[AlJazeera] Nearly three years of war have displaced 14 million people and pushed 21 million into acute hunger.
By AJLabs
As fighting continues and access to aid remains restricted, civilians in Sudan are bearing the heaviest cost of a war with no end in sight.
The war between Sudan’s military and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary erupted on April 15, 2023, unleashing a wave of violence that has led to one of the world’s fastest-growing man-made humanitarian crises.
Both sides have been accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity, while the RSF has been implicated in atrocities in Darfur that the United Nations says may amount to genocide.
According to the latest figures from the UN, at least 21.2 million people are facing high levels of acute food insecurity, 9.5 million people are displaced internally, 4.35 million people have fled the country, and 10 million children are out of school with classrooms destroyed, occupied, or unsafe to reach.
Women and girls face heightened risks, with survivors reporting mass executions, torture, rape, sexual abuse, and ransom demands by RSF fighters.
[IsraelTimes] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announces that he has approved the largest energy deal in Israel’s history.
In a video statement alongside Energy Minister Eli Cohen, he says that the natural gas deal with Egypt is worth NIS 112 billion ($34.7 billion), of which NIS 58 billion ($18 billion) will go into public coffers. In the first four years, he says, around NIS 500 million ($155 million) will go to the state, and will climb to NIS 6 billion ($1.9 billion) by 2033.
“This money will strengthen education, health, infrastructure, security, the future of the coming generations,” says Netanyahu. He says he only approved the deal, which was held up in October, after he ensured that it met Israel’s vital needs, including security.
“The deal greatly strengthens Israel’s position as a regional energy superpower, and contributes to regional stability,” argues Netanyahu, adding that it will encourage other countries to search for gas in Israel’s waters.
He stresses that the companies are required to sell natural gas to Israelis “at a good price.”
“We have brought another jug of oil to the nation of Israel,” Netanyahu says in a reference to the Hanukkah miracle.
Cohen calls the deal “a historic moment for Israel.” He notes that this is also the largest export deal in Israel’s history.
Natural gas “is a strategic asset” for Israel, Cohen stresses.
There will be “more pleasant surprises,” concludes Netanyahu.
A contract between the govt of #Mali & Turkish drone maker Bayraktar, reportedly leaked and obtained by @Jeune_Afrique, shows a $210 million price tag. First 8 pages list contract terms in French; last 2 pages show itemized invoice in English. https://t.co/Ee2O3nuTP0pic.twitter.com/k9WyP3g9ru
A contract between the govt of Mali & Turkish drone maker Bayraktar, reportedly leaked and obtained by Jeune_Afrique, shows a $210 million price tag. First 8 pages list contract terms in French; last 2 pages show itemized invoice in English.
Posted by: badanov ||
12/18/2025 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[1794 views]
Top|| File under: Sublime Porte
#1
I did 30 seconds of digging and first article asks the question we are all thinking:
"But a leak from within the intelligence services has exposed the $210m price tag, unusual discounts, and questions over who is really pulling the strings in Bamako?"
Mali. But who is empowering Mali to make the purchase?
I recall Wagner aka Africa Corps has a presence in Mali.
#2
Yes. Wagner was supposed to breeze in and fix all the problems the French with their long years of colonial experience in the region could not, bolstered by the superior Russian understanding of Third World necessities and shining Russian charisma. It turns out neither of those is actually a thing, at least as far as quarreling tribal Moslems are concerned, but Russian money still talks when it says things those tribal Moslems want to hear.
The Houthi-controlled Specialized Criminal Court in Sana'a, Yemen reviewed evidence in an alleged espionage case. The Houthi-appointed prosecution accused 1) Ali Saleh Masad Al Ammari, 2) Ahmed Khaled Mohammed Al Zarari, 3) Aref Abdullah Abdo Al Qudsi, 4) Humair Ali Saad Al… pic.twitter.com/AZh7CGeD07
The Houthi-controlled Specialized Criminal Court in Sana'a, Yemen reviewed evidence in an alleged espionage case. The Houthi-appointed prosecution accused:
1) Ali Saleh Masad Al Ammari,
2) Ahmed Khaled Mohammed Al Zarari,
3) Aref Abdullah Abdo Al Qudsi,
4) Humair Ali Saad Al Sayani,
5) Suleiman Ahmed Mahyoub Mughallis,
6) Saddam Sadiq Maslah Al Sayyadi,
7) Mohammed Ali Ahmed Al Baaloul,
8) Mohsen Qasim Abdo Al Maqtari,
9) Abdulrahman Ahmed Fath Shaker
...and others of collaborating between 2021 and 2025 with Saudi and British intelligence officers they met in Cairo and Riyadh.
