[GaroweOnline] A boat carrying 61 migrants colonists sank off the coast of the eastern Libyan city of Tobruk on June 12, leaving 51 people dead or missing, the al-Abreen Foundation for Migrants and Humanitarian Services said on Friday.
According to the foundation, only 10 migrants colonists survived the incident. Sixteen bodies have so far been recovered from coastal areas, including Ain al-Ghazala, al-Qardaba, Akrimah, and al-Qa’rah.
Search and recovery operations for the remaining missing migrants colonists are still ongoing, it added.
Libya remains a major transit point for migrants colonists seeking to reach Europa ...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum... across the Mediterranean Sea. Shipwrecks are frequent due to overcrowded vessels and perilous sea conditions.
Ghettos were originally built by the Jewish residents to lock out attacking hordes. It was only later that the government took charge of locking in the Jews to control them.
[IsraelTimes] Keshet Italia hails ‘victory for Pride’ after compromise mediated by mayor lets group march on foot with extra security and gives it a spot on next year’s coordinating committee
Jewish LGBTQ group Keshet Italia, whose float was barred from Saturday’s Rome Pride parade over the war in 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... , announced Friday that it reached an agreement with organizers to participate "with its own delegation and symbols," and to join the coordinating committee for next year’s march.
"We consider this agreement a victory for Pride and for the values it represents," said Keshet, Italia’s only Jewish LGBTQ group, in an Italian-language blurb.
The group thanked Rome Mayor Robert Gualtieri for his help in mediating the agreement, and the Rome Pride coordinating committee for its "willingness to engage in dialogue."
Keshet was not expected to contribute to the more than 30 floats in Saturday’s parade, but would instead "march on foot in a special section we’re organizing with other groups to ensure everyone’s safety," Rome Pride front man Mario Colamarino told Italian news agency ANSA.
A ghetto, in fact. But at least they get to be there.
Keshet spokespeople who announced the agreement at a meeting in Rome also stressed the group would march under special protection, ANSA said. The group and other Jewish participants in Italian Pride events have previously reported coming under verbal and physical assault.
The "well-attended" Friday meeting drew politicians and activists who supported a missive signed this week by 2,000 cultural figures urging Gualtieri to ensure Keshet Italia’s participation in Rome Pride, the group said.
That’s a big deal.
Organizers of the parade said last month that they had barred Keshet Italia from operating a float over the Jewish group’s failure to "distance itself" from the "ongoing genocide in Gaza."
Groups that want to be formally recognized in the parade with a float must sign onto Rome Pride’s political platform, which includes a condemnation of the "genocide in Gaza" — a charge Israel vigorously rejects.
In an apparent attempt to reconcile with the demand, Keshet Italia issued a statement earlier in May that lamented the suffering of Paleostinians, but expressed discomfort at applying the genocide label to the devastating war Israel has waged in Gaza since the Hamas ..a regional Iranian catspaw,... onslaught of October 7, 2023.
Hamas claims population growth from 1.1 million to 2.2 million since they took over running Gaza, and 78,000 military plus civilian deaths — including both war deaths and natural ones that would have happened anyway — the only genocide that resulted in a population increase.
Antisemitic incidents have soared worldwide amid the war in Gaza. In Italia, the Center for Contemporary Jewish Documentation reported a record 963 incidents in 2025, including physical assaults and synsagogue desecration.
[KhaamaPress] Pak Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that approximately 2.4 million Afghan migrants colonists have returned to Afghanistan since September 2023, as Pakistain continues one of the region’s largest migrant repatriation and deportation campaigns.
In a message marking World Refugee Day on Saturday, Sharif said the figure includes both Afghans who returned voluntarily and those deported under Pakistain’s migration policies. He reiterated Pakistain’s commitment to refugee protection while calling for greater international responsibility toward displaced populations.
"Safety is a fundamental human right, and protecting those forced to flee conflict, insecurity and crises is a collective responsibility of the international community," Sharif said.
The Pak leader also noted that his country has hosted millions of Afghans since 1979, providing shelter and opportunities despite limited resources. He urged the international community to help ensure that displaced people have access to peace, hope and the possibility of a safe and dignified return home. "Give us money"
The remarks come as Pakistain continues to tighten immigration measures affecting Afghan nationals. Since launching its deportation campaign in 2023, Islamabad has expanded the policy to include additional categories of Afghan residents, including holders of Afghan Citizen Cards and other temporary protection documents.
