[SDUT] Ay-Peee, expect doom and spin
The Pentagon announced Wednesday that the Navy’s top civilian official, Secretary of the Navy John Phelan, is leaving his job.
In a statement posted to social media, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Phelan was "departing the administration, effective immediately."
Navy Undersecretary Hung Cao will become acting secretary of the Navy, Parnell said.
The sudden departure comes just a day after Phelan addressed a large crowd of sailors and industry professionals at the Navy’s annual conference in Washington, D.C., and spoke with reporters about his agenda.
Phelan’s departure also comes just weeks after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired the Army’s top officer, Gen. Randy George, as well as two other top generals in the Army.
Phelan had not served in the military or had a civilian leadership role in the service before President Donald Trump nominated him for secretary in late 2024.
Phelan was a major donor to Trump’s campaign and founded the private investment firm Rugger Management LLC. According to his biography, Phelan’s primary exposure to the military came from an advisory position he held on the Spirit of America, a non-profit that supported the defense of Ukraine and the defense of Taiwan.
John C. Phelan was ousted from his military role on Wednesday afternoon after a disagreement over Trump's plan for building a 'Golden Fleet' of military vessels.
'The administration really wanted to accelerate the shipbuilding program because of the president’s agenda ... and the secretary seemed incapable of accomplishing those goals and he wasn’t well liked,' a source told The New York Post.
'When you combine incompetence with arrogance it usually doesn’t end well.'
The Golden Fleet proposal includes building a new class of 30,000—40,000 ton, nuclear-capable 'Trump-class' battleships, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Phelan was ousted after battling with Hegseth and Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg.
So the kid is ok with taking money to burn a random building, but not to take it for a Jewish church? Nice that he isn’t hateful, but his moral code is still broken.
[IsraelTimes] 17-year-old prosecuted in latest attack on UK Jewish institution says he didn’t know it was a synagogue; police still seeking two other suspects
A teenager has pleaded guilty to arson but claimed he was unaware that the targeted building in northwest London was a synagogue, and said he bore no ill will toward Jewish people.
The attack was among several separate assaults against Britannia’s Jewish community in recent weeks. After the 17-year-old boy was arrested along with a 19-year-old in connection with the incident, Matt Jukes, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said the arrests came amid a pattern of "thugs for hire" as the UK sees "the pressure of hostile states bearing into our communities."
The 17-year-old, who cannot be identified because of his age, pleaded guilty to arson not endangering life when he appeared before Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.
Surveillance footage showed the boy climb over a wall at Kenton United Synagogue, in Harrow, on Saturday night, and set light to a bottle of liquid before throwing it through a broken window. The fire caused some smoke damage, and no one was injured.
The boy said he did not know the building was a synagogue and that he didn’t intend to harm anyone.
"I have no hate toward the Jewish people," he said in a written statement. "I am very sorry for my actions."
The boy was released on bail and ordered to appear at Willesden Youth Court on June 4. In addition to the 19-year-old, who has been released, police are seeking two other suspects.
There has been a series of arson attacks against synagogues and other Jewish targets in the UK since March 23, when four ambulances owned by a Jewish charity that serves people of all faiths in Golders Green, north London, were torched. No one has been injured in any of the incidents.
Police have said they are looking into whether 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... is behind six recent attacks, including one on a Persian-language media organization critical of Iran’s government, amid the US-Israeli war with the Islamic Theocratic Republic, which is currently in a ceasefire.
Counterterror police said 23 people have been arrested so far.
And society is better off with them locked up until they learn not to burn buildings for pay, even if it’s not personal.
Seven of those were held on suspicion of conspiring to set fire to an unspecified Jewish venue, London’s Metropolitan Police said.
The newly founded Islamist group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI), or Movement of the Companions of the Right Hand of Islam, which has links to Iran, has grabbed credit for many of the recent attacks across Europa ...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum... on American, Israeli and Jewish targets, according to SITE Intelligence Group.
[IsraelTimes] UK counter-terrorism officers investigating a spate of arson attacks on Jewish and other sites in London have made two further arrests, bringing the total number to 25, police say.
The capital’s Metropolitan Police announce two new arrests as part of “a proactive investigation” into an “alleged conspiracy to commit arson at a venue related to the Jewish community.”
Police say the latest arrests, of men aged 19 and 26 in Watford, north of London, were made on Tuesday. These suspects remain in custody.
The men were arrested on suspicion of planning an arson attack, but the Jewish community venue targeted was “unknown,” police say.