They were charged with gathering and transmitting sensitive military, security, political, and civilian information in Sanaa, using surveillance and tracking devices, encrypted communications, and secret applications supplied by foreign officers, receiving money and gold in return, and recruiting others to work for foreign intelligence.
Iran, the Houthis, AQAP, and Al-Shabab are the principal losers from the Southern Transitional Council’s takeover of Hadramawt and Mahra, the last two provinces that had remained outside its control.
With these areas now liberated, those networks have been cut off from some of… pic.twitter.com/ppUA24Ht9G
Iran, the Houthis, AQAP, and Al-Shabab are the principal losers from the Southern Transitional Council’s takeover of Hadramawt and Mahra, the last two provinces that had remained outside its control.
With these areas now liberated, those networks have been cut off from some of their most critical weapons-and drug-smuggling corridors, long used to funnel Iranian arms, narcotics, and other illicit goods.
It seems, #Saudi Arabia is preparing a new operation against the STC. Despite agreements with Riyadh, the STC has seized Hadhramaut oil fields and parts of N. Shabwah, ignored withdrawal demands, and is pushing toward independence & #Yemen’s partition.https://t.co/fQjXhjfT7B
It seems, Saudi Arabia is preparing a new operation against the STC. Despite agreements with Riyadh, the STC has seized Hadhramaut oil fields and parts of N. Shabwah, ignored withdrawal demands, and is pushing toward independence & Yemen’s partition
🇾🇪#Yemen: Maj. Gen. Talib Barjash, former commander in the 2nd Military Region (al-Mahra & SE coasts) has defected to the STC, ordering Rashad al-Alimi’s portraits and Yemen’s flag removed from his bases and replaced with Aidarus al-Zoubaidi’s image and the South Yemen flag. pic.twitter.com/plFDq73EpH
Maj. Gen. Talib Barjash, former commander in the 2nd Military Region (al-Mahra & SE coasts) has defected to the STC, ordering Rashad al-Alimi’s portraits and Yemen’s flag removed from his bases and replaced with Aidarus al-Zoubaidi’s image and the South Yemen flag.
[RedState] ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) Global Affairs Editor Laura Tingle raised eyebrows during a recent podcast where she—not once, but twice—declared that the targeted terrorist attack at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Sunday evening was not motivated by religion.
The target of the attack was a Hanukkah celebration to mark the first night of the Jewish holiday. The alleged perpetrators, as noted by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who himself would love nothing more than to shift the blame onto inanimate guns, were inspired by ISIS. The attackers had an ISIS flag on the window of their car.
The first two letters in ISIS stand for "Islamic State."
Tingle, however, would like the people of Australia to know there is absolutely no connection to religion whatsoever.
During an episode of the ABC's "Politics Now" podcast, host Patricia Karvelas pointed out that the attackers were radicalized and anti-Semitic, to which Tingle interjected, "Their actions are not based on their religion."
They probably were in the crowd at the hate march chanting "gas the Jews."
Australia isn't America, they don't have our constitution. It's perfectly reasonable to stop bullshit like this with deportations.
Ahmed left his hometown in Syria’s northwest province of Idlib nearly 20 years ago to seek work in Australia. His uncle, Mohammed al-Ahmed, recognized him from footage circulating online.
“We learned through social media. I called his father and he told me that it was Ahmed. Ahmed is a hero, we’re proud of him. Syria in general is proud of him,” the uncle told Reuters.
The man said his nephew left Syria in 2006 after completing a degree at Aleppo University. He hasn’t been back since.
“Since he was young, he was gallant and a hero,” his uncle said, describing him as a happy and passionate person.
