NEW YORK, June 6 (Reuters) - Road closures, bag bans and a gauntlet of security measures will greet fans at Madison Square Garden on Monday, as U.S. President Donald Trump descends on the heart of Manhattan to watch the New York Knicks play the San Antonio Spurs at home in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
The Secret Service urged ticket holders to arrive early to the self-styled "World's Most Famous Arena", which sits above the busiest transit hub in the United States, Penn Station, and will see the NBA Finals for the first time in more than a quarter-century with Trump in attendance.
"Attendees should anticipate hard street closures in the immediate area surrounding Madison Square Garden," Secret Service Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi said in an emailed statement.
"A strict no-bag policy will be enforced, and we want to communicate that early and broadly so fans can plan accordingly. Attendees should also expect Secret Service-level security screening, similar to airport screening procedures."
"To ensure timely entry and avoid delays, we strongly encourage fans to arrive at least two hours before tip-off. While final operational details are still being coordinated, this is the planning framework we currently expect and can be reported as such," Guglielmi said.
[IsraelTimes] Prosecutors say assault by Romanian nationals on Iran International news presenter Pouria Zeraati was proxy operation linked to Tehran aimed at silencing criticism of regime
Two Romanians were convicted on Friday over the stabbing of an Iranian journalist outside his home in London in a 2024 attack that prosecutors linked to Tehran.
Nandito Badea, 21, and George Stana, 25, were found guilty of wounding with intent for the stabbing of Pouria Zeraati, a news presenter for Persian-language outlet Iran International.
The attack was “designed to silence a journalist through intimidation and violence,” the British prosecution service’s anti-terrorism chief Frank Ferguson said after the verdict at Woolwich Crown Court.
Prosecutors argued during the trial that the attack was a proxy operation linked to the Iranian state and the victim was targeted because of his work as a journalist, though Iran denied any involvement.
The pair will be sentenced on July 3, when the judge could comment on the possible role of Iran in the attack.
Zeraati needed emergency treatment after he was stabbed several times in the leg outside his home in Wimbledon, southwest London.
But he returned to work at the dissident broadcaster the following month, insisting that “the show must go on.”
The defendants waited for Zeraati and “acted together to restrain and stab him before making an immediate and organized escape from the UK,” said Ferguson.
The men were arrested in Romania in December 2024 and extradited to Britain, but a third man accused of taking part in the attack is still in Romania because he faces separate charges there, police said.
Iran International, a Saudi-funded private broadcaster based in a heavily secured building in west London, was labelled a “terrorist” organization by Tehran in 2022, along with the BBC’s Persian-language channel.
Last month, a Greek man was charged with spying on a journalist at Iran International.
In April, three people appeared in a London court charged with an attempted arson attack on its offices.
Additionally, the Iranian embassy in London reportedly launched a controversial “martyrdom” program in March, calling on “proud Iranian compatriots residing in Britain” to register for the “Jan Fada” (“sacrificing life”) initiative.
Though an embassy spokesperson was said to insist the initiative “does not promote any form of hostility,” analysts warned that the effort could amount to online radicalization.
In response, Britain summoned the Iranian ambassador to the UK, with the country’s minister for the Middle East, Hamish Falconer, having made clear that the embassy “must cease any form of communications that could be interpreted as encouraging violence in the UK or internationally.”
[MilitantWire] While organizational terrorist networks in Russia have degraded, attack plots continue to stem from individual supporters, munasir foundations, and unofficial groups adapted to the new multi-spatial security environment.
An explosion punctured the silence of an early morning in Moscow on February 24 this year, killing one policeman and injuring two more. In a country fixated on its invasion of Ukraine, the bombing was a reminder that not even two years after the attack on Crocus City Hall, Islamic State’s supporters continue to pose a threat.
Why would that have changed?
The attack was not claimed by Islamic State’s Amaq Agency, but rather by a pro-IS foundation based in the North Caucasus: Nabd al-Salaf al-Qawqazi (NSQ). The munasir (meaning: volunteer) organization claimed the bombing in its periodical The White One from Grozny. This was the first claim of attack responsibility ever made by the group.
Russian media reported that the Moscow police attacker was a 22-year-old native of the Udmurtia Republic.
In the European part of Russia, very roughly 2/3rds of the way from Moscow to the Ural Mountains.
