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US carries out 22nd strike on alleged drug vessel operated by a designated terrorist organization
Today's Headlines
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Page 1: WoT Operations
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Page 2: WoT Background
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2 15:44 Skidmark [1783]
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Page 4: Opinion
4 15:53 Skidmark [1773]
3 15:58 Skidmark [1788]
1 11:53 Abu Uluque [1748]
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Page 6: Politix
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Good Morning



Hillary Clinton blames TikTok for fueling anti-Israel views among young people, calls it a %u2018serious problem'
Friday 12/05/2025

3417853652_1920
Afghanistan
Afghan watchdog concludes billions in weapons U.S. Biden left behind form %u2018core' of Taliban military
Science & Technology
CENTCOM Deploys New %u2018Suicide Drone'
Squadron in Middle East %u2010 Aims to %u2018Deter Bad Actors'
Caribbean-Latin America
US carries out 22nd strike on alleged drug
vessel operated by a designated terrorist organization
Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Powerful Israel-backed clan
leader who fought Hamas murdered in Gaza
-Short Attention Span Theater-
George Clooney: My wife [Amal Clooney] helped draft the constitution of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt
-Lurid Crime Tales-
Florida sheriff calls massive drug operation '"Breaking Bad" on steroids' after record-breaking bust
USA Internet outages for the last 24 hours

Posted by: Fred || 12/05/2025 || Comments || Link || [1760 views] Top|| File under:

#1  um. Fred, can we go back to Joan Blondell? Please?
Posted by: Mercutio || 12/05/2025 9:35 Comments || Top||

#2  Is that Mark Harmon on the left?

Posted by: Skidmark || 12/05/2025 9:44 Comments || Top||

#3  Lemme guess...they're the Miss New Jersey contest finalists from 1920.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 12/05/2025 11:50 Comments || Top||

#4  Responding to Skidmark...that actually looks like Rowan Atkinson!
Posted by: HeavyG || 12/05/2025 13:11 Comments || Top||

#5  erstein
@joshgerstein
·
1h
JUST IN: DC Circuit panel splits, 2-1, upholding Trump's right to fire NLRB & MSPB members. Court says those agencies wield too much executive power to not be accountable to POTUS. Majority: Katsas/Walker (both Trump). Dissent: Pan (Biden)
Posted by: Frank G || 12/05/2025 14:08 Comments || Top||


-Lurid Crime Tales-
Florida sheriff calls massive drug operation Breaking Bad on steroids after record-breaking bust
[FoxNews] Maxwell Horvath facing charges after authorities seize weapons, 92,000 pounds of illegal substances

Florida authorities seized roughly 92,000 pounds of illegal substances and a trove of military-grade weapons from a career criminal accused of running an operation officials described as "'Breaking Bad' on steroids" in reference to the former hit TV crime drama series about a chemistry teacher turned drug kingpin.

Maxwell Horvath, 26, was charged with 36 counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, two counts of possession of a short-barreled machine gun and possession of a short-barreled rifle with more charges to come for explosive devices, according to Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey.

The investigation dated back to September, when Ivey said agents purchased illegal substances derived from kratom, a tropical evergreen, which contained a concentration of 7-hydroxymitragynine, aka 7-OH.

During the sale, Horvath gave agents a tour of his business, Overseas Organics, which allegedly produces a substance that is 13 times more potent than morphine.


"He's proud of his business," Ivey said in a video posted to Facebook. "This thing looked like ‘Breaking Bad’ on steroids. ... He had it lined up with all sorts of different chambers and rooms and sterile environments. … They were taking [the substance], extracting it, putting it in compressing machines.

"Horvath knows it's illegal but thinks he's circumventing the system," Ivey added. "He thinks that because you go there and make a purchase, or you make a purchase online, and he ships it out of the state of Florida, he is not violating the law. Well, trick or treat, he is."