“He acted impulsively without thinking who the people were that were being killed, without knowing their religion, if they were Muslim or Christian or Jewish. That’s what made him jump up and carry out this heroic act.”
Ahmed, who now holds Australian citizenship and has two daughters, remains in a Sydney hospital with gunshot wounds from the terror attack, which killed 15 people and wounded dozens.
A GoFundMe campaign set up for him has raised more than $1.5 million.
Back in Syria, the Ahmed family home remains in ruins from the country’s 14-year civil war. Piles of smashed cinderblocks ring the concrete carcass of the two-story house, whose walls are punctured by shelling.
“This is Ahmed’s father’s home. It got destroyed during the war. Bombing, bombing from planes, missiles – every type of weapon,” Ahmed’s cousin, who is also named Mohammad al Ahmed, told Reuters.
He said his cousin “was the reason that many innocent people who did nothing wrong were saved.”
“He will prove to the world that Muslims are peacemakers, not warmongers,” said Ahmed.
According to the report, Shaibani told Ahmed that President Ahmed al-Sharaa had asked him to check on his condition and convey his wishes for a speedy recovery. An unpublished video of the phone call obtained by Anadolu is said to show Ahmed thanking both the Syrian president and the foreign minister for their concern.
“In the near future, I will come back to my country and see those beautiful, heroic faces that removed injustice and ended oppression against the people,” Ahmad reportedly said during the call.
Ahmad, 43, originally from the village of al-Nayrab in northwestern Syria, was filmed running toward the attacker and wresting away his gun. The terror attack killed 15 people and wounded dozens at a Jewish community event for Hanukkah.
Holding Australian citizenship, Ahmad was shot and taken to St. George Hospital in southern Sydney. Australian officials, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, as well as US President Donald Trump, have praised his actions.
Bondi Beach Hanukkah killer charged with 59 offenses including terror, 15 counts of murder
[IsraelTimes] The surviving gunman in Sydney’s Bondi Beach terror attack at a Jewish community event was charged Wednesday with 59 offenses, including 15 charges of murder, as Australian authorities were investigating the two perpetrators’ links to the Islamic State terror group.
Two terrorists slaughtered 15 people on Sunday in a mass shooting targeting Jews celebrating Hanukkah at Bondi Beach, and nearly 20 other people are still being treated in hospitals.
As investigations unfold, Australia faces a social and political reckoning about antisemitism, gun control, and whether police protections for Jews at events such as Sunday’s were sufficient for the threats they faced.
Naveed Akram, 24, faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted, Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said in a statement on Wednesday.
Barrett said the investigation into the massacre is continuing and sent words of reassurance to the Jewish community. She said there is “no ongoing threat.”
ACCUSED SHOOTER CHARGED IN HOSPITAL
Akram was charged on Wednesday after waking from a coma in a Sydney hospital, where he has been since police shot him and his father at Bondi during the murderous attack. His father, Sajid Akram, 50, died at the scene.
The charges include one count of murder for each fatality and one count of committing a terrorist act, police said.
Akram was also charged with 40 counts of causing harm with intent to murder in relation to the wounded, and with placing an explosive near a building with intent to cause harm.
Police said the Akrams’ car, which was found at the crime scene, contained improvised explosive devices.
Akram’s lawyer did not enter pleas and did not request his client’s release on bail during a video court appearance from his hospital bed, a court statement said.
Akram is being represented by Legal Aid NSW, which has a policy of refusing media comment on behalf of clients. He is expected to remain under police guard in the hospital until he is well enough to be transferred to prison.
AUTHORITIES PROBE CONNECTION TO ISLAMIC STATE
Authorities believe that the massacre was “a terrorist attack inspired by Islamic State,” Barrett said Wednesday.
Islamic State is a scattered and considerably weaker group since a US-led military intervention drove it out of territory it had seized in Iraq and Syria in 2014, but its cells remain active, and it has inspired a number of independent attacks, including in Western countries.
Authorities are also examining a trip the suspects made to the Philippines in November.
Groups of Muslim separatist militants, including Abu Sayyaf in the southern 6Philippines, once expressed support for ISIS and have hosted small numbers of foreign jihadis from Asia, the Middle East and Europe in the past.