This is an odd profile for IS supporters in Russia, as Udmurt does not have a large Muslim population — this additionally suggests that Russia should move away from its biased investigative profile to focus more on actual supporters, rather than general ethnic groups. Traffic police, however, are a standard target for various armed actors in Russia, due to their characteristically being both more exposed and less armored than other security services.
[MilitantWire] An article released on Tech Haven on June 1 by Al‑Iman Media Center, a new, unofficial Islamic State–linked propaganda outlet, titled “The Alienation of Muslims in China,” offers a stark and highly charged portrayal of the situation facing Uyghur Muslims in China. From its opening lines, which describe “millions of Uyghur Muslims…languish[ing] under the yoke of the most horrific process of identity and religious eradication in the modern era,” the piece signals that it is not simply reporting events, but constructing a sweeping narrative of civilizational conflict, oppression, and religious persecution.
This messaging reflects a broader shift in Islamic State propaganda. Since around 2021, the group and its affiliated media networks have increasingly focused on China, elevating the issue of Uyghur Muslims in their publications and rhetoric. References to “East Turkestan” and depictions of Chinese authorities as central enemy figures in a global struggle have become more frequent, alongside explicit threats and calls for retaliation. The Al‑Iman article fits squarely within this trajectory, amplifying established themes while intensifying their language.
Posted by: badanov ||
06/07/2026 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1768 views]
Top|| File under: Islamic State
#1
Almost all the Muslim majority countries have been pro CCP for many years now. The Gulf Arabs need buyers for their oil. Other countries require loans.
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
06/07/2026 9:55 Comments ||
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The protesters keep changing the cause, but the protest is always the same. Before France and her allies pressed for sanctioning Israel because of Gaza, now they want to sanction Israel because of the West Bank. Whatever, guys — the people of Israel are ones who survived the Holocaust in the West, and who survived being driven out of the Arab Middle East with only what they could carry, if that much. They have survived a century of pogroms and wars of extinction and intifadas. What is there in European sanctions (that will anyway only last until you want Israeli weapons or Israeli internet tools or Israeli medicines) that could apply any more threat to Israel than they have already beaten? Buncha Jew-hating idiots!
[IsraelTimes] EU deadlock on Israel measures pushes some countries toward national measures, expected to be imposed within days; France to host civil society, ministerial meeting on June 12
La Belle France is working with several countries to step up pressure on Israel by pressing ahead with coordinated national sanctions targeting individuals linked to violence in the West Bank, three European diplomats said on Saturday.
The measures, which would include asset freezes and travel bans, have yet to be finalized and countries may adopt different lists of individuals, the diplomats said.
The move comes amid escalating violence by Death Eater settlers in the West Bank and underscores anger in many Western countries toward Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, which has rarely prosecuted those involved and has expanded settlements with the stated goal of undermining prospects for a Paleostinian state.
NO EU UNANIMITY FOR TOUGHER MEASURES ON ISRAEL
The diplomats said that with efforts blocked at the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... to advance tougher measures against Israel, several countries had concluded that coordinated national sanctions were the best option for now.
"There is no unanimity at the EU level, so we have moved to discussions at the national level," one diplomat said.
Two of the diplomats said the announcement would be in the coming days.
Another diplomat said Britannia and Norway were among the countries La Belle France was coordinating with, although it remained unclear who else could join.
Most countries avoid publicly discussing national sanctions for fear that potential targets could shift assets in advance.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said after some new EU sanctions on May 11 that the bloc had "chosen, in an arbitrary and political manner, to impose sanctions on Israeli citizens and entities because of their political views and without any basis."
Seven Western nations, including La Belle France, Britannia, Australia and Canada, accused the Israeli government on May 22 of aggravating tensions in the West Bank.
A key concern is Israel’s plan to build a settlement east of Jerusalem, known as the E1 project, which would bisect the West Bank and cut it off from East Jerusalem, fragmenting territory Paleostinians seek for a potential independent state.
"In the face of settlement expansion and violence in the West Bank, we have already taken measures. More could follow," a French diplomatic source said, declining to elaborate.
Britannia’s Foreign Office declined to comment. The Norwegian foreign ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
FRANCE HOSTS MEETING TO KEEP ISSUE ON THE TABLE
The push to increase pressure on Israel at the national level comes just days before La Belle France hosts a meeting on June 12 in Gay Paree, bringing together Israeli and Paleostinian civil society groups and about a dozen foreign ministers.
The meeting will mark one year since the adoption of the New York Declaration, a non-binding United Nations ...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks... resolution endorsed by the General Assembly that set out a roadmap toward a Paleostinian state and led to about a dozen countries, including La Belle France, recognizing a Paleostinian state in September.
