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Area: WoT Operations    Non-WoT    Opinion    Local News    Politix   
UK police charge two with belonging to Hezbollah, attending terrorism training
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
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Page 4: Opinion
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Page 6: Politix
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-Land of the Free
Pentagon prepares a major plan which would see the downgrade of several of the U.S. Armed Force’s Unified Combatant Commands

Text:

According to an exclusive report published by The Washington Post, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, along with other senior officials at the Pentagon, are preparing a major plan to present to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in the coming day, which would see the downgrade of several of the U.S. Armed Force’s Unified Combatant Commands and a shift in the balance of power among its top generals, as part of a consolidation previously sought by Hegseth and other members of the Trump Administration.
More at the link

Courtesy of Skidmark:
Pete Hegseth to slash 4-star generals in Pentagon shake-up that pulls the plug on Europe and Middle East

[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is driving a major overhaul to pivot the US military away from Europe and the Middle East and refocus operations on the Western Hemisphere, sources indicate to the Washington Post.

Top Pentagon leadership are finalizing a plan that would dramatically downgrade America's military presence in traditional theaters while consolidating power closer to home – marking a fundamental shift in US strategic priorities.

The proposal would reduce US Central Command, US Africa Command and US European Command to subordinate status under a new umbrella organization called US International Command – stripping these Middle Eastern and European-focused headquarters of their current four-star authority.

Simultaneously, the plan calls for merging US Southern Command and US Northern Command into a powerful new headquarters dubbed US Americas Command, or 'Americom' – elevating the Western Hemisphere's importance in the Pentagon's hierarchy.

If approved, the restructuring would trigger the first substantial shake-up of the military's top brass in generations while slashing the number of four-star generals reporting directly to Hegseth.

The initiative aligns with Trump's national security strategy released this month declaring the 'days of the United States propping up the entire world order like Atlas are over.'

Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine is expected to present detailed plans to Hegseth in the coming days.

Notably, the Senate and House Armed Services committees have not been briefed on the proposal – breaking with the Pentagon's traditional practice of coordinating major changes with congressional overseers.

Altogether, the changes would significantly shrink the number of defense headquarters from 11 to eight, while also cutting down on the number of four–star generals and admirals.

The surviving combatant commands would be the US Cyber Command, US Special Operations Command, US Indo–Pacific Command, US Space Command, US Strategic Command and US Transportation Command.

Congress has reportedly mandated that the Pentagon produce a detailed blueprint outlining the potential costs of the realignment and its impact on US alliances with other countries.

This requirement, embedded within the annual defense policy bill, would withhold funding for the proposal until at least 60 days after the necessary paperwork is submitted to lawmakers.

The defense policy bill has already cleared the House and is anticipated to pass the Senate later this week.

'Time ain't on our side, man,' a senior defense official told the Washington Post. 'The saying here is, 'If not us, who, and if not now, when?'

The official also called the plan 'urgent,' saying there is 'decay' in how the military commands and leads troops.

This comes as the Department of War struck three more alleged 'narco–terror' boats on Monday, killing eight more people.
Good.
Hegseth and his team have been under fire for their most recent 'double–tap' strike that killed two remaining survivors of a September 2 boat attack. Republican and Democratic lawmakers have expressed concerns over the strike and its legality, with some still demanding the Pentagon release the footage.

Hegseth indicated on Tuesday the full unedited video of the double-tap strikes will be shown to members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees later this week. Democratic Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Kelly have both said that if the reports are accurate, the double-tap action would constitute a 'war crime'. President Trump has backed Hegseth, saying the secretary 'did not order the death of those two men.'
Posted by: badanov || 12/17/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1766 views] Top|| File under:

#1  The Morale Suppression Team has been put on high alert.
Posted by: Super Hose || 12/17/2025 8:01 Comments || Top||

#2  Makes sense as we have mostly ignored south america and islamic/terrorist penetration into the Tri Border Area - TBA.

Omar Ibn Al-Khattab Mosque in TBA.

Names have meaning: Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second Caliph of Islam, was significant for transforming the early Muslim statelets into a vast, structured empire.
Posted by: mossomo || 12/17/2025 14:07 Comments || Top||


Afghanistan
Taliban regime facilitates the transfer of ISIS from Syria to Afghanistan

Text:

The Taliban regime has facilitated the transfer of ISIS from #Syria to Afghanistan and their deployment to Pakistan.

This video shows a Syrian individual sent from Afghanistan to #Waziristan alongside the TTP, and his use of the term Khorasan instead of Afghanistan clearly reveals their ISIS identity.

Posted by: badanov || 12/17/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1777 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State

#1  I am convinced when they use Khorasan and ISIS-K, it's branding for McCain's Moderate Rebels.

Our payments to the Taliban paid for this.
Posted by: mossomo || 12/17/2025 14:21 Comments || Top||


Africa Horn
SLM leader urges Germany to press UAE to stop ‘aggression’
[SudanTribune] The chairman of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), Minni Arko Minnawi, urged a German official on Monday to pressure the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to cease its support for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which he described as an act of “aggression” against Sudan.
And so it is.
Minnawi, who is also the Governor of the Darfur region and a key ally of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), made the demand during a meeting in Berlin with Serap Güler, the German Minister of State to the Federal Foreign Office.

Minnawi stated in remarks released by his media office that the “comprehensive aggression launched by the UAE” targets Sudan’s “sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity,” using the RSF militia and thousands of foreign mercenaries to occupy lands and loot resources.

More at the link
Posted by: badanov || 12/17/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1772 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Sudan

#1  Nothing a rapid surrender won't fix.
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/17/2025 9:56 Comments || Top||

#2 
Posted by: Grom the Affective || 12/17/2025 12:48 Comments || Top||

#3  CIA and Islam have a lot in common.

Every since the CIA was invented, it has been destabilizing both friendly and unfriendly nations.

And the same with Jihad. Jihad is considered obligatory in Islam, and if there are no kafir to kill, intertribal fighting occurs, with all the sheiks and princes betting on a horse.
Posted by: mossomo || 12/17/2025 14:01 Comments || Top||


Africa North
Who is Colonel Hussein Ghoulam, the leader of the bloody Sombi attack in the Timbuktu region?

Text:

Who is Colonel Hussein Ghoulam, the leader of the bloody Sombi attack in the Timbuktu region?

- A former officer with the rank of "colonel" in the Malian National Guard, who later turned to armed operations against Mali.

- Joined in 2012 the "Arab Movement for Azawad"
…secular liberation movement for the Tuareg Arabs in the Azawad region in Northern Mali since 2012…
(Permanent Strategic Framework), and rose through the ranks to become the movement's chief of staff and commander of the eastern Timbuktu sector.

More at the link

Posted by: badanov || 12/17/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1768 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda


#2  ^ The investigation into this attack has been a shambles

A well executed attack.
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/17/2025 9:59 Comments || Top||

#3  Hussein the Ghoul... has kind of a ring to it....
Posted by: Mercutio || 12/17/2025 10:04 Comments || Top||


Algerian regime has established a special unit named 'KL-7', composed of 320 mercenaries,

Text:

According to an African security source, the Algerian regime has established a special unit named "KL-7", composed of 320 #mercenaries, tasked with destabilizing #Mali, #Niger, and #BurkinaFaso.

Based near #Tamanrasset, the unit is structured into 4 squadrons and equipped with a modern arsenal that is difficult to trace: #assault rifles with modular calibers, #tactical drones capable of jamming communications, #portable surface-to-surface missiles for rapid strikes, surface-to-air missiles, latest-generation night vision equipment, and light armored vehicles adapted to rocky border areas.

Presumed organization:

- Alpha Squadron: assault forces – 120 men
- Mist Squadron: #sabotage and #intelligence – 60 operators
- Delta Squadron: drones and electronic warfare – 40 technicians
- Shadow Squadron: snipers and stealth operations – 100 men

Operational objectives:

More at the link
Posted by: badanov || 12/17/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1766 views] Top|| File under:


Britain
UK police charge two with belonging to Hezbollah, attending terrorism training
[IsraelTimes] Annis Makki, 40, Mohamed Hadi, 33, accused of training in Lebanon; force says arrests were made following work with ‘overseas’ colleagues, no threat assessed to wider public

British police said on Tuesday they had charged two men with belonging to Hezbollah and attending terrorism training camps in Leb
...The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else?...
The Lebanese terror group, which is backed by Iran, is banned in the UK.

The men were arrested at their home addresses in London in April and rearrested last week when they were subsequently charged with a total of nine terrorism offenses.

"These arrests and charges follow a painstaking investigation by detectives of Counter Terrorism Policing London, who have worked closely with a number of overseas law enforcement colleagues," said Commander Dominic Murphy, head of London’s Counter Terrorism Policing.

"I want to reassure the public that I do not assess there is an ongoing threat to the wider public as a result of the activities of these two individuals."

Annis Makki, 40, is charged with attending a terrorist training camp at the Birket Jabbour airbase in Lebanon in 2021, being involved in the preparation of terrorist acts, being a member of Hezbollah, and expressing support both for Hezbollah and the terror group Hamas
..a regional Iranian catspaw,...
, which is also banned by the UK and supported by Iran.

Mohammed Hadi, 33, is also accused of belonging to Hezbollah and attending a training camp in Baffliyeh in south Lebanon in 2015 and at the Birket Jabbour airbase in 2021.

Both men were due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.

