🇳🇬 #Nigeria: A Pro-IS channel claimed Islamic State - Sahel Province (ISSP) targeted JNIM camps “along the border between Kebbi and Niger states” on June 14.
The account shared a map with a marker placed east of the Illoka Oje Forest in Kebbi State, where JNIM and ISSP have… pic.twitter.com/fDWfDJnaDR
— Africa Terrorism Tracker (@AfricaaTT) June 18, 2026
Text:
🇳🇬 #Nigeria: A Pro-IS channel claimed Islamic State - Sahel Province (ISSP) targeted JNIM camps “along the border between Kebbi and Niger states” on June 14.
The account shared a map with a marker placed east of the Illoka Oje Forest in Kebbi State, where JNIM and ISSP have recently clashed. Below is our visualization of recent ISSP-JNIM clashes in Nigeria.
📌 Marker from Pro-IS map: (11.2302382, 4.0216257)
Posted by: badanov ||
06/19/2026 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1782 views]
Top|| File under: Islamic State
Niger 🇳🇪 | Moins médiatisée que le chaos malien provoqué par le JNIM / FLA, la situation nigérienne reste critique avec plusieurs attaques de l'Etat Islamique au Sahel (EIS) ces derniers jours sur plusieurs points du territoire, y compris dans la capitale Niamey.
Niger 🇳🇪 | Less covered in the media than the chaos in Mali caused by the JNIM / FLA, the situation in Niger remains critical with several attacks by the Islamic State in the Sahel (EIS) in recent days across multiple points on the territory, including in the capital Niamey.
🔸On June 18 in Niamey, the main entrance to Diori-Hamani Airport was attacked at dawn, prompting the deployment of Nigerien Armed Forces (FAN) to secure the capital.
The human toll remains unknown, both on the FAN side and among the assailants, who withdrew into the Route Tchanga neighborhood. At least one terrorist was apprehended by the FAN.
⚠ The assailants' modus operandi, involving a small number of attackers arriving by car (📸 in comments), does not match the usual methods of the EIS. The attack has not yet been claimed. The attack on the same airport on January 29, for example, had mobilized hundreds of terrorists on motorcycles.
🔸Simultaneously, the EIS also carried out an attack against positions held by pro-government militias in the village of Tassia, located southeast of Téra. The attack resulted in around ten deaths among the militiamen.
🔸On June 17, the same Tillabéri region was hit by simultaneous attacks against FAN military camps and the National Guard🇳🇪 in Banibangou and Inates. Several car bombs were used, and both localities are now controlled by the EIS.
🔸Finally, on June 17, the EIS launched an offensive against JNIM positions in Kebbi State, in the porous border area linking northwestern Nigeria, northern Benin, and eastern Niger, resulting in several dozen deaths and injuries among JNIM fighters.
🚨This reminder of the EIS's offensive capabilities must be taken into account in the counter-terrorism strategies of the AES armed forces 🇳🇪🇧🇫🇲🇱, which must absolutely curb the jihadist threat in the tri-border zone.
The capture of Ménaka in Mali would be particularly catastrophic for the FAMa, who would have to hold a new front.
Islamic State Mozambique is using improvised explosive devices (IEDs) as a first line of defense around Catupa forest, limiting state forces near its main camp. ACLED records 45 IED incidents involving the group since 2021, including 35 in Macomia & Mocímboa da Praia. pic.twitter.com/YPiXMnfK78
Islamic State Mozambique is using improvised explosive devices (IEDs) as a first line of defense around Catupa forest, limiting state forces near its main camp. ACLED records 45 IED incidents involving the group since 2021, including 35 in Macomia & Mocímboa da Praia.
Totalitarians regimes enjoy exercising brutality. That’s kind of the point.
[Rudaw] 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... carried out the "secret execution" of a Kurdish youth from a rural village as Iran state public defender, under the auspices of fighting to appeal the death sentence ...the barbaric practice of sentencing a murderer to be punished for as long as his/her/its victim is dead... of their son, forced Mehrdad’s relatives to sign a private paper contract "secretly and behind the scenes" of the judiciary system.
