[ZERO] Newly unsealed U.S. government filings reveal that Zhi Dong Zhang — an alleged global fentanyl kingpin with reported ties to Chinese diplomats in Canada, accused of supplying precursor chemicals and laundering funds worldwide for Mexico's Sinaloa and Jalisco Nueva Generación cartels — commanded a New York—based fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine cell composed of Hispanic traffickers.
According to the Eastern District of New York indictment, Zhang coordinated a network including Lorena Solano Castro, Christian Alan Soto Espinoza, and Cosme Avendaño Soto, operating from Brooklyn to distribute synthetic narcotics, collect proceeds, and wash drug money via U.S. financial institutions and Chinese underground banking.
The New York indictment is separate from a broader case unsealed in Atlanta, but part of what filings depict as a globally integrated criminal enterprise under Zhang's direction. His network allegedly moved multi-ton quantities of fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine between 2016 and 2021, channeling proceeds through Brooklyn, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Michigan, and feeding a hemispheric supply chain linking Chinese chemical exporters, Mexican super-labs, and U.S. distribution hubs.
As The Bureau reported yesterday, Zhang was detained in Cuba after a spectacular escape from a Mexico City residence, where he had been under judicial supervision pending extradition to the United States. Mexican reports say he fled through a tunnel, attempted to reach Russia, and was arrested in Cuba recently. U.S. and Mexican authorities are now reportedly anticipating a swift extradition, as Washington intensifies counter-cartel military deployments and strikes in the Caribbean and Pacific regions.
A Canadian intelligence source told The Bureau that Zhang had direct contact with Canadian authorities while his organization was being probed across the United States—well before the charges became public. In February 2017, he was stopped at Vancouver International Airport carrying an illegally obtained Mexican passport, more than C$10,000 in cash, 14 bank-security fobs, and contact numbers for Chinese diplomatic offices. Agents—who nicknamed him "the Chexican"—questioned him about links to a money-laundering network in Mexico City and a parent company in China, but, due to what the source called "bungling" between the Canada Border Services Agency and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Zhang was released and allowed to leave Canada. A phone search, the source added, revealed numbers for diplomats at Chinese missions in Ottawa and Vancouver, as well as contacts for lawyers in Toronto and Vancouver.
#3
due to what the source called "bungling" between the Canada Border Services Agency and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Zhang was released and allowed to leave Canada.
I think I see a trend here. RCMP lets him go and calls it a "bungle". Riiiiight. Then he gets busted in Mexico but they allow him house arrest and he "fled through a tunnel". Riiiiiiight! Gotta wonder if the proverbial plata was involved in those escapes and if the same might happen in Cuba.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
10/25/2025 14:33 Comments ||
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[GEO.TV] Pakistain on Friday announced that border crossings with Afghanistan would remain closed, citing the security situation, stressing that saving the life of an ordinary Pak is more important than the movement of goods or trade.
Border crossings between the two countries have remained closed since October 11, following festivities earlier this month that killed dozens on both sides in the worst fighting since the Taliban ...mindless ferocity in a turban... 's 2021 takeover of Kabul.
In his maiden weekly press briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi confirmed that the decision follows last week's security developments, which necessitated strict border control measures.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/25/2025 00:00 ||
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[1752 views]
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[IsraelTimes] Lawyers lodge request to summon individual to UK magistrates court, in effort to prosecute him and others under British law regulating enlistment into foreign armies
A Paleostinian rights group has launched an unusual bid to prosecute British citizens who served in the IDF during Israel’s two-year war against Hamas ..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",... under a law governing enlistment into foreign armies, The Guardian reported Thursday.
As part of the effort, lawyers on Monday lodged a formal request to summon a named individual to a UK magistrates’ court, seeking to file charges against him.
The International Center for Justice for Paleostinians (ICJP) plans to argue that the individuals violated a UK law forbidding citizens from warring alongside a foreign force against a country that maintains peaceful relations with the British government.
The group alleges that Israel’s 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... — rather than targeting Hamas — was waged against all Paleostinians and Paleostine as a whole, citing the war’s high civilian corpse count and Israeli bombardment of civilian infrastructure, which left swaths of the enclave in ruins.
The British government formally recognized Paleostine as a sovereign state in September, during the United Nations ...an idea whose time has gone... General Assembly, in a major shift in the UK’s policy in the region. It said, however, that Hamas — a proscribed group in the UK — can play no part in governing a future Paleostinian state.
So far, the ICJP has only requested a summons for one individual, but claimed it gathered evidence against more than 10 British citizens. It declined to name them, however, in an apparent attempt to boost the chances of a successful prosecution.
Under Section 4 of the 1870 Foreign Enlistment Act, it is an offense for any person to accept a commission for the military of a foreign state at war with another state that is at peace with the UK.
The group will have to show that the defendant, a British subject, accepted a commission in the IDF. They also must prove that Paleostine is a sovereign state that both maintains peaceful relations with the UK and went to war with Israel.
The summons this week came months after British human rights One man's rights are another man's existential threat. lawyers filed a 240-page war crimes complaint with London police against 10 UK citizens who had served in the IDF.
The lawyers, working on behalf of the Gaza-based Paleostinian Center for Human Rights and British-based Public Interest Law Center, requested in April that London’s Metropolitan Police war crimes unit probe the individuals.
Rather than prosecuting individuals under the Foreign Enlistment Act, lawyers cut to the chase and accused the soldiers of killing civilians and aid workers by sniper fire, displacing civilians and partaking in indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas, The Guardian reported at the time.
Israel has said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools and mosques.
Nevertheless, many pro-Paleostinian groups have undertaken a global effort to prosecute IDF soldiers for alleged war crimes. Some soldiers have been warned by the military not to travel or told to immediately return from their destinations due to a risk of being arrested.