In London in 2015, British intelligence found four Hezbollah operatives with three tons of ammonium nitrate held in flour sacks, according to UK media. A senior Israeli official told the Kan public broadcaster in 2019 that the Mosssd
...sees all, knows all, gets 'em all in the end...
spy agency had tipped off British officials about the material, which can be used to make explosives.

The UK’s Daily Telegraph newspaper reported that the stockpile was part of a Hezbollah plan to attack Israeli targets across the globe. Other caches planted by Hezbollah cells were discovered in Cyprus, Thailand, and European countries, according to reports.

In 2020, Channel 12 reported that the Mossad tipped off German officials about Hezbollah operatives in southern Germany with enough ammonium nitrate "to blow up a city." Germany subsequently banned Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/17/2025 2025-12-17 04:34 || Comments || Link || [1859 views] Top|| File under: Hezbollah


Caribbean-Latin America
Trump declares 'Venezuelan regime' a foreign terrorist organization, orders oil tanker blockade
[FoxNews] Maduro regime designated foreign terrorist organization over alleged stolen US oil fields

President Donald Trump on Tuesday ordered a total blockade of oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela, declaring the Nicolás Maduro regime a foreign terrorist organization and accusing it of using stolen U.S. assets to finance terrorism, trafficking and other criminal activity.

"Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America," Trump said on Truth Social. "It will only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before – Until such time as they return to the United States of America all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us.

"The illegitimate Maduro Regime is using Oil from these stolen Oil Fields to finance themselves, Drug Terrorism, Human Trafficking, Murder, and Kidnapping," he continued. "For the theft of our Assets, and many other reasons, including Terrorism, Drug Smuggling, and Human Trafficking, the Venezuelan Regime has been designated a FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION.

"Therefore, today, I am ordering A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela," Trump added. "The Illegal Aliens and Criminals that the Maduro Regime has sent into the United States during the weak and inept Biden Administration, are being returned to Venezuela at a rapid pace. America will not allow Criminals, Terrorists, or other Countries, to rob, threaten, or harm our Nation and, likewise, will not allow a Hostile Regime to take our Oil, Land, or any other Assets, all of which must be returned to the United States, IMMEDIATELY."

Trump announced Wednesday that the U.S. had seized an oil tanker called the "Skipper" off the coast of Venezuela, sharply escalating U.S. tensions with the nation. The tanker was seized for allegedly being used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran, according to Attorney General Pam Bondi.

The "Skipper" is a vessel that secretly ferries oil in defiance of sanctions, while also being part of an armada of roughly 1,000 tankers that quietly navigate global sea routes to move oil from sanctioned countries like Russia, Iran and Venezuela, according to the administration.

The so-called "ghost ships" sail under foreign flags to obscure their origins, repeatedly change names, shift ownership through shell companies, disable transponders to evade tracking and conduct mid-sea transfers to mask their cargo.

The "Skipper" was loaded with an estimated 1.8 million barrels of oil earlier in December before transferring an estimated 200,000 barrels just before its seizure, Reuters reported.

The oil on the tanker is likely worth $60 million to more than $100 million, based on current average oil prices. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for any additional comment on the estimated price tag of the oil but did not immediately receive a reply.

The U.S. military has carried out strikes on suspected drug trafficking boats near Venezuela since September as part of Trump's mission to end the flow of drugs into the nation.

There have been at least 22 strikes on suspected narcotraffickers near Venezuela, killing 87, since September.

The boat strikes are viewed as part of a U.S. pressure campaign on Venezuela likely aimed to not only curb the flow of drugs, but also to oust Maduro as leader of the oil-rich nation.
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/17/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1807 views] Top|| File under: Commies


#2  Let's begin hearing all the pussies start screaming that the US is after the oil like we don't have any!
Posted by: chris || 12/17/2025 0:36 Comments || Top||

#3  Sounds good. Get it done.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike || 12/17/2025 2:36 Comments || Top||

#4  This massive and rapid escalation seems to be an excessive reaction to "terrorism, trafficking and other criminal activity" from Venezuela.

Is the Trump administration aware of a massive impending threat to the US originating from Venezuela and allies like Iran, Russia or China.

Is this escalation an attempt to preempt a new Cuban Missle Crisis style confrontation?

</speculation>
Posted by: Elmerert Hupens2660 || 12/17/2025 3:15 Comments || Top||

#5  I expect Boasberg will shortly issue his first worldwide injunction. Eventually, his injunctions will intrude into the affairs Olof parallel dimensions.
Posted by: Super Hose || 12/17/2025 8:06 Comments || Top||

#6  This massive and rapid escalation seems to be an excessive reaction

excessive?
NIH: Drug Overdose Deaths: Facts and Figures
50,000/year

rapid?
Took 6 months to build up to the 10 day war for Kuwait.
The US Southern Front has been ignored for YEARS.
Peaking at 5000/day the migrant assault has been underway for decades.

/rage
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/17/2025 9:45 Comments || Top||

#7  I'm not criticizing the Trump administration.

But precisely because these issues have been ignored for decades (including Trump 45) I wonder if there's another reason behind this escalation.

There seems be an urgency behind this build up that might have an undisclosed cause.
Posted by: Elmerert Hupens2660 || 12/17/2025 11:37 Comments || Top||

#8 
There seems be an urgency behind this build up that might have an undisclosed cause.

Europe is lost to the Muzzies.
The Chinese economic transform/invasion of South America is preceding apace.
From the Gulf of America south, the Western region needs stabilization to become reliable trading partners.
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/17/2025 11:55 Comments || Top||

#9  The Rand people wrote about that question in March, Elmerert Hupens2660:

Hezbollah's Networks in Latin America

Although U.S. policymakers face a variety of complex challenges in addressing transnational terrorism, one underappreciated aspect is Hezbollah's evolving presence in Latin America. Academic literature and government reports almost universally indicate that Hezbollah's activities in the region pose potential threats to U.S. national security. However, there is a significant knowledge gap in existing assessments. In this paper, the author offers an initial exploration of Hezbollah's operational footprint in Latin America, focusing on illicit funding mechanisms, violent operations, and key operational hubs — particularly in the Tri-Border Area and Venezuela. The analysis situates these activities within the broader context of Iran's regional diplomatic, economic, and cultural activities, which partially facilitate conditions amenable to Hezbollah's operations.


PDF. Pages 7-8 have a nice table by country of items of interest.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/17/2025 11:55 Comments || Top||

#10  You're so good!
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/17/2025 12:48 Comments || Top||

#11  Fetterman sets the record straight on drug-boat kaboob strategy: "Scott Jennings: “I can report to you what Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman said today who went into a classified briefing and came out and said, we know exactly who's on the boats. We know exactly what they're doing. We know exactly what they have.”

“These are classified briefings, but you have a United States Senator of the president's opposition party saying. I got a briefing, I saw the intelligence and we know exactly what we're doing.”

https://x.com/RedWave_Press/status/2001277857419378756
Posted by: NoMoreBS || 12/17/2025 13:48 Comments || Top||

#12  Why now? Look at the worthless turds we've had in the Oval Office for the past three decades.
Posted by: Regular joe || 12/17/2025 15:06 Comments || Top||

#13  Why now?

In order to push out the Chinese, Trump has given Putin license to proceed with Ukraine et. al. in exchange for extraction/nullification of remaining Soviet influences in the Western hemisphere. /extrapolation
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/17/2025 16:50 Comments || Top||

#14  See: Pete Hegseth to slash 4-star generals in Pentagon shake-up that pulls the plug on Europe and Middle East
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/17/2025 16:57 Comments || Top||


Trinidad and Tobago Opens Airports to U.S. Military Aircraft
[Breitbart] The government of Trinidad and Tobago announced Monday it will allow U.S. military aircrafts to use its airports in the coming weeks.

In a statement released by its Foreign Minister, Trinidad and Tobago reaffirmed its commitment to collaborate with the United States to advance safety, security, and stability in the region.

“In keeping with established bilateral cooperation, the Ministry has granted approvals for United States military aircraft to transit Trinidad and Tobago’s airports in the coming weeks,” the statement read in part. “The United States has advised that these movements are logistical in nature, facilitating supply replenishment and routine personnel rotations.”

According to Latin American outlets, the agreement grants the U.S. military the ability to use Trinidad and Tobago’s two international airports: Piarco in Port of Spain, Trinidad, and the A.N.R. Robinson International Airport in Scarborough, Tobago.

Over the past months, the government led by Trinidadian Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has increased its collaboration with the United States in light of the ongoing U.S. military deployment in the Caribbean to fight drug trafficking cartels operating in the region.

Earlier this month, Persad-Bissessar confirmed that a recently-installed U.S. radar system in the country will be used for the fight against drug trafficking and to curb the movement of sanctioned Venezuelan oil.

In October, the USS Gravely Navy Aegis guided missile destroyer visited Port of Spain for a series of military exercises — an activity that drew the ire of Venezuela’s socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro, who accused the nation’s Prime Minister of being a “warmonger.”

Maduro, and members of his authoritarian regime have repeatedly claimed that the ongoing U.S. military’s drug-fight efforts in the Caribbean are allegedly a pretext to stage an “invasion” of Venezuela and remove him from power with the objective of “stealing” Venezuela’s oil and other resources.