The Philippines said Wednesday there was no evidence that the country was being used for terrorist training.
President Ferdinand Marcos “strongly rejects the sweeping statement and the misleading characterisation of the Philippines as the ISIS training hotspot,” presidential spokeswoman Claire Castro said at a press briefing.
“No evidence has been presented to support claims that the country was used for terrorist training,” she added, reading from a National Security Council statement. “There is no validated report or confirmation that individuals involved in the Bondi Beach incident received any form of training in the Philippines.”
On Tuesday, the country’s immigration office confirmed that Sajid and Naveed entered the country on November 1, headed for the southern province of Davao.
#Australia: A Jewish bakery in Sydney, Avner's, has announced that it is closing: "After two years of almost ceaseless antisemitic harassment, vandalism, and intimidation", the Hanukkah Massacre on Bondi Beach has made it clear the safety risk is just too great. pic.twitter.com/jTEzyb3c2t
Celebrity chef Ed Halmagyi opened Avner's, a bagel shop, in late. In an article from Baking Business, Halmagyi said the shop was meant to develop a "sense of community."
“I love the creativity of it, I love the process of it, and I love the outcome. But I think for me, the very first thing that it gave me was a sense of connection to other people, it was the environment of the workplace itself,” Halmagyi said. To open Avner's, he stepped down from his job at Better Homes and Gardens.
Despite Halmagyi's vision and dreams, the reality of antisemitism and its rise in Western nations following the October 7, 2023, terror attacks proved too much for the bagel shop. Halmagyi announced Avner's is closing due to safety concerns.
#3
Their government are a bunch of pussies. They will hold down white ppl everyday but when it comes to some Muslim POS they suddenly lose their balls.
Posted by: chris ||
12/18/2025 4:23 Comments ||
Top||
#4
Nice "Lego Head" in #1
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/18/2025 5:13 Comments ||
Top||
#6
i had previously heard thataq wanted to laylo and present asis is. thsi sounds like a coordinated preplanned global pr effort to disassociate is is from the rel o peace and then operate under that cover as a secular unorganized random grp of factions which are really a cover for mbaqetal directops. recall the nola rammer in 24ish had an isflag and how many are linked to is is, at least in the media, even the hitower shuter in sin city is now being linked
At the Sydney Opera house, a hate march chanted "gas the Jews" and not a single person had to answer for it.
"Globalize the intafada" means exactly what happened at Bondi Beach: encouraging terrorist attacks. People need to understand that violence is unacceptable anywhere.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: "I demand that Western governments do what is necessary to fight antisemitism and provide the required safety and security for Jewish communities worldwide. They would be well-advised to heed our warnings. I demand action from them — now." pic.twitter.com/w5tDi7ZZfp
#1
Yes! Results already!
It's long past time Netanyahu took the gloves off and started making demands. Fuck asking nicely, it doesn't work.
"Heed our warnings" DID work.
BREAKING: Heavily armed Australian counter-terrorism police just detained five young Australian men who planned to potentially attack Bondi Beach again today. No information so far as to possible motives. pic.twitter.com/sc2mJzY6JW
To be renewed later, when Al Qaeda in Syria/Al Nusra/HTS reverts to type.
[IsraelTimes] The US Congress permanently ends sanctions imposed on Syria under the ousted leader, Bashar al-Assad, paving the way for the return of investment to the war-ravaged nation.
President Donald Trump had already twice suspended the implementation of sanctions, in response to pleas from Saudi Arabia and Turkey, allies of the new government headed by former jihadist Ahmed al-Sharaa.
But Sharaa had sought a permanent end to the sanctions, fearing that so long as the measures remained on the books, they would deter businesses wary of legal risks in the world’s largest economy.
The Senate passes the repeal of the 2019 Caesar Act as part of a sweeping annual defense package. The Senate voted 77 to 20 in favor of the legislation, which has already been approved by the House of Representatives and is expected to be signed by Trump.
The repeal, broadly backed by lawmakers of both parties, “is a decisive step toward giving the Syrian people a real chance to rebuild after decades of unimaginable suffering,” says Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The Caesar Act, named after an anonymous photographer who documented atrocities in Assad’s prisons, severely restricted investment and cut off Syria from the international banking system.