Mehrdad Mohammadinia, a 27 year-old migrant worker hailing from the rural Kurdish village of Faslan in western Iran, "lacked political insight" and was completely uninformed in terms of "science, political literacy, and cyberspace," according to sources obtained by Kurdpa, a human rights ...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty... organization.
Mohammadinia was caught amid tumultuous protests in Tehran outside a fruit and vegetable market, his workplace and sole accommodation, during the January anti-regime protests in Tehran. After less than five months in arbitrary detention, Mohammadinia was secretly executed in Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj without his family’s knowledge.
New information obtained by Kurdpa reveals that Mohammadinia’s lawyer, a prominent state-vetted attorney assigned by Iran’s IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) judiciary, forged court records, smuggled judicial records, and engaged in a series of fraudulent actions that the rights group described as "systemic horror."
Back in January, in what Iran state media describes as ’a coup orchestrated by the US and Israel,’ security and intelligence forces detained more than 20,000 people during anti-regime demonstrations as well as during the six-week war between Iran and the US, accusing civilian protestors of collaborating with the enemy — a charge that carries the death penalty .
The executions are part of an intensifying crackdown on civilians, where members of Iran’s minority groups are disproportionately targeted.
This comes amid executions of Kurdish political prisoners Javad Zamani and Abolfazl Saeedi on June 16, Ashkan Maleki on June 1, and the executions of a staggering 55 prisoners in May alone, held on politically motivated charges in the five-month span since protests ensued.
Based on documents obtained by Kurdpa, during the handling of Mohammadinia's case, "a private, secret, and illegal contract was concluded between the case attorney ’Younes Karimi’ and the relatives of this prisoner."
The document revealed that contrary to the standard procedure of the judiciary stating that government-appointed public defenders are forbidden from receiving any funds from the defendant or their family, Karimi carried out "a massive financial exploitation of the critical situation of a rural and working-class family whose son was on the verge of execution," secretly forcing Mehrdad's relatives to sign a 2.6 billion toman private paper contract, "outside of the Sana electronic judicial system," in order to represent the defendant and file the Supreme Court appeal petition.
Source documents reveal that his lawyer "never visited him in prison and has never spoken to his client, even for a few seconds." The appeal bill also reflects that the reality of the case, the statements made in the lower court, as well as Mohammadinia's own defenses and explanations, are not recorded.
Rights groups identify the selection of regime-adjacent lawyers as a "trend" that the government has begun utilizing in order to "proceed in accordance with the security narratives in the structure of repression, intimidation, and securitization of society."
The Mohammadinia case "reveals new dimensions of the Islamic Theocratic Republic's use of the death penalty for crimes against humanity," observes Saba Khorram, a freelance journalist, as well as "its use as the most violent mostly peaceful means of suppressing and intimidating the people in society."
Posted by: trailing wife ||
06/19/2026 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1777 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
Sounds like somebody needs a sticky bomb on his car
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/19/2026 2:20 Comments ||
Top||
#2
'Blood Feud' is still a thing for the region Frank, so that or something more extreme may occur.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
06/19/2026 7:45 Comments ||
Top||
Europol coordinated European law enforcement and the US FBI in a week-long action, resulting in several arrests
Europol, in coordination with eight European law enforcement agencies and the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), successfully concluded a week-long operational action targeting the so-called Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) and its support networks across Europe. The ISKP remains a significant threat in jihadi terrorism, with its networks in Europe posing a major concern.
The initiative, organised by Europol’s European Counter Terrorism Centre (ECTC), brought together investigators to exchange real-time intelligence, disrupt terrorist networks, and reinforce cross-border cooperation. From 1 to 5 June 2026, the operation focused on ISKP-affiliated individuals of Chechen and Central Asian origin, identified through shared investigative leads. The collaboration and cross-referencing of information across continents allowed for accelerated detailing of ISKP travel routes spanning Europe, South America, and the United States.
