Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud, 48, (a.k.a. Abu Mansur Asim, the mufti denotes completing his madrassah education), a Pashtun from South Waziristan, is the fourth emir of TTP, stepping up after Mullah Fazlullah was killed by an American drone in Kunar in 2018 after they’d fled Pakistan. Under his leadership, the TTP have given up attacking civilians, concentrating on Pakistani soldiers and law enforcement, especially cross-border attacks from the safety of the Afghan side of the border, to Pakistan’s frustration. He started his jihad journey in the Afghan Civil War as a youth with the Afghan Taliban against the Northern Alliance in the late 1990s, then retreated with them into Pakistan’s FATA after America overthrew the Taliban.
[ShabelleMedia] Somalia’s elite Danab Special Forces carried out a planned operation targeting suspected al-Shabaab ... al-Qaeda's tentacle in East Africa... positions in villages near Basro, an area between the Lower Shabelle and Middle Shabelle regions, military officials said on Tuesday.
The operation was conducted by the 164th Unit of the 16th Danab Brigade and targeted locations allegedly used by the krazed killer group as hideouts and staging areas.
Troops also conducted security sweeps in the surrounding areas as part of efforts to disrupt al-Shabaab’s movements and strengthen security, according to military commanders overseeing the operation.
The Danab Special Forces have intensified operations in Lower and Middle Shabelle, where Somali government troops continue campaigns to dismantle al-Shabaab strongholds and prevent the group from regrouping.
🚨 Urgent | Mauritanie 🇲🇷 Des Mauritaniens toujours détenus au Mali
Des proches des personnes arrêtées au Mali ont organisé un manifestations devant le bâtiment de la moughataa Adel bakrou , réclamant une intervention urgente des autorités mauritaniennes pour obtenir leur… https://t.co/gnRkOefmcupic.twitter.com/8QMeDVXUT8
🚨 Urgent | Mauritania 🇲🇷 Mauritanians Still Detained in Mali
Relatives of those arrested in Mali organized a demonstration in front of the Adel Bakrou moughataa building, demanding urgent intervention from Mauritanian authorities to secure their release and denouncing the mistreatment allegedly suffered by the Mauritanian community in Mali.
On the Mauritanian channel TTV, Ahmedou Ould Mbarek, president of the Deloul Center for Australasian Studies, denied reports claiming the release of all detainees. According to him, 17 individuals have been released, while 21 others remain in custody and are the subject of negotiations led by the Mauritanian consulate in Bamako.
The individuals in question were traveling on several buses from Bouaké (Côte d'Ivoire) to Mauritania. They were reportedly intercepted near Kati, then arrested after being tortured and accused of terrorism.
The Mauritanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced this Tuesday that it has initiated, alongside the Ministry of Defense and security services, intensive contacts with Malian authorities to establish the circumstances of these arrests, secure the release of the detainees, and ensure their return to Mauritania as quickly as possible.
In one of the largest coordinated hostage rescue operations recorded in recent months, a joint security task force led under the coordination of the Office of the… pic.twitter.com/PJeDYWahIT
In one of the largest coordinated hostage rescue operations recorded in recent months, a joint security task force led under the coordination of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has rescued 308 kidnapped victims from captivity across Kwara and Niger states, underscoring an increasingly integrated approach by Nigeria’s security agencies in confronting organized kidnapping networks operating across the North-Central region.
Security sources familiar with the operation told Zagazola Makama that the rescue mission was executed on Wednesday through a coordinated deployment involving the Nigerian Armed Forces, the Department of State Services (DSS), operatives of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) under ONSA, the Nigeria Police Force, and other security agencies.
According to the sources, the operation culminated in the safe recovery of 308 abducted persons, making it one of the most significant mass rescue missions carried out by security forces in recent times.
The breakdown of the rescued victims indicates that 163 persons were freed after being abducted from Woro Community in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State, while another 145 victims were rescued during coordinated operations in Niger State.