“Through this partnership, Trinidad and Tobago has benefited from joint military training exercises, enhanced surveillance capabilities, including the installation of an effective radar system, and collaborative efforts that have contributed to the interdiction of millions of dollars’ worth of illegal narcotics,” The Trinidadian Foreign Ministry’s statement read.

“The United States Embassy in Trinidad and Tobago has also supported national development through educational initiatives, including school equipment donations and infrastructure enhancement projects,” the statement continued.

On Monday afternoon, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil published an official regime statement accusing Trinidad and Tobago of allegedly “having knowledge” of the “theft” of a sanctioned oil tanker recently seized by the United States. The socialist regime lashed out against Persad-Bissessar, accusing her of having a “hostile agenda” against Venezuela over the installation of the U.S. radar systems to “harass ships transporting Venezuelan oil.”

“This official has turned the territory of Trinidad and Tobago into a U.S. aircraft carrier to attack Venezuela, in an unequivocal act of vassalage,” the statement read in part.
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/17/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1808 views] Top|| File under: Commies

#1  ...And I hope somebody in SecState's office is making sure that T&T is being taken care of for this. It shouldn't be forgotten.

Mike
Posted by: MikeKozlowski || 12/17/2025 8:02 Comments || Top||

#2  Anticipating massive revenue from airport lounges and flightline snack provisioning vendors.
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/17/2025 9:55 Comments || Top||

#3  Duh - they will make more serious bank on fuel uplifts
Posted by: Gloluns Turkeyneck4904 || 12/17/2025 11:39 Comments || Top||

#4  fuel uplifts

JP-8 from the US fuel bunkers.
Hope we don't pay for it twice.
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/17/2025 16:54 Comments || Top||


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
The Order of Courage for the hero of Crocus: Restored Justice Daniil of Moscow
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[REGNUM] In the special project "Regnum Helps," we tell stories where journalistic work has become a catalyst for real change. These aren't dry statements of facts, but rather stories where the editorial team sees injustice and helps people achieve justice.

One such story is about Vugar Guseinov, an employee of Vnukovo Airport, who, during the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall, shielded women with his body and saved someone else's life at the cost of his own.

His feat was captured on video, and the footage was widely circulated in the world's media—but the hero did not receive a state award.

Until Regnum wrote about him.

And this is how it all happened.

40-year-old Vugar and his 33-year-old wife, Lilit Israelyan,
…an Armenian surname, apparently…
had long dreamed of going to a concert by the band "Piknik." That evening, their dream came true—they went to Crocus City Hall with their friends, the married couple Valentin and Svetlana Nikolaenkov.

Timur's eighteen-month-old son was taken to his grandparents. But the little boy didn't want to let go of his parents—he ran after them, as if he sensed something.

Before leaving, they warned their families that they would be unavailable for a couple of hours; they didn't want to be distracted during the concert. No one knew that this evening would be the last for three of the four friends.

Another friend, Alexey, was supposed to be arriving at the concert with his seven-year-old son. He was late at the Crocus, and as he entered, he heard gunshots. He told his son to run, and they ran past the wall to the escalator. There, Alexey lay on top of his son, shielding him, and that's how they got out. At the metro, he started calling Vugar and Valentin, but there was no answer.

As we recall, shortly before the performance began, four armed terrorists stormed the building. They opened fire on the audience and then set the concert hall on fire. That night, 149 people died, including six children. More than 550 were injured. Nine children from six families were left orphans.

When the militants reached the first-floor hallway, Vugar, Lilit, and their friends were standing by the cloakroom. The terrorists fired at those fleeing. Panicked, people hid behind columns—two married couples also found shelter there.

Vugar made no attempt to escape. Amid the roar of machine-gun fire, he began toppling heavy bar tables, creating a makeshift barricade for those hiding behind the column.

In the next few seconds, Valentin Nikolaenkov lunged at the terrorist who was reloading his machine gun. Before he could make it, another militant shot him dead. Vugar shielded his wife and friend Svetlana, taking the fire himself.

Sadly, only Svetlana survived. Her children later told reporters that this was only possible thanks to Vugar, who shielded her with his body.

When neighbors learned of the couple's death, they came to their car in the yard and placed a photo of the family and many flowers on it. The funeral was well attended—everyone who knew them attended.

One-and-a-half-year-old Timur became the youngest of the children who lost their parents in the terrorist attack.

His grandparents, Lilit's parents, Karine and Khachik Israelyan, secured guardianship. Lilit's younger sister, 28-year-old Marina, came from Kislovodsk for the funeral. Timur saw her and rushed to her, shouting, "Mom!"—the sisters looked so much alike. He's called her that ever since. Marina became the child's official representative and assists the family with all bureaucratic matters.

For the first year after the tragedy, the family could not communicate with the press – it was too difficult.

In July 2024, President Vladimir Putin posthumously awarded Nikolaenkov the Order of Courage for attacking a terrorist. It was justified.

Vugar, who saved Valentin's wife at the cost of his own life, was not remembered in time.

When news of the award spread through the media, friends and acquaintances of the Israelyan family began asking, "What about Vugar? Why didn't he get an award?" The video of him building a barricade under fire was seen by millions. The award was discussed, but never went beyond that.

"I think Valentin was immediately awarded because his children were talking to journalists. But we simply couldn't bear to talk to anyone and refused to comment, " Marina later explained.

A year passed. The first anniversary of the terrorist attack was approaching.

The family realized that if Vugar's story was not told now, justice might never be served.

On March 19, 2025, three days before the anniversary of the tragedy, Regnum News Agency published an article about Guseinov's heroic deed. His relatives spoke in detail for the first time about the incident and asked that a posthumous award be considered.

"This is the case when you simply want justice and want to appeal everywhere, to every authority, screaming to get through!" Marina said then.

Our publication attracted attention. Valery Fadeyev, Chairman of the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights, sent an official appeal to the Investigative Committee.

On July 31, 2025, a decree from the President of Russia appeared on the official website for the publication of legal acts: Guseinov was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage "for courage and dedication demonstrated in the performance of his civic duty."

Regnum news agency journalists were the first to tell the news to the family.

"Our family is so happy! We didn't even know the document had been signed—you were the first to tell us," Marina said. She added, "This wasn't possible without your great help. Thank you for your support! This was very important to our family."

On October 20, 2025, administration officials visited the Israelyan family and presented them with the Order of Courage and the award documents. A few days earlier, Timur had turned three. The boy celebrated his birthday with his family—his aunt, whom he calls his mom, and his grandparents.

He doesn't yet know what happened to his parents on the evening of March 22, 2024. He doesn't know that his father is a hero who saved someone else's life. When he grows up, he'll find out. And he'll see the medal.

But the award isn't the only time our agency's publication has helped the Guseynov and Israelyan families. In March 2025, the editorial team intervened in another situation.

While submitting her annual report to the child protection service, an employee caused a scene: she groundlessly accused Karine Israelyan of embezzling over 100,000 rubles from her child's account, bringing the woman to tears. An investigation revealed that there had been no embezzlement, merely a technical glitch.

On March 12, Regnum News Agency published a report on the incident. The very next day, Moscow's guardianship authorities contacted Karina and issued an official apology.

Two publications – two results. Vugar Huseynov's story is an example of how journalism can not only document events but also help people seek justice.
Posted by: badanov || 12/17/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1771 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Down Under
Day 4: Only 2 cops were on duty at Bondi Beach Hanukkah event attacked by terrorists, official says
Why bother? Things are going to happen where Jews gather, whether we staff appropriately or not. They’re an attractive nuisance, they keep whining about threats, and anyway, the white colonialist Zios deserve it.
Day 3 can be seen here. Links to Days 1 and 2 can be seen at the bottom of this post.
[IsraelTimes] Rabbi blasts tolerance for ‘vile statements’ at anti-Israel rallies preceding massacre; first funerals to be held Wednesday as officials say some of 15 victims still being IDed;

Only two coppers were on duty at the Hanukkah event on Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday, where two forces of Evil killed 15 people and maimed dozens more, a bigwig said Tuesday.

The revelation came as information continued to surface about the father-and-son duo who carried out the terror shooting, and as Jewish community leaders accused the Australian government of allowing antisemitism to fester leading up to the attack.

"The police were tasked with being on the site during the festival. My understanding is that there were two in the park during or at the beginning of the shooting, the liquidations," New South Wales Premier Chris Minns told Sky News Australia.

"And there were police in the vicinity, so a patrol car pulled up within moments of the firing beginning," he said. "I think it’s important to note that police, obviously, when the shooting began, did engage the shooters and there’s two at death's door in NSW hospitals."

Witnesses have said the two button men opened fire for as long as ten minutes, shooting into the crowd of families attending the event to mark the Jewish festival of lights.

Some 1,000 people were in attendance at the open-air event. The attack was the deadliest to strike a Diaspora Jewish community in decades, and the worst antisemitic attack outside of Israel since October 7, 2023.

Minns said the police force is now gathering information on the locations of other nearby officers at the time the attack began.

"We have several coppers who engaged with sidearms from 50 meters [160 feet] away, firing with someone who had a long-arm and a tactical advantage over NSW Police," Minns said. "So they did engage and they did shoot both of the offenders, killing one of them."

New video has emerged of unarmed bystanders Boris and Sofia Gurman who sought to thwart the button men, father and son Sajid and Naveed Akram, and almost stopped them before they began their killing spree. The Gurmans were slain.