The close cooperation yielded immediate results after Europol swiftly responded to an urgent intelligence request via SIENA over the ensuing weekend, which allowed authorities to arrest several suspects. Throughout the week, over 100 gigabytes of operational information had been exchanged, enabling the full identification of several suspects and advancing multiple high-stakes investigations.
More at the link
Posted by: badanov ||
06/19/2026 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1818 views]
Top|| File under: Islamic State
[IsraelTimes] Reda Sabassi raised money for the terror group through a nonprofit and crowdfunding platforms, federal investigators say
US federal authorities charged a Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party, man on Wednesday with fundraising for Hamas ..one of the armed feet of the Moslem Brüderbund millipede,... through sham charities, illustrating how the terrorist group raises money abroad.
Reda Mazen Rida Sabassi, 38, was charged with terrorism, sanctions evasion, wire fraud, money laundering and making false statements.
Sabassi allegedly collected more than $600,000 in donations from thousands of donors for humanitarian aid for 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... , but directed the money to Hamas and for personal expenses.
In 2022, Sabassi set up a nonprofit called Ikram — The Arab Charity Foundation, allowing him to collect tax-deductible donations with the stated aim of "providing emergency humanitarian relief to displaced families and refugees in Gaza."
The nonprofit raised $638,000 in donations in 2023 and Sabassi was the only staffer, filings showed.
Sabassi solicited donations through his nonprofit’s website and posted charity campaigns on crowdsourcing platforms, which circulated on Telegram and social media.
"Help 4 orphans who fled from Gaza start a new life," one of the campaigns said, alongside a photo of a child. Another campaign, called "Gaza Relief," said it would provide necessities like food and tents, and a third, "Gaza Relief Urgent Appeal," vowed to secure a "brighter and warmer future" for Gazooks.
A LinkedIn page matching Sabassi’s name, location, and the photo used for the charity campaigns said that he had a degree in software engineering from a university in Jordan and worked as a user interface developer.
Sabassi is a naturalized US citizen, the charges said. US Citizenship and Immigration Services did not respond to a request for details about how he had acquired citizenship.
While operating Ikram, behind the scenes, Sabassi spread pro-Hamas propaganda and coordinated financial transfers to Hamas, according to a criminal complaint filed in the federal Southern District of New York court. More than 100 donors to Sabassi’s campaigns appeared to reside in New York, the complaint said.
Sabassi collected Hamas videos from Telegram and put together an hour-long compilation of footage filmed by the murderous Moslems during the October 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel.
He released the footage on X accounts, including one that used an image of the late Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar as its profile picture. He posted some of the propaganda on the two-year anniversary of the Hamas attack.
Hamas is a US-designated terrorist group, so it is illegal to fund or coordinate with the group, but rhetorical support for terrorist groups is protected under US free speech laws.
Sabassi agreed to a voluntary interview with law enforcement in March 2024, telling Sherlocks that he had created the Hamas propaganda video by collating clips from the footage released by the al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing.
He said that he believed Hamas "has a noble cause, which is to get their land back," and that he had posted the videos to show that Hamas had attacked military targets and was not "beheading or raping babies," Sherlocks said. The majority of the 1,200 victims of the Hamas attack were civilians, including children.
Sabassi told law enforcement that he would not support the terrorist group with weapons or money because it was illegal. The complaint said that he had lied during the interview, leading to the false statements charge.
For the financial transfers, Sabassi worked with the Hamas fundraising organization Gaza Now, and unnamed co-conspirators based abroad, Sherlocks said. The US and UK sanctioned Gaza Now for terror financing in 2024.
Ikram and Gaza Now shared each other’s fundraisers and coordinated online activities, the complaint alleged.
An FBI investigator said using the Gaza Now branding was a way of "signaling to Hamas supporters that it was an official campaign, i.e., directly related to Hamas," but to outside observers, it would appear legitimate.
Some of the transfers involved banks in the UK and one of the co-conspirators was a Hamas member in The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...just another cheapjack Moslem dictatorship, brought to you by the Moslem Brüderbund... , the complaint said.
One of the suspects told Sabassi that a contact in the UK had "good relations with the bank manager," allowing access to a blocked account.