The two-year war, which came to a halt in October after a fragile ceasefire took effect, erupted when Hamas-led murderous Moslems rampaged through southern Israel on October 7, 2023, murdering some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages to Gaza.
Israel launched the offensive in Gaza to eliminate the terror group and bring back the captives.
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 66,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting so far, though the toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters.
Courtesy of 3dc, who commented, Current Naval assets soon to be near Venezuela
Would raise the total assets in the area to be: - 1x CVN - 1x LHD - 1x LPD (Fort Lauderdale has dispatched to NS Mayport) - 1x CG - 6x DDGs - 1x LCS - 1-2x SSN (Assuming Ford CSG has one deployed alongside)
The USS Gerald R. Ford is joining the deployment of US Southern Command, Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said on Friday.
The $20 billion, 1,090-ft vessel — which can carry more than 75 warplanes — moves as part of a carrier strike group that includes a cruiser, three destroyers and nine aircraft squadrons.
It 'will enhance and augment existing capabilities to disrupt narcotics trafficking and degrade and dismantle' the cartels, Parnell said in a statement.
The 100,000-ton warship joins the largest American force deployed to the Caribbean since the Cold War, including nuclear submarines, F-35 fighter jets, MQ-9 Reaper drones, P-8 Poseidon reconnaissance planes, and B-52 bombers.
The extraordinary deployment comes after Trump's declaration that America is now in a 'state of armed conflict' with cartel forces, giving his commanders sweeping latitude to hunt traffickers beyond US waters.
The Pentagon has established a new joint task force under US Southern Command, despite Democratic lawmakers warning the president is going rogue and drifting towards a secretive conflict on foreign soil.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/25/2025 00:00 ||
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[1762 views]
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#1
Think Nick Maduro sleeps a leeetle twitchy at night?
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/25/2025 1:27 Comments ||
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#2
You do realize there's a tropical storm wandering around down there.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
10/25/2025 8:33 Comments ||
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#3
Ed, the Ford Strike group is currently in the MED. They say it will take about 8 days to reach the Southcom area. The hurricane will likely be gone by then.
[CNN] Venezuela has 5,000 Russian-made anti-aircraft missiles in “key air defense positions,” its President Nicolás Maduro claimed on Wednesday, amid growing tension over the United States’ military deployment in the Caribbean.
US President Donald Trump has said he is weighing military action inside Venezuela as part of a counter-drug trafficking campaign and a broader effort to weaken Maduro, a longtime foe of Washington.
“Any military force in the world knows the power of the Igla-S and Venezuela has no less than 5,000” of them, Maduro said during an event with military personnel broadcast by Venezolana de Televisión (VTV).
The Russian Igla-S missiles are short-range, low-altitude systems similar to American Stingers. They can shoot down small aerial targets such as cruise missiles and drones, as well as helicopters and low-flying planes.
Maduro said the missiles, light enough to be carried by a single soldier, had been deployed “even in the last mountain, the last town, and the last city of the territory.”
The US has deployed 4,500 Marines and sailors to the Caribbean to strengthen operations against cartels and demonstrate military power. It has carried out several lethal strikes on boats off the Caribbean coast that it alleges were trafficking narcotics.
Lawmakers from both parties in the US have questioned the legality of the strikes on the alleged “narco boats.”
Last week, Trump said he had authorized the CIA to conduct covert action in Venezuela and said the US was considering expanding its military campaign to land, as part of an intensifying US pressure campaign that officials say is aimed at ousting Maduro.
“We are certainly looking at land now, because we’ve got the sea very well under control,” the president told reporters.
The Trump administration has been quietly laying the groundwork for potential military action inside Venezuela for months, by tying Maduro to drug traffickers and cartels that officials have designated as terror groups who pose an imminent threat to the US. But to date, there is no indication that Trump has decided to take that step or target the Venezuelan leader directly.
Instead, the goal has been to pressure Maduro to step down on his own, sources told CNN, in part by establishing a credible threat of US military action if he does not.
Maduro has been responding by repositioning troops, mobilizing “millions” of militia members and denouncing US activity in the region.
The people of Venezuela are “clear, united, and aware,” Maduro said in a televised speech last week.
“They have the means to once again defeat this open conspiracy against the peace and stability of Venezuela.”
Maduro has claimed that his volunteer militias now have more than 8 million reservists, though experts have called into question that number as well as the quality of the troops’ training.
According to Rosoboronexport, the Russian state company that exports Igla-S systems, they have a range of up to 6,000 meters and can reach targets at a maximum altitude of 3,500 meters.
CNN has not been able to independently verify the number of Igla-S missiles cited by Maduro, but they were known to be part of Venezuela’s arsenal, according to the military balance compiled by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).
Venezuela’s defense minister, Vladimir Padrino, has been photographed several times with the launchers in Caracas.
CNN has contacted Venezuela’s Ministry of Defense and the US Department of Defense for comment.
[IsraelTimes] Senior executives in Sidenor accused in top court of covertly selling to Elbit subsidiary ‘with full knowledge’ that material would be used to make weapons
Spain’s top criminal court said Friday it had opened an investigation into executives at privately owned steelmaker Sidenor for alleged complicity in crimes against humanity or genocide for trading with an Israeli arms company.
Spain, one of Israel’s fiercest critics in recent years, said it had stopped exchanging weapons with the country after 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... was sparked by the Hamas ..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,... onslaught of October 7, 2023. The embargo formally became law this month.
Sidenor’s chairman Jose Antonio Jainaga and two other executives are being investigated for having allegedly covertly sold steel to Israel Military Industries (IMI), the Audiencia Nacional court said. The Israeli company is a subsidiary of Elbit Systems, which is Israel’s largest arms manufacturer and a key supplier of the IDF.
Sidenor sold the metal to IMI without requesting the government’s permission or registering the transaction, and "with full knowledge that (the firm) was a manufacturer of both heavy and light weapons, and that the material sold was to be used for the manufacture of weapons," the court said.