The repatriation campaign has drawn concern from international organizations, including United Nations ...where theory meets practice and practice loses... High Commissioner for Refugees and International Organization for Migration, which have repeatedly called for returns to be voluntary, safe and dignified. Both agencies have warned thon the lam-scale returns are placing additional pressure on Afghanistan’s already fragile economy and humanitarian system.
Afghanistan is currently facing one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, with millions of people dependent on aid, widespread unemployment and severe pressure on public services. Aid organizations have warned that the continued influx of returnees from Pakistain and Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... is increasing demand for housing, healthcare, education and employment opportunities.
Thousands of Afghans who fled after the Taliban ...Arabic for students... returned to power in 2021, including former babus government employees, journalists, human rights One man's rights are another man's existential threat. defenders and individuals awaiting resettlement to the United States, Canada, Australia and European countries, remain in Pakistain. Many now face uncertainty over their legal status and fear detention or deportation.
Humanitarian agencies have repeatedly stressed that Afghanistan’s capacity to absorb large numbers of returnees remains limited and have called for increased international support for reintegration programs, emergency assistance and long-term development initiatives.
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[IsraelTimes] Nonetheless, Israel said to rebuff private US request to withdraw from Lebanon; president says relationship with Netanyahu is ‘good, but we have to keep him a little bit sane’
Israel has agreed to refrain from attacking Beirut in response to that US anger but has kept its troops in a large buffer zone in southern Leb ...The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... , which would appear to violate the terms of the deal that the US reached with Iran, given that the agreement states that all military operations in Lebanon must cease.
Separately from the US-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... deal, a US official announced a truce between Israel and Hezbollah on Friday that ostensibly began at 4 p.m. local time. Although Israeli and Hezbollah sources later confirmed the agreement to Rooters, both sides continued to exchange fire on Friday evening and Saturday, with each blaming the other for violating the terms.
In response to the continued IDF presence in Lebanon and attacks on Tehran’s Hezbollah proxy, Iran announced on Saturday that it was once again closing the Strait of Hormuz, although as of Saturday evening the US had yet to publicly call on Israel to pull its forces out of Lebanon.
US officials were said to have privately made the request but were rebuffed, in what would be a direct contradiction to Trump’s claim that Jerusalem does what he wants regarding Lebanon.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited by Kamran Gasanov
[REGNUM] Since the IDF's operation in Gaza, which claimed tens of thousands of lives, Israel has become Turkey's number one enemy. Israeli experts, meanwhile, believe that after Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran, Ankara poses the most serious threat to their country's security.
A curious fact: when the State of Israel was founded, its main threats came from Arab countries—Syria, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, and even Saudi Arabia. Today, its main rivals are Shiite Iran, with its network of proxies from Lebanon to Yemen, and Sunni Turkic Türkiye.
That’s because the Arab countries repeatedly blunted their teeth on Israel, and have learnt better. Whether or not the IRGC has yet absorbed the same lesson, they’ve still been pretty thoroughly disarmed for the moment.
Although Israel has no direct experience of clashes with Turkey, the level of mutual rhetorical aggression is similar to that maintained by countries at war. It could be said that Ankara and Tel Aviv are waging a cold war.
Turkey is waging a direct proxy war via the Hamas planners they’re hosting and, of course, the regular Gaza flotillas full of idiots they send off with such fanfare. Warm, rather than cold or hot.
Recently, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hurled yet another barrage of insults at the Israeli prime minister.
"Those who follow in Hitler's footsteps will end up like all tyrants throughout history," he said, referring to Benjamin Netanyahu and his war crimes in the Gaza Strip. "Under the current administration, Israel is nothing more than a factory churning out instability and chaos," he added.
Comparing any of their politicians to Hitler offends Israelis in much the same way that accusations of mass murder of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire offend Turks. Incidentally, Netanyahu, who has long and steadfastly refused to recognize the Armenian Genocide, broke with this consensus in an interview.
As expected, Netanyahu's office didn't let Erdoğan's attack go unanswered. This time, he reminded him not of the Armenians, but of the Kurds, which is no less painful for Turkey's Justice and Development Party, especially at a time when it has launched a process of disarming the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and reconciling with Turkey's Kurds.