French officials have said they want to keep the issue on the international agenda as wars in 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... and Leb ...The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. Only one of those statements is an exaggeration.... draw attention away from the Israeli-Paleostinian conflict, while talks over 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... ’s future remain deadlocked despite a fragile ceasefire.
#1
Minister says Turkey will one day take control of Jerusalem 'With Allah’s help, these places will return to our rule and authority,' Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi says, adding he dreams of becoming governor of Jerusalem under Erdogan
…LFI says it has evidence of racist chanting, and of immigrant staff being insulted. With pork regularly on the menu, they say the feasts are purposely designed to exclude Muslims and vegetarians.
Meanwhile, everyday people who love France, love food and beer are having the time of their lives.
The BBC also has a report on it here, so we can assume this is real. A wonderful and clever way to fight against the Moslem colonizers and their governing elite enablers. Congratulations to the civilized People of France!
Cornell University’s Jewish president will not be penalized for a recent campus altercation with pro-Palestinian protesters who had surrounded his car following a campus debate on Israel, an investigation by the university concluded Friday.
The Ivy League school’s Board of Trustees issued a statement of support for Michael Kotlikoff following an investigation into the April 30 incident. Kotlikoff had recused himself from the investigation, which wrapped after eight days.
“President Kotlikoff has shown a steadfast commitment to Cornell’s values and principles, and we are confident he will continue to lead with integrity,” a Friday statement from the board’s ad hoc investigation committee concludes.
So magnanimous: The students attacked him, the university will not punish him.
President Isaac Herzog has canceled an in-person commencement speech at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, the chancellor of the flagship Conservative institution said, after some students and alumni accused Herzog of having incited violence against Palestinians.
In a May 12 letter shared Thursday by JTS, Chancellor Shuly Rubin Schwartz, Herzog said he could not attend the May 19 ceremony because of unspecified “circumstances that prevent my travel to New York at this time,” the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported.
Rubin Schwartz said Herzog, who was set to receive an honorary degree at the ceremony, would address the gathering virtually and would be awarded the degree in person at a later date.
A former student at Half Hollow Hills High School West on Long Island has reached a $125,000 settlement with her school district after a dispute over a pro-Pales-tinian symbol she painted on her assigned parking spot. The artwork, created in September 2024 as part of a senior… pic.twitter.com/qi3idkgAoN
Georgetown U. anti-Israel protesters disrupt senior convocation
Approximately 25 student protesters interrupted the Georgetown University senior convocation last Thursday to demand divestment from Israel, a “living wage” for workers, and denial of campus access to U.S. immigration officials.
According to The Hoya, the activists started yelling during interim President Robert Groves’ speech (which can be heard here beginning at the 1:46.58 mark), were escorted out by campus police, and then resumed their protest at the entrance to the event.
Israel supporters slam Harvard’s appointment of controversial NY Times columnist Nicholas Kristof’s wife
[NYPost] Harvard has named the wife of controversial New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof to one of the university’s top leadership posts — sparking backlash from pro-Israel critics who accused both the Ivy League school and the Gray Lady of amplifying anti-Israel narratives amid the ongoing war in Gaza. Sheryl WuDunn, a journo who jointly won a Pulitzer with hubby Kristoff, was named last week as vice chair of the executive committee of Harvard’s Board of Overseers, the university’s second-highest governing body, according to the Harvard Crimson. The appointment triggered online backlash from supporters of Israel still furious over Kristof’s explosive May 11 op-ed that alleged widespread Israeli abuse of Palestinian detainees, a piece experts blasted as distorted.
Harvard Gives $90,000-a-Year Fellowships to Four Anti-Israel Activists
[WashingtonFreeBeacon] Harvard is bringing four more anti-Israel activists to campus, hiring filmmaker Mahdi Fleifel, "journalist" Ibtisam Azem for a Qatari-owned outlet, an English teacher at a Hamas-linked university in Gaza who has accused Israel of "scholasticide," and professor Ahmed Kamal Junina who has described Israel as an "ecofascist state" guilty of "domicide." They’ll serve as Radcliffe Fellows in the 2026-2027 academic year, earning at least $89,550 over nine months for a stipend, expenses, and housing allowance and potentially tens of thousands of dollars more in child care, health care, and moving expenses, along with access to Harvard libraries and athletic facilities, office space, and use of Harvard undergraduates as paid research assistants.