It added that the company itself was not being investigated because of whistleblower employees who contributed to the complaint and helped "prevent the continuation of the allegedly criminal activity."
The investigating judge has summoned all three executives to testify on November 12 in the case, which was initiated after a complaint filed in July by the association of the Paleostinian community of the region of Catalonia.
Sidenor said in a statement that it had referred the matter to its lawyers and will provide the judge with all available information.
The steelmaker said it announced its decision to suspend all commercial relations with Israel on July 1, following the Spanish government’s decision in April to halt contracts with the country.
Elbit Systems, which has been the target of protests and vandalism by anti-Israel protesters worldwide, declined to comment.
Spain, which recognized Paleostinian statehood in 2024, last month scrapped contracts with Elbit and other Israeli arms makers. Also in September, Spain banned ships and aircraft carrying weapons or jet fuel to Israel from calling at Spanish ports or entering its airspace.
Spain has repeatedly accused Israel of genocide in Gaza, which Israel vehemently denies.
[Gateway Pundit] The Gateway Pundit reported that students manning a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) table at Illinois State University (ISU) watched as an angry man flipped their table over and tore down flags ahead of an event featuring Alex Stein.
The hater of free speech, 27-year-old graduate student Derek Lopez, was identified as a teaching assistant(TA) at the university. Following the incident, Lopez was arrested on charges of Disorderly Conduct and Criminal Damage to Property.
Illinois State University Police Department (ISUPD) shared detail of the arrest on social media noting, "On October 17, 2025, after an investigation by the Illinois State University Police Department (ISUPD), 27-year-old Derek Lopez, of El Paso, IL, was arrested in Normal on charges of Disorderly Conduct and Criminal Damage to Property. Lopez is a graduate student and teaching assistant at Illinois State University."
"Over the last week Lopez is alleged to have disrupted two informational tabling events being hosted by a registered student organization. ISUPD was contacted by the registered student organization following the escalation leading to an investigation, identification, and arrest. This case is pending and may be grounds for additional charges and University disciplinary action."
"Chief Aaron Woodruff stated, "We are committed to protecting the First Amendment rights as well as safety of everyone in our campus community. We encourage all members of our community to learn more about free speech rights and responsibilities at Illinois State University, including constructive ways to respond when encountering speech they may disagree with."
According to The Vidette, the student newspaper for ISU, Lopez has now been "relieved of his position."
Graduate student and teaching assistant Derek Lopez was dismissed from his position today following his arrest on charges of disorderly conduct and criminal damage to property.
On Oct. 17, Lopez allegedly disrupted two informational tabling events hosted by Illinois State University’s Turning Point USA chapter.
"While Illinois State University does not comment specifically on personnel matters, we can confirm Derek Lopez has been relieved of his duties as a graduate teaching assistant pending further investigation," ISU Director of Media Relations Chris Coplan said.
TPUSA Illinois State University vice president Matt Saner and chapter president Ben Umbdenstock spoke with Fox News and noted the incident captured on video was the second time Lopez flipped their table.
The first table flipping occurred on October 13. A week later, Lopez approached the table again and repeated the violence.
Per Fox News:
"No one has ever gone out of their way and... flipped our table, not only once but twice, and then gotten so bad where we had to go, you know, talk to the university about it," said TPUSA Illinois State University vice president Matt Saner.
Umbdenstock shared that the reason the Friday incident was recorded was because they anticipated another incident following the first table flipping.
"Once we saw him... then I told our rep to record ’cause we knew something was gonna go down maybe," said Umbdenstock.
#2
Yes, N, but he also lost his job. Imagine Mr. Lopez's surprise when he found that his childish lack of impulse control came with consequences. I'm guessing his daddy was absent while he was growing up because a few good spankings might have taught him that lesson at a much younger age.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
10/25/2025 13:30 Comments ||
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#3
^ OR maybe he liked the spankings a little too much
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/25/2025 14:12 Comments ||
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#4
Maybe he can enjoy a few good spankings in jail.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
10/25/2025 14:55 Comments ||
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[IsraelTimes] Amer Ghalib, a Michigan mayor who backed Trump during 2024 campaign, questioned by lawmakers over city adopting Israel boycott policy, liking of post comparing Jews to monkeys
After Amer Ghalib became the most prominent Moslem politician in the country to endorse Donald Trump ...The Hero of Butler, Pennsylvania... for president last year, he did so on pro-Paleostinian grounds. And he was rewarded with a plum position: the administration’s ambassadorship to Kuwait.
But the mayor of Hamtramck, Michigan, had to get through Senate approval first. And at Thursday’s confirmation hearing before the foreign relations committee, multiple Republicans broke rank and took Ghalib to task for his past social media posts and actions about Jews and Israel.
"It appears you have a deep-felt and passionate view about the Middle East," Texas Sen. Ted Cruz;
...US Senator from Texas. Republican contender for president in 2016, his stiff and abrasive manner earned him the title most hated man in the Senate. After a close win over Beto O'Rourke, who tried to out-Lastino him, he grew a beard and let his biting wit shine through. Cruz's comments have been known to leave life-threatening wounds at better than forty feet... told Ghalib. "But it is a view that is in direct conflict with the policy positions of President Trump and this administration."
Cruz grilled the 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... -born mayor on Hamtramck becoming the first American city to adopt a boycott, divestment and sanctions policy against Israel; on his previous "liking" of Facebook posts comparing Jews to monkeys; and on his past stances opposing the Abraham Accords.
He wasn’t the only Republican to take issue with Ghalib. Sens. David McCormick of Pennsylvania and Pete Ricketts of Nebraska also harshly questioned the mayor on his views on Jews and Israel.
