitra, whom the Israeli army told AFP at the time were "suspected of terrorist activity."
After the Assad regime fell, Israel launched an aerial campaign against Syrian military targets to prevent weapons from falling into the hands of Death Eater groups, and seized parts of Mount Hermon in Syrian territory that was a buffer zone between the countries following the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
Syria and Israel have been officially at war since 1948, but are engaged in "advanced" US-mediated talks on easing tensions in southern Syria, with Damascus seeking a security deal that could open the door to wider political negotiations.
According to Hebrew media reports last month, Damascus and Jerusalem are closing in on understandings, and the deal under discussion would be based on the disengagement lines that the two sides agreed to in 1974 after the Yom Kippur War.
On Sunday, the Kan public broadcaster reported that Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer was set to meet Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani this week, as the two sides continue talks on de-escalating the conflict in southern Syria.
The report offered no further details.
In July, Israeli and Syrian officials met in Gay Paree together with US special envoy Tom Barrack, the latter announced at the time, in what appeared to be the first time such a sit-down between officials from Jerusalem and members of the new government in Damascus was publicly confirmed.
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.
[NYPOST] Charlie Kirk was shot and killed by an assassin while on stage during a stop at Utah Valley University kicking off his American Comeback Tour Wednesday, just as he answered a question from an audience member about mass shootings committed by transgender people.
...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the 
..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",...
..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,...
..a regional Iranian catspaw,...
...Perhaps no man has ever had as much fun being president of the US...
..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,...
...