"She understands British laws," the suspect said, adding that the contact had said to "never write that it is for Hamas and cause us trouble. Lol."
In other messages, Sabassi joked about funding Hamas, saying one of their campaigns should have actually been titled, "Izz al-Din al-Qassam," followed by a laughing emoji. His co-conspirator replied, "Lol. Oh dear. Into prison."
Sabassi and the unnamed suspects discussed how to transfer money to Hamas, such as using a decentralized blockchain or transferring funds between cryptocurrency wallets to obscure the money’s sources. They also discussed using virtual private networks (VPNs) to disguise Sabassi’s location.
Sabassi sent $116,000 to a Hamas member based abroad and tried to convert another $380,000 in the funds into cryptocurrency so he could send it to Hamas through Gaza Now, the complaint said.
He also allegedly transferred tens of thousands of dollars to his personal bank account for expenses like rent and credit card bills, the complaint said.
Sabassi was arrested and held without bail because he was deemed a flight risk. He is being held in the federal San Diego Metropolitan Correctional Center, records showed.
Some of the charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The scheme appeared similar to the Holy Land Foundation, a group prosecuted in the US in the 2000s for soliciting charitable donations that were diverted to Hamas. The so-called Holy Land Five, who were imprisoned, remain popular figures in the anti-Zionist movement.
A search of Sabassi’s electronic devices showed that he had searched for information about the Holy Land Foundation online. Some of his other searches included, "Do crypto wallets track your IP address," "Hamas crypto," and "Nova music festival ticket purchases."
Another case announced in a New York court last month, against an alleged Iranian operative, also illustrated how terror groups have used cryptocurrency and encrypted messaging apps like Telegram to facilitate terrorism in the US, Canada and Europe.
[Dawn] The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on Tuesday killed five alleged murderous Moslems during an intelligence-based operation in the border area of Mankor, a remote locality in Attock district’s Jand tehsil.
According to a CTD spokesperson, security personnel launched the operation after receiving credible intelligence regarding the presence and activities of murderous Moslems allegedly involved in planning terrorist attacks in Punjab ...1. Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard
2. A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers
3. A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots
.... As the CTD team moved in, the suspected murderous Moslems reportedly opened fire, triggering an intense exchange of gunfire with law enforcement personnel.
The spokesperson said CTD officers responded effectively, resulting in the killing of all five individuals. A cache of weapons, kaboom and hand grenades was recovered from the site following the operation.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the slain individuals were allegedly linked to plans for carrying out terrorist activities in Punjab, the spokesperson said.
[IsraelTimes] Operatives kept bound and blindfolded under IDF guard at Ziv Medical Center, ToI told; IDF and hospital don’t deny details, say all patients given care as required by law
At least three Hezbollah terror operatives captured during Israel’s recent round of fighting with the Iran-backed group received medical treatment at Ziv Medical Center in Safed, where they were held under IDF guard while receiving care, two sources with direct knowledge told The Times of Israel.
The same northern hospital has also recently treated a young Syrian Druze civilian from the village of Hader, near the Israeli-Syrian border, who was accompanied by her mother, according to a separate source, also with direct knowledge.
The cases — which the IDF and Ziv hospital did not deny — raise questions regarding Israel’s military and humanitarian medical policy, as well as domestic controversy over treating Death Eater inside civilian hospitals.
According to the sources, the Hezbollah gunnies were treated at Ziv roughly two weeks ago, and kept handcuffed and blindfolded in a room guarded by IDF soldiers.
The treatment of Hezbollah operatives in a civilian hospital would be an apparent contravention of a Health Ministry decision, made shortly after Hamas ..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,... ’s October 7, 2023, onslaught, that captured gunnies would only be treated in the medical facilities of the IDF or the Israel Prison Service — though that decision has reportedly been contravened before, and focused mainly on Hamas gunnies in the aftermath of the massacre.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Office did not deny the sources’ accounts. In a written response to The Times of Israel, it said that over the past year, it had arrested individuals suspected of involvement in terror activity against Israeli civilians or troops, and that detainees requiring medical care receive it from IDF medical personnel or, when medically necessary, are transferred to hospitals.