Ghalib did not disavow any of his past stances or posts. The BDS resolution, he said, had been drafted by the anti-Zionist group Jewish Voice for Peace
… neither Jewish nor for peace, it was founded by Hamas BDS activist Hatem Bazian, while its social media managers live in Lebanon and a large chunk of its funding comes from the Soros Open Society Foundations. But some of its useful idiots identify as “Jewish”…
and approved unanimously by the city council. "It wasn’t my idea," he said. "We don’t have any companies that deal with Israel in our city." He said he had no power to remove a city council official who had said that the Holocaust was advance punishment for Israel.
He "liked" the Facebook post about monkeys, he said, because he used to "like" every post on his feed before becoming mayor. "The person who wrote it is mentally challenged in our community," he said of the post, later adding, "It’s definitely antisemitism, but clicking on it doesn’t mean I endorse that."
"Actually, ’like’ means exactly that," Cruz retorted.
In response to a question from McCormick about whether he would "accept President Trump’s view that Israel is and should be the national home of the Jewish people," Ghalib dodged. "I think we can coexist in the region and that’s the answer, that everybody has the right to exist now," he said. "I trust the president’s policies and I will support his policies."
At the end of the hearing, Cruz said he would vote no on confirming Ghalib, putting the mayor’s appointment on shaky ground.
Ghalib had endorsed Trump after previously siding with the "Uncommitted" movement that had targeted then-president Joe The Big Guy Biden ...46th president of the U.S. Former Senator-for-Life from Delaware, an example of the kind of top-notch Washington intellect to be found in the World's Greatest Deliberative Body.... ’s support for Israel. In a meeting with Trump before his endorsement, the mayor said the two had discussed the possibility of a ceasefire 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... . Michigan, which has a large Arab population, wound up swinging to Trump.
A separate nominee at the same hearing, South Africa ambassador hopeful Leo Bozell, pledged to push the country to end its genocide charge against Israel in front of the International Court of Justice.
[IsraelTimes] Saudi, UAE, Jordan, Egypt conditioning assistance on PA role, which Israel rejects, while Qatari help has fewer strings attached; MBS Nov. 18 DC visit seen as decision deadline.
[IsraelTimes] The wife of high-profile Palestinian prisoner Marwan Barghouti, Fadwa Barghouti, appealed to US President Donald Trump to help release the popular leader from his Israeli jail, her son Arab told AFP. "F*ck off"
Barghouti, 66, has been serving multiple life sentences since 2002 for deadly attacks on Israelis but is seen by many Palestinians as a potential leader who could unite their national movement.
“Mr. President, a genuine partner awaits you — one who can help fulfil the dream we share of just and lasting peace in the region. For the sake of freedom for the Palestinian people and peace for all future generations, help release Marwan Barghouti,” lawyer Fadwa Barghouti says in a statement.
Asked whether he would support freeing Barghouti during an interview with US magazine Time on October 15, Trump said he’d be “making a decision” on the matter, without specifying a timeline.
Asked about the matter today during a briefing in Israel, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said: “I have nothing new to give you on this topic.”
The Times of Israel revealed earlier this month that prominent American Jewish community leader Ronald Lauder has also been privately lobbying for Barghouti’s release.
[GEO.TV] Ottoman Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said the United States and others must do more to push Israel to stop violating 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... ceasefire agreement, including the possible use of sanctions or halting arms sales.
"As Turkiye, we are doing our utmost for the ceasefire to be secured. The Hamas ..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",... side is abiding by the ceasefire. In fact, it is openly stating its commitment to this. Israel, meanwhile, is continuing to violate the ceasefire," Erdogan told news hounds on his return flight from a regional Gulf tour.
"The international community, namely the United States, must do more to ensure Israel's full compliance to the ceasefire and agreement," he said, according to a transcript of his comments shared by his office on Friday.
"Israel must be forced to keep its promises via sanctions, halting of arms sales."
Posted by: Fred ||
10/25/2025 00:00 ||
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[1759 views]
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Y’all need permission from both America and Israel for personnel choices, guys.
[GEO.TV] The main Paleostinian political factions, including Hamas ..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,... , said Friday they had agreed that an independent committee of technocrats would take over the running of post-war 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... A joint statement published on the Hamas website, the groups agreed to hand "over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a temporary Paleostinian committee composed of independent technocrats".
It said the committee would "manage the affairs of life and basic services in cooperation with Arab brothers and international institutions".
The statement also said the factions had agreed to work on unifying a common position "to confront the challenges facing the Paleostinian cause".
It called for a meeting of all forces and factions to "agree on a national strategy and to revitalise the Paleostine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the sole legitimate representative of the Paleostinian people".
The statement did not say who will take part in the Palestinian technocratic committee, whose make-up will likely require a green light from Washington. US officials indicated last week that filling the panel was not their top priority.
The statement also did not mention the participation of Fatah representatives, amid reports that Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas, the head of the secularist faction, had instructed aides to stay away from the sit-down over its inclusion of Hamas.
Alongside the Hamas-Fatah talks, Egypt’s intelligence chief Hassan Rashad met with senior officials from key Palestinian factions.
They included the Islamic Jihad terror group, an ally of Hamas, as well as the terror groups the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
Al-Qahera News said the talks were part of Egyptian efforts to “achieve national Palestinian consensus on the implementation of the US president’s ceasefire plan in Gaza.”
Under Trump’s 20-point peace plan, an international security force drawn from Arab and Muslim allies would stabilize Gaza as Israeli troops withdraw, while a transitional authority would take over the territory’s administration from Hamas.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/25/2025 00:00 ||
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[1766 views]
Top|| File under: Hamas
[GEO.TV] US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) ''is not going to play any role'' in delivering aid to Gaza, also rejecting any future political role for Hamas in governing the territory.
Speaking during a visit to Israel, Rubio claimed UNRWA had become ''a subsidiary of Hamas'', repeating an Israeli allegation dismissed by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Al Jazeera reported.