Troops Foil Terrorist Infiltration Along Gujba–Buni Yadi Road in Yobe
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have foiled an attempted terrorist infiltration along the Gujba–Buni Yadi Main Supply Route (MSR) in Yobe State, forcing about 30 insurgents to retreat under… pic.twitter.com/QkR2gWnRKy
Troops Foil Terrorist Infiltration Along Gujba–Buni Yadi Road in Yobe
By Zagazola Makama
Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have foiled an attempted terrorist infiltration along the Gujba–Buni Yadi Main Supply Route (MSR) in Yobe State, forcing about 30 insurgents to retreat under heavy gunfire.
Security sources told Zagazola Makama that the operation was carried out at about 2:30 p.m. on Aug. 4 following credible intelligence on the movement of terrorists along the strategic highway.
The sources said troops of the 198 Special Forces Battalion, reinforced by personnel from the 27 Task Force Brigade, mobilised to the general area of Mahadiya Bridge after receiving intelligence that the insurgents were attempting to infiltrate the western section of the Gujba–Buni Yadi corridor.
The terrorists, estimated to be about 30 in number, were reportedly taking advantage of the difficult marshy terrain to evade ongoing military clearance operations around the Buni Yadi Forest and adjoining communities.
[HodhodYemenNews] The Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of... i Armed Forces announced on Wednesday evening that they targeted the ’Daisy’ vessel, a Saudi oil tanker, off the Gulf of Aden with ballistic missiles.
Brigadier General Yahya Sare’e, official front man for the Yemeni armed forces, stated that the strike comes within the framework of enforcing a naval blockade on the "Saudi enemy," operating under the equation of "blockade-for-blockade."
Sare’e emphasized that the armed forces are closely monitoring all Saudi oil tanker movements, adding that Yemeni forces will not allow any such vessel to pass through either the southern or northern Red Sea until the "legitimate demands of the Yemeni people are met and the blockade is fully lifted."
The incident comes hours after the Yemeni forces reported conducting a military operation targeting another Saudi oil tanker, the "Wafa," off the coast of Yanbu in the northern Red Sea using multiple ballistic missiles, also claiming a direct hit under the same "blockade-for-blockade" principle.
These marked the eighth and ninth Saudi oil tankers targeted since the start of the blockade last month, according to figures provided by the Houthi military spokesman.
Riyadh strongly rejects the claims, maintaining that maritime controls established in 2015 were legally mandated under UN Security Council Resolution 2216 to prevent illegal arms flows and Iranian weapons smuggling to the Houthis, rather than stop commercial goods.
Saudi Arabia routinely points to operational statistics - such as hundreds of commercial and relief ships delivering millions of tons of food, fuel, and supplies to Hodeidah, Saleef, and Ras Isa - to demonstrate that northern ports remain open.
Last week, Saudi Arabia hosted military officials from 43 countries and the European Union on Thursday to advance the establishment of a "Multinational Defensive Maritime Coalition."
Headquartered in the Kingdom, the proposed Saudi-led alliance aims to secure critical sea lanes - specifically the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden - against Houthi drone and missile strikes while protecting vital energy supply routes like Riyadh's East-West Pipeline to Yanbu.
Endorsed by 14 founding nations including Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Turkey, Egypt, and Jordan, the initiative seeks to pool naval intelligence and operational capabilities to counter what the Saudi-led coalition characterized as Houthi "maritime piracy," warning that further disruptions to international trade would be met with "decisive force."
Yemen’s Houthis expanded their strikes in the Red Sea overnight, reportedly carrying out a ballistic missile attack on a Saudi tanker off the coast of Yanbu, and sinking a vessel in the Bab al-Mandab Strait. pic.twitter.com/wcOrfzlmAd
[HodhodYemenNews] International media and maritime tracking data indicate that additional Saudi-flagged oil tankers have diverted away from the Gulf of Aden and Bab al-Mandab, reflecting the continuing impact of Yemen’s maritime restrictions on regional shipping.
According to Reuters, citing international vessel-tracking data, six new Saudi very large crude carriers (VLCCs) changed course in recent days, opting to sail around the Cape of Good Hope instead of returning to Saudi Red Sea ports through the Gulf of Aden and the Suez Canal.