When authorities raided Horvath's facility, they seized about 92,000 pounds of illegal substances, with a street value of about $4.7 million, according to officials.

They also discovered five IEDs, 12 rifles, 17 pistols, three shotguns, two fully automatic submachine guns, a short-barreled rifle and revolver, three suppressors, thousands of rounds of ammunition, grenade simulators and fifty pounds of precursor chemicals to make explosives.

"We're not just talking about drugs," said City of Palm Bay Police Chief Mariano Augello. "We're talking about explosive devices, things that the military are utilizing and other countries are utilizing all over the world, to take out populations of people."

Ivey said the bust was the largest seizure of its kind in the country.

"This is what danger looks like right here," he said. "Everything that you see … is a red flag for disaster. … The guy was making his own suppressors, fully automatic weapons, explosive devices. This guy was either looking to engage in war or looking to arm and furnish to those that are. [He] even had a 50 cal on a tripod ready to do serious damage. … Those indictments will make sure that he spends the rest of his life right where he deserves, and that's in prison."

Horvath, who was first arrested by federal authorities at the age of 17, previously served two years in prison and two years of federal probation for possession of an explosive device and MDMA trafficking.

"[At] 26 years old, [he is] already pretty much a career offender," Augello said. "He has no regard for the sanctity of life."
Let none say he is lazy and uncreative. It’s just that morals and ethics — and laws - aren’t his thing.
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/05/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1789 views] Top|| File under: Narcos

#1  So they busted him for guns! Kratom is sold in pretty much every gas station you go in .
Posted by: chris || 12/05/2025 5:02 Comments || Top||


Illegal Aliens Convicted Machine Gun, Drug Trafficking Case in Texas Border Town
[Breitbart] Federal prosecutors in Laredo secured convictions against two illegal aliens who built and sold machine guns and cocaine in the border city. One of the men pleaded guilty earlier this year, while the second one went to trial this week. Jurors found him guilty of all counts.
“He’s guilty as sin, yer Honour. Can’t get no guiltier than that!”
After a short deliberation, a federal jury in Laredo found 33-year-old Carlos Alberto Garcia Guajardo guilty on 12 charges relating to selling and possessing machine guns previously filed against him in a federal indictment. He is set to be sentenced next year and could be facing a sentence ranging from 30 years to life in prison.

The case began in December 2024, when Laredo Police officers and agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives worked on an undercover case where they bought a Glock pistol that had been fitted with a switch that turned it into a fully-automatic weapon. Court documents filed in the case revealed that agents were talking with Fernando Patino Jr., a man described by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas as an illegal alien from Mexico who is not legally allowed to possess firearms.
"That's why I'm selling it, ese"
In January 2024, Patino introduced the undercover agent to Garcia Guajardo, who said the gun was ready and provided the handgun to the agents for $1,100. Days later, authorities purchased a second Glock with a switch for $1,200.

Soon after, agents coordinated additional handgun purchases for a total of ten Glocks with switches and various quantities of cocaine. According to federal prosecutors, when authorities raided a house used by the men, they found several weapons, drugs, and scales.

In court documents, authorities revealed that both Garcia Guajardo and Patino were in the country illegally and are not able to possess any firearms legally. Additionally, the two men did not have any of the federal documents needed to build or possess machine guns or automatic weapons. ATF agents claimed that the switch that the men installed had turned the Glock pistols from semi-automatic weapons into machine guns.

Patino previously pleaded guilty to the charges and is expected to face a lesser sentence during his hearing next year.
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/05/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1752 views] Top|| File under: Migrants/Illegal Immigrants


Africa North
IS-Mozambique ambushes a naval patrol of the Mozambican army at Mionge islandan army

Text:

IS-Mozambique says that the naval patrol of the Mozambican army composed of four boats were heading to the Mionge island while the militants were preaching to locals, the fighters then took their own boats and ambushed the patrol, leading to the withdrawal of the army. Later, two military aircrafts bombed the island, and according to the terrorists no casualties were inflicted in the bombing.