Six sites, all of them Jewish save a Persian media outlet that is critical of Iran, have been targeted by arson attacks in recent weeks.
[Breitbart] A Royal Air Force cadet was reportedly suspended from his training programme after proclaiming that Islam represented the greatest security threat to the United Kingdom.
During a question-and-answer session in which around 50 cadets were quizzed by superiors on the dangers facing British society, an RAF trainee responded that he believed Islam was the chief concern.
For this, the Air Force cadet was suspended from the officer training course amid an investigation, the Daily Mail reported.
Can we offer him a scholarship to our Air Force academy? He seems the kind of officer we want, and it’s likely he would meet our minimum standards, since he made the RAF cut.
This comes despite MI5, Britain’s domestic intelligence agency, openly stating that “Islamist terrorism is the most significant terrorist threat to the UK by volume.”
Islamic terrorism has been responsible for some of the deadliest attacks on British soil in recent years, including the 2005 “7/7” London Underground and bus bombings, in which four jihadist suicide bombers detonated homemade explosive devices on public transport, killing 52 people.
Meanwhile, multiple suspected Islamist terror attacks have taken place in London in recent weeks against Jewish institutions, in apparent retaliatory strikes over the conflict in Iran.
Retired rear admiral Chris Parry said of the cadet’s suspension: “If this cadet had answered ‘the far-Right’, I doubt he would have been suspended.
“If I’d asked that question and got that answer I would have also asked the cadet to expand on his thinking and got some critical thinking going rather than suspend him,” Parry said.
“Clearly, Islamic extremism is the issue and not Islam, but how are young people expected to develop critical thinking around these complex issues if they are shut down in this way?”
The incident was also criticised by the Free Speech Union, which noted that “Parliament abolished blasphemy laws in 2008, and concern about Islamist extremism is a legitimate and widely held view in Britain after a series of heinous terror attacks perpetrated by Islamists.”
“We now have an official definition of Islamophobia — repackaged as ‘anti-Muslim hostility’ — which has already been used to shut down legitimate criticism and debate about Islam. But even before this, we effectively had a cultural Muslim blasphemy law,” the FSU said.
Earlier this year, Fiyaz Mughal, the founder of a service that tracks anti-Muslim incidents in Britain and a former government advisor, accused the left-wing Labour government of attempting to stop him from speaking out against the scourge of Islamism in public.
This came after Mughal disclosed that during a Home Office meeting on extremism last year, it took over an hour and a half before the issue of Islamism was raised at all.
A previous report from the Henry Jackson Society think tank found that political correctness and a disproportionate focus on the threat from far-right extremists resulted in the downplaying of the dangers of jihadis in Britain.
Responding to the report of the suspended cadet, a spokesman for the Royal Air Force said: “We are aware of an alleged incident of inappropriate behaviour involving a cadet at RAF Cranwell.
“An investigation is ongoing, we are unable to comment further.”
The Royal Air Force has already recently weathered a major social engineering scandal after it emerged it had told its own staff to stop recruiting “useless white male” pilots in a bid to boost diversity. Incredibly, the leaked internal email made clear the RAF was happy to recruit fewer pilots overall, or even suspend recruitment, if there weren’t enough “BAME and female” recruits to “balance” white men.
The Force was eventually forced into paying compensation to those men it had discriminated against and issued an apology.
The statement issued at the time could not have been described as wholly sincere, however, given its insistence that the military’s attempt to discriminate against white men had been driven by “the best of intentions” and it hadn’t discouraged the RAF from its “long-term aspirational goals set by senior leadership to improve diversity”. The RAF also insisted the discrimination had “no impact on operational effectiveness”, a claim that was later challenged when it emerged the Force was suffering a shortage of pilots.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] A patriotic poster girl of the MAGA movement, now famous for her love of Coors Light, firearms and sub-zero bikini shoots, has been revealed as a total digital fabrication.
This viral influencer babe is not an American patriot at all, but rather a 22-year-old male medical student from India.
The aspiring orthopedic surgeon admitted that the blonde bombshell was nothing more than his AI-generated goldmine designed to fund his way through med school and, ironically, finance his eventual move to the United States.
Leveraging demographic data from Google's Gemini AI, the creator engineered Emily Hart, a digital persona tailored to exploit the MAGA male crowd.
The account garnered 10,000 followers within the first month.
The AI-generated insights suggested that older conservative men in the US possess significant disposable income and high levels of group loyalty, Hart's creator told Wired magazine.