Ziv Medical Center also declined to confirm the details to The Times of Israel, citing medical confidentiality, privacy, and security considerations, but did not deny that such patients had been treated there. The hospital said it operates according to law, state directives, and medical ethics, and provides care to anyone brought to it whose medical condition requires treatment.
The Health Ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
TREATED AS REQUIRED, GUARDED ’24/7′
In its response, the IDF said that "as part of the IDF’s effort to maintain security," various security operations were carried out over the past year, "including the arrest of individuals suspected of involvement in terrorist activity against Israeli civilians or IDF forces."
Such suspects, the military said, are taken for "further questioning, screening, and detention at a designated facility inside Israel." It added that arrests in the field and detention inside Israel are regulated by Israeli law and IDF orders.
Israel’s Incarceration of Unlawful Combatants Law allows a person to be held in detention when there is a reasonable basis to believe the person participated directly or indirectly in hostilities against Israel, or belongs to a force carrying out hostilities against Israel, and when their release could endanger state security.
"Throughout the period of detention, medical supervision is provided as needed and in accordance with legal obligations, and regular medical examinations are conducted," the military said, adding that "detainees who require medical treatment receive care from certified medical personnel in the IDF, and in certain cases, when required according to medical need, they are transferred to hospitals for further treatment."
In such cases, there are "24/7 security and oversight mechanisms in place to ensure the detainees pose no safety risk" to surrounding civilians, the IDF said.
In the case of the Syrian civilian, the IDF said it "provides life-saving medical assistance to Syrian civilians, in accordance with a policy determined in advance by the political echelon and coordinated with all relevant bodies."
The IDF appeared to be referring to Israel’s longstanding, politically approved policy of providing humanitarian medical assistance to Syrian civilians in exceptional cases — a practice that began during the Syrian civil war under Operation Good Neighbor, was formally wound down in 2018, and has resurfaced in a more limited form after recent incidents of violence against Druze populations across the Syrian border.
Hader, the Druze village on the Syrian side of the Golan from which the young woman and her mother were said to have come, has been closely watched by Israel’s 150,000-strong Druze community, which has pressed Israeli authorities to protect Syrian Druze there.
Israel has at times used medical care as a tool of humanitarian outreach with neighboring countries. The Times of Israel revealed in December that Israel is advancing a plan to develop a hospital on its territory to treat Jordanian patients, as part of a joint Israeli-Jordanian industrial park along the border of the two countries.
HOSPITAL STRESSES ’MEDICAL ETHICS’
Safed’s Ziv Medical Center is the main hospital serving much of the Galilee and Golan region.
In its response, the hospital said it "operates in accordance with the law, the directives of state authorities, and the principles of medical ethics that bind every medical institution in Israel.
"The hospital provides medical care to any person brought to it when their medical condition requires it, regardless of their identity, religion, nationality, or the circumstances of their injury," the response read.
The hospital declined to address details of any patients it has treated "for reasons of medical confidentiality, protection of patients’ privacy, and security considerations."
The hospital did not respond directly to questions on whether staff members had objected to treating Hezbollah terrorists, whether patients nearby were informed, or whether there had been requests to transfer such patients to a military medical facility.
Asked specifically whether civilian medical staff are required to treat enemy fighters, the IDF and Ziv said the question should be referred to the Health Ministry, which oversees civilian hospitals. The ministry did not respond by publication time.
The Israeli Medical Association, however, has explicitly stated that Israeli doctors treat all human beings regardless of their actions, and that even captured Hamas gunnies receive necessary care according to medical need.
Such policies also carry an international dimension, as Israeli officials have at times pointed to Israel’s treatment of captured or maimedDeath Eater as evidence that it operates in accordance with the laws of war, even against terrorist organizations that deliberately target civilians.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited by Leonid Tsukanov
[REGNUM] Israel's ultra-conservative Jews, the so-called Haredim, have once again made their presence felt. In response to a series of government-initiated arrests of ideological draft dodgers, disgruntled Haredim staged a protest involving thousands.
