Posted by: Fred ||
08/15/2026 ||
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#1
...Susan Oliver was the green Orion slave girl in the first Star Trek pilot, 'The Cage'. There's a delightful story about that which proves once again, it ain't easy bein' green:
#2
She was also deathly afraid of flying. So what did she do about it? She overcame her fears by becoming a pilot - and by all accounts a really good one!
Not just another pretty face...the girl had guts..
The shooting happened near the university’s Quad Annexes, and both campus police and Chesterfield County police are actively investigating. County police said officers discovered five people suffering from gunshot wounds outside campus dormitories when they arrived.
The five victims were transported to hospitals, and one initially listed as having life-threatening injuries has been upgraded to critical condition, county police said. The other victims sustained non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
The university said in a statement that the shooting involves “multiple suspects.” The statement asked people to avoid the immediate area.
“VSU Police and the Chesterfield County Police Department are actively investigating,” the university statement said. “The campus community should continue to avoid the area and follow all law enforcement instructions.”
[IsraelTimes] A man disrupts Shabbat services and attacks a guard at Central Synagogue in Manhattan.
As synagogue security escorted the man out of the services, he struck a congregant and damaged synagogue property, then spit at and headbutted a member of the security team, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch says in a statement.
Tisch is Jewish, attended Central Synagogue growing up and was married there.
A police officer working security at the Reform synagogue took the assailant into custody.
Tisch says she spoke with the synagogue rabbi, that no one was seriously injured, and there are no known additional threats.
Extra police have been dispatched to the synagogue, Tisch says.
Larry Montes, 46, allegedly launched the unhinged attack at Central Synagogue on Lexington Avenue and East 55th Street during Shabbat services, according to police and sources.
He walked to the front of the synagogue around 6 p.m. and began acting disorderly, law enforcement sources said.
Security stepped in and began to escort the man outside — but not before he allegedly slugged a 63-year-old congregant in the face, the sources said.
#1
Nothing new anywhere on Mr. Montes, including on X, but this clip popped up from inside the synagogue:
Video from inside synagogue.#NYC Arrested: Larry Montes, 46. Disrupted the Shabbat service at historic Midtown East house of worship earlier this evening.
[GaroweOnline] Sudan ...a Moslem country located in the Horn of Africa. It is noted for its affinity for rule by ex- or current generals, its holy men, and for the oppression of the native Afro population by its Arab conquerors. South Sudan, populated mostly by the natives, split off from Sudan proper, which left North and South Darfur to be oppressed by the guys with turbans... ’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said Thursday they had taken full control of Geissan in the Blue Nile region near the Æthiopian border, a claim disputed by the Sudanese army, which said fighting was still underway and that it retained control of a key military base.
The fighting has displaced around 2,500 people, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), with some civilians crossing into Æthiopia to escape the violence.
The offensive came during the harvest season, with the RSF accused of looting crops and ransacking Geissan’s central market. The allegations could not be independently verified.
Geissan’s strategic location gives the RSF greater influence over supply routes in southeastern Sudan and brings it closer to the strategically important Roseires Dam.
Khartoum has also accused Æthiopia of facilitating military support from the United Arab Emirates to the RSF, allegations that Addis Ababa has denied. Analysts say the offensive could be aimed at stretching the army’s forces as it makes gains on other fronts in Sudan’s war.
but Iran Watcher thinks it shows some effective push back against the Houthis
🚨 Yemeni Armed Forces released footage of drone strikes targeting military positions and fortifications belonging to the Islamic Republic-backed Houthi militias.
…mounting losses while systematically degrading its positions and battlefield capabilities.
That would be the Saudi-backed Yemen government based in the south.
Houthi attack on Yemeni port city kills 8, government official says amid strained truce
[IsraelTimes] Yemen’s Houthi rebels fired missiles at the Yemeni port city of Mokha on Friday, killing eight people, the country’s internationally recognized government said, as the Iran-backed group’s affiliated news agency Saba reported that it had claimed a separate drone attack on an Aramco refinery in southern Saudi Arabia the day before.