Marketed as a registered nurse, the AI-generated influencer was designed to serve political content to a targeted audience of lonely conservative men.
One picture displayed Hart firing a rifle. The caption read: 'If you want a reason to unfollow: Christ is king, abortion is murder, and all illegals must be deported.'
The medical student from India told Wired, 'Every day I'd write something pro-Christian, pro-Second Amendment, pro-life, anti-abortion, anti-woke, and anti-immigration.'
The AI creator transformed Hart's digital popularity into a lucrative enterprise, capitalizing on her appeal within the conservative niche to sell MAGA-branded apparel.
Beyond merchandise, he established a presence on Fanvue, an OnlyFans rival that has distinguished itself by explicitly permitting AI-generated material, where subscribers pay for access to explicit and fake content.
This pivot proved highly profitable, with the creator reportedly 'raking in thousands of dollars a month.'
'I was spending maybe 30 to 50 minutes of my day, and I was making good money for a medical student,' he explained. 'In India, even in professional jobs, you can't make this amount of money. I haven't seen any easier way to make money online.'
Hart's profile on Instagram was removed in February for 'fraudulent' activity.
And she is not the only fake babe to be removed from the internet after soaring success.
To her one million adoring Instagram fans, Jessica Foster was also the ultimate MAGA dream girl.
She was a gorgeous blonde serving in the US Army. She posed on the tarmac with President Donald Trump while sporting high heels and a slicked-back hairstyle, snapped selfies in front of fighter jets and carried out grueling military missions in Greenland alongside her female comrades. All with a smile on her face.
Her seemingly VIP access and flawless image had her followers completely swooning. The comment sections of her posts were flooded with single men begging to know how to score an introduction.
There was just one glaring problem: Foster wasn't real. She was a total sham, also created entirely by artificial intelligence (AI).
This digital phantom first flickered onto the scene in December, launching with a defiant, two-word bio that signaled exactly the type of demographic she was hunting for: 'America First.'
Almost instantly, her account became a magnet for MAGA supporters who flocked to the profile to worship what they genuinely believed was the ultimate conservative icon.
The explosive viral rise of AI creations like Hart and Foster has pulled back the curtain on a cynical new frontier in the battle for your digital attention.
As of late, hundreds of deepfake videos featuring 'Iranian female soldiers' and fighter pilots are circulating online, signaling pro-Iran messages. The clips show glamorous Middle Eastern women in full military gear, supposedly ready for battle.
But there is one glaring problem with this high-tech recruitment drive: the women do not exist, and the military roles they are playing are strictly forbidden in Iran.
Other accounts on Instagram showed a curvaceous brunette posing with Elon Musk while he gave her a tour of SpaceX.
Many of these profiles have since been deleted - but the profits have already been made.
I jest because like some 80% of Daily Mail's content is entertainment, or references style, and how absolutely manufactured is that? I'd bet money that in the DM archives there is promotion of Beyonce as a country music legend and stylish western fashionista.
The airline has brought in the change after changes to EU security checks have left passengers stuck in lengthy queues ahead of their journeys.
The new Entry/Exit System (EES), which collects fingerprints and facial scans from visitors from outside the EU, has caused disruption at some European airports and has left Brits stranded.
More than 100 passengers missed an easyJet flight earlier this month due to long queues in Milan.
Greece has defied the EU by dropping the biometric tests for UK visitors, who contribute a large amount to the country's tourism-centred economy.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] An ISIS recruiter has been released early from prison despite his parole board warning he remains an extremist who poses a threat to the public due to a soft-touch Canadian judicial rule.
Ashton Larmond, 35, was freed after serving just eleven year and three months of his 17-year sentence for terrorism offenses.
His early freedom was granted under Canada's 'statutory release' law, which determines that most offenders except lifers must be released after serving two-thirds of their sentence.
Larmond was first reported to the authorities in Ottawa in September 2013 by his own mother, who warned police her son sought to kill in the name of terrorism.
Police discovered around 267 videos containing extremist propaganda on his computer upon his arrest in 2015 after he converted to Islam between 2009 and 2011, Global News reported.
Larmond recruited his twin brother Carlos and the brothers were apprehended as they attempted to fly out of Canada to Syria.
His brother pleaded guilty to attempting to leave Canada to participate in the activities of a terrorist group and was sentenced to seven years in prison. Larmond pleaded guilty to encouraging others to engage in terrorist violence.