Another civilian, Ahmed al Ahmed, tackled Sajid Akram and disarmed him before being shot several times in the arm and shoulder. Al Ahmed is hospitalized and expected to recover.

Reuven Morrison, 62, hurled items at Sajid Akram, after al Ahmed had disarmed him. Morrison was then rubbed out by Naveed Akram.

RABBI: ’VILE STATEMENTS’ AT ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTS WERE TOLERATED
In the wake of the attack, Australian Jews have vented their frustration at the government’s response to antisemitism. A Chabad rabbi told a vigil at Bondi Beach on Tuesday that community leaders had warned the government that anti-Israel protests were endangering the Jewish community.

"We begged, ’Shut these demonstrations down, legislate for it, find the legal means,’" Rabbi Nochum Schapiro of North Shore Chabad told the crowd, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

"And those who shouted ’Gas the Jews,’ or ’Where’s the Jews’ — what difference does it make, same vile statements — were not prosecuted, were not stopped, were not sent out of the country, were allowed to continue with this vile hate. So we ask [politicians] now: Legislate," he said.

Schapiro was referring to an infamous protest in Sydney just days after the Hamas
..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,...
-led attack on October 7, 2023, attack. Jews were warned away by police from the protest, where an Israeli flag was burned. Video from the demonstration appeared to show protesters chanting "Gas the Jews." New South Wales police later said the chant was determined "with overwhelming certainty" to have in fact been, "Where’s the Jews."

Schapiro said he wrote to Australian Prime Minister Antony Albanese in August to warn him that Australia’s recognition of Paleostinian statehood, which was declared in September, would endanger the Jewish community.

"I didn’t even get a response," he said. "You cannot disconnect the Jewish people from the Jewish land. The Jewish people and the Jewish land are one."

"And when you vilify the leaders of the Jewish land of Israel, and when you constantly criticize them and then say that they must give up parts of this land... that endangers Jews everywhere," he said, according to the Herald.

"When Israel is criticized, then the way it’s received by the antisemites is that it’s okay to attack Jews," Schapiro said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, demanded that Western governments do more to protect global Jewish communities and fight antisemitism in a brief video message shared by his office on Tuesday.

"I demand that Western governments do what is necessary to combat antisemitism and provide the required security and protection for Jewish communities around the world," Netanyahu said in the Hebrew-language video. "They would do well to heed our warnings. I am demanding action — now."

FIRST FUNERALS FOR VICTIMS TO BE HELD WEDNESDAY
The first funerals of victims of the attack will be held on Wednesday, a volunteer for the Zaka Jewish emergency service told The Times of Israel.

As it stands now, six of the 15 victims are scheduled to be buried on Wednesday, said Simcha Greineman, a volunteer for Zaka who flew from Israel to Australia to help with the religious preparations for the burials.

Greineman, who with other Zaka volunteers is charged with gathering the body parts of the victims in order to give them a proper burial, said his team arrived in Sydney on Monday, but that police only gave them access to the scene of the crime on Tuesday.

Identification efforts will continue throughout the night ahead of the funerals, he added.

"We want to make sure we have whatever remains we can to conduct their rites," Greineman said.

Australian officials have been unable to reveal the identities of some of the victims because they are foreign nationals, and authorities don’t have DNA records or other forensic details needed to confirm their identities, Greineman said.

INDIA CONFIRMS ATTACKER’S ORIGIN, SAYS TERROR ’MUTUAL THREAT’
Meanwhile,
...back at the precinct house, Don Calamari's lawyer was getting even redder in the face...
information has continued to come out about the attackers, who authorities have said were inspired by the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems....
terror group, and whose activities and travel abroad are currently under investigation.

Indian police said Tuesday that Sajid Akram was originally from the southern Indian city of Hyderabad but had limited contact with his family in India.

"The family members have expressed no knowledge of his radical mindset or activities, nor of the circumstances that led to his radicalization," Telangana state police said in a statement.

At a meeting in Jerusalem, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar denounced terrorism as a "mutual threat."

"Terror is a mutual threat for both countries, and we are standing always with the people of India," Sa’ar said during joint remarks.

Jaishankar responded that India condemns the attack "in the strongest possible terms."

"We are both countries that have a policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism," Jaishankar said, telling his counterpart, "We appreciate your consistent support to our fight against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations."

Bondi Hanukkah terrorist was teen preacher for Islamic group, follower of radical cleric
[IsraelTimes] At 17, Naveed Akram was member of Street Dawah movement urging people to spread word of Islam; several members with ties to ISIS have been convicted on terror charges

Standing in the rain outside a suburban Sydney train station, 17-year-old Naveed Akram stared into the camera and urged those watching to spread the word of Islam.

“Spread the message that Allah is One wherever you can… whether it be raining, hailing, or clear sky,” he said.

Another since-deleted video posted in 2019 by Street Dawah Movement, a Sydney-based Islamic community group that attempts to proselytize people outside train stations, showed him urging two young boys to pray more frequently.

Authorities are now trying to piece together what happened in the intervening six years that led a teenager volunteering to hand out pamphlets for a nonviolent community group to allegedly carry out Australia’s worst mass shooting in decades, killing 15 people and wounding dozens at a celebratory Jewish event marking the beginning of Hanukkah. Authorities have called it an antisemitic act of terrorism.

Akram was also a follower of radical Islamist cleric Wisam Haddad, counterterrorism officials told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Additionally, the shooter was pictured preaching with another outreach group, Dawah Van, which is linked to Haddad, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

Earlier this year, a judge ruled Haddad’s lectures must be pulled from the internet due to their content vilifying Jews.



Haddad’s lawyer denied his client had any involvement in the terror attack.

Akram, who remains under heavy guard in hospital after being shot by police, was briefly investigated by Australia’s domestic intelligence agency in 2019 for links to individuals connected to the Islamic State terror group, but authorities found he did not have extremist tendencies at the time.

“In the years that followed, that changed,” Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said on Tuesday.

Daughter of Holocaust survivor shot in attack: Antisemitism ‘allowed to fester’ in Australia
[IsraelTimes] Victoria Teplitsky says her father, who was shot in the leg, is ‘in good spirits, but he’s also very angry’; Israeli envoy: I was ‘very clear’ about dangers facing Jewish community.



Australian officials: Bondi terror attack inspired by ISIS, bombs found in shooters’ car
[IsraelTimes] The suspects traveled to the Philippines last month, said Mal Lanyon, the Police Commissioner for New South Wales state. Their reasons for the trip and where in the Philippines they went would be probed by investigators, Lanyon said.

He also confirmed that a vehicle removed from the scene, registered to the younger suspect, contained improvised explosive devices.

“I also confirm that it contained two homemade ISIS flags,” Lanyon said.

The Philippines’ immigration department confirmed the two perpetrators spent nearly the entire month of November in the country, with the father entering the country as an “Indian national.”

Immigration spokeswoman Dana Sandoval told AFP they departed on November 28, with the southern province of Davao listed as their final destination.

Groups of Muslim separatist militants, including Abu Sayyaf in the southern Philippines, once expressed support for the Islamic State group and have hosted small numbers of foreign militant combatants from Asia, the Middle East, and Europe in the past.

Decades of military offensives, however, have considerably weakened Abu Sayyaf and other such armed groups, and Philippine military and police officials say there has been no recent indication of any foreign militants in the country’s south.

LIFEGUARDS PRAISED FOR ACTIONS DURING MASSACRE
The famous blue-shirted lifeguards of Bondi Beach attracted praise as more stories of their actions during the terror attack emerged.

One duty lifeguard, identified by the organization’s Instagram account as Rory Davey, performed an ocean rescue during the shooting after people fled, fully clothed, into the sea.

Another lifeguard, Jackson Doolan, posted to his social media a photo taken as he sprinted, barefoot and clutching a first aid kit, from Tamarama beach a mile away towards Bondi as the massacre continued.

“These guys are community members, and it’s not about the surf,” Anthony Caroll, one of the stars of a popular reality television show called “Bondi Rescue,” told Sky News on Tuesday. “They heard the gunshots, and they left the beach and came right up the back here into the scene of the crime, into harm’s way while those bullets were being shot.”

Bondi Beach gunman Sajid Akram's 'final insult' to the families of his victims: 'He has been planning this'
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news]
  • Sajid Akram transferred million dollar Bonnyrigg home, in south-west Sydney, to wife two years ago

  • Lawyer said it was 'final insult' to families of victims, because they cannot sue killer’s estate for compensation


Jewish couple tussled with Sydney terrorist before killing spree began — and were slain
[IsraelTimes] Boris and Sofia Gurman seen in dashcam footage fighting with Sajid Akram before both were shot dead; Reuven Morrison seen hurling objects at gunman before he too was killed
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/17/2025 2025-12-17 05:31 || Comments || Link || [1848 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State

#1 

"Detective Senior Constable Cesar “Cess” Barraza, a local detective who once appeared on a reality TV show, has been credited with single-handedly stopping the anti-Semitic massacre at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia."