Amid the escalation in fighting between the Houthis and the Yemeni government’s Saudi backers, United Nations officials warned the Yemeni civil war could return in full force amid near-famine conditions.
A Yemeni government official said the Houthis “fired five missiles at commercial ships unloading at the port” in Mokha, setting two ships on fire.
Two security personnel were among the eight killed, the official said.
The Houthis did not immediately comment on the attack, but confirmed that they were responsible for a Thursday drone strike in Saudi Arabia.
“A military source confirmed that the Yemeni Armed Forces targeted an Aramco refinery in the Jizan region using two drones, achieving a precise hit by the grace of God,” Saba reported, referring to Houthi forces.
The agency reported that the source said the strike was a response to a Saudi “violation of Yemeni airspace and the country’s sovereignty in the Saada and Hajjah governorates.”
The source said the Houthis would “respond decisively to any violation of the country’s sovereignty or any act of aggression targeting the nation,” according to Saba.
Saudi Arabia did not immediately comment on the report.
In another incident, a rebel military source said the group also attacked a second Saudi Aramco site some 300 kilometers (around 186 miles) away from Jizan, in Najran “by means of a drone, and the operation achieved its objective.”
Yemen has been mired in conflict since the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa in 2014, prompting a Saudi-led military intervention the following year to prop up the internationally recognized Yemeni government.
A UN-brokered truce in 2022 largely halted major fighting, despite expiring six months later. Efforts to turn the truce into a lasting political settlement have stalled, with the 2022 truce appearing to collapse over the past month as fighting between Iran and regional US allies flared.
On Sunday, the Houthis said they had struck an oil facility on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast in response to incursions by drones from the Gulf monarchy into northwest Yemen.
War in #Yemen#SITREP | Saudi Arabia Balances Development Assistance to Yemen with Efforts to Counter the Houthis |
Saudi Arabia continues to pursue parallel lines of effort in Yemen, combining development assistance to areas controlled by the internationally recognized… pic.twitter.com/DQXztoCzzk
War in #Yemen #SITREP | Saudi Arabia Balances Development Assistance to Yemen with Efforts to Counter the Houthis |
Saudi Arabia continues to pursue parallel lines of effort in Yemen, combining development assistance to areas controlled by the internationally recognized government with support for efforts to contain Houthi military activity.
Yemeni Armed Forces and allied units aligned with the anti-Houthi coalition continue to target fortified Houthi frontline positions. Recent operations have placed a growing emphasis on drones equipped with munition-dropping systems.
Recent footage released by government-aligned forces showed drone strikes against concentrations of Houthi personnel along the southern and western fronts of Marib Governorate. Separate footage showed a drone targeting two alleged Houthi fighters traveling by motorcycle on the western Marib front.
The footage reflects the continued integration of small-mid size tactical drones into frontline operations. These systems provide government-aligned forces with surveillance and strike capabilities against exposed personnel, vehicles and fortified positions without relying solely on conventional artillery.
Government forces are also maintaining pressure on Houthi positions farther north. On Thursday, Yemeni army artillery struck Houthi positions, troop concentrations and launch sites in the Razih and Ghamr districts of Saada Governorate. The strikes targeted fortified positions
More at the link
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
08/15/2026 00:00 ||
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[Jpost] A French man suspected of pulling a 20-centimeter knife on an Israeli man in Cairns, Australia, on Thursday was denied bail by the Cairns Magistrates Court, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported on Friday.
ABC noted that the incident included verbal anti-Israel remarks, with the suspect to remain in jug by order of Magistrate Tom Braes pending his next court date on September 11.
Leo Raymund Cotene was charged with common assault with serious vilification or hate crime circumstances of aggravation following the incident, which allegedly occured at around 5 p.m. at Sheridan Street's Mad Monkey Backpackers hostel, according to ABC.
ABC cited bail police prosecutor Olivier Claes, who opposed granting Cotene bail due to "the risk of further offending and endangering other members of the public, particularly those of Israeli origin or those of Jewish faith."
Claes added that the "deliberateness" of Cotene's alleged crime would likely result in a prison sentence.