Posted by: badanov || 12/05/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1747 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Britain
Man jailed in UK for sending antisemitic, abusive messages to Jewish lawmaker
[IsraelTimes] Kevin Smith sent 300 text messages that include references to ‘killing Jews’ to office of Labour MP Alex Sobel, who says they left him fearing for his family’s safety

A man who sent hundreds of abusive messages to a Jewish politician in Britannia, including references to "killing Jews," has been locked away
You have the right to remain silent...
for eight weeks, prosecutors said on Thursday.
Golly. That’ll show him.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said Kevin Smith, 61, sent roughly 300 text messages and three voicemails to the office of Labour politician Alex Sobel, who said the messages were deeply disturbing and left him fearing for his and his family’s safety.

Smith, who pleaded guilty to the offence of sending offensive messages last month, was also given a five-year restraining order prohibiting him from contacting Sobel.

"The right to freedom of expression does not extend to sending grossly offensive and menacing messages," senior prosecutor Claire MacDonald said.

"Criminal offences committed against MPs (Members of Parliament) imperil both the democratic process and our public service, and the antisemitic abuse subjected to Mr Sobel and his staff was simply unacceptable."

The number of reported antisemitic acts across Britannia last year was the second highest in modern times. An attack on a synagogue in northern England in October prompted heightened security concerns among local Jewish communities.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/05/2025 2025-12-05 04:49 || Comments || Link || [1753 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Same thing in Band of Brothers when the antisemite went off about Captain Sobel.
Posted by: Jairong+Scourge+of+the+Gepids2435 || 12/05/2025 7:16 Comments || Top||

#2  So the Jewish lawmaker wasn't arrested for reporting the messages and thus hurting the feelz of anti Jewish folks. Good. Progress.
Posted by: Richard Aubrey || 12/05/2025 7:38 Comments || Top||


Caribbean-Latin America
US carries out 22nd strike on alleged drug vessel operated by a designated terrorist organization
[FoxNews] Four narco-terrorists killed in Joint Task Force Southern Spear operation, bringing total deaths to 86.
Let the Democrats and their Media Bitches go on "fishing trips" with these guys
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/05/2025 01:29 || Comments || Link || [1851 views] Top|| File under: Narcos

#1  Excellent! More like that please.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike || 12/05/2025 9:57 Comments || Top||

#2  Seems to be a petition to drop Bad Bunny from the halftime show and replace it with 20 minutes of drug runner boats getting blasted.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 12/05/2025 17:55 Comments || Top||

#3  Can we get a half time show of bad bunny being dropped from a plane in the middle of the Caribbean?
Posted by: chris || 12/05/2025 21:18 Comments || Top||


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
FSB arrests those involved in the attack on paratroopers in Chechnya in 2000
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The FSB released footage of the arrest of members of the gang of Shamil Basayev and Amir Khattab, who took part in the attack on Pskov paratroopers in Chechnya in 2000. The corresponding video was released on December 4 by the FSB Public Relations Center (PRC).



On December 2, in cooperation with the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Russian National Guard, three men were detained at their residences in Karachay-Cherkessia, Tatarstan, and the Smolensk region. They have been charged with banditry, armed rebellion, and attempted murder of a service member.

Those detained are 49-year-old Russians Rustam Murzagishiev and Ilkhom Shukurov, as well as Ukrainian citizen and serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) Chingiz Savchenko.

On December 3, the Southern District Military Court found a member of the Basayev and Khattab gang guilty of attacking Russian troops in Dagestan in 1999 and sentenced him to nine years in prison. The defendant was Albert Elakayev, a resident of the village of Kara-Tyube in Stavropol Krai (he is listed as an extremist and terrorist by Rosfinmonitoring).