San Jose State U. police arrest suspect in terroristic threats, ‘Kill all Jews’ vandalism
[CollegeFix] San Jose State University police arrested a suspect Wednesday for allegedly making terroristic threats and going on a months-long vandalism spree that primarily targeted Jewish students. The university police announced the arrest online, stating that the suspect is “believed to be responsible for multiple hate-speech graffiti incidents and threatening messages discovered across the SJSU campus over the past several months.”
Police did not mention any details about the suspect, such as whether the individual is affiliated with the university, but the individual has been banned from campus, according to the announcement. The suspect is facing multiple charges of felony vandalism and felony publishing threats, according to police.
The high school contingent — not reporting Jew hate, but new principal Shayma Alzubi is setting the stage in the Fort Worth Independent School District:
Alzubi has also shown support for mask mandates and Black Lives Matter. She also reposted a Facebook post defending Sharia and what it means to Muslims. pic.twitter.com/dCszmmD4sx
#2
The fundamental problem with Islam is that the Mohamedians claim Moses as their own and that the jew stole his name for themselves. Quite a claim from the 7th century, but here we are.
Posted by: Difar Dave ||
06/07/2026 13:51 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Islam also claims that come the end times Jesus will stand beside Mohammed as his man because he did not actually die on the cross, King David, and the entirety of Biblical history. And that Christians are lying about it all, too.
[IsraelTimes] Allegations vehemently denied by White House and Israeli embassy, follow growing disagreements between Trump and Netanyahu over Iran diplomacy and fighting in Lebanon
The Pentagon in recent weeks raised the counterintelligence threat level from Israel to its highest designation, "critical," amid growing tensions between the US and Israel over the direction of the wars in Iran and 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.... , NBC reported Saturday citing current and former US officials.
The officials said the new designation stems from heightened concerns in the Pentagon that Israel is spying on top US officials in a bid to gather information on internal US deliberations about the regional conflicts.
Everyone spies on everyone, and the situation on the American side is particularly opaque at the moment. The question is why these officials saw fit to announce — or was it leaked? — the fact, to the apparent displeasure of the president, their Commander in Chief?
According to the report, the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency raised the level for Israel in recent weeks to “critical” in an internal message.
One of the current US officials was cited as saying the Pentagon’s assessment includes a seven-page document that describes a series specific incidents that raised US concern.
Officials told the network that Israeli intelligence-gathering efforts were viewed as exceeding the level of espionage normally expected between allied nations, though they said it was unclear whether any single incident prompted the threat-level increase.
The White House and Israel’s embassy in the US both vehemently denied the NBC report, while the Pentagon declined to comment, the network said.
A spokesperson for the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC, said in a statement to NBC that it is “completely false” that Israel spies on the US.
“Israel does not gather intelligence on American entities, let alone US government officials,” the spokesperson said. “Israel’s intelligence collection efforts are aimed at its enemies, not its allies. Any claims to the contrary are either misinformed or politically motivated.”
A White House official said in a statement, “This entire story is false and sourced to someone who doesn’t have any knowledge of what’s going on.”
It will be very interesting to know who released the claim, and why.
The officials told NBC that the most likely outcome of the new assessment is that US officials will take more precautions when traveling to Israel or meeting Israeli officials.
“The US already takes extra precautions when visiting Israel,” one of the current US officials said. “They’re well-known to aggressively collect.”
However, the officials said that there did not appear to be any impact on the high-level intelligence-sharing that occurs on a daily basis between the two countries, particularly associated with the war in Iran.
Israel also has a long-standing commitment not to engage in any intelligence operations in the US that was put in place amid the damage caused to the relationship between the two countries in the wake of the Jonathan Pollard scandal.
In 1985, Pollard, then an intelligence analyst for the US Navy, was arrested and charged with spying for the Israeli Mossad intelligence service. He pleaded guilty a year later and served a total of 30 years in prison before his release in 2015. The incident remains a source of contention between Israeli and American intelligence services in what is otherwise considered one of the closest defense relationships in the world.
The threat-level reassessment came amid growing friction between US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the future of the war with Iran and Israel’s military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Netanyahu has reportedly pushed for renewed strikes on Iran and disagreed with Trump’s efforts to pursue a diplomatic agreement with Tehran, while also resisting US pressure to scale back operations in Lebanon.