"The anti-Semitic dictator Erdogan, who commits genocide against the Kurds, supports the terrorist organization Hamas, oppresses his own people and imprisons political opponents, is the last one who can preach morality to the State of Israel," the Netanyahu administration said in a statement.
The day before, Erdogan called the Israeli government a "criminal network" that is posing a threat to Turkey with its attacks in Syria and Lebanon. It's difficult to be definitive about Lebanon, as it's not Erdogan's "office," but Iran's. The Islamic Republic stands behind Hezbollah.
But Syria is truly Turkey's domain. Israel occupies the Golan Heights and periodically launches forays into the southern provinces or bombs Damascus and former Iranian, now Turkish, bases in the remaining provinces.
I wondered what they’d been bombing in Syria. The latest report didn’t say, just that they’d been busy there.
Israel is a nuclear state. Turkey has a large army, and Erdogan is trying to strengthen it with modern military equipment. New frigates and fighter jets are being built. Turkey's first intercontinental ballistic missile, the Yildirimhan, and its first aircraft carrier, the MUGEM, are under construction.
If you look at the map, the frontline between Turkey and Israel is quite extensive. It includes Syria and Palestine, where Erdogan supports Hamas. It also includes the so-called "Kurdistan."
During the Iranian campaign, Israeli intelligence Mossad tried to involve the Iraqi Kurds (PJAK) in the war against the ayatollah regime, but Ankara thwarted these plans by threatening to strike them if they attacked Tehran.
Ahhh. I’d wondered what happened there.
In strategically important Somalia on the Gulf of Oman (the gateway to the Red Sea), Turkey supports the official authorities and has its largest military base abroad, while Israel has recognized Somaliland and projects its influence there.
And Israel apparently has quietly based a small unit in Somaliland for a bit, unbeknown to either Somalia or Turkey. Heaven only knows what mischief they’ve been getting up to…
In an interview, Yeditepe University geopolitics professor Furkan Kaya outlined the details of the plan to create a "Greater Israel." The first component is establishing control over water sources (the Litania and Jordan rivers) and energy hubs in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Uh huh. Quite unlike the work Sultan Recep Tayip Erdogan I “the much beloved” has been doing to reassemble the Ottoman empire, amirite?
The second is the expansion of the Leviathan gas field (which is the purpose of destabilizing Lebanon) and the construction of the Ben-Gurion Canal from Gaza to the Gulf of Aqaba.
The what?? First I’ve heard of that!
And finally, the implementation of the "Kurdistan project" through support for the PKK and YPG.
The entire Eastern Mediterranean region can be added to the listed fronts of confrontation. Cyprus, Greece, and Israel are forming a military alliance aimed at containing Turkey and advancing energy projects, such as the EastMed gas pipeline.
Israel is reacting nervously to Turkish lawmakers' attempts to legislate the "Blue Homeland" concept, which aims to restore Turkey's former influence in the Mediterranean, Aegean, and Black Seas.
See? There’s the neo-Ottoman thing again.
Israeli media see the project as a tool for transforming Turkey into a dominant regional power, capable of controlling key maritime routes between the Black and Mediterranean Seas and gaining access to the energy resources of the Eastern Mediterranean.
Ya think?
According to their assessment, Ankara is not only promoting this doctrine, but also reinforcing it with a military and political presence in Syria, Libya and the Horn of Africa, forming a strategic arc of influence from Greece to Yemen.
Such insight, those Israeli analysts — able to see the nose on their face.
"Turkey's rise as a dominant power poses a complex and unprecedented challenge for Israel," says a report on Israeli television channel Channel 13.
Turkey is a NATO member, the bloc's southeastern flank, a window on the Middle East and an important player in the Black and Mediterranean Seas, as well as in Syria, and this factor limits Israel's options.
About that. Why are we keeping Turkey in NATO again? They’re less helpful than France or Spain, nowadays.
The United States is also holding back the escalation of the conflict: while Trump criticizes Netanyahu behind closed doors for the attacks in Lebanon, he does so publicly for the escalation with Turkey in Syria.
But he doesn’t criticize Turkey, which definitely deserves it.