Tracking data from MarineTraffic and LSEG showed the empty tankers, returning from Asian destinations, sailing together around southern Africa. One of the vessels, Delam, was reported to be heading toward Gibraltar.
Reuters, citing two oil trading sources, said the rerouting decision was driven by security assessments, despite adding at least 25 days to voyages returning to Saudi Red Sea ports via the Suez Canal.
Maritime intelligence firm Windward estimated that one Saudi tanker traveling around the Cape of Good Hope would require about 56 days to complete its journey, compared with roughly 24 days via the Bab al-Mandab route.
The report added that official estimates and logistics analyses suggest hundreds—and potentially more than 1,000—commercial voyages have been diverted to avoid the Bab al-Mandab Strait, reducing daily traffic through the corridor to between one-half and one-third of its normal capacity.
International news agencies and maritime analytics firms, including Reuters and Windward, also reported that between 14 and 22 major oil and cargo vessels have recently altered their routes in successive waves, lengthening transit times and contributing to higher marine insurance costs, freight rates, and supply chain disruptions across the region.
#3
And it looks like just about everyone is seeing how them might get more oil to market since the demand is there. That might be part of the reason President Trump is dragging his feet on finishing the thing.
[BBC] A man allegedly used an Artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot to help him make contact with the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... group in Somalia in a failed bid to become a martyr, a court has heard.
Mohammed Mohamoud, 22, is on trial at Winchester Crown Court accused of preparing acts of terrorism between 1 October 2024 and 5 March 2025.
Naomi Parsons, prosecuting, told the jury on Tuesday Mohamoud, who is from Somalia, arrived in the UK in 2020 to join his mother and brother living in Bristol.
The court heard Mohamoud struggled to find a "guide" to joining the terrorist group after arriving in Somalia in 2025 so used an AI bot used to make contact, saying he wanted to "join the Mujahideen".
Mohamoud, who was assisted in the dock by a Somali interpreter, denies the charge.
Parsons told the jury: "At some stage whilst living in the UK, he became radicalised. He embraced the ideology of Islamic State.
“I’m the Master Religion so they shoulda treated me like a prince — I didn’t come here to work!!”
"And with this came a strong desire return to Somalia and join Isis, to join the Mujahideen - which literally means one who struggles or a fighter - who operate in the mountainous areas near a city called Bosaso, in the north of the Puntland ...a region in northeastern Somalia, centered on Garowe in the Nugaal province. Its leaders declared the territory an autonomous state in 1998. Puntland and the equally autonomous Somaliland seem to have avoided the clan rivalries and warlordism that have typified the rest of Somalia, which puts both places high on the list for Islamic subversion... region.
"Indeed, not only was it a strong desire, but Mohamoud viewed it as his duty."
Mohamoud, of Francombe Grove in Bristol, is from the Puntland area of north Somalia.
It’s said the average IQ of Somalis is 73… is this proof? Everyone knows Al Shabaab is where the jihad tourists go to play, not ISIS in Puntland.
Parsons said the defendant made attempts to find a contact to help him join the terrorist group while in the UK but failed, and then booked a return flight to Somalia and flew out on 30 January 2025.
But despite having a return ticket for 3 March, she said, Mohamoud had not planned to come back.
Parsons said: "As messages show, Mohamoud had no intention of returning to the UK. Indeed, he aspired not simply to join Isis, but he aspired to martyrdom."
She added: "It seems the return ticket was simply to put his family members off the scent.
"His family were suspicious of him, his mother told him she thought he had been 'brainwashed by al-Shabaab ... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda... ', another terrorist organization operating in Somalia."
'LONGING FOR MARTYRDOM'
When Mohamoud arrived in Somalia, the Puntland government was involved in counter-terrorism operations.
Parsons said that the defendant bought supplies for his mission including hiking boots and a solar-powered battery pack, but struggled to find a "guide" to joining Isis and messaged the AI bot for help.