Earlier this week, Trump confirmed that he called Netanyahu “fucking crazy” during a tense phone call about Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah, but added that he respects Netanyahu and works “very well” with him.
Axios’s Barak Ravid cited a US official who summarized Trump’s message to Netanyahu as follows: “You’re fucking crazy. You’d be in prison if it weren’t for me. I’m saving your ass. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this.”
Do you think Israel can afford to care that Israel, which was born with five Arab armies lined up on its borders, ready to invade, and has not had fewer enemies since, despite a few peace treaties that won their signers various Nobel Peace Prizes and such, is not viewed fondly in many of the world’s precincts? Popularity is a concern for callow youths and powerless social media influencers, not those whose …
The phone call took place against the background of an escalating conflict in Lebanon, where Israel had threatened to strike the capital, Beirut, in response to deadly drone and rocket attacks by the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group. Iran linked the spiraling situation to its own war with the US, claiming it would not continue to negotiate for a ceasefire if Israel didn’t back off in Lebanon.
[IsraelTimes] A legion of federal agencies to deploy high-tech methods, including robot sniffer-dogs to counter threats, while drones and AI misinformation are among biggest concerns.
In the US, it’s “78 Super Bowls over 39 days,” said Andrew Giuliani, executive director of Trump’s World Cup task force, which is overseeing the multiagency effort.
“There’s never been a summer like this in American history from a security angle,” said Giuliani, son of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.”We’re as prepared as we can be.”
The FBI has spent two years developing its security plan, incorporating lessons from other major events such as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and New Year’s Eve ball drop in New York and testing them at smaller ones, including last week’s Israel Day parade in the city.
To help cover security costs, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has distributed $625 million to the 11 US host cities. An additional $250 million is being directed toward tracking and neutralizing suspect drones.
[IsraelTimes] Barak Ravid, a reporter for Israel’s Channel 12 news and US website Axios, speaks with a news outlet in Lebanon in what he describes as the first interview of an Israeli journalist on Lebanese television.
Conversing in English, Ravid is asked about his interview this week with a top aide for Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, who claimed he could guarantee the terror group’s commitment to a comprehensive ceasefire.
“As far as I know the negotiations are still ongoing,” Ravid tells LBCI, adding that he believes Hezbollah’s rejection of the latest ceasefire proposal was a tactical move to strengthen its negotiating position in the US-brokered talks between Jerusalem and Beirut.
[IsraelTimes] Measure would release over 3,000 prisoners and reduce thousands of sentences amid prison overcrowding while reopening debate over fate of former Israeli-backed militia members
Samira Bou Saab had hoped to see the execution of the man who was sentenced to death for killing her son. Instead, he eventually could be released under a sweeping draft amnesty law 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?... that is revealing the country’s complex history of loyalties and conflict.
Lebanon’s largest amnesty since the end of its devastating 1975-90 civil war is expected to occur in the coming weeks, once parliament approves it and the president signs it.
The law would replace death sentence ...the barbaric practice of sentencing a murderer to be punished for as long as his/her/its victim is dead... s, reduce life sentences and eventually lead to the release of convicted gunnies and drug pushers while excluding crimes such as rape, human trafficking, corruption, funding acts of terrorism and premeditated murder. Those convicted of killing Lebanese troops could see reduced prison terms.
Even as Israel’s latest invasion of Lebanon in pursuit of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terror group has delayed parliamentary elections, politicians have said they are pressing ahead with the amnesty law because of overcrowding in jails.
Over 3,000 of nearly 8,600 detainees would be freed, including those in jail without trial for at least 14 years.
But some in Lebanon oppose the amnesty. Recently, families of fallen soldiers protested by placing dozens of empty military boots outside parliament in Beirut.
THE PROPOSAL AGAIN EXPOSES SECTARIAN TENSIONS
Bou Saab’s son, George, an army first lieutenant, was one of 18 military members killed in festivities with followers of radical Sunni Moslemholy man Ahmed al-Assir in the southern city of Sidon in 2013.
Bou Saab asked whether al-Assir, who has served 11 years under a death sentence, would have the right under the amnesty to see his children and family, "while my son is buried under the sand and his children don’t know him." If the law is approved, the death sentence would be gone, and he would have 10 more years to serve.
Al-Assir’s wife, meanwhile, blasted the amnesty, saying her husband is an innocent victim of a conspiracy orchestrated by the Shiite Moslem Hezbollah, which she said ignited battles between the holy man’s supporters and the Lebanese army.