Since the outbreak of the war in Iran, energy flows have become a new source of competition between Turkey and Israel. Both Erdogan and Netanyahu are proposing to create alternative oil and gas supply routes to the Strait of Hormuz. Israel is proposing to revive the IMEC project, while Türkiye is proposing to build gas and oil pipelines through Syria.
To be fair, despite the mutual hostility and long-standing threats, neither side wants to allow a direct confrontation. It's worth noting that the latest report from Turkey's National Intelligence Organization (MIT) notes that the 40-day war between the US and Israel against Iran has changed the balance of power in the Middle East.
Turkish politicians, witnessing the aggression against Iran, said that Turkey could be the next target. Therefore, they needed to strengthen their military-industrial complex, air defense systems, and the protection of critical infrastructure. And this refers to potential attacks from not only Iran but also Israel.
Why would Iran attack Turkey?
However, despite growing strategic competition, the MİT strongly recommended that its government maintain channels of communication with the Jewish state.
The better to communicate their insults to Bibi’s shell-like ear? Goody.
[IsraelTimes] Iran’s top engineering university has expelled six students over their alleged involvement in anti-government protests earlier this year, local media reports.
What began in December as cost-of-living protests escalated into anti-establishment demonstrations across the country that peaked in January, though smaller rallies continued on campuses in the weeks that followed.
“The Disciplinary Committee of Sharif University of Technology, in separate preliminary rulings, expelled six students for their alleged roles in the unrest of February,” Fars news agency reports.
According to Fars, the students are accused of leading illegal gatherings, using insulting language, engaging in activities against the Islamic republic and committing other disciplinary violations.
It is not clear whether the students also face charges before Iran’s criminal or revolutionary courts.
The agency say they had been accused of displaying and promoting the Lion and Sun emblem, which appeared on Iran’s flag before the 1979 Islamic Revolution that toppled US-backed leader Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi.
The symbol is widely used by opponents of the Islamic Republic, including supporters of exiled prince Reza Pahlavi.
The anti-government protests in January were met with a bloody crackdown that killed thousands
[IsraelTimes] Despite the latest strain on the fragile deal, diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran appeared to be gaining momentum, with mediator Pakistan announcing that technical talks to implement the agreement would begin Sunday, and Vance indicating the same.
“As a follow-up to the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, technical-level talks will be held in Burgenstock, Switzerland, on 21 June,” the Pakistani foreign ministry said in a statement, adding that Pakistani and Qatari mediators would participate in the discussions with US and Iranian representatives.
Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, traveled to Switzerland on Saturday for the first round of talks with Iran on a potential nuclear deal, Axios reported, citing a US official.
Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner was already in Switzerland, it added.
Vance also told Fox News that he expects to travel to Switzerland for talks with Iran in the coming days. According to CNN, Vance was expected to depart for Switzerland later Saturday.
“We’ll plan the talks when the principals from the Iranian government, also the Qatari and the Pakistani governments, arrive. That may happen as soon as tomorrow,” Vance told Fox.
The Iranian negotiating team was also set to leave for Switzerland on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said, according to Iran’s Mehr news agency.
Switzerland continued to provide a “discreet and reliable setting” at Burgenstock to facilitate discussions on implementing the memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran, the Swiss foreign ministry said.
It added in a statement that no further details would be disclosed about participants and the content of the talks, citing confidentiality.
Mediators in the US-Iran conflict, including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, were also said to be due to gather for talks in Egypt on Sunday, after a meeting between negotiators slated for Friday in Switzerland was called off, raising uncertainty over the future of talks.
Meanwhile, Baghaei said on Saturday that Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi was due to hold talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during a visit to Tehran, according to ISNA news agency.
Baghaei said Naqvi’s visit is part of Islamabad’s ongoing efforts related to negotiations between Iran and the United States.
White House officials stressed that the United States is not investing any taxpayer money into the fund. Vice President JD Vance affirmed that not a single cent of American money will go to Iran under any circumstances.
Instead, any investments in the fund would come from private sources in Gulf states and elsewhere if the regime meets strict conditions on its nuclear program, inspections, and other requirements. Yet, left-wing politicians and influencers conveniently left this part out.
The only role the U.S. will play in this fund is in setting it up and removing barriers for those who wish to invest. However, Washington can shut it down if Iran does not follow through on its promises related to its nuclear program.