They blocked a section of Highway 4 near the city of Bnei Brak during the morning rush hour, and later laid siege to one of the local prisons where draft dodgers were being held.
The government, apparently, didn't expect such brazenness and coordination from its opponents. Nor was it prepared for backstabbing from formally friendly political forces. However, for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally, this crisis has exacerbated completely different problems.
SUMMONING CANNOT BE IGNORED
The acute phase of the crisis in relations between the Haredim and the central government has been ongoing since 2024, when the authorities began revising the conditions for deferment from military service for students of religious institutions (yeshivas) and increased the quota for the conscription of Orthodox into the army. However, the roots of the tensions actually lie much deeper.
The option of a spiritual path has existed in Israeli law since the country's founding and is intended to ensure the continuity and preservation of Jewish traditions as one of the pillars of statehood.
For a long time, Haredim had the option of extending their deferment annually throughout their studies, allowing them to evade military service for decades by changing schools and advancing their academic qualifications. This created a serious shortage of conscripts, forcing them to increase quotas in other categories.
For nearly two decades, the authorities attempted to resolve the issue amicably—through propaganda and the launch of special projects (such as the Netzach Yehuda special battalion for religious conscripts)—but to no avail. Of the 1.3 million Haredim (more than half of whom were of draft age), no more than 9% of eligible young men enlisted in active service. And with the onset of a series of military conflicts (Gaza, Lebanon, Iran), this figure fell to a historic low (around 3%), forcing the authorities to tighten the screws.
It is not surprising that a cohesive protest movement quickly emerged from the ultra-Orthodox communities, which intensified significantly in the run-up to the autumn parliamentary elections in the Jewish state.
LAY SIEGE
A serious escalation occurred on the morning of June 17, when a large group of activists blocked a busy highway near Bnei Brak, a predominantly Conservative Jewish community east of Tel Aviv. This resulted in kilometers-long traffic jams and effectively disrupted transportation to Israel's commercial capital.
However, while, according to eyewitnesses, several hundred Haredim participated in the blockade protest, by mid-day the number of demonstrators had grown tenfold.
Disgruntled Orthodox Jews of all ages flocked to Military Prison No. 10, where several yeshiva students had been detained the day before. One of them, allegedly reporting to the recruitment office voluntarily for "documentary confirmation of his spiritual path," was detained and placed in a holding cell along with the "pseudo-students."
According to police reports, between 12,000 and 15,000 people took part in the protests, making them the largest single ultra-Orthodox gathering in recent years.
The core of the protests were Gur Hasidim, representatives of the largest Orthodox group in modern Israel. At least 6,000 of them gathered at the rallies.
The Gur admor (head of the Hasidic community), Rabbi Yaakov Aryeh Alter, took part in the demonstrations alongside his flock, criticizing the authorities for their “unjustified rudeness” and pressure on believers directly from the improvised barricades.
Other Orthodox authorities joined his appeals. As a result, the event ceased to resemble a typical spontaneous rally and took on the character of a spiritual and political message.
THE BERRIES ARE AHEAD
Although the police and security services managed to disperse the protest relatively quickly, using force to calm the most violent protesters, the Haredim do not plan to give up.
The Jerusalem Faction (Peleg Yerushalmi) movement, which supported the Orthodox protests, officially stated that the closure of Israel's largest highway was only a warning signal to the authorities.
If the government fails to heed the aspirations of the Conservative community, the Haredim threaten to intensify the protest campaign and bring even more protesters to the streets, as well as completely paralyze the operation of ground and air transportation in the country.
The main argument the Orthodox use to justify their unconstitutional behavior is that there is no real need for yeshiva recruits: Israel has completed most of its intensive military campaigns—primarily against Iran and Hamas in the Gaza Strip—and is coping with the remaining areas with its existing forces.
Therefore, the Haredi call has evolved from a forced step into a political tool that Netanyahu's team allegedly uses to manipulate the electorate.