According to the report, Cotene has lived in Australia since November 2025, has no criminal record, and has worked in the construction industry.
The report further cited comments by Cotene's lawyer, Rowan King, during the 25-year-old suspect's court hearing, in which he described the criminal allegations against Cotene.
"He's hugged the complainant, who has told him not to touch him," said King. "[Cotene] then responded, 'I'll hug you if I want.' He's then hugged him a second time."
King noted that his client is not suspected of actually having "struck" the Israeli man, "or anything more sinister than that."
'F*** ISRAEL': SUSPECT'S ALLEGED ANTI-ISRAEL COMMENTS TO VICTIM
Regarding Cotene's alleged anti-Israel comments, King cited them as including, "'You kill people 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... ', 'I'm not staying in a hotel with an Israeli' and 'F*** Israel.'"
According to the report, King emphasized that there was "more to the story" regarding the incident, noting preexisting "animosity" between the victim and other hostel guests.
Before the incident, Cotene allegedly commented on the victim in a group chat called "International Incel Investigating," which ABC noted 13 other hostel guests belong to.
An Instagram photo of the victim in an IDF uniform was allegedly posted in the group chat, with King reading aloud one of Cotene's messages in court: "Next time I see him at the hostel, we might go out somewhere without cameras."
AJA PRESIDENT: AUSTRALIA A 'WONDERFUL COUNTRY,' BUT JEWS, ISRAELIS SHOULD BE CAUTIOUS
Australian Jewish Association (AJA) President Robert Gregory commented on the incident, saying Jewish and Israeli visitors to the country should "exercise caution."
"I never imagined I would have to issue such a warning about our country, but antisemitism in Australia has tanked significantly in recent times," said Gregory. "Hardly a day goes by without another disturbing incident being reported."
"Australia remains a wonderful country, but Jewish people visiting Australia should be alert to the reality of the current environment," he concluded.
[Rudaw] At least three drones were destroyed in the skies over the Kurdistan Region's capital, Erbil, at dawn on Friday, the Region's counter-terrorism agency reported, noting that the attempted attack caused no damage as the projectiles were intercepted by defenses of the US-led Global Coalition forces.
“In the early hours of this morning, Friday, August 14, 2026, between 2:17 am and 2:25 am [local time], Coalition forces intercepted and shot down three bomb-laden drones in the skies over Erbil,” the Erbil-based Directorate General of Counter Terrorism (CTD) said in a statement.
“Fortunately, there were no casualties,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, Rudaw received a number of video clips and photos documenting the moment of the attack on Erbil, including footage of the destroyed drones. The footage showed the wreckage of one of the drones falling near a residential project, causing no damage.
This comes two days after Iran on Wednesday fired several drones and missiles at locations in the Alana Valley, about 90 kilometers northeast of Erbil, targeting positions of the Kurdish opposition groups Komala and the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI), a senior Komala commander told Rudaw English that day. On Tuesday, Iranian missiles struck the same area, injuring at least two Komala fighters.
[Rudaw] The Kurdistan Region was targeted in 16 drone and three missile strikes in the first two weeks of August, Rudaw tracking showed on Friday, with the capital of Erbil bearing the brunt of the attacks.
Erbil province was targeted by eight drones and three missiles since the start of August, while the Region's eastern Sulaimani province was struck by eight drones.
The latest attack was recorded in the Kurdish capital city in the early hours of Friday, the Region's Directorate General of Counter Terrorism (CTD) said in a statement, detailing that "between 2:17 and 2:25 am [local time, US-led] Coalition forces intercepted and shot down three bomb-laden drones in the skies over Erbil."
Two days earlier, 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... on Wednesday fired several drones and missiles at locations in the Alana Valley, about 90 kilometers northeast of Erbil, targeting positions of the Kurdish opposition groups Komala Toilers of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI), a senior Komala commander told Rudaw English that day.
On Tuesday, Iranian missiles struck the same area, injuring at least two Komala fighters.