"He is being executed slowly," Amal Shamseddine said of her husband’s sentence, adding, "Had there been justice in our country, they (detainees) would have been released and gone home a long time ago."
Lebanon’s last major amnesty was in 1991, with the aim of facilitating reconciliation after the civil war left 150,000 people dead. The conflict drew in multiple militias, many of them sectarian, plus Paleostinian factions. Syria’s military intervened, and an Israeli invasion in 1982 reached Beirut.
After that amnesty, most militia leaders became part of Lebanon’s ruling class, which was later blamed for decades of corruption and mismanagement, leading to an economic meltdown in 2019.
As the current amnesty law was drafted, the country’s deep sectarian divisions were clear in the legislature. Sunni politicians demanded the release of Islamists, Shiite ones sought the release of drug pushers, mostly from Lebanon’s eastern, cannabis-planting Baalbek region.
Christian politicians demanded amnesty for hundreds of citizens who fled to Israel after its forces withdrew from Lebanon in 2000. Many have links to the Israeli-backed South Lebanon Army militia that was dissolved when Israel withdrew.
"The draft law has entered the road of political bargains," said politician Nabil Badr, a strong supporter of the amnesty, adding that many politicians are using it to make political gains.
NEW FIGHTING WITH ISRAEL HAS CREATED A CHALLENGE
Maryam Younnes was 5 when she fled with her family to Israel in 2000. She hopes the amnesty will allow her to return to Lebanon, where she can meet her grandmother again and visit her father’s grave. He had been an SLA commander and his body was brought to his hometown for burial after he died in 2013.
But political considerations remain.
"We will return once Lebanon is cleared of (Hezbollah), illegal weapons, and once there is peace between Lebanon and Israel," Younnes said. Hezbollah, which emerged in southern Lebanon in 1982 in response to Israel’s invasion, was allowed to keep its weapons after the civil war to fight Israeli forces.
After Israel withdrew, hundreds of SLA members stayed in Lebanon and received jail sentences, with some later released.
The draft amnesty law says Lebanese citizens living in Israel would be treated in accordance with a 2011 law saying members of the pro-Israel militia will be detained upon their arrival in Lebanon and given "a fair trial."
But Younnes declared: "Our people are not criminals."
As Lebanon and Israel hold their first direct talks in more than three decades, while a new conflict grows, Younnes hopes for an eventual peace treaty with open borders.
"I am confident the situation will change, and I want to return to my country," she said.
[IsraelTimes] The United States will make Iranian assets available to Gulf allies to support rebuilding and repairs for future damage caused by Iran, a source familiar with the matter says.
The US will also consider using those assets to support repairs for past damages, the source says, adding that US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has directed a team to assess costs for damage already inflicted on Gulf allies by Iran.
#2
The US attacks Iran. Iran fires back at nations hosting US forces where the attacks originated. The US gives Iranian money confiscated 40 years ago to their allies. Can't see why the Iranians might take exception to that.
[Rudaw] More than 100,000 people displaced from the Shahba region in northern Syria have returned to their homes from northeast Syria (Rojava), a local humanitarian official said on Friday.
Juma Kalo, a member of the Shahba Displaced Persons Committee, told Rudaw’s Nalin Hassan in an interview that negotiations with the Syrian government are ongoing regarding the return of remaining displaced residents from Shahba who are currently living in the Jazira region, which encompasses areas east of the Euphrates River, as well as Kobane.
"Over 100,000 families [from Shahba] have returned, perhaps even more. Previously, under Baath rule, they could not reach their homes, but after the regime's fall they have settled back," Kalo said.
Thousands of people from the Afrin region sought refuge in Shahba after The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...just another cheapjack Moslem dictatorship, brought to you by the Moslem Brüderbund... -backed forces captured Afrin in 2018. However,
women are made to be loved, not understood... when fighting erupted across northern Syria in late 2024 amid the collapse of the Baath regime, many were forced to flee once again.
Many displaced families subsequently sought shelter in makeshift camps and converted public schools across Rojava.
Kalo said several factors continue to hinder the return of the remaining displaced families. Many homes were destroyed during the conflict, while essential services such as water, electricity, and other utilities remain limited in many villages.
He also cited security concerns, alleging that some returnees fear arrest, while others have reportedly been detained on political charges or faced ransom demands.
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.
...The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. Only one of those statements is an exaggeration....
...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....
...just another cheapjack Moslem dictatorship, brought to you by the Moslem Brüderbund...