UNRWA responded that its presence ''remains vital'' to meeting urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza, where more than 68,000 Palestinians have been killed during Israel's two-year offensive. In a post on X, the agency noted the ICJ had affirmed that ''no organisation can replace UNRWA's role in supporting the people of Gaza.''
UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq also rejected Rubio's remarks, saying UNRWA ''is not linked to Hamas'' and remains ''the backbone'' of humanitarian operations in the enclave. Israel has banned the agency, accusing some staff of involvement in the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack — a claim it has yet to substantiate.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/25/2025 00:00 ||
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[1755 views]
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[IsraelTimes] Terror group ‘cannot be involved in governing Gaza,’ says top US diplomat, adding ‘there is no plan B,’ only Trump’s 20-point peace plan; calls UNRWA a Hamas ‘subsidiary’ that can’t play role in aid delivery
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio ...The diminutive 13-year-old Republican U.S. Senator from Florida, Secretary of State in the second Trump administration... , the latest top US official to visit Israel, said Friday that "there is no plan B" 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... , only US President Donald Trump ...Perhaps no man has ever had as much fun being president of the US... ’s broad peace plan, and that annexation of the West Bank by Israel would be "a threat to the grinding of the peace processor."
Rubio said Israel has met its commitments under the first phase of 20-point Trump plan, which began with the ceasefire on October 10, and that Israel would have to be "comfortable" with the makeup of the international force that will enter Gaza in the second phase, which is still being hashed out.
Hamas will have to release the remains of deceased hostages and disarm, he said, adding that UNRWA, the UN agency for Paleostinian refugees, will not be permitted to help deliver aid to Gaza because it is a "subsidiary" of the terror group.
Hamas "cannot be involved in governing Gaza in the future," Rubio stressed, adding that this has been agreed by all the countries that have signed up to Trump’s plan and are to provide money, personnel or both in order to advance it.
Broader regional normalization with Israel could be a "byproduct" of the Gaza process, added Rubio, who arrived in Israel on Thursday.
Speaking to journalists at the US-Israel Civil-Military Coordination Center in Kiryat Gat, which has been set up to oversee the ceasefire and the continued implementation of the Trump plan, Rubio said, "This is a historic mission."
Among countries alongside the US and Israel already with a presence at the CMCC, which was formally opened by US Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday, are the UK, Germany, Denmark, Canada and Jordan. Dozens of regional and world leaders attended a summit with Trump in Sharm el-Sheikh on October 13 where the president and the leaders of Egypt, 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... and The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...a NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all.... member, but not the most reliable... signed a further document setting out a general framework regarding Gaza’s future.
Implementing the September 29 Trump plan is "not going to be a linear journey. There’s going to be ups and downs and twists and turns," Rubio said. "But I think we have a lot of reason for healthy optimism about the progress that’s being made."
Rubio said there was an increasing presence of staff from the US State Department "and related entities" at the Kiryat Gat center, which "will continue to grow" to "provide personnel [for] things like emergency response and the coordination of humanitarian assistance."
Shortly after Rubio spoke, the US State Department announced that longtime diplomat Steven Fagin would serve as the civilian lead of the Center. A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Fagin has served as US envoy to several Middle East countries. (Lieutenant General Patrick Frank, commander of US Army Central, is heading the US Army team.)
In order to get to the next phases of the Trump plan, Rubio said, the center is focused on ensuring the success of the initial ceasefire phase.
"We’ve got to get through the process that we’re involved in right now, which is making sure the ceasefire holds without anything disrupting it, making sure people are getting the life-sustaining aid that they need in a way that’s not being looted or stolen or diverted in any way, and at the same time, creating the conditions for the Stabilization Force to come in as soon as it possibly can be put together to provide the stabilization we need to move to the further phases of this plan," he said. The International Stabilization Force is described in Trump’s plan as "the long-term internal security solution" for Gaza.
"On the other side of that Yellow Line," Rubio said, referring to areas of Gaza outside Israel’s control, "there is still a terrorist group that remains armed."
"And we’ve seen them take actions against their own population," said Rubio, alluding to instances of Hamas executing opponents.
He urged "that there be more media coverage given to the fact that Hamas has brutalized Paleostinians, has brutalized Gazooks over the last few days. That’s something to point to."
Asked about reported claims by Hamas that it is part of the committee forming Gaza’s next government, Rubio appeared to dismiss the notion and stressed that Hamas can have no role in the future governance of Gaza. He said that all the countries now working with the US on Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan had agreed to that.
"Everyone who signed onto this plan, all of these other countries, agreed, everyone agreed, that Hamas cannot govern, and cannot be involved in governing the future of Gaza. Everyone’s agreed to that."
WEST BANK ANNEXATION WOULD ’THREATEN THIS WHOLE PROCESS’
Rubio declined to say at the presser that Israel would need US "permission" to renew fighting against Hamas in Gaza if the group continues to pose a threat, while emphasizing that the Trump plan has broad regional support and is "the best" and "only plan."
Asked if Israel could resume fighting Hamas independently if the group rearms or regroups, Rubio said, "I don’t think this has to do anything with permission or anything of that nature... Basically, we’re all committed to making this plan work. There is no plan B. This is the best plan. It’s the only plan. It’s one that we think can succeed. It’s one that we believe is on the way to success.
"If Hamas refuses to demilitarize, it’ll be a violation of the agreement, and that’ll have to be enforced," he said, in response to a separate question. "I’m not going to get into the mechanisms by which it is going to be enforced, but it’ll have to be enforced."
Rubio went on: "This is a deal, and a deal requires conditions to be met. Israel has met their commitments. They’re standing at the Yellow Line, and that is contingent upon the demilitarization," he said, noting that demilitarizing Gaza under the second phase of the deal would be "a long-term project."
"We want to help create the conditions here so that people in Gaza don’t have to be terrorized by Hamas and in fact, have lives, jobs, businesses and a better future," he said.