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/dmitri-bolt/2025/12/17/meet-the-hero-cop-who-single-handedly-killed-the-bondi-beach-terrorists-n2668031
Posted by: NoMoreBS || 12/17/2025 13:23 Comments || Top||

#2  'Cuttin' back on cops is a good thing,
until they're needed.

around 130 feet away

Pretty damned good.
Near half a football field.
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/17/2025 16:45 Comments || Top||

#3  Most cops in Sydney are not worth feeding. Look up Beau Lamarr-Condon. Look up Wally Mellish. Hell, look up the Rum Corps. That’s when it started, IMO.
Posted by: Knuckles Grundy1702 || 12/17/2025 17:25 Comments || Top||


The Grand Turk
The 'paidomazoma' (child-gathering, known in Turkish as devşirme) was yet another tax imposed by the Muslim Turks on Christians

Text:

The "paidomazoma" (child-gathering, known in Turkish as devşirme) was yet another tax imposed by the Muslim Turks on Christians and especially Greeks. The sultan decided where and when the recruitment of boys would take place for the needs of the army and administration.

The Turkish envoy would appear in the villages and demand that all fathers present themselves before him with their sons. From these, he selected the best-built and strongest to become Janissaries. Initially, the Turks took children aged 6-7 years, and only one child per family. Later, however, recruitment extended to ages 8-10, and gradually the number of children per family increased, until it was possible for all male children to be taken.

More at the link
Posted by: badanov || 12/17/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1760 views] Top|| File under:


Home Front: Politix
Senate unanimously passes Grassley's 'Preventing Child Trafficking Act'
[JustTheNews] The bill, dubbed the Preventing Child Trafficking Act, would force the DOJ and HHS to adopt anti-child-trafficking recommendations proposed by the United States Government Accountability Office in 2023.

The Senate unanimously passed Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley's bill Tuesday that aims at combating child trafficking by bolstering coordination between the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services.

The legislation, which was introduced by Grassley and Georgia Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, previously passed the upper chamber unanimously in the last Congress.

“This is an important bill with an important objective, fostering communication between the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services with the result, we hope, of preventing children from falling prey to the evils of human trafficking,” Grassley said on the Senate floor. “Preventing future instances of trafficking is very, very essential and I’m happy to support this bill’s advancement today.”

The bill, dubbed the Preventing Child Trafficking Act, would force the departments to adopt anti-child-trafficking recommendations proposed by the United States Government Accountability Office in 2023.

The bipartisan legislation now goes to the House of Representatives for consideration, and if it passes there, it will go to President Donald Trump's desk for his signature.

Posted by: Skidmark || 12/17/2025 01:14 || Comments || Link || [1769 views] Top|| File under: Human Trafficking

#1  A needed enforcement & hammer item.

100%, When was the last time that happened?

Posted by: NN2N1 || 12/17/2025 3:16 Comments || Top||

#2  Even Democrats have to vote against child trafficking. And yet they are against securing the border.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 12/17/2025 11:52 Comments || Top||


Trump Signs Order Classifying Fentanyl as Weapon of Mass Destruction
[Breitbart] President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday classifying fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction.

The order signing came during a Mexican Border Defense Medal Presentation in the Oval Office, after noting, “I’m taking one more step to protect Americans from the scourge of deadly fentanyl flooding into our country.”

“With this historic executive order I will sign today, we’re formally classifying fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction, which is what it is. No bomb does what this is doing; 200,000-300,000 people die every year that we know of,” he said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, there were an estimated 48,422 synthetic opioid overdose deaths or “fentanyl” deaths in 2024, following 76,282 in 2023.

Trump said he has overseen a 50 percent drop in fentanyl coming into the United States through the southern border and added that “China is working with us very closely on bringing down the number and the amount of fentanyl that’s being shipped.”

As the New York Post reported, precursor chemicals from China are often shipped to Mexico, where they are synthesized before being smuggled into the United States.

In between announcing the order and the signing of it, Trump presented 13 servicemembers with the Mexican Border Defense Medal.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth noted that the medal was established in 1918.
“What’s cool about this medal, it was actually first given out in 1918, so we’re reviving an old medal that existed — was given to men and women who defended the southern border,” Hegseth said.

“We used the exact same foundry with the exact same imagery, same color, same metal, same everything. So, our men and women will be wearing that very same medal as Americans 100 years before, who were asked to defend the sovereignty of our country,” he added.

Trump highlighted the extreme problems at the border under former President Joe Biden.

“In the four years before I took office, our southern border was surrendered to criminals, drug cartels, human traffickers, and child smugglers,” he said.

And after rampant illegal immigration under Biden, Trump’s administration has stopped catch and release, with zero illegal migrants being released into the United States for months and October producing the lowest number of illegal border crossings on record for Customs & Border Protection, as Breitbart News reported.

“More than 25,000 warriors have served in this historic operation. It is indeed an incredible and historic operation, and we’ve never done anything so effectively, and we’ve had a lot of victories,” Trump said.

“They’ve spent night and day enduring scorching hot and bitter cold, and they’ve given up their holidays and their weekends,” the president continued.
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/17/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1775 views] Top|| File under:


#2  It's chemical warfare, plain and simple. The wonder is that we don't declare war on Mexico and China.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 12/17/2025 11:49 Comments || Top||

#3  If I locate the pharmacies, warehouses, ports used, and manufacturing plants in China - do you think anything would happen?

It's open source enough: The warehouse's and manufacturing happens around 666 Gaoxin Road Wuhan China. Adrenochrome and Fentanyl is right there.

Trump says a lot of things.
Posted by: mossomo || 12/17/2025 13:08 Comments || Top||

#4  People in interestingly geometric places are among those who read Rantburg, mossomo. Your information would likely be quietly looked at…
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/17/2025 13:34 Comments || Top||

#5  ^#3 - According to Google Maps, that is -
666-3801 Gaoxin Blvd, Hong Shan Qu,
Wu Han Shi, Hu Bei Sheng,
China, 430075
Posted by: Bobby || 12/17/2025 15:29 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
US presses Pakistan to join Gaza force, testing powerful military chief’s authority at home
Pakistan would first have to give up their beloved war with Israel — that Israel doesn’t notice — but even considering it will get the government leadership killed, so sure. Just as long as they never actually get to the point of boots on thr grounf.
[IsraelTimes] Field Marshal Munir is expected to discuss stabilization force with Trump in coming weeks, with Pakistani participation likely to trigger domestic backlash among Islamists

Pakistain’s most powerful military chief in decades faces the toughest test of his newly amassed powers as Washington pushes Islamabad to contribute troops to 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...
stabilization force, a move analysts say could spark domestic backlash.

Field Marshal Asim Munir is expected to fly to Washington to meet US President Donald Trump
...dictatorial for repealing some (but not all) of the diktats of his predecessor, misogynistic because he likes pretty girls, homophobic because he doesn't think gender bending should be mandatory, truly a man for all seasons...
in the coming weeks for a third meeting in six months that will likely focus on the Gaza force, two sources told Rooters, one of them a key player in the general’s economic diplomacy.

Trump’s 20-point Gaza plan calls for an international force to oversee a transition period for reconstruction and economic recovery in the war-torn Paleostinian territory, decimated by over two years of war.

Deployment of the force is a key part of the next phase of Trump’s Gaza peace plan. Under the first phase, a fragile ceasefire in the two-year war began on October 10, with Hamas
..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,...
releasing hostages and Israel freeing detained Paleostinians.

Israel fears Washington may push to advance to the next phase of the ceasefire even if the body of Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, the last deceased hostage held in Gaza, is not returned, and before a clear operational plan is established for Hamas’s disarmament, the Ynet news site reported last week.

Many countries are wary of the mission to demilitarize Gaza’s Hamas terror group, which could drag them into the conflict and enrage their pro-Paleostinian and anti-Israeli populations.

But Munir has built a close relationship with the mercurial Trump to repair years of mistrust between Washington and Islamabad. In June, he was rewarded with a White House lunch — the first time a US president hosted Pakistain’s army chief alone, without civilian officials.

"Not contributing (to the Gaza stabilization force) could annoy Trump, which is no small matter for a Pak state that appears quite keen to remain in his good graces — in great part to secure US investment and security aid," said Michael Kugelman, Senior Fellow, South Asia at Washington-based Atlantic Council.

’PRESSURE TO DELIVER’
Pakistain, the world’s only Moslem country with nuclear weapons, has a battle-hardened military having gone to war with arch-rival India three times, as well as a brief conflict this summer.

It has also tackled insurgencies in its far-flung regions and is currently embroiled in a bruising war with Islamist forces of Evil who it says are operating from Afghanistan.

Pakistain’s military strength means "there is a greater pressure on Munir to deliver his capacity," said author and defense analyst Ayesha Siddiqa.

Pakistain’s military, foreign office, and information ministry did not respond to questions from Rooters. The White House also did not respond to a request for a comment.

Pak Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said last month that Islamabad could consider contributing troops for peacekeeping, but disarming Hamas "is not our job."

UNPRECEDENTED POWER
Earlier this month, Munir was anointed chief of the defense forces to head the air force and navy as well, with a job extension until 2030.

He will retain his field marshal title forever, as well as enjoy lifetime immunity from any criminal prosecution under the constitutional amendments that Pakistain’s civilian government pushed through parliament late last month.

"Few people in Pakistain enjoy the luxury of being able to take risks more than Munir. He has unbridled power, now constitutionally protected," Kugelman added.

"Ultimately, it will be Munir’s rules, and his rules only."

THE HOME FRONT RISK

Over the past few weeks, Munir has met military and civilian leaders from countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start...
, 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...

, Jordan, Egypt, and 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...
, according to the military’s statements, which Siddiqa said appeared to be consultations on the Gaza force.