A third person, Suliman Mohamed, was arrested days after the twins and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to participate in a terrorist activity, receiving a sentence of seven years, CBC reported.
While incarcerated, Larmond committed several assaults on other inmates, including punching one in the face and breaking his nose, according to Global News.
Larmond was also said to have threatened prison staff, according to the parole board. He was originally held in a provincial facility, but was transferred to a federal prison over 'radical ideologies,' the outlet reported.
The parole board maintained that Larmond was violent and a public safety risk and continued to hold his extremist views.
'While you have gained improved insight through program participation and counseling with the institutional imam, you continue to hold extremist views, which is problematic for the purposes of risk mitigation and public safety,' the board said.
The parole board also noted that Larmond was likely to reoffend within three years and said his 'reintegration potential' is low.
His release is conditional on monitoring of his phone and finances, as well as undergoing treatment and living in a community-based or psychiatric facility approved by the Correctional Service of Canada.
Larmond plans to undergo employment training while holding down a part-time job and has a goal of becoming a contractor.
He also expressed interest in volunteering and fundraising for organizations that 'focus on people of the Muslim faith who are suffering,' Global News reported.
The Canadian government insists statutory parole 'does not end an offender's sentence' but rather counts as a different form of punishment.
'Instead, offenders serve what is left of their sentence in the community. They must report regularly to a Correctional Service of Canada Parole Officer and follow conditions,' the Canadian government website states.
'On statutory release, offenders have some time under supervision in the community before their sentence ends to help them return to society as law-abiding citizens. Offenders serving life sentences do not get statutory release.'
The Parole Board of Canada is only able to overrule statutory parole if it believes the offender is likely to commit an offense causing death or serious harm, sexual violence involving a child or a serious drug offense before the end of their sentence.
The Daily Mail has contacted the Parole Board of Canada and the Canadian government for comment.
An Ottawa man convicted in an ISIS terrorism case is getting out of prison after serving two-thirds of his 17-year sentence, even though the parole board says he continues to hold bad boy views and remains a public-safety risk.
The parole board says Ashton Larmond has made some progress through programming available to him in prison, as well as counselling. However,
today is that tomorrow you were thinking about yesterday... the board also noted in its decision shared with National Post, that the 35-year-old man committed an assault on another inmate in March, as first reported by Global News. He punched another inmate in the face, then kneeled on him and struck him again, breaking his nose, which the board cited as evidence he remains comfortable using violence.
The parole board can impose special conditions on statutory releases that it considers necessary to manage an offender’s risk in the community. The parole board has placed special conditions on Larmond, which must be followed throughout the rest of his sentence. That includes monitoring his phone use and finances. He must also take part in treatment and live in a community-based residential facility or psychiatric facility approved by the Correctional Service of Canada.
He is noted by the board to be within the category of male offenders likely to reoffend within three years.
According to the parole board decision, Larmond converted to Islam sometime between 2009 and 2011. He adopted "terrorist views" and proceeded to recruit "several people, including (his) twin brother (Carlos) and a police officer to join the terrorist group."
When he was arrested, police found 267 videos with bad boy propaganda on his computer hard drive.
While in prison, he committed several assaults against other inmates and uttered threats against prison staff, says the parole board. He was initially held in a provincial facility, but was transferred to a federal prison due to "radical ideologies." While in the latter, there was concern that he may have been attempting to radicalize another prisoner, but that appears to have abated. His "accountability" rating improved over time from low to medium.
Police awareness of Larmond goes back to the summer of 2013, when the RCMP intercepted conversations between Larmond and another Ottawa man who had flown overseas and joined ISIS in December 2012. He told the man that he wanted to join him. According to RCMP documents, Larmond’s mother called the Ottawa police in September 2013 saying her son wanted to go kill for terrorists.
Police arrested Larmond on January 9, 2015, in the Ottawa area, while his twin brother Carlos was arrested at Montreal’s airport as he was trying to leave Canada for Syria. Ashton had been considering taking an overland route through Alaska, Russia, and Afghanistan to reach Syria.
They were arrested along with a third suspect following an RCMP undercover counterterrorism operation called Project Slipstream.
The parole board rates his "reintegration potential" as low.
A California appeals court has blocked a move by Gov. Gavin Newsom to force ICE agents to wear identification, saying that the state couldn’t regulate actions by the federal government.
The three judge panel in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday agreed with the Trump administration that the California law violated the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause by interfering with federal officers’ duties.
In an opinion written by Judge Mark J. Bennett, the appeals court said that the CA law "attempts to directly regulate the United States in its performance of governmental functions."