She told the jury that he was put in contact with two recruiters but was told by one, called Abu Ali: "Did you realise we're actually in the middle of a war? You realise how dire things have got?
"Air strikes keep pounding and there's fierce combat happening as we speak. You're following all this?"
Parsons said that Mohamoud replied: "Yeah brother, I am fully aware. I'm longing for martyrdom. Honestly, there's no better moment than right now."
In response, Mohamoud was told it would be difficult to join Isis because of the war, Parsons said, adding he then decided to fly back to the UK.
She said that he continued to keep in contact with the Isis recruiters and told them: "Anytime, you say the word - I will return."
"This is my brother Mohammed. And these are my other brothers Mohammed."
Given the prevalence of cousin marriages in the Muslim world, I wonder if there is a chromosomal defect being passed around that impairs the ability to think up names for their children. Among other things.
#4
Young Bobby-Mohamoud Mohammed
Was terribly keen to be bombèd.
"Okay, not so much...
but Ah'm keepin' in touch
with Cleotis Mohammed-Lee Ahmed!"
[swigs Mountain Dew, chases ululating sister through Bristol WalmartASDA]
[IsraelTimes] Hamburg court hands out prison terms to 7 men, all teens or in early 20s, convicted of terror membership, attempted murder and arson, for plotting attacks on leftists, refugees
A German court handed prison sentences of up to five years on Wednesday to seven members or supporters of a far-rightmurderous Moslem militant group called the "Last Wave of Defense."
The men, all in their teens or early 20s, were convicted of crimes including membership in a terrorist organization, attempted murder and arson, for plotting attacks on refugees and left-wing activists.
Probably desperate because the police haven’t stopped the local Moslem colonists from running roughshod over the native population.
The presiding judge in Hamburg said the adolescents and young men had absorbed far-right ideology and sought to "create chaos."
Some of them had carried out initial attacks, including setting fire to a cultural center in the eastern German town of Altdoebern in October 2024 and hurling fireworks into a refugee shelter in the town of Schmoelln in January 2025, also scrawling Nazi symbols at the scene of the crime.
It was "only by chance" that no one inside was injured in those attacks, prosecutors said.
Police rounded up several suspected members and supporters in May last year, who were between the ages of 14 and 21 at the time.
Further raids targeting another 10 suspected members came in March this year, after the trial had already begun.
Prosecutors said the forces of Evil had chosen the name because they cast themselves as "the last line of defense for the ’German nation.'"
The case has fueled debate over the increasing radicalization of youths and a resurgence of neo-Nazi ...adherents of a philosophy that was seen even at the time as pure evil, which makes them either consciously purely evil, or attention-seeking ratbags. Pick one, or both.... activity in Germany, often accelerated through social media.
The trial in Hamburg was held largely behind closed doors because of the age of some of the defendants.
The prison sentences, which ranged from two years and four months to five years, were handed down under German juvenile law.
#6
Fascinating indeed. Certainly there is a thing — small in numbers but very real — of Germans converting to Judaism, and some of them do make aliyah to Israel.
The only Jew in my maternal mother’s Lower Saxony hometown is a convert — she drives up to Hannover once a month to go to the synagogue there, and is frustrated because her non-Jewish boyfriend does not understand at all. One of my mother’s best friends in Buffalo, Renata, is a German convert to Judaism — a child during the war, she converted as an adult and married a Jewish American soldier, who brought her home with him. Mama’s other best friend was a Dutch Jew who survived Auschwitz, but she snubbed Renata dreadfully because she could not forgive her for being German, so Mama had to socialize with them separately.
[HindustanTimes] The police on Tuesday busted two ISI-backed cross-border terror modules in Amritsar with the arrest of nine individuals, including four juveniles, and recovered three pistols along with nine cartridges and four petrol bombs, director general of police Gaurav Yadav said.
Those arrested were identified as Vansh Kumar, 19, and Anmol Singh alias Sahil, 20, both residents of Patti in Tarn Taran; Harman Singh alias Hammu, 24, and Sukhdev Singh, 30, both residents of Jhanjoti village in Amritsar; Sukhman Singh, 19, a resident of Joth village in Amritsar and four juveniles.