But the big concern at home is that the involvement of Pak troops in Gaza under a US-backed plan could re-ignite protests from Pakistain’s Islamist parties that are deeply opposed to the US and Israel.

The Islamists have street power to mobilize thousands.

A powerful and violent mostly peaceful anti-Israel Islamist party that fights for upholding Pakistain’s ultra-strict blasphemy
...the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence to a deity, or sacred objects, or toward something considered sacred or inviolable. Some religions consider it to be a crime. In Pakistain you can commit blasphemy by looking cross-eyed at a Koran...
laws was banned in October. Authorities arrested its leaders and over 1,500 supporters and seized its assets and bank accounts in an ongoing crackdown, officials said.

While Islamabad has outlawed the group, its ideology is still alive.

The party of former tossed in the clink
Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please!
premier Imran Khan
...aka The Great Khan, who anti-establishment Pak premier, who was hounded out of office, arrested, jailed, and will likely be hung by his political opponents...
, whose supporters won the most seats in the 2024 national elections and which has wide public support, also has an axe to grind against Munir.

Abdul Basit, Senior Associate Fellow, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, said if things escalated once the Gaza force was on the ground, it would cause problems quickly.

"People will say ’Asim Munir is doing Israel’s bidding’ — it will be foolhardy of anyone not to see it coming."
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/17/2025 2025-12-17 03:35 || Comments || Link || [1774 views] Top|| File under: Hamas


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Israel blocks Canadian MPs at West Bank crossing: Delegation sponsored by ‘terror entity’
[IsraelTimes] Member of PM Carney’s party alleges she was shoved by border officials; Israeli Embassy in Ottawa says trip backed by subsidiary of Islamic Relief Worldwide, a designated terror organization

Six members of Canada’s parliament traveling from Jordan were denied entry to the West Bank on Tuesday by Israeli authorities who accused the delegation of being sponsored by "a terror entity."

Ontario Member of Parliament Iqra Khalid, from Prime Minister Mark Carney’s ruling Liberal Party, said she was part of the delegation and was shoved several times by Israeli border officials.

She said she was pushed after trying to check on a member of the roughly 30-person delegation who was pulled aside for additional questioning after the group had been at the Allenby border crossing between Jordan and the Israeli-controlled West Bank.

Khalid said the border officials were able to see she was a politician as they had taken her special passport, which looks different from a standard Canadian document.
"Do you know who I am? I'm SPESHUL!"
The politicians were on a trip sponsored by Canadian-Moslem Vote, a charity group.

Israel’s embassy in Canada told AFP in a statement that the charity receives funding from Islamic Relief Canada, a subsidiary of Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW), which Jerusalem designates as a terror organization.

IRW has rejected Israel’s long-standing charge that it is a terrorist group with ties to Hamas
..always the voice of sweet reason...
Jenny Kwan, an opposition politician with Canada’s left-wing New Democratic Party, said the delegation gave Israeli authorities prior warning about their trip, which included a range of planned meetings with aid groups, as well as Paleostinian and Jewish civil society leaders.

"The Government of Canada formally notified the Government of Israel ahead of the delegation’s travel," she said in a statement.

"Electronic travel authorizations to enter the West Bank were initially approved," but on arrival at the Allenby Bridge crossing "the entire delegation was denied entry to the West Bank."
"GTFO"
Kwan told AFP that before leaving Canada she considered the prospect that the group would encounter difficulties because of Carney’s decision to recognize Paleostinian statehood at the United Nations
...where theory meets practice and practice loses...
General Assembly in September.

"I wondered whether or not this would be an issue," she says, but ultimately put it out of her mind after the trip was approved.

Kwan said the delegation returned to Jordan’s capital, Amman.

Canada’s Foreign Minister Anita Anand said on social media that Ottawa "has expressed Canada’s objections regarding the mistreatment of these Canadians."

Posted by: trailing wife || 12/17/2025 2025-12-17 04:06 || Comments || Link || [1826 views] Top|| File under: Hamas


IDF cyber chief says dozens of cyberattacks on national infrastructure thwarted, warns attempts will increase
[IsraelTimes] The chief of the IDF’s C4I and Cyber Defense Directorate says dozens of attempted cyberattacks aimed at disabling Israeli “national systems” have been thwarted in the past two years of war.

The remarks were made during a joint cyber exercise held last week between the IDF and the US Cyber National Mission Force, and released today. The CyberDome drill has been held annually since 2015.

“Behind every overt campaign, there is also a covert one. We operate together with United States Cyber Command tirelessly to ensure superiority against any threat, from any direction,” says Maj. Gen. Aviad Dagan, head of the C4I and Cyber Defense Directorate, according to remarks provided by the military.

“The events published thus far do not fully represent the cyberthreat. We must not make a mistake. This is an issue that is at the very heart of our national security,” he says.

Dagan says that “over the past two years, dozens of enemy attempts to damage and disable national systems have been thwarted.”

“These attempts will increase,” he warns.

During the war, which began with Hamas’s terror onslaught on October 7, 2023, Israel has faced a surge in cyberattacks, some of which have been blamed on Iran.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/17/2025 2025-12-17 03:40 || Comments || Link || [1805 views] Top|| File under:

#1  over the past two years, dozens

Boastful Generals. Just kinda want them to fail.

I rather expect Rantburg has been hit by thousands, over the last two days.
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/17/2025 9:19 Comments || Top||


Lawmakers advance bill to deny water, electricity to UNRWA, allow seizure of facilities
[IsraelTimes] Lawmakers on the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee vote 6-0 to advance a combined bill prohibiting the provision of electricity or water to facilities owned by or operated on behalf of UNRWA, to the final two readings needed for it to pass into law.

UNRWA — the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East — provides education, health care and aid to millions of Palestinians and their descendants in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

Israel has barred UNRWA from operating on its soil, saying the aid organization incites violence and its employees participated in the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that launched the war in Gaza.

The new amendment would formalize a process requiring electricity and water providers to withhold or disconnect service from any property whose registered consumer name is UNRWA, unless the registered party submits a sworn declaration that they do not represent or act on behalf of the agency.

The legislation also would allow the government to seize properties in Ma’alot Dafna and Kafr Aqab in Jerusalem, which had been leased to UNRWA by the state and used as the agency’s offices, “without the need to initiate legal or administrative proceedings.”

“UNRWA employees were full partners in the cruel massacre carried out against us on October 7 — they didn’t just assist, they led the evil, murdered, and kidnapped. For years UNRWA has posed as a humanitarian aid agency, when in practice it is an arm of Hamas,” says committee chair MK Boaz Bismuth of the Likud party.

Israel has alleged that more than 10 percent of UNRWA’s staff in Gaza have ties to terror groups, and that educational facilities under the organization’s auspices consistently incite hatred of Israel and glorify terror.

In February 2024, the IDF revealed the existence of a subterranean Hamas data center directly beneath UNRWA’s Gaza Strip headquarters. The IDF has also repeatedly targeted Hamas command centers and gunmen hiding out in UNRWA schools.

A number of freed hostages have also testified after returning to Israel that they were held in captivity in UNRWA schools and facilities.

At the same time, some Israeli politicians and officials saw the relief that the agency provided as a means of keeping the Gaza Strip, and parts of the West Bank, from deeper poverty and thus greater violence and terrorism.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/17/2025 2025-12-17 03:40 || Comments || Link || [1761 views] Top|| File under: Hamas

#1  Excellent
Posted by: mossomo || 12/17/2025 12:49 Comments || Top||


Prisons chief warns jails ‘on brink of incident’ as Palestinian prisoners despair of being freed in deal
[IsraelTimes] Israel Prison Service Chief Commissioner Kobi Yaakobi warns that detention facilities are “on the brink of an incident” as Palestinian security prisoners lose hope of being freed in a hostage-prisoner exchange.

Speaking to the Knesset National Security Committee, the prisons chief claims that with each round of prisoner releases, “the hope they had has turned into despair.”

“Those who are with us [in prisons] today are terrorists who have demonstrated operational capabilities,” he says. “If there is a feeling that the ‘war of resistance’ is at low intensity — I don’t know what will develop in the north or south — but inside the prisons, I can say with certainty that we are on the brink of an incident.”

The Prison Service’s head of security and operations, Avichai Ben Hamo, tells the committee there has been an uptick in the number of prison blueprints found in the possession of security inmates.

“In the past year, blueprints have been seized that were drafted by prisoners,” he says, noting that such blueprints typically mark “where there are locks, where there is a prison guard” and other details relevant to a jailbreak.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/17/2025 2025-12-17 03:39 || Comments || Link || [1786 views] Top|| File under: PLO

#1  The incident is execution, isn't it?
Posted by: DarthVader || 12/17/2025 20:33 Comments || Top||

#2  Anticipating either a prison riot or an attack(s) on a guard, I suspect. Possibly another tunneling out attempt.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/17/2025 23:18 Comments || Top||


Israel Expected to Attack and Weaken Hizbullah – A Preliminary Step Toward another Attack on Iran
[JCFA] A major Israeli military operation to prevent Hizbullah’s military buildup is expected soon to remove the threat to northern Israeli communities and to neutralize its ability to assist Iran when Israel attacks missile facilities there

Senior political sources estimate that Israel will likely have to launch a large-scale operation in Iran in the coming months to thwart its increasingly accelerated ballistic missile program, a topic that will be discussed during Prime Minister Netanyahu’s meeting with President Trump.