Militants attacked soldiers of the 6th Company, 104th Regiment, 76th Pskov Airborne Division on February 29, 2000. The attack took place in a mountainous, wooded area near the village of Ulus-Kert in the Shatoi District of Chechnya and lasted until the morning of March 1. Eighty-four soldiers were killed and four more were wounded.

Posted by: badanov || 12/05/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1758 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda


Cyber
Virginia twins arrested for allegedly plotting to destroy government databases
[FoxNews] Muneeb and Sohaib Akhter previously served prison time for conspiracy charges
"My brother Daryl and my other brother Daryl"
Both served multiple years in prison before landing jobs as engineers for Opexus, a federal contractor that helps process U.S. government records.
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/05/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1749 views] Top|| File under: Moslem Colonists


#2  Both served multiple years in prison before landing jobs as engineers for Opexus, a federal contractor that helps process U.S. government records.

?????????
Posted by: Grom the Affective || 12/05/2025 2:30 Comments || Top||

#3  Getting their Deep State creds ahead of the job interviewl; smart move.
Posted by: Richard Aubrey || 12/05/2025 7:41 Comments || Top||

#4  I can but quote the helpful gentleman from 'Angel Heart',
"Why practically everybody around here's named Muneeb or Sohaib.'.
Posted by: Cesare || 12/05/2025 8:28 Comments || Top||


Fifth Column
Judenfrei: Anti-Israel activists disrupt Israeli consulate event at LA synagogue; two arrested
[IsraelTimes] Mayor Karen Bass denounces protest as ‘abhorrent,’ after ‘Elbit out of LA’ protesters storm event where defense researcher was teaching Koreatown residents about cybersecurity, AI

The mayor of Los Angeles has denounced as "abhorrent" and antisemitic a protest that disrupted an event held Wednesday on the campus of the historic Wilshire Boulevard Temple, one of the largest synagogues in the city.

Two people were arrested during the incident, which took place after activists who were protesting outside the synagogue entered an event featuring Jewish security professionals and disrupted it.

Video from the scene showed a handful of activists shouting inside the event, which was organized by the Consulate General of Israel to teach Koreans in the neighborhood, known as Koreatown, about security strategies, with a focus on AI innovations.

The group Koreatown 4 Paleostine, an organizer of the protest, posted videos showing that they had displayed a banner reading "Elbit Out of LA," a reference to the Israeli technology company Elbit Systems that is a prime target for Israel’s critics because of its role in developing tools used by the Israeli military. Goni Saar, an AI researcher for Elbit Systems, was speaking at the event.

Eliana Jolkovsky, a pro-Israel activist who posts under the handle @ThatKoreanJew, said she heard protesters outside shout anti-Israel epithets. She posted a video of herself asking a protester why they chose to demonstrate outside of a synagogue. The women responded, "We’re protesting in front of a site that’s hosting genocide supporters and trying to bring that to KTown."

The incident adds to a string in which activists have targeted events at synagogues that are hosted by Israeli entities or that promote Israel.

Last month, protesters in New York City shouted "Death to the IDF" and other slogans outside a synagogue that was hosting an event promoting Jewish immigration to Israel. The incident has prompted politicians in New York to propose banning demonstrations immediately outside houses of worship.

In Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass tweeted that she was deploying more security to houses of worship. She also said she had spoken with Rabbi Joel Nickerson, Wilshire Boulevard Temple’s senior rabbi.

"This behavior is abhorrent and has no place in Los Angeles," Bass said. "I spoke with Rabbi Nickerson to ensure he and his congregation know that the City of Los Angeles stands with them and fully condemns these attacks."

The Reform congregation’s Koreatown campus is home to an early childhood center, an elementary school and a community space as well as a large domed synagogue building.

"We appreciate the strong support we have received from elected leaders and law enforcement and look forward to working with them to ensure that those responsible for this hateful and illegal conduct are held accountable," Nickerson said in a statement of his own. "No one should be targeted in the City of Los Angeles on account of their faith."