Los Angeles’ top federal prosecutor celebrated Wednesday’s ruling.
"Huge legal victory this morning in the Ninth Circuit, where the court permanently enjoined California’s unconstitutional mask law targeting federal agents, First Assistant US Attorney for the Central District Bill Essayli wrote in a post on X.
His post included comments from the ruling
"The Supremacy Clause forbids the State from enforcing such legislation," it read. "The United States is therefore likely to succeed on the merits of its Supremacy Clause claim, and the other preliminary injunction factors also weigh in its favor."
"Thus, we grant the motion for an injunction pending appeal."
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[FoxNews] Senate Republicans pushed their immigration funding plan forward early Thursday, adopting a budget blueprint after an all-night vote series that sets up billions for ICE and Border Patrol while sidelining Democrats.
Senate Republicans adopted their budget resolution, which tees up funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol, and effectively cuts congressional Democrats out of the process entirely.
It’s the first major step toward unlocking the budget reconciliation process, which Republicans are diving into once again after Democrats refused to fund ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) without stringent reforms.
[IsraelTimes] The Defense Ministry says it has ordered another $200 million (NIS 600 million) worth of aerial munitions from arms manufacturer Elbit.
The ministry says the multiyear order comes as part of “bolstering readiness for near-term combat scenarios and preparing for an intense security decade.”
Aerial munitions are missiles and other bombs used by Israeli Air Force aircraft for strikes and interceptions.
In January, a similar $183 million deal was signed between the ministry and Elbit for aerial munitions.
[IsraelTimes] Agent was on boat that capsized in Italy’s Lake Maggiore, during reported meeting between Israeli and Italian spies
A Mosssd ...sees all, knows all, gets 'em all in the end... agent who died in an apparent boat accident in Italia in May 2023 led operations that contributed to Israel’s recent successes against Iran, spy chief David Barnea said Tuesday.
The agent, identifiable only by the first Hebrew letter of his name, "Mem," was among four people who drowned when a boat capsized in Italia’s Lake Maggiore.
At the time, he was named by Italian media as 50-year-old Erez Shimoni, which is believed to be an alias. His real identity was not officially publicized, but is publicly available on official Israeli memorial sites.
"On this day," Barnea said during a Memorial Day ceremony at Mossad headquarters, "I think about the fallen Mossad members and their choice to contribute over the years to Israel’s security."
"During Operation Roaring Lion, my thoughts and heart were filled with pride in the person and work of ’Mem,’ who fell outside of Israel while fulfilling his duties," he said, referring to the recent war with Iran.
"The operation led by ’Mem’ combined creativity, cunning, and advanced technology and significantly influenced the success of the campaign against Iran," Barnea said.
Italian media reported at the time that the gathering where he died was a working meeting of intelligence agents. According to the reports, 19 out of the 23 people on board were serving or past Israeli and Italian agents.
Italia’s security service said that two of the dead — a 62-year-old man and a 53-year-old woman — were its employees.
Mem’s body was transported back to Israel for burial at Ashkelon’s military cemetery.
Senior Mossad officials, including Barnea, were at the funeral.
"He was a man of values, a true friend, a dedicated and loyal person," Barnea said at the funeral. "You worked in secret throughout your adult life — even after your death, we will not be able to tell publicly about your many significant and beneficial actions for the people of Israel. For all of us," he said.
He praised him as specializing in "pioneering fields and methods of operation."
Claudio Carminati, the captain of the Gooduria tour boat, was sentenced to four years in a plea deal over the deaths of his passengers. When it sank, the boat was carrying 23 passengers when it could only legally hold 15. The captain’s wife was among the dead.
The boat was reportedly just 100 meters from the shore when it went down. Survivors were reportedly either picked up by other watercraft or swam ashore. Ten other Israelis were reportedly on the vessel and were said to have been quickly flown back to Israel on a private jet known to be used by Israeli authorities.
An Israeli intelligence document circulated to senior officials warns that Hamas is using the ceasefire to quietly rebuild its military capabilities.
According to the report, Hamas is stalling for time while accelerating recruitment, rehabilitating its military wing, seizing control of humanitarian goods, and reasserting civil and governmental control in Gaza.
Security officials say the group is exploiting global distractions, including tensions with Iran and Lebanon, to avoid pressure and buy time.