Apart from recovering pistols and petrol bottle bombs, police teams have also impounded one stolen cycle of violence, which they were using to carry out criminal activities.
FINDINGS OF THE PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION
Yadav said preliminary investigation has revealed that the arrested accused were acting at the behest of foreign-based ISI handlers, who were attempting to recruit local youth to carry out terror-related activities, conduct surveillance of security installations, procure illegal weapons, and disturb peace.
The DGP said that the probe has also uncovered the installation of surveillance cameras near railway tracks, with footage allegedly being shared with foreign handlers.
Further investigation is underway to identify the remaining members of the network, establish its forward and backward linkages, trace the financial trail, and uncover any involvement in other terror-related activities, he added.
Amritsar commissioner of police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said that acting on reliable intelligence, police teams intercepted Vansh along with his juvenile associate and recovered one illegal .32-bore country-made pistol along with three cartridges from their possession.
Acting on the disclosure statements, police also arrested Anmol Singh alias Sahil, who had allegedly supplied the recovered weapon to the accused, he said.
ACCUSED AND ARRESTS MADE
Bhullar said that further investigation revealed that the financial transactions relating to the installation of surveillance cameras near railway tracks were made through Paytm by inmate Sukhdev Singh at the instance of inmate Harman Singh, both lodged in Amritsar Central Jail. Both accused were brought on production warrant and formally arrested.
Further, the main accused Anmol, along with his associates and the CCTV cameras installed along the railway tracks, have been formally entrusted to the Government Railway Police (GRP) for further investigation and necessary legal action, he added.
Pertinently, accused Sukhdev Singh and Harman Singh are also involved in an Arms Act case registered at Rajasansi cop shoppe, in which four Glock pistols were recovered from their possession.
In a separate operation, Bhullar said that acting on specific intelligence, police teams conducted a targeted operation and apprehended two juveniles after recovering one .32-bore country-made pistol and two petrol bombs from their possession.
During interrogation, the arrested accused disclosed that they, along with two of their associates, Sukhman Singh and one Juvenile, had made several attempts to execute the conspiracy, Bhullar said, while adding that both associates have also been arrested, and two petrol bombs and one .30-bore pistol were recovered from their possession.
[HindustanTimes] Around five years ago, security agencies estimated there were 50-60 active local terrorists. In May 2025, official records showed 17 active local terrorists.
Jammu & Kashmir ...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it Azad (Free) Kashmir. The remainder they refer to as "Indian Occupied Kashmir". They have fought four wars with India over it, the score currently 4-0 in New Delhi's favor. After 72 years of this nonsense, India cut the Gordian knot in 2019, removing the area's special status, breaking off Ladakh as a separate state, and allowing people from other areas to settle (or in the case of the Pandits, to resettle) there.... now has just one active local terrorist left, according to records maintained by security agencies including the police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), with officers mounting an intensive hunt for Kulgam resident Mohammed Lateef Bhat, whom Sherlocks suspect was behind the killing of two migrant workers from Chhattisgarh, the July 22 shooting of a head constable and plans to target the ongoing Amarnath Yatra, said people aware of the matter.
People familiar with the matter said updated security records show there is now only one active local terrorist in Jammu and Kashmir, compared with 40-50 foreign holy warriors operating across the Union territory, said a security officer.
1 LOCAL ACTIVE TERRORIST LEFT
Around five years ago, security agencies estimated there were 50-60 active local terrorists. As recently as May 2025, official records showed 17 active local holy warriors -- 14 in Kashmir and three in Jammu -- along with around 60 foreign holy warriors said the official cited above.
The fall in local recruitment is due to the crackdown by security forces on one hand and National Investigation Agency (NIA) probes over the past few years that have throttled groups that were allegedly funding terrorism. In the last two years, a massive crackdown on terror financing and narco terrorism was launched by the NIA.