According to Rudaw tracking, the Kurdistan Region has recorded more than 965 drone and missile attacks launched by Iran and allied gangs in Iraq since the outbreak of the six-week war in late February. The assaults have killed 32 people and maimed 154 others as of early August. Among those killed are 19 members belonging to five Iranian Kurdish opposition parties.
Posted by: badanov ||
08/15/2026 00:00 ||
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[IsraelTimes] Military says terrorist held Cpl. Noa Marciano and Tsachi Idan, who were killed in the Strip, as well as Ziv Berman, Omri Miran, Ori Megidish, Naama Levy and Matan Angrest, who were rescued or freed
The IDF announced Friday that a Hamas ..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,... commander who invaded Israel on October 7 and held multiple Israelis hostage 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... was killed in a recent Israeli Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... According to the military, Muhammad Bassam Mushtaha, a commander in Hamas’s al-Shati battalion, was killed as a result of an airstrike in northern Gaza two weeks ago, on July 30.
Paleostinian media outlets had reported last week that he died of his wounds several days after the strike. Hope that was painful
The IDF says that Mushtaha was responsible for holding a number of Israelis captive who were kidnapped on October 7, 2023, including Tsachi Idan — who was slain in captivity in December 2023 — Cpl. Noa Marciano, who was killed in Gaza in November 2023, as well as Ziv Berman, Omri Miran, Ori Megidish, Naama Levy and Matan Angrest — who were all later freed or rescued.
In recent weeks, Mushtaha "attempted to advance terrorist plots against IDF forces and citizens of the State of Israel," and therefore was targeted, the military said.
The claim that Mushtaha was struck in self-defense rather than Dire Revenge means that the killing was legitimate under the terms of the ongoing US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which limits Israeli operations to responding to violations of the truce, including by thwarting plans by terror operatives to attack troops.
An analysis by The Times of Israel last month found that the IDF has in the past few months stepped up a large-scale retribution campaign with the avowed aim of hunting down and eliminating every single terrorist who took part in the October 7 massacre.
Separately on Friday, the military said that a Hamas company commander who was advancing attacks against Israeli troops was struck and killed in the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday. It said the strike in Khan Younis killed Hudhaifa Khaled Suleiman Qawari, a commander in Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade. During the war, Qawari had been involved in training Hamas terrorists, transporting weapons and acting to restore the group’s capabilities, according to the IDF.
As with Mushtaha, the IDF justified the strike amid the ceasefire by saying that Qawari had recently been advancing attacks on troops. "The terrorist posed a threat to our forces and was eliminated in an aerial strike," the army said.
In a third instance justified as self-defense rather than retaliation, the IDF said on Thursday evening that a Hamas commander who invaded Israel during the terror group’s October 7, 2023, onslaught was killed in a strike in Gaza City earlier in the day.
The military named the commander as Jamal Mahmoud Abu Kamil. Recently, according to the IDF, Abu Kamil was advancing attacks against troops, and he was targeted to "remove a threat."
Earlier, the Hamas-run interior ministry identified Abu Kamil as Gaza’s police chief.
A Hamas company commander who was advancing attacks against Israeli troops was struck and killed in the southern Gaza Strip yesterday, the IDF announces.
The military says the Thursday strike in Khan Younis killed Hudhaifa Khaled Suleiman Qawari, a commander in Hamas's Khan…
A Hamas company commander who was advancing attacks against Israeli troops was struck and killed in the southern Gaza Strip yesterday, the IDF announces.
The military says the Thursday strike in Khan Younis killed Hudhaifa Khaled Suleiman Qawari, a commander in Hamas's Khan Younis Brigade.
During the war. Qawari had been involved in training Hamas terrorists, transporting weapons, and acting to restore the group's capabilities, according to the IDF.
The IDF justifies the strike amid the ceasefire by saying that Qawari had recently been advancing attacks on troops. "The terrorist posed a threat to our forces and was eliminated in an aerial strike," the army adds.
Earlier, the IDF announced that a strike two weeks ago in northern Gaza killed Muhammad Bassam Mushtaha, a commander in Hamas's Al-Shati battalion, who invaded Israel on October 7 and held multiple Israelis hostage.