Rubio’s comments came a day after Vance, at the end of a visit to Israel, slammed as "very stupid" a preliminary vote by the Knesset to apply Israeli illusory sovereignty to West Bank settlements, which was opposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Following Vance’s criticism, Netanyahu tried to distance the government from the vote, claiming that it was an opposition "provocation" opposed by his religious coalition partners and all but "one disgruntled member" of his own Likud party. (In fact, the majority of votes in favor of the bill, which cleared its preliminary reading 25-24, were cast by coalition members, with Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners in Religious Zionism and Otzma Yehudit supporting it.)
Rubio on Friday echoed Netanyahu’s statement, saying the vote was led by "elements that tried to use it to embarrass Netanyahu" during Vance’s visit.
"Suffice it to say, we don’t think it’s going to happen," Rubio said of annexation. "More importantly, it’s not, from a legislative standpoint, structured in a way that could happen.
"But it would also threaten this whole process," he added. "Everyone has to understand if something like that were to happen right now, a lot of the countries that are involved in working on this probably aren’t going to want to be involved in this anymore.
"It’s a threat to the grinding of the peace processor, and everybody knows it," Rubio said. "But I’m not getting to the middle of Israeli politics. We’re focused on peace and security."
UNRWA A ’SUBSIDIARY OF HAMAS’
Asked if UNRWA would assist in providing humanitarian aid to Gaza as the US-overseen process unfolds, Rubio said: "UNRWA is not going to play any role in it."
The comment came after the International Court of Justice on Wednesday dismissed Israel’s allegations that Hamas had infiltrated the aid agency and, in an advisory ruling, said that Israel was obligated to cooperate with UNRWA. A law passed by the Knesset last year banned such cooperation. Israel has reportedly informed the US that it will not comply with the ICJ’s non-binding position.
"The UN is here," Rubio said. "We’re seeing the work they’re doing, the World Food Programme. There’s also nonprofit NGOs, humanitarian assistance organizations that are involved in this, Samaritan’s Purse. It’s a conglomeration of about 8-12 groups that are here."
"We’re willing to work with them if they can make it work. But not UNRWA. UNRWA became a subsidiary of Hamas," Rubio said.
Israel claims that UNRWA has been thoroughly infiltrated by Hamas, that hundreds of UNRWA employees are Hamas members, that UNRWA employees participated in the October 7, 2023, massacres (an allegation partially accepted by UNRWA), and that the agency disseminates incitement to hatred and violence against Israel.
When asked about the involvement of Turkey in Gaza’s post-war governance, Rubio also said Israel must be "comfortable" with the countries deploying troops to the territory as part of the International Stabilization Force envisioned under the ceasefire.
Israel has said that no troops from Turkey, a Hamas ally, will be deployed to Gaza.
"We haven’t formed that force yet, so there’s still work going on," Rubio said Friday. "Obviously, as you put together this force, it’ll have to be countries that Israel is comfortable with as well."
"There are a lot of countries that are expressing interest right now," said Rubio. "I don’t want to get into anything on who’s being vetoed, who’s not being allowed. Obviously, every member of this force has to be someone who has the capability and willingness, but also someone that everyone’s comfortable with, including Israel."
Asked separately about the Paleostinian Authority’s role in Gaza’s post-war governance, Rubio said, "We’ve expressed our concerns about the Paleostinian Authority as it stands today."
Israel has rejected a role for the Paleostinian Authority in Gaza, saying the body incites to terrorism in its school system and through payments to terrorists.
"Certainly the need for reform as far as what role it’s going to play in the future of Gaza," said Rubio. "That’s yet to be determined, if any role at all. We don’t know."
Gaza’s future governance "is going to be something that has to be worked on collectively with Israel, with partner nation states. For it to work, everyone has to agree to it," he said, emphasizing that Gaza "cannot be a place that is governed by anyone who wants to use it as a launchpad for attacks against Israel."
"If it is, then there will be another war," he said. "There will never be peace as long as there’s an area or a territory that’s being used as a launchpad to threaten Israel’s security. Everyone understands that, and everyone who signed on to this deal understands that."
In addition, Rubio said, the remains of 13 slain hostages "are going to be released" from Gaza.
"That’s going to happen," he said. "If it doesn’t, then the deal got broken, but it’s going to happen."
Israel has accused Hamas of withholding the remains of slain hostages it has access to, in violation of the deal, but the White House has not publicly embraced Israel’s account. Hamas claims it is working to locate the remaining bodies under the rubble in Gaza.
In accordance with the deal, Hamas released the last remaining 20 hostages on October 13, within 72 hours of Israel’s October 10 withdrawal to the Yellow Line. All were young men kidnapped on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led faceless myrmidons stormed southern Israel to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages, sparking the war in Gaza.
It released the remains of none of the 28 deceased hostages within the deadline, returned four soon after the deadline expired on October 13, and has returned another 11 in the days since.
Rubio said the end of the war could open the door to expanding the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab nations, and which were brokered by Trump in 2020, during his first term.
Broader regional normalization "could be a byproduct of achieving some of this," he said. "We’d like to have as many members of the Abraham Accords as possible."
"I think what we’re doing here could help create the momentum for that to occur," he added. "I’m not going to mention the countries’ names because it’s up to them to announce it."
"There are some countries you could probably add right now if we wanted to, but we want to do a big thing about it, and so we’re working on it," said Rubio.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/25/2025 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Hamas
Commentary by Russian military journalist Borisa Rozhin is in italics:
[ColonelCassad] Among the stream of American and Israeli statements regarding Gaza, the following is important: Actual control (maintaining public order, policing, and combating fraud) is currently exercised by Hamas. Immediately after the ceasefire, the movement resolved the problem of pro-Israeli gangs in Gaza in just 24 hours. Five gangs from Rafah to Jabalya were disarmed, some executed. Aid delivered after the ceasefire remained intact and was delivered to those in need. Market prices fell.