The anticipated operation to weaken Hizbullah’s power is intended, among other objectives, to neutralize Hizbullah ahead of the planned strike on Iran.

The Wall Street Journal reported on December 12 that, last month, a special U.S. team intercepted a ship in the Indian Ocean bound from China to Iran carrying military equipment intended to help Iran rearm following damage sustained in Israeli and U.S. strikes in June.

Senior political sources note that Iran’s renewed ballistic missile production is of serious concern to both Israel and the United States, which are investing substantial intelligence resources to monitor developments in Iran and its collaboration with China, which is assisting in rebuilding Iran’s missile industry damaged during the conflict.

This issue will be central to Netanyahu’s meeting with Trump in Florida at the end of the month. According to the sources, Israel cannot accept the fact that Iran is attempting to create a new existential threat to the country after the destruction of its nuclear sites.

Therefore, Israel will likely have to launch a preemptive strike on Iran’s ballistic missile production sites and storage facilities in the coming months.

According to senior security officials, a preliminary stage of this strike will be a major military operation to weaken Hizbullah’s power in order to prevent its military buildup, remove the threat to northern Israeli communities, and, crucially, neutralize its ability to assist Iran when Israel attacks the missile facilities.

Consequently, the Israeli security establishment is urging political authorities to move soon with the operation to weaken Hizbullah.

The U.S. ultimatum to the Lebanese government to disarm Hizbullah will expire at the end of the month, and Prime Minister Netanyahu is expected to receive the final green light during his upcoming meeting with President Trump at the end of December.

Senior political sources say the U.S. administration fully understands and supports Israel’s position, partly because weakening Hizbullah could also facilitate progress in political relations with the Lebanese government.

More at the link
Posted by: badanov || 12/17/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1770 views] Top|| File under: Hezbollah



Science & Technology
Democrat-run hellhole set to invest $2million in high-tech surveillance... and it'll be a major boost to ICE
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] A crime-ridden California city is set to invest $2 million in high-tech surveillance cameras - but locals are concerned the information they collect could be used by ICE agents.

Flock Safety, is in the works to secure a deal with Oakland city officials to host surveillance cameras designed for road safety and aiding police.

While the company has insisted it won't provide data to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), locals worry that the collected data will still be shared by law enforcement agencies.

Flock Safety says their cameras collect information reaching beyond license plates, including the make, model or color of a car as well as other details that identify its owner.

Last month in Washington state, the Supreme Court ruled that license plate data collected by Flock Safety was in the public record and available to anyone, the East Bay Times reported.

Flock representatives have said that the company would follow Oakland's sanctuary city policies. In Oakland, those policies include restrictions on vendors with ties to ICE that the city may look to work with.

Earlier this year, the company said that it would stop publishing a 'national lookup' that would allow federal agencies to access local camera data, the Times reported.

Flock Safety already has 300 cameras installed along the city's busiest roads and highways, the Times reported.

Yet until now, those were operated by California Highway Patrol under an order from Governor Gavin Newsom.

An Oakland City Council committee voted against the deal last month after local lobbying against the company arose.

But last week, another committee moved to bypass the city's legislative process pushing the deal to a final vote which will take place on Tuesday before the full council, the outlet reported.

Should the deal be rejected, all existing cameras with Flock would be removed.

Now, opposers are even more outraged with one Councilmember, Carroll Fife, saying that she is 'in full support of the community's desire to have cameras as a support system for our safety efforts - and I do not believe that this is the vendor to go with,' according to the outlet.

Fife was the sole opposer in a 4-1 vote to fast-track the vote to Tuesday's meeting.

Abuses of the camera systems have been recorded in lawsuits, such as one filed by anti-surveillance advocate Brian Hofer in Oakland.

Hofer filed the suit against the city last month, claiming that the Oakland Police Department shared license plate information with ICE - a violation of California law SB 34 which restricts how the data can be used, according to the Times.

'Flock is a shady vendor,' Hofer declared. 'This is not a good corporate partner.'

Hofer even resigned from his position on the city's Privacy Advisory Commission after the council ignored his recommendation to find an alternative vendor, the outlet reported.

He told KTVU: 'Oakland cannot claim to be a sanctuary city when it fails at such a large scale to protect the data privacy interests of its residents and visitors, especially in the face of the Trump administration’s attacks directly targeting Oakland.'

Former Oakland Vice-Mayor Desley Brooks shared a lengthy message on Facebook urging others to question the company and implement 'enforceable safeguards.'

'Oakland is hurting. We have lost teachers, students and neighbors to violence. People want solutions now. That urgency is real. But urgency cannot replace judgment,' she wrote.

'Flock Safety cameras may help solve crimes, but they also open the door to a level of surveillance that Oakland has not fully debated. Flock cameras do not just take photos. They scan license plates, track vehicles across cities and store data.

'Oakland already has a history of technology being introduced for one purpose and later used for another. That is exactly what happened with federal “anti-terror” tools that eventually became routine police databases. Once data exists, it rarely stays controlled.'

Brooks pointed out that the company being private means the city doesn't own the data, and questioned how much power Oakland would have to refuse the data from being shared.

Further concerns from Brooks pointed to the pattern recognition and profile building that such technology can present, including where residents travel when heading to friends, family, places of work or schools.

'Crime is real. Fear is real. But Oakland must decide if it wants to trade privacy for a sense of safety without iron-clad guarantees of protection against abuse of power. Once surveillance infrastructure is built, it does not go away. It expands quietly,' she added.

Even the California Highway Patrol wrote a letter to the company warning Flock not to share collected data from its cameras to federal law enforcement, including ICE, KTVU reported.

'It's really a proactive approach by us to get ahead of the issues that could exist out there,' Deputy Commissioner Ezery Beauchamp told the outlet.

'Nothing within our contract or nothing within the State Law of California allows that, nor would we stand for allowing that to be utilized for the purposes of immigration enforcement.'

Beauchamp said that as ICE doesn't involve itself with writing speeding tickets or arresting drunk drivers, 'by the same token' CHP doesn't involve itself with immigration enforcement.

Flock responded to say, in part, that the company is 'aligned with CHP's commitment to responsible, privacy-first public safety technology... The Flock system does not allow California agencies to access national lookup or otherwise initiate out of state sharing relationships.'

Posted by: Skidmark || 12/17/2025 00:31 || Comments || Link || [1786 views] Top|| File under:

#1  details that identify its owner

Afraid of PROFILING?

Driving my deceased father-in-law's Cadillac from KY to TX I was stopped in Nashville and Memphis.
No problems other than repacking the back seat and trunk, twice. Good stretch breaks.
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/17/2025 9:52 Comments || Top||


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Iran says dual national held on spy charges since June war with Israel is Swedish
[IsraelTimes] Tehran has given few details on espionage trial; others accused of working with Mossad have been executed; Swede is accused of meeting Israeli agents in 6 European countries

Iran’s judiciary said on Tuesday that a dual national arrested during June’s 12-day war with Israel, and who has since been put on trial for espionage, holds Swedish citizenship.

Tehran has given few details on the case, one of multiple arrests that took place during and after the war, in which Israel and then the United States bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities, and Iran
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate Jews Zionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
barraged Israel with missiles.

Several of those convicted of working for the Mosssd
...sees all, knows all, gets 'em all in the end...
spy agency were subsequently executed.

"Recently, a case was investigated in Alborz Province regarding a dual-citizen spy. This person received Swedish citizenship in 2020 and has resided there since," said judiciary front man Asghar Jahangir, according to the judiciary’s Mizan Online news agency.

"This person was identified and arrested on charges of spying for the Zionist regime during the 12-Day War," he added.

Jahangir claimed that the defendant, whom he did not name, was recruited by Israel in 2023 and "was able to meet in the capitals of six European countries with the [Israeli] agents and receive the necessary training."

He claimed that the defendant had made several trips to Israel, including two weeks before entering Iran. He said the defendant entered Iran a month before the war and had settled in a villa near Karaj, close to Tehran.

"He was carrying electronic spy equipment that was identified by the officers" and later confessed to spying, the spokesperson claimed.

He stated that the verdict in the case would be issued soon.

In October, Iran passed a law that toughened penalties for those convicted of spying on behalf of Israel and the US.

The text of the law stipulates that "any intelligence or espionage activity" for Israel, the US or other governments and groups deemed hostile to Iran "shall be punishable by confiscation of all assets... and by the death penalty
."

Since the war, Iran has vowed swift trials for those suspected of collaborating with Israel, announcing multiple arrests and the execution of at least nine people convicted on such charges.

Iran usually carries out executions inside prisons, but has also performed public executions. The Islamic Theocratic Republic, which executes most convicts by hanging, is the world’s second most prolific executioner after China, according to rights groups including Amnesty International.

During the June war, Iranian authorities announced several arrests of Europeans, including Lennart Monterlos, a 19-year-old French-German cyclist, who was later released.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/17/2025 2025-12-17 04:25 || Comments || Link || [1807 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran


Americans suffered losses in Palmyra, but they don't want to fight terrorists
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Leonid Tsukanov

[REGNUM] ISIS militants attempted to attack a US-Syrian military meeting in the city of Palmyra, killing several service members.

The terrorist attack once again brought to the forefront the issue of Damascus's inability to definitively stem the radical threat. And, more importantly, it simultaneously damaged the reputation of the new "Syrian security officials."