The Jewish Federation of Los Angeles said representatives of its Community Security Initiative, a safety wing, had been participating in the panel, which it said was "intended to promote bridge building, learning and dialogue between the Israeli, Jewish, and AAPI communities."

"CSI is working with our local law enforcement partners to make sure those who caused the incident will be held accountable and our houses of worship continue to remain safe and protected," the federation said in a statement.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/05/2025 2025-12-05 04:30 || Comments || Link || [1760 views] Top|| File under: Hamas


Day 2: Suspect arrested over pipe bombs placed ahead of 6 January Capitol riot
[BBC] Well done, new FBI team! See yesterday’s posts here and here. The BBC liveblogged yesterday’s events. Click on the headline to see all the details at the link.
  • Officials have identified a suspect arrested over the planting of two pipe bombs in Washington DC on the eve of the 6 January 2021 Capitol riot.

  • The suspect is 30-year-old Brian Cole of Woodbridge, Virginia, says Attorney General Pam Bondi

  • FBI Director Kash Patel tells the news conference the suspect will "have his day in court"

  • Finding the suspect was like "finding a needle in a haystack", says US Attorney Jeanine Pirro

  • The devices were discovered outside the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic National Committees as rioters began storming the Capitol, and were safely deactivated

  • The arrest follows a nearly five-year manhunt and the offer of a $500,000 (£400,000) reward



[X]
…why the FBI & DOJ could not “find” this guy for 4 years. The Biden FBI had mountains of evidence against Brian Cole. Receipts, cell data, license plate, photos and videos of the crime. They knew exactly who did it!

But Brian’s profile destroys their entire ‘MAGA white supremacist insurrection bomber’ narrative in one blow.

The FBI didn’t “fail” to catch him.
Leftists protected their own.
This is the biggest FBI cover-up scandal in history. What a nightmare…

Just for the record, here is the NY Post link Abu Uluque posted yesterday in comments, which adds:.
Neighbors living near the suburban cul-de-sac described a young man who shunned most human interaction and doted on a pet Chihuahua.

“He’s very antisocial. Very,” a woman who said she had lived in the neighborhood since 1991 told The Post of Cole. “He keeps to himself.”

“He has a dog that he loves,” she added. “He walks every day, twice a day, to 7-Eleven with his dog and he wears his headphones.”

“He seemed very quiet. He would never make eye contact. Almost like he just didn’t see you,” added a second neighbor, a man who noted that Cole would “wear shorts all winter long, and red Crocs.”

I vote for negligence — it’s mostly the same people who did the work to find him,except for a change in senior management. Courtesy of Skidmark: FBI director suggests 'sheer incompetence' or 'negligence' in Biden admin handling of pipe bomb case
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/05/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1768 views] Top|| File under: Antifa/BLM




#4  Yeah the FBI was more concerned about parents at school board meetings over the last few years for some reason, rather than this guy.
Posted by: Mullah Richard || 12/05/2025 7:40 Comments || Top||

#5 
As we can see, the wheels of justice turn conveniently slower under Democrat RULE.
Posted by: NN2N1 || 12/05/2025 8:04 Comments || Top||

#6  Cell phone signal tracking and analysis has been around for a few decades. Nice to see analysts at the bureau are catching up. BTW....IS concert HAMAS fellas now all TANGO UNIFORM (one terrorist remains).

Wonder how the IDF did that ?
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/05/2025 9:45 Comments || Top||

#7  Betcha they got him because he bragged about it on social networks.
Posted by: Grom the Affective || 12/05/2025 10:01 Comments || Top||

#8  Stymied.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 12/05/2025 10:04 Comments || Top||

#9  To stay undetected for 4+ years all he did was avoid church, avoid PTA meetings and join ANTIFA
Posted by: Airandee || 12/05/2025 10:52 Comments || Top||

#10  ^ Or cosplaying as a white guy
Posted by: Frank G || 12/05/2025 10:55 Comments || Top||

#11  Betcha they got him because he bragged about it on social networks.