In a matter of days, Hamas was able to establish processes for governing the Strip. The restoration of Gaza, as envisioned by the United States, will only take place in the territory administered by the occupiers – Rafah. This will be done so that Palestinians can resettle there. Only a small group of people – members of Fatah – will resettle. The majority will remain in Hamas-controlled territory, due to their commitment to the resistance movement. Hamas's statement that Gaza will be governed by those chosen by the Palestinians remains unchanged.
The occupiers achieved nothing in the war, and they won't be able to achieve anything in peacetime. Tiny Gaza changed the world, and the next generation of rulers will be pro-Palestine.
Actually, when Trump began demanding Hamas stop the massacres in the Gaza Strip, Hamas had already largely purged its opponents who had placed their hopes on the "Trump deal." In total, Hamas is said to have rounded up several dozen people over the course of several days who collaborated with Israel and reset their records after sentencing. Thus, they were purging those who could have become potential supporters of Israel and the US in Gaza, and also demonstrating to those who hesitated that underestimating Hamas is dangerous.It remains completely unclear how Hamas plans to disarm, as it refuses to surrender its weapons and, in the event of a new round of genocide, is prepared to retreat back into the tunnels and continue fighting there for a long time, using the ruins of Gaza to ambush small groups of soldiers and armored vehicles. It's worth noting that Israel's inability to completely purge Hamas from Gaza and destroy its structure is being used by Hamas to propagate narratives of victory over Israel, as Hamas hasn't been destroyed in two years, and it even secured the exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners, which was one of the main goals of Operation Al-Aqsa Storm.
The movement's fallen leaders, as usual, were declared martyrs, and its personnel continue to be actively recruited from among Palestinians whose relatives were killed and whose homes were destroyed by Jews. Thus, while Hamas's numbers may have declined over the two years of war, it's not so severely that one could argue the organization has disintegrated into separate pockets of resistance. Guerrilla battalions and companies, coordinated among themselves, still fight there.
Hamas's main problem now is rather a lack of heavy weapons and its diminished ability to fire into Israeli territory from the enclave. Even if the war truly ends and Hamas remains a military organization, it will take several years to restore its ability to launch major strikes, even against southern Israeli cities (its main stockpile was depleted back in 2023).
This assumes Hamas will be able to get rockets, missiles, and weapons in numbers past the guardians at the border, not so easy as it once was.
Some kind of intermediate solution is possible if a Fatah-based Palestinian Authority is truly formed. Its existence would force Hamas to at least cede direct control of the Strip and at least surrender at least some of its weapons (which is unlikely anyway) for the sake of appearances, so Trump can claim he has defeated Hamas. Qatar and its partners are already blackmailing the Palestinians, threatening that unless Hamas surrenders power and disarms, they will not invest in the reconstruction of Gaza.
The problem here is that this is a clash of two different logics, as Hamas is fighting for the creation of a Palestinian state, which certainly does not involve capitulating to Israel for the money of the Gulf monarchies. Therefore, the problem remains, highlighting the extremely flimsy foundation of Trump's "eternal peace."
At the same time, Iran, and to some extent Turkey, benefits from Hamas's continued existence as a fighting force, as this allows it to perpetuate a persistent problem for Israel indefinitely, especially since any new Israeli attacks in Gaza continue to undermine Israel's political image, which, along with the economic damage from the war, is Israel's main long-term problem. Furthermore, the sluggish continuation of the crisis hinders the renewal of the "Abrahamic Accords."
So, when people talk about the inevitability of Hamas's elimination, it's more of a case of wishful thinking. If Israel could easily clear all of Gaza and destroy Hamas, it would have done so long ago. The IDF General Staff understands this, which is why they explicitly warned Netanyahu against plans to establish full military control over Gaza, which would risk further losses but does not guarantee the destruction of Hamas.
#1
The only solution is ethnic cleansing (like Sudeten Deutsch) of Arabs from Israel. "Palestinians" were invented by Arabs as tool of war against Israel - therefore, they're an Arab problem.
[IsraelTimes] After 14 years of destruction, Syria must be swiftly rebuilt to bring stability to the country and the wider region, a top UN official in the war-ravaged nation tells AFP. "Must"...and of course who does the top UN Official propose to administer this? Riiigghht
Reconstruction is one of the most significant challenges facing Syria’s new authorities after the overthrow of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad last December.
“The international community should definitely rush into rebuilding Syria,” Rawhi Afaghani, the UN Development Program’s deputy representative in Syria, tells AFP this week during a visit to Geneva.
“Being able to help the country to rebound and come out of this war and come out of this destruction is for the Syrians themselves, but also for the stability and the good of the whole region,” he says in the interview.
The Syrian civil war, which erupted in 2011 with Assad’s brutal repression of anti-government protests, killed over half a million people and devastated the country’s infrastructure.
The World Bank this week estimated that Syria’s post-war reconstruction could cost up to $216 billion.
Afaghani says he could not put a price tag on rebuilding Syria, but describes the needs as “massive.”
Across the country, he says that governors had told him about the massive need for housing, schools, and health centers, as well as electricity and water.
Complicating the clean-up efforts are the vast quantities of unexploded ordnance littering the entire country, including within mountains of rubble that need to be cleared, he says.
At the same time, he says the lack of infrastructure, services and jobs is dissuading many Syrians who want to return home from doing so.
“We thought there would be a much higher rate of return,” he acknowledges, pointing out that most of those who have returned from abroad had often left difficult conditions in neighboring Jordan and Lebanon.
From Europe, “we don’t see that massive return,” he said.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Leonid Tsukanov
[REGNUM] The new Syrian authorities have launched a military operation in Idlib province. Damascus' efforts are aimed against the growing Firqat al-Ghuraba group.
Although members of the ruling cabinet claim that the fighting is part of a campaign to combat organized crime, in reality it signals the beginning of a purge within the ranks of yesterday's armed opposition.