The law was intended to prevent the influx of foreign businesses to rebuild Syria at a time when it had seemed that Assad had triumphed following more than a decade of brutal civil war that triggered a massive flow of refugees toward Europe and helped spawn the birth of the Islamic State extremist movement.
Sharaa’s fighters seized Damascus a year ago in a lightning offensive.
Sharaa — now dressed in a business suit and seeking better relations with the West — has impressed Trump, including when they first met during the US leader’s May trip to Riyadh.
[Breitbart] The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has launched a new national campaign titled Defend the Homeland aimed at bringing in thousands of new agents and officers by the end of the year.
As part of the campaign rollout, ICE shared a video advertisement that opens with a message about the agency’s founding and national security mission, stating:
“September 11, 2001: Nearly 3000 Americans lost because terrorists were here illegally. From that day, ICE was born — America’s first unified immigration, counterterrorism and homeland security effort.”
The advertisement continues with a message highlighting current enforcement outcomes and broader homeland security goals: “Today, ICE is refocused on its mission and making America safer. Crime and gang violence is falling. Fentanyl deaths are at a five-year low, and the worst of the worst are being sent back.”
It concludes with a call to action: “America needs you. Join ICE. Apply today at join.ice.gov.”
An ICE spokesperson told Breitbart News that the campaign has already attracted significant attention. “We’ve had over 200,000 American patriots apply for positions at ICE and a goal of hiring 10,000 new ICE officers and agents before the New Year,” the agency said.
#1
You have to be have previously been a LEO. I tried to change careers to get one of those huge bonuses that they were offering and it is impossible for a normie without years of law enforcement or govt work to get your foot in the door with ICE. =(
[NYPost] The University of Delaware student busted with a huge cache of guns, body armor and a notebook filled with alleged plans to shoot up his school is an Afghan national who spent time as a refugee in Pakistan before immigrating to the US, officials told The Post.
Luqmaan Khan, 25, was born in Afghanistan, then fled at some point to Pakistan where he lived as a refugee for “a few years,” the Pakistani embassy told The Post. He then came to the US, where he became a citizen.
US officials first reported that Khan was a Pakistani immigrant, which the nation’s embassy has since refuted.
It remains unclear at what age he came to the US, but Delaware police told The Post he was a “youth” at the time, while Pakistani official said he lived “most of his life” in America.
Khan was arrested just before midnight on Nov. 24 after cops found him siting in his truck in a closed public park. When officers tried to speak with him he refused to engage, prompting a search of his vehicle.
What they allegedly found inside was terrifying: a handgun, several 27-round magazines, body armor, and a contraption that could convert the pistol to a semi automatic rifle, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware.
There was also a marble notebook filled with detailed plans to shoot up the campus police department at the University of Delaware, where Khan was an undergraduate student.
The notebook also had phrases like “kill all – martyrdom,” while Khan allegedly later told cops that becoming a martyr was “one of the greatest things you can do.”
And the alarming findings continued when they searched his home.
An AR-style rifle fixed with a red-dot scope was inside the Wilmington house, along with a second pistol which was also fitted with a device allowing it to fire as a fully automatic machine gun.
Nearly a dozen other extended — and loaded — ammunition magazines were found, along with more body armor.
None of those guns were registered.
He remains behind bars and is currently charged with illegally possessing a machinegun as the investigation continues.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited by Olga Kuznetsova
[REGNUM] Donald Trump has once again drawn attention to the Venezuelan issue.
This time, the president of the "free world" announced a total blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.
Along the way, he declared the Venezuelan leadership a foreign terrorist organization (as if the measures against the mythical “Cartel of the Suns” weren’t enough), and also announced that the Bolivarian Republic was completely surrounded by “the largest armada ever assembled in the history of South America.”
The armada promises to increase until Venezuela returns to the United States all of its oil, land, and other assets that were previously "stolen."
Additionally, the opioid analgesic fentanyl, which has fueled the drug epidemic in the United States, was declared a weapon of mass destruction by the White House—though for some reason, they chose not to publicly discuss this fact.