Apparently no social media presence and a strong introvert.

He was working on those bombs since 2019. Perhaps someone else bragged about working with him — given the claims that he is a radical anti-Trump and racial justice activist, someone must have i teracted with him somewhere.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/05/2025 11:08 Comments || Top||

#12  Apparently no social media presence and a strong introvert.

Then, I don't know how - unless they knew it ALL the time.
Posted by: Grom the Affective || 12/05/2025 11:55 Comments || Top||

#13  Who gets his shoes?
Posted by: Regular joe || 12/05/2025 11:57 Comments || Top||

#14  How they knew he was a radical, per PJ Media:

The Daily Wire reported Thursday evening that Cole comes from a family deeply entrenched in left-wing activism.

Weeks before the alleged bombings, Cole worked for his father’s bail bond company, which specialized in freeing illegal immigrants and even sued the Trump administration’s DHS over immigration enforcement.

Weeks before 30-year-old Cole Jr. allegedly planted pipe bombs at the headquarters of the Democrat and Republican parties on January 5, 2021, a court ruled against the company in its lawsuit attacking the Trump administration on immigration issues, The Daily Wire has learned. An FBI affidavit in the case notes that the suspect works for a bail bond company and lives with his mother.

Later in 2021, the company held a press conference bemoaning anti-black racism with a left-wing attorney. Cole Sr. and Benjamin Crump, who represented the family of Trayvon Martin, attempted to sic the Biden Department of Justice on a local Tennessee prosecutor who had raised questions about the bail bond company.

Cole and his father ran multiple bail bond companies specializing in helping illegal immigrants avoid jail. Public records show the father relocated to Knoxville, Tenn., around 2017. One company even sued the Trump administration’s DHS over immigration policies, claiming its clients were unfairly penalized when they missed court dates, but the D.C. Court of Appeals rejected all their claims just weeks before Cole allegedly planted pipe bombs. In fact, Cole Jr. had already been buying bomb-making parts as early as May 2019 — long before any disputes over election results.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/05/2025 13:21 Comments || Top||


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Ashkelon man indicted for allegedly spying for Iran as cases continue to pile up
[IsraelTimes] Police say 37-year-old Amir Malka was paid several thousand dollars; Bat Yam mayor appeals to citizens to stop helping Iran, says even he received recruitment texts
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/05/2025 2025-12-05 04:49 || Comments || Link || [1744 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran Proxies


IDF says it carried out major raid in West Bank’s Qalqiliya
[IsraelTimes] The IDF says it conducted a large-scale raid in the West Bank city of Qalqiliya in the past day, searching hundreds of buildings and detaining several terror suspects.

The operation was carried out by three IDF brigades, along with Border Police and Israel Police forces, the army says.

The IDF says the troops seized an assault rifle, weapon parts, and ammunition, and detained “weapons dealers, terrorists, and suspects involved in the preparation of explosives.”

During the operation, the soldiers also opened fire on a Palestinian suspect who “posed a threat to the force and threw a suspicious object at them,” the army adds. Palestinian media reported that a 12-year-old was seriously wounded by IDF gunfire in the area.

The raid came hours after an Israeli civilian entered Qalqiliya on foot and was extracted by Israeli authorities.

Hamas: At least 13 Palestinians arrested in West Bank; Qalqilya closes schools due to IDF curfew

[IsraelTimes] At least 13 Palestinians have been arrested today across the West Bank, Hamas’s Asra prisoner affairs office says.

They include one person from near Ramallah, five from near Hebron, two from near Jenin, three from near Nablus and two, including a 16-year-old, from near Qalqilya, the office says.

Meanwhile, Palestinian media reports that the IDF has imposed a curfew on parts of Qalqilya, in the central West Bank. The governorate announced on Facebook this morning that activities in government offices, schools and kindergartens were suspended for the day.