Another two bite the dust, with more to come.
🚨 THREE TERROR SUSPECTS ARRESTED OVER ALLEGED GANIM INAUGURATION ATTACK PLOT
Israeli counter-terrorism forces arrested three wanted Arab suspects in Jenin overnight over an alleged plot to attack Thursday’s inauguration of the renewed Ganim community in northern Samaria.… pic.twitter.com/jEdX9y4El5
🚨 THREE TERROR SUSPECTS ARRESTED OVER ALLEGED GANIM INAUGURATION ATTACK PLOT
Israeli counter-terrorism forces arrested three wanted Arab suspects in Jenin overnight over an alleged plot to attack Thursday’s inauguration of the renewed Ganim community in northern Samaria.
Ganim, given the the Biblical name of Jenin, was founded in 1983 near Jenin, then dismantled by the IDF in 2005 as part of the Ariel Sharon experiment in disengagement from the Gaza Strip and of the West Bank following the second intifada. Ganim was just reestablished, one of a series of 41 Jewish communities in the West Bank that since May 2025 are being reestablished after being abandoned as part of that 2005 experiment.
YAMAM, acting on Shin Bet intelligence under the Menashe Brigade, arrested the suspects separately without resistance. They were transferred for questioning.
In May 2025, the security cabinet approved the establishment of 22 new West Bank settlements, including Homesh and Sa-Nur, and in December, it approved the establishment of another 19 settlements
The ceremony was expected to draw senior Israeli officials as Ganim’s resettlement resumes 20 years after its evacuation.
Yossi Dagan said: “We will not be deterred and we will not stop.”
He pledged to establish additional communities, arguing terrorism would not determine where Jews live.
[IsraelTimes] Thai authorities have reportedly released a French national on bail after he attacked a 62-year-old Israeli woman and her 23-year-old daughter in Koh Phangan last week.
Paul William Bercu Gaubert was released after making a $3,200 bail payment, the Ynet news site reports.
Both of the Israeli women were seriously injured in the attack. The older victim remains in the hospital.
The pair, who asked not to be identified, say Gaubert approached them at a waterfall and asked where they were from. After the daughter told him they were Israeli, he attacked them both. They each have required surgeries for the injuries sustained.
‘HE’S A DANGER’: Man Accused of Brutally Beating Israeli Mom and Daughter Released in Thailand
The man who beat an Israeli mother and daughter in Thailand so badly they each had to undergo two surgeries as a result of their injuries has been released on $3,200 bail, the pair… pic.twitter.com/9YYZ4hyvEs
…the pair learned Friday. The man has been identified as French national Paul William Bercu Gaubert. The mother, who is still hospitalized, told an Israeli outlet in an interview that he remains a danger to the public.
I think this is an expanded report on this brief story from yesterday.
[Rudaw] A tanker was struck by a drone while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, a British navy monitor reported on Friday, urging vessels to exercise caution. The incident comes hours after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) said two of its national vessels came under an "Iranian attack" in the key waterway, as tensions between Tehran and Washington in regional waters continue to escalate.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it had "received reports from military authorities" in the region that "a tanker was struck by an uncrewed aerial vehicle whilst conducting an outbound transit of the Strait of Hormuz."
"The vessel was subject to minor damage, crew are reported as safe and accounted for and no environmental impact has been reported," the monitor added, advising vessels to "transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO."
Earlier on Friday, the Emirati foreign ministry "strongly condemned" what it called a "hostile Iranian attack that targeted two vessels affiliated with [he Abu Dhabi National Oil Company] ADNOC as they transited the Strait of Hormuz," adding that no injuries were reported.
"Targeting commercial shipping and using the Strait of Hormuz as a tool of economic coercion or blackmail represents acts of piracy by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps [IRGC], and constitutes a direct threat to the stability of the region, its peoples, and global energy security," Abu Dhabi said.
The UAE further urged 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... to "halt these unprovoked attacks, ensure its full commitment to an immediate cessation of all hostilities, and the complete and unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz" to safeguard regional security and the stability of the global economy and trade.