According to security officials, Bhat escaped during a joint operation by the Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and the CRPF in which security forces killed Zakir Ahmed Ganei, a Category A Lashkar-e-Taiba ...the Army of the Pure, an Ahl-e-Hadith terror organization founded by Hafiz Saeed. LeT masquerades behind the Jamaat-ud-Dawa facade within Pakistain and periodically blows things up and kills people in India. Despite the fact that it is banned, always an interesting concept in Pakistain, the organization remains an blatant tool and perhaps an arm of the ISI...> terrorist, on July 8 in a forested area of Anantnag district.
PART OF OPERATION SHERUWALI
Officials said Ganei and Bhat were moving through the area when security forces intercepted them.
"The joint operation was launched then because of intelligence inputs that Ganei and Bhatt, who worked together, planned to disrupt the Amarnath Yatra. This was part of Operation Sheruwali launched jointly by the forces. Bhatt managed to flee the cordon while Ganei was neutralised. Since then, security forces have pinned his involvement on the July 22 killing of the J&K head constable and the recent killing of the two migrants colonists. He is the most wanted across J&K," a senior security force officer said, adding that Bhatt is also being aided by other locals.
Officials also pointed to similarities between the July 22 killing of head constable Ashiq Hussain and that of the two migrants colonists Bhupendra Bhaina and Deepak Ratre on Friday. The assailant in both cases was wearing a cap and carried the weapon in a gunny bag.
Eyewitnesses told Sherlocks that the assailant in both cases fired at point-blank range.
Security agencies say little is known about how Bhatt joined the LeT, a poster circulated on social media by unidentified handles shows his joining the Kashmir Revolution Army (KRA) on November 17, 2025.
"All these months he was working with Lashkar commander Ganei. He has escaped twice, first during a similar joint operation launched in Anantnag district in the last week of December 2025. Ganei and Bhatt are both from the same district in south Kashmir’s Kulgam. Ganei had left his house in 2023.
Bhatt had left his house for some months in early 2025. This must be the period when he got radicalised and inducted into the KRA," said the officer quoted earlier, adding that KRA is an LeT offshoot, similar to the Resistance® Front, which LeT formed to deflect attention from Pakistain.
[HindustanTimes] The initial investigation into the Kelam terror attack in Kulgam in which two labourers from Chhattisgarh were killed has pointed towards the involvement of a local terrorist associated with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in the attack, police said.
Soon after the attack on Friday evening, police and the army arrived at the spot. According to initial findings, officials believe that only one terrorist was involved in the attack, though they have not ruled out the possibility of more holy warriors being involved.
An official privy to the details said that eyewitnesses and family members of the two labourers told Sherlocks that only one terrorist had barged into the brick kiln in the disguise of a civilian and then opened fire on the two labourers. "There were many labourers and even the owner present inside the brick kiln when a terrorist, disguised as a civilian, entered. After casually talking with the labourers, he opened fire on them and fled from the spot," the officer said.
Officials suspect that the terrorist who opened fire on the labourers could be Lateef Bhat, who hails from Kulgam in south Kashmir. Officials said that Bhat became active last year and has been operating in south Kashmir for over a year. Though he was already on the police radar, the police have so far been unable to trace him. "We are also trying to find out whether Bhat was involved in the killing of the policeman in Anantnag," said an officer.
The two back-to-back attacks within a span of one week in south Kashmir, where security was on high alert due to the Amarnath Yatra, have shaken the security establishment. Officers are holding back-to-back review meetings in all four districts of South Kashmir.
On Saturday, J&K lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha chaired a high-level security review meeting in Srinagar and instructed officials to conduct a comprehensive review of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) established to protect labourers from outside Jammu and Kashmir.
After the two attacks in South Kashmir — the first terror attacks since the Pahalgam terror attack last year in which 25 tourists were killed in Baisaran security across the Valley has been put on high alert, especially as there are a large number of non-locals working in the Valley, besides tourists present on a daily basis.