Does this all point to another escalation in the Caribbean? Let's find out.
TOTAL, BUT NOT QUITE
Many media outlets have begun reporting that the US administration has imposed a total blockade in the Caribbean. However, there's a caveat.
The Americans plan to target tankers already under US sanctions. According to some sources on banned social media, these account for only 40% of those plying the waters there with Venezuelan oil on board.
It's logical that the all-seeing eye of America's "Big Brother" is focused on tankers linked to Iran, China, Cuba, Russia, and other official enemies. However, those transporting Venezuelan oil for American interests, as well as representatives of certain European companies, are expected to be exempt from the blockade (though this is not certain).
To demonstrate their seriousness, a Venezuelan tanker bound for Cuba was seized some time ago, clearly suggesting that this time too they will target the "usual suspects," who are already aware of the threat and have backup options in place.
Cuba, for example, also receives fuel from the Mexican authorities, but there have been no reports of problems along this route.
However, the declared blockade leaves a lot of room for maneuver.
For example, to threaten European partners with whom relations are not going well. Or even representatives of the American oil industry, which still profits in the region and is a source of income for Democratic Party factions.
BACK TO BEING A TERRORIST
As for the designation of Nicolás Maduro's government as a foreign terrorist organization, in this case, it most likely refers to the FTO (Foreign Terrorist Organization) status, which implies a threat to US security.
It is necessary precisely for the legal nuances involved in justifying potential measures against an enemy state or organization. Thus, the use of armed force against them is considered not a war requiring legislative approval, but a counter-terrorism operation.
This status no longer covers the fight against terrorist financing, but in Maduro's case, this is not necessary—all such sanctions against his team were introduced a long time ago.
However, the United States has not previously introduced such measures against other governments, although such measures have never been required for special and scandalous ones.
The key here is to quickly construct “legal grounds” for the actions of American troops in the Caribbean.O
WEAPONS OF NEAR MASS DESTRUCTION
On December 15, the White House website announced that fentanyl (as well as its precursors, i.e., the starting materials for synthesizing the substance) is recognized as a weapon of mass destruction.
This is explained by the fact that fentanyl's composition is closer to that of a chemical weapon than a narcotic. Two milligrams of the substance, according to US officials, constitute a lethal dose.
It is further mentioned that the substance is distributed by organizations recognized as terrorist, and is used to finance their activities.
The names of the organizations were not mentioned, only that they were "two cartels" constantly at odds with each other. Apparently, this refers to the Mexican cartels of Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation.
What does this have to do with the Venezuelan issue?
The fact is that this change in the status of the substance also concerns, first and foremost, US domestic legislation and is an expression of the new National Security Strategy.
The document prioritizes lethal action over law enforcement, making the fight against drug trafficking more of a military rather than a legal matter. This means greater room for maneuver in all matters involving the Pentagon and drug trafficking.
However, in this case, the Chinese companies whose ships transport fentanyl precursors to Mexico may be more likely to suffer from such a reclassification of fentanyl.
But the familiar rhetoric about weapons of mass destruction (this time, however, without the visualization of a test tube at the UN) can be used in a different way.
THE LAND GOES TO THE AMERICANS, THE OIL GOES TO THEM TOO
Trump's statement that Venezuela stole "oil, land and other assets" deserves special attention.
In this case, few understood the US President, since after the large-scale nationalization that took place back in 2007, after Hugo Chavez came to power, American oil companies remained operating in Venezuela, entered into a partnership with the state-owned company PDVSA, and significantly filled the pockets of certain representatives of American political groups.
This isn't Cuba, where nationalization led to the complete confiscation of American assets on the Island of Freedom. Chevron and ExxonMobil continued to operate in Venezuela quite happily—and continue to do so to this day.
The reminders about US campaign assets in the South American country may well be made to reach the shareholders of those companies, including Trump's enemies from both parties.
And they drew the appropriate conclusions.
Perhaps they would have changed their profit-making strategy, perhaps they would have put pressure on China, whose companies are also operating in Venezuelan oil fields. After all, their economic activity generates revenue for the Venezuelan budget, which could now be equated with financing terrorism.