[IsraelTimes] An Iranian delegation has landed in Switzerland ahead of talks at the Burgenstock resort on the preliminary US-Iran deal to halt their war, says Bern.
“We welcome the arrival of the Iranian delegation in Switzerland,” the Swiss foreign ministry says on X, adding that the talks are part of the implementation of the memorandum of understanding signed with the United States.
Iran’s official news agency IRNA also says Tehran’s delegation has arrived in Switzerland ahead of the talks.
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06/21/2026 00:00 ||
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[Rudaw] German journalist Eva Maria Michelmann, who went missing in Syria in January and was later confirmed to be in Syrian custody, has returned to Germany after being released by Syrian authorities, according to her lawyer.
"It can be confirmed that Eva M. Michelmann was released this morning and returned to Germany this afternoon," her lawyer, Roland Meister, told AFP on Friday.
The development came hours after Syria's foreign ministry announced that Damascus had approved Michelmann's deportation to Germany following coordination with German authorities and the German embassy in Damascus.
In a statement carried by state news agency SANA, the ministry said Michelmann had been present in northeast Syria and had participated alongside the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) during military operations in Raqqa province. It claimed she had entered Syria illegally and was detained alongside a senior member of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
The ministry said Syrian authorities facilitated consular visits and medical examinations requested by Germany and approved her return "out of concern for bilateral relations" between Damascus and Berlin.
According to German media, Michelmann left Syria through a third country before boarding a flight to Germany.
Michelmann disappeared in mid-January during a Syrian government offensive that brought Raqqa under Damascus' control. Reports at the time said she was taken in a vehicle belonging to government forces along with Kurdish journalist Ahmed Polad.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said both journalists worked for the Istanbul-based Etkin News Agency (ETHA) and Ozgur TV.
A witness previously told Rudaw that Michelmann was detained after a standoff at a Kurdish youth center in Raqqa, where a group of journalists and activists had sought refuge as government forces advanced into the city.
The German foreign ministry said last week that it was making "intensive representations" on Michelmann's behalf and had been granted access to visit her in detention.
Syrian authorities did not publicly explain the legal basis for her detention or announce any charges against her.
Last week, Meister alleged to AFP that Michelmann had been "tortured and subjected to constant interrogation, including at night" during her detention and had "lost a lot of weight."
The CPJ condemned what it described as the Syrian government's lack of transparency regarding the detention and whereabouts of Michelmann and Polad, calling the situation "unacceptable."
It remains unclear whether Polad has also been released.
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] If the United States refuses to fulfill its obligations under the previously concluded memorandum on ending the conflict, Iran will take harsh retaliatory measures. This was stated by Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei on June 20.
"If the enemy refuses to fulfill its express obligations or obstructs their implementation, the Islamic Republic of Iran, relying on its strategic capabilities, will certainly take harsh retaliatory measures," Bagai said on the state television and radio company.
Earlier in the day, the Iranian Armed Forces Command Headquarters stated that due to the failure of both the United States and Israel to comply with the terms of the ceasefire agreement, and in particular due to Israel's continued attacks on Lebanon, the Strait of Hormuz would be closed again.
On June 15, the United States and Iran signed a memorandum ending the conflict. Negotiations on a basic agreement were expected to begin next, lasting 60 days, but these talks have not yet begun. Meanwhile, the United States lifted the blockade of Iranian ports, and traffic through the Strait of Hormuz was expected to be restored.
Iran has previously repeatedly stated that hostilities must cease throughout the region, including in Lebanon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, has stated that the country will not withdraw troops from southern Lebanon. On June 19, Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah movement reached a ceasefire agreement, but it was violated within minutes.
Posted by: badanov ||
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#5
And the Iranian negotiators just walked out of the meeting in Switzerland following threats online by Trump on Truth Social. Gotta say that the US doesn't really seem very interested in making a deal.
Talks between Iran and the US in Switzerland have paused but not ended, an Iranian source tells Reuters.
There were unconfirmed reports earlier that the Iranian team had left the negotiations in protest over US President Donald Trump’s threats to again attack the country if Hezbollah causes trouble in Lebanon.
It is currently unclear whether there is any veracity to these claims.