Meanwhile,
...back at the wreckage, Captain Poindexter awoke groggily, his hand still stuck in the Ming vase... the cremation of both labourers was done in the Valley itself after receiving consent from family members. J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah has announced an ex gratia of ₹10 lakh each for both labourers, who had come to Kashmir to earn their livelihood.
Following the attack, police are also reviewing the security of all brick kilns in the Valley, especially those where non-local people are working in large numbers.
[IsraelTimes] Amid foreign media reports about an IDF raid of the Qalandiya refugee camp in the West Bank, an Israeli military source confirms the operation, while insisting that it is “limited.”
“The operation is intended to undermine and thwart the organizational capabilities of terror groups in the area, expand the security forces’ freedom of operation following numerous incidents of violence during recent entries into the area, and increase security in the sector,” the official adds.
[IsraelTimes] Israeli forces have raided a Palestinian refugee camp next to Jerusalem where tensions have been growing as residents fear eviction, the military and local leaders say.
AFP journalists saw about a dozen armored military jeeps going into the Qalandiya camp, which Israeli soldiers did not allow press or residents to enter, in the West Bank.
“Security forces are operating in the Qalandiya camp area in order to thwart terror and apprehend wanted individuals,” a military official tells AFP.
COGAT, the Israeli Defense Ministry body in charge of civilian matters in the Palestinian territories, says in an Arabic-language statement that the large-scale operation targeted “terrorist elements, terrorist infrastructure, and the possession and trafficking of weapons.”
“We will not allow the camp to become a center of terrorism or a safe haven for terrorists and criminals, just as we do not allow this in other camps throughout Judea and Samaria,” the statement added, using the biblical name for the West Bank.
Mohammad Aslan, spokesman for the committee that runs the affairs of Qalandiya camp, tells AFP that the Israeli army arrested at least 20 people and took up positions on the roofs of a number of houses inside the camp.
Footage shared by the Jerusalem Governorate, the Palestinian local authority for the region encompassing Qalandiya camp, shows alleys inside the camp blocked off by rubble and boulders to impede movement, with furniture and other property strewn across the interior of one raided house.
In 2023, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government advanced plans for the construction of a 9,000-unit settlement on the grounds of Jerusalem’s former Atarot airport, adjacent to Qalandiya.
Palestinian residents have since voiced fear that raids and home demolitions could be tied to a strategy of eviction ahead of settlement construction, without any official word from Israeli authorities.
[IsraelTimes] Initial probe indicates explosive detonated when troops entered building in Majdal Zoun; Lebanon reports 1 killed, 12 others hurt as IDF responds to ‘blatant violation’ of ceasefire
The Israel Defense Forces announced Thursday morning that two reservist soldiers were killed, and four were seriously maimed after being hit by an bomb in the southern Leb ...an Iranian satrapy until recently ruled by Hassan Nasrallah situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel... town of Majdal Zoun a day earlier. The deadly attack prompted the military to resume strikes on Wednesday against Hezbollah, as talks on expanding the truce between the two countries were said to hit a bump in the road in Rome.
The slain troops were named as: Maj. (res.) Harel Birenstock, 34, a company commander from Nokdim; and Sgt. Maj. (res.) Tamir Vaknin, 33, from Eilat. Both served in the 55th Paratroopers Brigade’s 2855th Battalion.
According to an initial IDF probe, at around noon on Wednesday, troops of the reserve brigade entered a structure in Majdal Zoun, during efforts to demolish Hezbollah infrastructure. As they entered the building, a kaboom occurred, killing and injuring the forces. The maimed troops were taken to a hospital and their families were notified, the army added.
The announcement came after the IDF hit Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon on Wednesday following the blast, which it called a "blatant violation" of the tenuous ceasefire.
A short while before launching the "precise strikes" — the first since August 1 — the IDF issued the first evacuation warning for an area of southern Lebanon in weeks, and called for residents of Mansouri to evacuate at least one kilometer north of the village.
"In light of the Hezbollah terror organization’s violation of the ceasefire agreement, the IDF is compelled to operate against it with force," said Lt. Col. Ella Waweya, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokeswoman.