The threat of "returning the land" fits into the concept of threats to oil companies—both the shadowy ones who work on the shelf and lands of the unrecognized Essequibo region, and those who operate there in defiance of Trump's team.
Thus, in one speech, Trump coordinated a pool of threats against different parties – the Maduro government, Chinese business, the Democratic Party, and American oil producers.
Does this make sense? Yes.
FINISH OFF THE SURVIVORS!
Donald Trump's threats came amid ongoing hearings in the US Congress.
The subject of the investigation was one of the strikes by the American military on one of the drug boats in the Caribbean, during which the order was given to finish off the survivors.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have not provided any intelligence that comes close to the level of any other briefings they've given on Ukraine, China, or anywhere else, according to Democratic officials.
In addition, Hegseth stated that the video is top secret and no one is going to show it to the public.
This turn of events already threatens Trump and Hegseth with potential impeachment—and it is unlikely that Democrats will miss the opportunity to exploit this in the context of domestic political struggle.
Republicans need to fill the information space with their own agenda and justify all the inconvenient actions in the Caribbean region by threatening everyone at once.
#1
Trump is doubly challenging Russia, first by putting pressure on Russia's primary South American ally, and secondly by directly defying Russia's 2021 demands that the US surface Navy's right to free navigation in international waters be restricted.
This policy is not consistent with the Witkoff faction's pro Russia/Qatar stance.
I guess I owe an apology for at least some of the times I was upset by what was reported. Whew!
[IsraelTimes] Washington Post says two leaders began plotting attack in February, leaked false stories to US, Israeli media painting daylight between Jerusalem’s and Washington’s Iran policies
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump ...They hit him with slander, they impeached him twice. Nancy Pelosi tore up his State of the Union address on national TV. They stole an election and put his adherents in jail. They vilified him. They couldn't crucify him, so they shot him. Still, they can't keep him down... began planning for a potential strike on Iran’s nuclear program after their first meeting in February, and developed an elaborate public deception program, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.
During their February meeting, Netanyahu presented Trump with four options on what an attack on 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 JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... could look like, according to the report. The four scenarios were an exclusively Israeli attack, an attack led by Israel with minimal US help, full collaboration, and a US-led assault.
While Trump chose to give nuclear diplomacy an opportunity, the intelligence-sharing and preparations for an attack continued, per the report. "The thinking was, if talks fail, we are ready to go," said one person familiar with the details. Good strategy, as they knew talks would ultimately fail
As they moved closer to a strike, the two leaders sought to lull Iran into complacency.
On June 12, Trump said that he preferred a negotiated solution to a military strike. Israeli officials leaked word that top Netanyahu adviser Ron Dermer and Mosssd ...sees all, knows all, gets 'em all in the end... director David Barnea would be meeting senior White House envoy Steve Witkoff in the near future, and a round of nuclear talks between the US and Iran was scheduled for June 15.
Both countries also leaked signs that there were tensions between the two allies: "All the reports that were written about Bibi not being on the same page with Witkoff or Trump were not true," said someone familiar with the details. "But it was good that this was the general perception; it helped to move on with the planning without many people noticing it."
According to the US outlet, the Mossad intelligence agency armed more than 100 Iranian agents, some of whom were trained in Israel.
They were given specific missions, but were not told that it was part of a broad assault on Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile program.
"This operation is unprecedented in history," an Israeli official said. "We mobilized our own assets and agents to go close to Tehran and launch the ground operation before the air force could enter Iranian airspace."
Some Iranian agents were given a three-piece "special weapon" designed for precision strikes, a senior Israeli security official added.
Iran managed to retrieve some of the launchers, but not the missiles or a "secret third component," said the Israeli official.
Israel also assassinated 11 senior Iranian nuclear scientists in the early stages of the attack, in what it called Operation Narnia. To prepare, according to The Washington Post, Israel chose around a dozen top scientists from an initial list of 100, and closely tracked each one and their movements, homes, and work.
A senior Israeli intelligence officer said that Israel tried to minimize collateral damage as much as possible, though dozens of non-combatants were killed in the strikes.
During the war, while Israel was hammering Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, Trump made another, secret offer to Iran on June 15. The offer was far less favorable to Iran than previous ones, and would see Iran stop supporting armed proxies and shut down its enrichment facilities. Trump would then lift all sanctions, according to the offer.