Posted by: trailing wife || 12/05/2025 2025-12-05 04:49 || Comments || Link || [1756 views] Top|| File under:


Powerful Israel-backed clan leader who fought Hamas murdered in Gaza
[FoxNews] A powerful anti-Hamas clan leader protecting civilians in Gaza and allegedly backed by Israel has been murdered in Rafah, according to multiple reports.

Yasser Abu Shabab, head of the Abu Shabab militia, known locally as the "Popular Forces" of the Gaza Strip, had risen to prominence for his cooperation with Israel against Hamas' influence in the region, according to analysts.

"Abu Shabab militia helped Israel to protect the locals and prevent Hamas from harming them," Professor Kobi Michael, senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) and the Misgav Institute told Fox News Digital.

"Hamas has become deeply troubled because of these militias and makes its utmost efforts to dismantle them. It perceives them as a real threat, but the fact that Abu Shabab was murdered by a rival, Hamula, indicates that it will not be enough just to disarm Hamas.

"Still, without an effective alternative governance to Hamas, the Strip will deteriorate into chaos."

As reported by Fox News Digital in July, Abu Shabab’s group began forming in early 2024 after the IDF entered Rafah and Hamas started to lose control of the area.

Allegedly operating under Israeli protection, his men were escorting aid trucks, distributing supplies and asserting control over parts of eastern Rafah.

On Thursday, The Jerusalem Post reported sources claiming Abu Shabab was initially wounded in a clan-related confrontation. He was subsequently evacuated to a hospital in southern Israel, where he later died from his injuries.

The Popular Forces later released a statement, also cited by The Jerusalem Post, confirming Abu Shabab’s death and insisting he had been killed while attempting to resolve a local dispute.

The group vowed to continue its operations until "the last terrorist was eliminated in Gaza," adding that it would keep pursuing "a bright and secure future for our people who believe in peace," the outlet said.

In a past interview with Ynet, Abu Shabab said, "We will not leave the Gaza Strip and will continue to fight Hamas until the last one is dead."

A senior U.N. official, Georgios Petropoulos, also once referred to him as "the self-styled power broker of east Rafah," according to a previous New York Times interview.

"Israel has never believed that these militias can replace Hamas or become an effective ruler of the Gaza Strip," added Michael.

"But both sides have a common enemy — Hamas. On the other hand, these militias were and are against Hamas and willing to fight Hamas. Israel perceived these militias as another operational tool in its war against Hamas and established cooperation with them based on local interests and essence."

According to Reuters, Abu Shabab’s militia continued operating from Israeli-controlled areas of southern Gaza following the U.S.-backed ceasefire in October.

On Nov. 18, the group posted a video showing fighters preparing for a security sweep to "clear Rafah of terror," referencing Hamas forces believed to be hiding in the area.

As reported by Fox News Digital, the ceasefire created a new landscape of militias, clan groups and networks as Hamas’ control weakened throughout the region, including the Popular Forces in Rafah.

"The situation is very fragile and unstable as long as Hamas is able to operate freely in Gaza," Michael added.
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/05/2025 01:27 || Comments || Link || [1771 views] Top|| File under: Hamas


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Israel launches strikes on Hezbollah targets day after direct talks with Lebanon
[IsraelTimes] IDF says it struck weapons depots after issuing evacuation warnings for several villages in south Lebanon; countries still said slated to hold second meeting on economic cooperation

The Israel Defense Forces carried out a wave of Arclight airstrike
...KABOOM!...
s against what it said were Hezbollah weapons depots in southern Leb
...The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. Only one of those statements is an exaggeration....
on Thursday, just one day after Israeli officials held their first direct meeting with counterparts from the Lebanese government in decades.