The first news of the shooting in Palmyra appeared on local media on December 13. It was reported that a joint American-Syrian military patrol was ambushed by "unknown assailants" near Palmyra.

As a result, several soldiers were injured and evacuated by helicopter. Forces arriving at the scene quickly cordoned off the area.

A few hours later, the Pentagon issued an official comment on the incident, which completely changed the picture of the situation.

According to the American report, the lone terrorist's real target was not the patrol, but military officials from Syria and the United States, who had gathered for a meeting in Palmyra to coordinate the counter-terrorism operation against ISIS.

The attacker attempted to enter the conference room but was stopped by soldiers from the 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment, who were checking his documents. Overwhelmed, he opened fire and, wounded, detonated a suicide bomb.

The attack killed two American service members and a Syrian civilian translator.

PROFESSIONAL DEFECTOR
The attacker's identity was established the same day. He was Tariq Satouf al-Hamad, an officer of the Syrian General Security Service (GSS).

This structure initially served as the "internal counterintelligence" of the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) movement. Following the triumph of the armed opposition, it was transformed into an operational unit of the new government's law enforcement agencies. As a result, the SSS acquired a function similar to that of the US National Guard, including the protection of important events.

A background check conducted on Al-Hamad at the request of the US revealed an unflattering side of his life: he had spent the last ten years of his life in the ranks of ISIS. Moreover, he joined the group voluntarily and remained a supporter of radical ideas until the change of power in Syria.

When it became clear that the new authorities had no plans to restore the "terrorist caliphate," Al-Hamad hastily moved to Idlib, where he joined the SSS. He prudently destroyed the documents from his previous residence, lying that they had been lost "in the fire of revolution."

At the ill-fated meeting in Palmyra, Al-Hadad was also present as a security guard and had access to secure areas. This was apparently what the radicals who mobilized him were counting on.

However, chance intervened: at the last minute, the Pentagon tightened security measures and banned guards from entering the interior without proper identification. Unaware of the change, the militant became flustered and gave himself away.

Only thanks to this chance were large casualties avoided.

BLACK ENCLAVE
The incident in Palmyra has once again drawn attention to the situation inside Syria, including raising questions about the success of the campaign against local radicals.

Although the "terrorist caliphate" that emerged in Syria and Iraq in the mid-2010s de facto ceased to exist by the end of 2025, radical underground fighters continue to find ways to harass the new government.

The main forces of the terrorists (according to Pentagon estimates, up to two thousand people) are scattered among support bases in the Badiya al-Sham desert (the eastern part of Deir ez-Zor province, closer to the Iraqi border).

The group also maintains underground cells and sympathizers in major cities, including the capital, allowing the radicals to launch surprise attacks on the government. Moreover, Syrian prisons (some of which are controlled by the Kurds, not the official Damascus government) hold approximately 26,000 terrorist supporters, which could serve as a potential source of support for the group.

The new Syrian government is trying to combat the "Black Enclave," but lacks sufficient resources to conduct offensive operations. It also cannot count on assistance from neighboring countries, particularly Iraq and Jordan. Baghdad and Amman are preoccupied with internal problems and are in no hurry to rescue the Syrian interim government.

Of course, the United States continues to provide aid to Damascus: for example, on the evening of December 13, American fighter jets carried out airstrikes in the Badia al-Sham desert and dropped flares over the city of Palmyra. However, this should be considered more of a show of force: the militants suffered no significant losses from the American airstrikes.

Moreover, Washington practically explicitly states that it will not fight local gangs in place of the central authorities. This is entirely in keeping with the new US National Security Strategy.

However, the biggest problem for Damascus—in light of the events of recent days—was not so much the renewed radical activism as the unrest in the rear. The participation of a Security Service soldier in a terrorist attack on behalf of ISIS sparked a wave of speculation about the disloyalty of al-Shara'a's "pocket counterintelligence."

These conversations, by the way, are not without foundation.

The core of the SSB is made up of people from HTS and other banned groups (some of which were formerly allied with ISIS) who have formally repented and reformed, but in reality retain an interest in the concept of a “caliphate.”

Over the past year, SSF fighters have repeatedly been spotted during pogroms against Alawites and Druze, often posing with ISIS symbols; they also showed support for foreign fighters during the persecution of Firqat al-Ghuraba.

External consultants repeatedly advised Damascus to rein in the SSS and nip the spread of destructive ideas in the bud. However, the opposite was true: as part of the security reform initiated by the transitional government in early 2025, the SSS remained effectively independent from the Security Apparatus and operated as a "state within a state," with its own authorities and ideology.

The work of the SSS (including the selection of personnel and their deployment to cities) is overseen by individuals close to the interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, including formerly influential members of the underground. This is causing concern in Washington: will the strengthened SSS raise a hand against its former ally?

Damascus is currently inclined to dramatize the situation. Any allegations of the SSS's unreliability are dismissed by the Syrian authorities as "speculation." On the other hand, behind-the-scenes work to neutralize internal threats may well be underway—especially since al-Sharaa has already dealt with dissent within the armed opposition in the past (by overthrowing his colleague Abu Maria al-Qahtani ) and apparently expects to defeat it in the same way this time.
More from An Nahar, reported a few days ago:
Syrian who killed Americans was to be fired from security forces.

Syria's interior ministry said on Sunday that the gunman who killed three Americans in the central Palmyra region the previous day was a member of the security forces who was to have been fired for extremism.

Two U.S. troops and a civilian interpreter died in what the Syrian government described as a "terrorist attack" on Saturday, while Washington said it had been carried out by an Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems....
group (IS) Death Eater who was then killed.

The Syrian authorities "had decided to fire him" from the security forces before the attack for holding "extremist Islamist ideas" and had planned to do so on Sunday, interior ministry front man Noureddine al-Baba told state television
... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
.

A Syrian security official told AFP on Sunday that "11 members of the general security forces were arrested and brought in for questioning after the attack".

The official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the gunman had belonged to the security forces "for more than 10 months and was posted to several cities before being transferred to Palmyra".

Palmyra, home to UNESCO-listed ancient ruins, was controlled by IS at the height of its territorial expansion in Syria.

The incident is the first of its kind reported since Islamist-led forces overthrew longtime Syrian ruler Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
Light of the Alawites...
in December last year, and rekindled the country's ties with the United States.

U.S. President Donald Trump
...Perhaps no man has ever had as much fun being president of the US...
vowed "very serious retaliation" following Saturday's attack.

- WARNINGS -
Pentagon front man Sean Parnell said the soldiers "were conducting a key leader engagement" in support of counter-terrorism operations when the attack occurred, while U.S. envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said the ambush targeted "a joint U.S.—Syrian government patrol".

Trump called the incident "an ISIS attack against the U.S., and Syria, in a very dangerous part of Syria, that is not fully controlled by them", using another term for the group.

He said the three other U.S. troops injured in the incident were "doing well".

The official SANA news agency said the attack also maimed two members of the Syrian security forces.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said Damascus "strongly condemns the terrorist attack".

In an interview on state television
... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
on Saturday, Syrian Interior Ministry front man Anwar al-Baba said there had been "prior warnings from the internal security command to allied forces in the desert region".

"The international coalition forces did not take the Syrian warnings of a possible IS infiltration into consideration," he said.
Posted by: badanov || 12/17/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1766 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State



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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.
Click here for more information

Meet the Mods
In no particular order...
Steve White
Seafarious
tu3031
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sherry
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trailing wife
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Two weeks of WOT
Wed 2025-12-17
  UK police charge two with belonging to Hezbollah, attending terrorism training
Tue 2025-12-16
  FBI warns public to stay away from 'armed and dangerous' Brown University shooter who is still at large
Mon 2025-12-15
  Day 2: 15 Jews dead, 40 wounded by ISIS-linked father and son from Pakistan
Sun 2025-12-14
  Death toll climbs to TEN Twelve in Bondi Beach terror attack and a home-made BOMB is uncovered by cops after two gunmen opened fire on innocent beachgoers during Jewish festival
Sat 2025-12-13
  DHS sweeps Twin Cities, arrests 400 as feds blast Walz for ‘failing to protect Minnesota'
Fri 2025-12-12
  Authorities foil escape attempt by 18 ISIS-linked women, children from Syria's Hol camp
Thu 2025-12-11
  Gaza authorities report 3 killed in Jabalia, including 16-year-old; IDF says it shot terror operative
Wed 2025-12-10
  ‘Because they have money’: Algerian nanny on trial for poisoning Jewish family in Paris
Tue 2025-12-09
  IDF says it struck series of Hezbollah targets, including training site for elite Radwan Force
Mon 2025-12-08
  Five Killed as Kabul–Islamabad Border Clashes Disrupt Life in Spin Boldak, Paks claim 23 toes up across 3 Talib bases along border
Sun 2025-12-07
  Benin coup attempt foiled by loyalist troops, interior minister says
Sat 2025-12-06
  IDF says it’s finished 10-day raid in northern West Bank, killed 6 terrorists
Fri 2025-12-05
  US carries out 22nd strike on alleged drug vessel operated by a designated terrorist organization
Thu 2025-12-04
  Druze Sheikh murdered after being tortured for three days by HTS-linked Suwayda National Guard, 2nd Druze Sheikh tortured to death
Wed 2025-12-03
  Iran's rial currency falls to new low of 1.2 million to a US dollar as nuclear sanctions squeeze its ailing economy


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