However, the prime minister's opponents are exploiting the plight of the faithful just as effectively as he does. A few days before the incident in Bnei Brak, the Orthodox parties in the Knesset (parliament) threatened Netanyahu with disrupting the early elections if his Likud party continued to reject laws proposed by rabbis. Even though many of them still required significant revision.
Conservatives also attempted to turn the Orthodox protests in Bnei Brak to their advantage. Asher Media, spokesperson for the Shas party (the largest ultra-Orthodox party in the Knesset), stated that Netanyahu supports, albeit privately, a selective end to the arrests of draft dodgers and an amnesty for all ultra-Orthodox members. This predictably sparked outrage among secular Israelis, who immediately demanded a detailed explanation from the prime minister.
DISPUTES WITH THE ORTHODOX
The social tension surrounding the Haredim, which had simmered for several years, became a subject of debate between the government and the opposition with the start of the active phase of the parliamentary elections. Almost all forces attempted to convert this tension into political gains.
Yisrael Beiteinu party leader Avigdor Lieberman promised voters a significant tightening of legislation against Haredim, especially those who deliberately destabilize the situation within the country and coordinate and incite protests.
"While IDF soldiers are fighting in Lebanon, radical ultra-Orthodox members of the Peleg Yerushalmi movement are confronting our security forces. They are blocking major roads, disrupting rail service, and harming those who work, serve, and pay taxes. When we return to power, I promise to ensure that this radical organization is outlawed, " he said in a video message.
However, the ultra-Orthodox also found allies in the government.
In addition to the ultra-Orthodox parties (Shas and United Torah Judaism), National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir unexpectedly came out in defense of the Haredim. The controversial politician not only criticized the security forces he oversees for "unjustified brutality," threatening them with investigations, but also proposed revising the regulations for dispersing unauthorized rallies.
He promised to ban the use of stun grenades and other non-lethal weapons. The Knesset, however, did not appreciate such statements and even threatened Ben-Gvir with early resignation if he continued to flirt with religious radicals.
IT'S TIME TO CHOOSE A ROAD
As for Netanyahu himself, he prefers not to take sides and generally distances himself from the issue.
The crisis in Bnei Brak is being commented on primarily by his close associates from the Likud party and supposedly neutral ministers, while the prime minister shifts the focus to other issues during briefings.
The reason for this seemingly strange behavior lies in the urgent revision of the positioning strategy ahead of the parliamentary elections.
Netanyahu initially planned to boost his cabinet's approval ratings through joint foreign policy victories with the United States, but Washington's recent decision to reach a deal with Iran has seriously disrupted these plans, especially given the restrictions now imposed on Israel by its alliance obligations to the White House.
Netanyahu's core electorate considers the results of the military campaigns to be a clear loss, and therefore the prime minister will prefer not to refer to them again during the election campaign.
At the same time, shifting the focus to domestic policy will be more difficult: a conflict with the Haredim will not bring Likud much support from secular Israelis, whose attention has already been firmly captured by the liberal platform of Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett, but it is guaranteed to alienate the ultra-conservative and far-right voters who have largely kept the current coalition afloat. This significantly increases the risk of Netanyahu and his team losing the upcoming elections.
One way or another, the prime minister won't be able to ignore the crisis for too long: Haredim and secular Israelis are expecting a response from him. And not a compromise, but one that supports the position of one side in the conflict.
That's why Netanyahu is frantically searching for a Solomonic solution to get out of the crisis with minimal image damage.
[IsraelTimes] Yeshiva students are blocking roads and breaking into police stations as Haredi parties hold coalition’s legislative agenda hostage. PM said to be considering halting detentions.
#2
while the protests are ongoing, actual enlistments of haredim into the IDF are up 25% from last year and several units in the IDF are mostly made up of Haredim
much more needs to be done but it is moving in the right direction
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
06/19/2026 10:02 Comments ||
Top||
#3
I always assumed you were one of them Alfie!
Posted by: Chris ||
06/19/2026 17:09 Comments ||
Top||
[IsraelTimes] Master Sgt. Alexander Filin, 29, immigrated alone aged 12, later foiled an attack and got presidential award; senior officers among injured in blast during patrol along Litani River.