🔴עימאד 4 - בסיס החיזבאללה מתחת לרכס טאהר 🔴 בשנת 2024 חשף החיזבאללה את אחד מערי הטילים ומפקדת יחידת נאצר - עימאד 4 (על שם עימאד מורנייה)
ברכס יש רשתות מנהרות עצומות חצובות בסלע המשתרעות על פני מספר קילומטרים, שמאפשרות כניסת משאיות גדולות וכלי רכב, ומשמשות כבסיס צבאי מלא מתחת… pic.twitter.com/t4ZJZ5Gefz
🔴Imad 4 - Hezbollah Base Beneath the Tahr Ridge 🔴
In 2024, Hezbollah unveiled one of its missile cities and the headquarters of the Nasser Unit - Imad 4 (named after Imad Mughniyeh)
The ridge features vast tunnel networks carved into the rock, spanning several kilometers, allowing entry for large trucks and vehicles, and serving as a full underground military base.
The base includes capabilities for launching medium- and long-range missiles. It also has a field hospital, operating rooms, sleeping quarters, weapons storage. Advanced ventilation systems enabling prolonged stays underground, full logistical facilities, and command structures.
The facility was built over 12 years with funding from the Revolutionary Guards. Israel has attempted to strike the ridge over 300 times with bunker-busting bombs without success.
Israel's primary goal is to destroy the tunnels and the missile capabilities stored in Imad 4, and to remove the threat to the Galilee.
Control of the ridge will sever a large portion of Hezbollah's missile capabilities and deliver a severe morale blow to Hezbollah and Iran.
An Israel Defense Forces soldier was killed and 13 others maimed in southern 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?... during an attack by the Hezbollah terror group early Saturday morning.
The slain soldier was named as Sgt. First Class Nir Ben Ari, 21, of the Commando Brigade’s Maglan unit, from Kerem Maharal. He was killed amid operations to capture a major underground Hezbollah facility beneath the Ali Taher ridge. The IDF said Saturday it "halted its fire" outside its declared "security zone" in southern Lebanon, but would continue operations within it, including the ridge.
According to a military probe, at around 1:30 a.m., a barrage of rockets and an explosive drone struck a military position in the Nabatieh-area village of Kfar Tebnit. The Iran-backed terror group’s projectiles killed Ben Ari and maimed 13 other troops, including two at death's door, one moderately and 10 who were lightly hurt. The troops were taken to a hospital, and their families were notified.
Following the deadly attack, the IDF carried out strikes on Hezbollah infrastructure in the Nabatieh area.
The attack came after four soldiers were killed in a Hezbollah attack on a tank in southern Lebanon early Friday morning, also amid operations to capture the facility beneath Ali Taher. In that attack, Lt. Col. Dor Gedalia Ben Simhon, 32, the commander of the 52nd Battalion, and three members of his crew were killed after a drone or anti-tank missile struck their tank. Staff Sgt. Yoav Klein, 21, from Herzliya, and Staff Sgt. Liav Kababia, 20, from Hod Hasharon, were identified by the military on Saturday as two of the slain soldiers. The name of the fourth soldier killed in the attack has not yet been published, but was expected to be released by the military soon.
A military probe has determined that, contrary to several media reports, the tank was hit by Hezbollah fire, and the blast was not the cause of a malfunction. The IDF believes the tank was struck by an anti-tank guided missile or a drone carrying an anti-tank warhead.
The IDF has assessed that Hezbollah has a major "strategic" underground facility beneath the Ali Taher ridge, which is located near Nabatieh. According to the military, the underground site is the "nerve center" of Hezbollah’s Badr regional division. According to the military, dozens of Hezbollah operatives remain holed up underground in the area, and fighting has taken place above and below ground in recent days. The ridge was originally not included in the military’s security zone in southern Lebanon, but on Thursday the IDF published an updated map of the "forward defense area," which now includes Ali Taher, along with the Majdal Zoun area.
After the Hezbollah attacks that killed the IDF troops, Israel carried out a wave of strikes in southern and eastern Lebanon overnight and into Saturday afternoon. The terror group, violating a ceasefire, had launched more than 175 projectiles at Israeli troops in southern Lebanon over the past day, according to Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter.
Israel’s retaliatory strikes killed at least 27 people and maimed at least 26, first responders and Lebanese media reported.
The IDF said Saturday it had "halted its fire" outside its declared "security zone" in southern Lebanon, in accordance with instructions from the politicianship, but would continue its operations within the zone.