While no major operational breakthrough has been identified yet, the steady rebuild is raising serious concern inside Israel’s security establishment.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Tensions between the US and Iran continued to escalate this week after President Donald Trump extended a ceasefire while maintaining an American blockade of Iranian ports.
Now, the IRGC-affiliated Fars News Agency has outlined what would happen should the war, which started following a major offensive by US and Israeli forces on February 28, continue.
The news agency said that if the US were to put boots on the ground in Iran, neighbouring Gulf states should expect retaliation.
'Iran has no need to negotiate to bring the confrontation to an end; it is sufficient for the enemy to understand the 'rules of the game'.
'If there is a ground attack, Bahrain and the UAE are mutual targets for a ground attack,' Fars warned.
It added that 'if Iran's infrastructure is targeted, the entire region's power and oil facilities will be put at risk.'
Posted by: Matt ||
04/23/2026 14:28 Comments ||
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#4
Bahrain was a province of Iran until 1970-ish and Shia Muslims are an estimated 55-70% of the population. I think they have a much better chance with Bahrain than the UAE. NSA Bahrain seems to be offline at the moment.
[IsraelTimes] Israel projects optimism ahead of planned talks on Thursday, as some exchanges of fire continue in south Lebanon; IDF says it killed 2 Hezbollah men who crossed ceasefire line
Leb ...home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade.... was hoping to extend the shaky ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel as its representatives were set to meet with Israeli envoys on Thursday for the second time in two weeks in Washington, DC, while Israeli officials projected optimism about the talks.
The historic negotiations, brokered by the US, are the first sustained direct talks between Israel and its neighbor to the north in decades. They come amid a ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group that is set to expire Sunday.
The truce, which began last week, has seen repeated festivities between Israel and Hezbollah, including on Wednesday, Israel’s Independence Day.
TRUCE EXTENSION
Lebanon hopes to secure a one-month extension to the ceasefire at Thursday’s talks, which will be led by Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter and Simon Karam, Beirut’s former ambassador to Washington.
A Lebanese official who spoke on condition of anonymity to AFP said: "Lebanon will request an extension of the truce for one month, an end of Israel’s bombing and destruction in the areas where it is present, and a commitment to the ceasefire."
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Wednesday that "contacts are underway to extend the ceasefire period."
The language of the truce deal allows Israel to strike to defend its territory or troops. The IDF has carried out multiple strikes since the ceasefire took effect, citing violations.
A Lebanese official told Rooters that if the ceasefire is extended, the goals of the meeting also include exploring a date for expanded negotiations beyond the ambassadorial level, in which Lebanon would push for an Israeli withdrawal, the return of Lebanese detained in Israel and a delineation of the land border between the two countries.
Israeli officials, meanwhile, mused about peace between the two countries in speeches on Wednesday. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said that the countries don’t have major disagreements and that they share an enemy in Hezbollah.
"We made a historic decision to negotiate directly with Lebanon after more than 40 years," Sa’ar said at an Independence Day reception for the foreign diplomatic corps in Jerusalem.
"Unfortunately, Lebanon is a failed state. A state that is de facto under Iranian occupation through Hezbollah. But this also leads to a conclusion: Hezbollah is a common enemy of Israel and Lebanon," said Sa’ar. "Just as it threatens Israel’s security, it harms Lebanon’s illusory sovereignty and threatens its future."
Sa’ar said that Israel doesn’t "have any serious disagreements with Lebanon. There are a few minor border disputes, which can be solved. The obstacle to peace and normalization between the countries is one: Hezbollah."
Sa’ar called on the government of Lebanon to "work together against the terror state that Hezbollah built in your territory."
He added: "This cooperation is needed by you even more than by us. It requires moral clarity and the courage to take risks. But there is no real alternative for ensuring a future of peace for you and for us. And for you, for Lebanon — a future of illusory sovereignty, independence and freedom from the Iranian occupation."
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Tuesday appeared to throw cold water on the prospect of forcibly disarming Hezbollah, saying that he wanted to avoid a clash with the terror group, even as he reportedly told the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... that Lebanon needs a stronger army.
"We are not seeking confrontation with Hezbollah; on the contrary, I would prefer to avoid confrontation with Hezbollah," Salam said, speaking alongside French President Emmanuel Macron in Gay Paree after attending a meeting of the EU’s foreign ministers in Luxembourg, according to the Emirati publication The National.
"But believe me, we will not be intimidated by Hezbollah and those who are fanning the flames of civil war."
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.
...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 
[NY Post] 
...sees all, knows all, gets 'em all in the end...
...home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade....