As we thought here also.
And, at the same time, attempts to prevent the emergence of a new opposition.
However, for now, Damascus is conducting the campaign extremely cautiously, with breaks for truces.
TOUCHSTONE
Although clashes between the new Syrian authorities and former allies in the armed opposition have been occurring almost since the first days of the "transitional cabinet" led by Ahmed al-Shara'a's establishment, the scale of hostilities has been minor until recently. The sides have limited themselves to brief firefights, mostly without casualties.
The situation changed dramatically in October 2025, when Syrian security forces launched a full-scale operation against the Firqat Al-Ghuraba group, based in the city of Harim (Idlib province), consisting of French-speaking militants and former members of ISIS and Al-Qaeda terrorist cells in Syria.
During the clashes, the Syrian army used heavy weapons and armored vehicles, and deployed a record number of fighters—according to various sources, between 300 and 800 people.
Low-intensity fighting continued for several days, but neither side could yet claim victory. Ultimately, on October 24, the opponents agreed to a temporary withdrawal of forces.
FORMER ALLIES
The official reason for the security forces' "visit" to Harim is an arrest warrant for several high-ranking members of the group on charges of corruption and sexual crimes. However, in reality, this is Damascus's attempt to restore order in the border provinces and crush the rebellion formed by former allies.
Following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad's regime in December 2024, Firqat Al-Ghuraba forces were integrated into the Ministry of Defense's 82nd Infantry Division—but only on paper. In reality, the group systematically ignored Damascus's orders and conducted covert operations in the border regions to mobilize forces disillusioned with the transitional government's policies.
Moreover, the leader of Omar Omsen's group began rapidly gaining influence, becoming one of the most feared figures in Idlib and could well become the leader of a new armed opposition. Especially since his authority was recognized by many commanders from African and post-Soviet countries hostile to Damascus.
The Katiba Tawhid Wal-Jihad and Jaysh al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar groups, as well as the forces of the Turkestan Islamic Party, have expressed interest in a “tactical alliance” with Firqat Al-Ghuraba.
The opposition's position in Idlib is strengthened by growing rumors that the al-Sharaa government wants to extradite the most notorious underground figures, most of whom face imprisonment in their home countries, to foreign partners in exchange for strengthening international ties.
Omsen, on the contrary, promises his supporters protection from persecution and support in defending their interests.
TIMELY RECONCILIATION
Damascus had long noticed the growing influence of the Idlib opposition, but until recently they had hesitated to openly respond to the challenge. This was primarily due to a lack of confidence in their own strength. The new Syrian leader was hesitant to send units into battle whose loyalty he doubted.
An attempt to resolve the problem using the "Uyghur Guard" (the 84th Special Forces Division, approximately 3,500 men)—a unit under the direct command of the president—was fraught with the risk of exacerbating relations with China due to the public demonstration of the combat readiness of people from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
Moreover, there was a risk of undermining the combat capability of the only unit in the new Syrian army that was loyal, from al-Shara's point of view, giving the enemy a chance to counterattack.
This prompted the interim Syrian leader to reconsider some past decisions. Specifically, in late September 2025, al-Sharaa suddenly reconciled with Abu Ahmed Zakur, the co-founder and former chief financier of the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group.
In early 2024, Zakur fell into disgrace and, fearing for his life, fled to the West, where he launched a campaign against the future Syrian leader. For a long time, he was considered a “personal enemy” of al-Sharaa, even being included in the list of people for whose heads a substantial reward was promised.
However, by the fall of 2025, al-Sharaa pardoned his former ally: Zakur was appointed assistant to the president for tribal affairs and will be responsible for strengthening ties and supporting local clans. Although he, despite the pardon, prefers to remain in the United States for now, his subordinates (in particular, former HTS field commander Abu Abdo Taum ) have already begun work on the ground.
IDLIB THROW
However, Zakur's first task, including as an Idlib native, was in fact preparing a staging area for an operation against the rebels. And by all accounts, he accomplished this task well.
His agents managed to win over hesitant armed groups in Bittir, Haram, and Batt Mishla—all of these towns are located along Route 56 (Idlib's main thoroughfare)—and the militias were intended to slow the advance of government forces should a military operation begin. Similar efforts were carried out in other parts of the province.
As a result, by the start of the operation against Firqat Al-Ghurab, Syrian government forces had guarantees from local neutrals that they would not engage in combat and would not interfere with the arrests of jihadists.
Moreover, Zakur's return to power reassured many commanders who had joined the army from HTS and its allied groups and who feared reprisals from Damascus.
As a result, the invigorated loyalists, including Taum, became the core of the forces sent to Harim. They later served as the government's primary negotiators. Through Taum, the parties agreed to a ceasefire and the withdrawal of heavy weapons.
The case of Omsen and other high-ranking members of Firqat al-Ghurab, whom Syrian security forces previously attempted to arrest, will be heard in the Sharia court of Idlib, where the influence of al-Sharaa and his entourage is strong, but not absolute.
This somewhat calmed the new armed opposition, especially given that Damascus had vowed not to extradite foreign fighters to third countries, thus removing the main unifying factor within the new armed opposition.
Overall, the brief offensive in Idlib can be considered the first step by the Syrian transitional authorities toward consolidating their influence on the ground. However, a quick conclusion to the campaign is not to be expected: the defeat of the rebels will be gradual, with a steady consolidation of the captured positions.
The reason for this strange tactic is simple: Damascus is well aware of the specifics of the "Idlib rebellion" and will try to avoid the same mistakes as their predecessor. In particular, they will try to prevent the dissatisfied from consolidating around specific figures.
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.
...mindless ferocity in a turban...
..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",...
..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,...
...46th president of the U.S. Former Senator-for-Life from Delaware, an example of the kind of top-notch Washington intellect to be found in the World's Greatest Deliberative Body....
..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",...