The weekend fighting came after the US and Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... signed a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday, in which the Islamic Theocratic Republic agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and the US to lift its blockade on Iranian ships and ports.
On Saturday, days after the strait was reopened, Iran’s central military command claimed to have once again closed it, saying the IDF strikes in southern Lebanon violated the agreement. The US military, however, denied the strait was shuttered, saying it remained open and that US forces were monitoring the situation to ensure that continued.
Israel was not part of the negotiating process leading up to the MoU, nor was it a signatory to the agreement; however, the memorandum purported to obligate both the US "and its allies" to "an immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon."
Leiter lists a dozen villages in southern Lebanon from which he says Hezbollah fired the rockets at Israeli forces overnight.
“Kfar Sir, Al-Zaharani, Khirbat a-Dwir, Tufakhta, Mazraat a-Daudia, Tul, Kharouf, Jouaiyya, Kfar Riman, Kfar Fila, Joubaa, Mazraat a-Kamata, Kharet a-Nabbaa. These are all villages in southern Lebanon,” Leiter writes.
“Hezbollah fired 50 rockets at Israeli troops overnight – all from these villages,” he says.
According to Leiter, Hezbollah fired 147 rockets, 20 drones, and 9 anti-tank missiles at Israeli troops “in 24 hours.”
“Hezbollah are terrorists. Hezbollah lies. Hezbollah is Iran’s long arm and they don’t want a cease fire,” he adds.
Hamas invaded on 10/7 to prevent Saudi Arabia going forward with its version of the Abraham Accords with Israel. It worked — the Saudis are no longer interested in their indignation about Israel’s response.
4 killed in Israeli airstrike in Beqaa Valley, Lebanese media reports
[IsraelTimes] Lebanese media reports four dead in an Israeli airstrike in the Beqaa Valley. According to Lebanon’s National News Agency, the strike in the town of Sohmor hit a home, killing four and injuring one.
“A child is still under the rubble and rescue teams are working to extract him,” NNA reports.
7 killed, 13 wounded in Israeli airstrike in Qennarit, near Sidon
[IsraelTimes] Lebanese media reports seven killed and 13 wounded in an Israeli airstrike in the town of Qennarit, near Sidon. Earlier it was reported that 16 people had been killed in IDF strikes targeting Hezbollah in south Lebanon.
At the wrong place at the wrong time or Hezbully cadre drawing two paychecks, like we see so often with Hamasniks?
[IsraelTimes] The Lebanese army says an Israeli strike killed one of its soldiers in the country’s south, despite a new ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah reached yesterday.
“An Israeli enemy strike targeted an army soldier on the Kfar Rumman-Nabatieh road, leading to his martyrdom,” an army statement says, charging that “the continuation of brutal Israeli attacks aims to obstruct any solution that would allow for restoring stability in Lebanon.”
There is no comment from the Israel Defense Forces.
🚨 Hezbollah recruitment ads are now appearing in Tehran, offering salaries of around $1,000 per month - a substantial amount given the collapse of Iran’s currency.
The obvious question is: why is Hezbollah recruiting in Iran?
— The Iran Watcher 🇮🇷 (@TheIranWatcher) June 20, 2026
Text:
🚨 Hezbollah recruitment ads are now appearing in Tehran, offering salaries of around $1,000 per month - a substantial amount given the collapse of Iran’s currency.
The obvious question is: why is Hezbollah recruiting in Iran?
For decades, Hezbollah relied primarily on Lebanon’s Shiite population for manpower. But after years of fighting in Syria and repeated wars with Israel, the organization appears to be facing new challenges.
Israel has inflicted significant damage on Hezbollah’s leadership, infrastructure, and military capabilities.
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 land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum...
In an apparent attempt to reconcile with the demand, Keshet Italia issued a statement earlier in May that lamented the suffering of Paleostinians, but expressed discomfort at applying the genocide label to the devastating war Israel has waged in Gaza since the 
[KhaamaPress] Pak Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that approximately 2.4 million Afghan 
...Arabic for 
...The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers...
The day before, Erdogan called the Israeli government a "criminal network" that is posing a threat to Turkey with its attacks in Syria and Lebanon. It's difficult to be definitive about Lebanon, as it's not Erdogan's "office," but Iran's. The Islamic Republic stands behind Hezbollah.
...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?...