While Lebanon may have hoped that engaging in the contacts would help dissuade Israel from continuing such strikes in southern Lebanon, Jerusalem has shown no indication that it is prepared to hold back amid its frustration with the pace of Beirut’s efforts to disarm Hezbollah.

The strikes were carried out after the IDF issued evacuation warnings for residents of the southern Lebanon villages of Jbaa, Mahrouna, Mjadel, and Baraachit.

The IDF said the weapon depots were placed "in the heart of the civilian population," and they "constituted a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon."

"This is yet another example of Hezbollah’s cynical use of Lebanese civilians as human shields, and continued operations from within civilian areas," the military added.

On Wednesday, Israel and Lebanon sent civilian envoys to a committee overseeing a fragile ceasefire agreed a year ago that both sides have accused the other of breaking.

Channel 12 reported on Thursday that Israeli and Lebanese representatives agreed to hold another meeting later this month to continue exploring economic cooperation, after the two neighbors held their first direct talks in decades yesterday.

Citing unnamed Israeli officials, the network said that Wednesday’s meeting lasted over an hour and was productive, with representatives of both countries agreeing to come to the follow-up sit-down with proposals for promoting economic cooperation in areas such as agriculture, technology, transportation and infrastructure.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Wednesday that the meeting was held "in a positive spirit," and that Israel emphasized that "the disarmament of Hezbollah is mandatory, regardless of progress in economic cooperation." Israel and the United States have pushed Lebanon to disarm the terror group in accordance with the terms of a ceasefire agreement signed a year ago that ended the 2023-2024 conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

An Israeli official told Channel 12, "We are prepared to move forward together with the Lebanese government, but it must deal with Hezbollah."

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, following the meeting, said economic cooperation would only follow a peace agreement between the sides.

"Economic [talks] will be a part of normalization, normalization will follow peace. It cannot precede peace," Salam said, when asked about Israel’s statements that it was hoping to build ties and economic cooperation with Lebanon.

"We are far from being there," he told news hounds at his office.

The Wednesday meeting organized by the US was part of the "Cessation of Hostilities Implementation Mechanism" — made up of US, UNIFIL, Israeli, French, and Lebanese officials — which is aimed at pushing forward with the ceasefire reached just over a year ago with Israel.

Jerusalem and Beirut last held indirect talks in Naqoura to finalize a maritime boundary in 2022 — an agreement brokered by the US.

Wednesday’s meeting also came as Israeli and US officials have warned that the IDF could embark on a major operation if the Lebanese government does not make progress in disarming the Hezbollah terror group.

Tensions in Lebanon have ratcheted up in recent weeks. The IDF accuses Hezbollah of violating the November 2024 ceasefire and has intensified its strikes against terror group targets, including killing its chief of staff in a rare strike in Beirut last month.

Under the terms of the ceasefire, Hezbollah was required to vacate southern Lebanon, while Israel was given 60 days to do so. The IDF later withdrew from all but five posts along the border with Lebanon, citing the incomplete dismantling of Hezbollah’s infrastructure in the country’s south.

In addition to hundreds of airstrikes amid the ceasefire, the military said, ground troops have conducted over 1,200 raids and other small operations in southern Lebanon, mostly in areas surrounding the five "strategic" border posts, to prevent Hezbollah from restoring its capabilities.

The operations included demolishing terror infrastructure, thwarting Hezbollah intelligence collection efforts, and other activities to damage the terror group’s capabilities, the army said. During the raids, troops located numerous weapons, rocket-launching sites, and other buildings used by Hezbollah, the army added.

Israel invaded Lebanon in September 2024 in a bid to secure the return home of some 60,000 residents displaced by Hezbollah’s near-daily attacks on northern Israel starting October 8, 2023 — a day after fellow Iran-backed group Hamas
..a regional Iranian catspaw,...
invaded southern Israel, sparking 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...
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Posted by: trailing wife || 12/05/2025 2025-12-05 04:34 || Comments || Link || [1753 views] Top|| File under: Hezbollah



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