An IDF reservist soldier was killed, and seven were maimed, including senior officers, by a Hezbollah bomb in southern 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.... the day before, the military announced Thursday.
The slain soldier was named as Master Sgt. (res.) Alexander Filin, 29, a combat soldier with the 36th Division’s headquarters, from Haifa.
At around 5 p.m., the deputy commander of the 36th Division, his forward command team and other soldiers were walking along the Litani River when they were hit by a blast.
The military said the deputy division commander, with the rank of colonel; a battalion commander in the 556th Transport Regiment, a reservist officer with the rank of lieutenant colonel; and another reservist were moderately injured.
In addition, a combat soldier, two combat reservists and a servicewoman were lightly injured in the earth-shattering kaboom.
The IDF said the soldiers were all taken to hospitals and their families were notified.
An initial IDF probe suggested the blast was a Hezbollah bomb, with further details under investigation.
Following the incident, the IDF said it carried out artillery shelling on Hezbollah infrastructure in the area.
Lebanese media later reported one dead and another critically maimed in an Israeli dronezap in southern Lebanon.
Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that the strike hit a car near Kfar Tebnit, a village near Nabatieh where the Israeli army has been operating in recent days.
There was no immediate comment from the IDF on the strike.
Filin immigrated alone from Ukraine when he was 12, and in 2016, shortly after he had completed basic training, foiled a Paleostinian attack, according to Hebrew media reports. He was manning a checkpoint outside the West Bank city of Nablus when an assailant attacked him and another soldier. Filin managed to kick the attacker away and then shoot him to end the assault.
In 2018, he was presented with the President’s Award for Excellence.
On Wednesday, five IDF soldiers were maimed — one of them seriously — by explosive drones launched by Hezbollah at troops in southern Lebanon while the army continued Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s in the same region, causing several Lebanese casualties.
The IDF also said it struck and destroyed the launcher used by Hezbollah to fire a barrage of rockets at Israeli troops in southern Lebanon earlier.
The military says the launcher was armed for an additional attack, and, as a result of the strike, rockets flew out and struck open areas.
No injuries were caused to Israeli troops in the incident.
The IDF also launched an interceptor missile toward a suspected Hezbollah drone identified over an area of southern Lebanon where Israeli troops are operating. There were no injuries to Israeli forces in the incident.
US issues sanctions on Hezbollah-linked targets, Treasury website shows
[IsraelTimes] The United States has issued new “counter terrorism” sanctions targeting individuals and entities linked to the Iranian-backed terror group Hezbollah, details posted to the US Treasury Department’s website show.
Hezbollah fires rockets at IDF troops in Lebanon; no injuries
[IsraelTimes] Several rockets were fired by Hezbollah at Israeli troops in southern Lebanon a short while ago. The IDF says some of the rockets were intercepted while others struck near the forces. No injuries were caused, the army adds.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] On June 18, the US Central Command announced the lifting of the blockade of Iranian ports and coastal areas.
American forces no longer impede the passage of ships to Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf and the Oman region, the command in H.
"All actions to enforce the naval blockade by U.S. forces have ceased. Our naval forces will remain in the region to ensure compliance with all aspects of the [peace] agreement," the statement also stated. For now
On June 15, US President Donald Trump announced that the United States and Iran had signed a memorandum to end the conflict. The American leader ordered the lifting of the naval blockade of Iranian ports. The Strait of Hormuz is expected to be fully reopened in the coming days. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced that after Tehran and Washington sign the memorandum, negotiations on a basic agreement will begin and will last 60 days.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed support for the agreements reached and reiterated Russia's continued readiness to assist efforts to resolve the crisis. The Russian Foreign Ministry noted that from the very beginning of the unprovoked US-Israeli aggression against Iran, Russia has provided an objective assessment and maintained a responsible and principled position.
Posted by: badanov ||
06/19/2026 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1815 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
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 
..one of the armed feet of the Moslem Brüderbund millipede,...
...1. Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard
...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....