"Anyone located near Hezbollah operatives, facilities, or weapons is putting their life at risk!" she added.
The Lebanese health ministry said one person was killed and 12 others were maimed in the strike, which it said targeted Tebnine, located about 25 kilometers (15 miles) from Mansouri.
The state-run National News Agency said that the strike hit a prayer room in the town’s cemetery.
How close to 100% probability that the prayer room stored the contents of an entire Hezbollah armory? I mean, all the others do, along with schools, private homes, caves, and holes in the ground.
There was no immediate information on the identity of the dead.
Later Wednesday, the military said that an interceptor missile was fired at a target, which was later revealed to have been fired by Israeli forces operating in southern Lebanon. There were no injuries in the incident, which was under further investigation, the IDF added.
Lebanese civilians had returned to Mansouri, which is located around 10 kilometers north of Israel, during the ceasefire under the protection of the Lebanese army, which also set up a roadblock in the area in violation of the agreements, according to the IDF.
The town’s municipality told residents on June 22 that they could return, but asked them to avoid the part of the town that fell within Israel’s so-called "security zone" in southern Lebanon.
Mansouri has been subjected to several Israeli strikes and artillery shelling in recent weeks despite the June 26 ceasefire, and the IDF said the village was evacuated for residents’ safety, as military operations were still taking place there.
The UN’s humanitarian agency said on Tuesday that more than 800,000 people displaced by fighting in Lebanon had begun heading back home following the recent lull in violence, though more than 360,000 remained displaced.
ISRAEL SAID TO ACCUSE BEIRUT OF LEAKING FALSE INFORMATION Meanwhile,
...back at the wrecked scow, a single surviver held tightly to the smashed prow... in Rome, talks between Israel and Lebanon ended several hours early, though there were several conflicting reports as to the cause.
Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter accused the Lebanese delegation of repeatedly leaking false information to Lebanese media, an Israeli source told The Times of Israel. Because of the leaks, Leiter asked the US mediators to suspend the talks before their scheduled conclusion, the source said, while clarifying that talks were still slated to pick back up on Thursday.
A US State Department official later confirmed that the talks had ended early, but said this was due to "events on the ground," apparently referring to the Israeli strikes.
The US State Department official nevertheless downplayed the development, stressing that talks would reconvene Thursday as planned.
"Discussions focused on a range of political and military issues and were extremely productive. The technical teams made progress on determining key details on implementation of the Trilateral Framework," the State Department official said.
The goal of this week’s talks was to establish working groups on six issues: maritime borders, land borders, evaluating the pilot zones where the Lebanese army has replaced the IDF, disarming Hezbollah, stopping the flow of Iranian money into Lebanon, and stepping up reconstruction efforts in southern Lebanon.
The direct Washington-backed negotiations are the seventh round since Hezbollah drew Lebanon into a wider Middle East war in March by firing rockets at Israel in response to the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei ...the very aged actual dictator of Iran, successor to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini...> Israel responded with heavy Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s and a ground invasion that Lebanon says has killed more than 4,300 people, although the figure doesn’t differentiate between combatants and civilians.
Israel said late last month it had killed at least 2,500 Hezbollah operatives, including hundreds of members of the terror group’s elite Radwan Force.
[North Press] An Israeli military force entered on Wednesday the western countryside of Daraa Governorate in southern Syria, advancing through the Tal Abu al-Ghithar gate toward Wadi al-Raqad and reaching the Wadi Company position near the village of Jamla.
North Press correspondent in Daraa said the force, consisting of two armored personnel carriers, set up a temporary checkpoint for several minutes before continuing on foot.
According to the correspondent, Israeli soldiers questioned several farmers and livestock herders they encountered near the patrol route. No arrests were reported during the operation.
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.
... al-Qaeda's tentacle in East Africa...
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling 
...adherents of a philosophy that was seen even at the time as pure evil, which makes them either consciously purely evil, or attention-seeking ratbags. Pick one, or both....
...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it 
...an Iranian satrapy until recently ruled by Hassan Nasrallah situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel...