The US sent the offer to Iran via 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... , but the Iranians rejected it, and Trump decided to join the Israeli operation, according to a senior diplomat.
Israel said its sweeping assault on Iran’s top military leaders, nuclear scientists, uranium enrichment sites, and ballistic missile program was necessary to prevent the Islamic Theocratic Republic from realizing its avowed plan to destroy the Jewish state.
Iran has consistently denied seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. However,
Caliphornia hasn't yet slid into the ocean, no matter how hard it's tried... it enriched uranium to levels that have no peaceful application, obstructed international inspectors from checking its nuclear facilities, and expanded its ballistic missile capabilities.
Israel said Iran had recently taken steps toward weaponization. Iran retaliated to Israel’s strikes by launching over 500 ballistic missiles and around 1,100 drones at Israel.
The attacks killed 32 people and maimed over 3,000 in Israel, according to health officials and hospitals.
In all, there were 36 missile impacts and one dronezap in populated areas, causing damage to 2,305 homes in 240 buildings, along with two universities and a hospital, and leaving over 13,000 Israelis displaced.
A joint investigation by The Washington Post and PBS Frontline has disclosed further details of a long running Israeli covert campaign aimed at crippling Iran’s nuclear program during the June 2025 war, including the use of specialized weapons and a broad internal agent network.… pic.twitter.com/TeFEEx4aGp
A joint investigation by The Washington Post and PBS Frontline has disclosed further details of a long running Israeli covert campaign aimed at crippling Iran’s nuclear program during the June 2025 war, including the use of specialized weapons and a broad internal agent network.
According to the report, Israeli intelligence concluded years earlier that repeated strikes on nuclear facilities such as Natanz and Fordow would only cause temporary disruption. Facilities could be rebuilt, but senior scientific expertise could not. Israeli agencies therefore focused on eliminating the small circle of scientists who designed, supervised, and advanced Iran’s enrichment and weaponization work.
Investigators say Israeli services spent decades compiling detailed intelligence files on roughly 100 Iranian nuclear scientists, tracking daily routines, residences, travel patterns, and security arrangements. That list was eventually narrowed to 12 senior figures viewed as critical to the program’s continuity.
The report describes how, as Israeli airstrikes began on June 13, more than 100 Israeli linked operatives inside Iran were activated in parallel. These operatives were positioned near key targets and infrastructure and were equipped with what the investigation calls specialized weapons, including compact explosives, precision devices, and other tools designed for close range assassinations that minimized detection and collateral exposure. Some attacks were carried out at private residences or during transit, timed to prevent warnings or escape.
More at the link
Posted by: badanov ||
12/18/2025 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[1762 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
Syria’s defence minister, Murhaf Abu Qasra, has formally notified the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that Damascus has accepted the terms of a previously verbal agreement approved by President Ahmed al-Sharaa prior to his most recent…
Syria’s defence minister, Murhaf Abu Qasra, has formally notified the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that Damascus has accepted the terms of a previously verbal agreement approved by President Ahmed al-Sharaa prior to his most recent visit to the United States in November, according to sources familiar with the correspondence.
The written message, sent directly to the SDF leadership, confirms Damascus’s acceptance of an understanding that had been reached verbally before Sharaa's departure to Washington to meet President Donald Trump in the White House and overseen by the US envoy, Tom Barrack.
The move marks the first time the agreement has been acknowledged in writing by the authorities in Damascus, signalling a potential breakthrough in long-stalled talks on integrating the SDF into Syria’s future security architecture.
Under the terms of the agreement, the SDF would continue to operate as a unified force structured into three distinct divisions. The first would serve as a Border Guard Division, responsible for securing Syria’s northeastern frontiers. The second would be a Women’s Division, preserving the SDF’s existing female combat formations. The third, a Counter-Terrorism Division, would coordinate directly with the Syrian government on operations against extremist groups.
Read the rest at the link
Posted by: badanov ||
12/18/2025 00:00 ||
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[1754 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Syria/HTS
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
...sees all, knows all, gets 'em all in the end...