The latest incidents come a day after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned on Thursday that Washington risks an "even bigger miscalculation" over the strait.
"The U.S. has long miscalculated due to intelligence failures. Case in point: the war on Iran. Now, an even bigger miscalculation on the Strait of Hormuz," Araghchi wrote on X. "Worse than fake news is fake intelligence. Be careful," he added.
The remarks appeared to be a response to US President Donald Trump ...The cad! Twice caught beating wimmin!... 's Wednesday comments that "the U.S.A. has total control over the Strait of Hormuz," adding: "I think we will keep it! Our naval blockade is being called, by everyone, 'a wall of steel,' and there is nothing Iran can do about it."
Trump's comments coincided with a statement from US Central Command (CENTCOM), which said that as of Wednesday its forces had "redirected 59 commercial vessels, disabled three and boarded two" ships en route to Iranian ports to "ensure full compliance with the blockade."
The Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which around one-fifth of global oil supplies pass, has been a flashpoint between the US and Iran since the outbreak of the six-week war, when Washington and Tel Aviv launched a joint aerial campaign on February 28, striking thousands of targets across Iran.
The warring sides reached a preliminary ceasefire in early April, followed by a Pakistain-mediated Memorandum of Understanding, signed by Tehran and Washington in mid-June, establishing a ceasefire on all fronts. Following the truce, however, the two sides engaged in several rounds of strikes and counterstrikes as tensions in the Strait of Hormuz have also continued.
On Tuesday, the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA), a newly-formed Iranian government agency tasked with regulating maritime transit through Hormuz, said in a post on X on Tuesday that the Strait "remains blocked and will not be reopened until Iran's conditions are accepted."
[IsraelTimes] Transit through the Strait of Hormuz appeared to grind to a near standstill on Friday after two more ships were attacked there and the United States said it could maintain a naval blockade of Iran indefinitely.
A senior Iranian source said on Wednesday that there had been no progress in talks to build on a June agreement to end the war. Since the ceasefire renewed in the June deal broke down, Iran has resumed attacks on ships it accuses of trying to transit the strait without its permission.
The United Arab Emirates’ Abu Dhabi National Oil Company said two of its vessels were attacked transiting the strait on Thursday evening. The UAE government blamed Iran, which made no immediate comment.
Two vessels passed through the narrow waterway on Friday, according to analysis from ship tracking firm Kpler: a grain ship entering Iranian waters and an empty dry bulk ship going in the other direction.
A separate empty liquefied petroleum products tanker was sailing into the Gulf via the strait, the data showed. There were no crude oil shipments visible on Friday.
Nine vessels passed through the strait on Thursday, up from five on Wednesday but below the average of 12 for August.
Some ships may pass through undetected with their transponders off, but the figures are nowhere near the more than 130 ships that traversed the Strait of Hormuz daily before the war launched by the US and Israel on Iran in February.
[Jpost] According to reports from Lebanon, Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon continued, including artillery fire toward the Ali Taher area.
Israel is awaiting US approval for a military operation aimed at taking control of the Ali Taher Ridge 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?... , Lebanese newspaper Al Joumhouria reported Friday morning, citing a security bigshot.
According to the report, messages received by officials in Beirut indicate that the IDF is at a high level of readiness for an operation in the strategic ridge, which overlooks large parts of the Nabatieh region.
The security bigshot claimed that Washington had made clear to the Lebanese leadership that it would not be able to completely prevent Israel from taking action. However,
the hip bone's connected to the leg bone... according to the same source, US officials asked that any operation be as limited and precise as possible, while minimizing destruction and civilian casualties in order to avoid the collapse of the framework of understandings between Israel and Lebanon.
The source also assessed that Israel views taking control of the ridge as a significant military objective it does not intend to abandon, and that the main question for Beirut is how Hezbollah would respond.
Lebanese newspaper Nidaa al Watan also published extensive reports on the Ali Taher Ridge on Friday morning. According to military sources quoted by the newspaper, Israel is pursuing a policy of gradual advances in the area, and is using robotic systems to establish positions while reducing the risk to soldiers.
ALI TAHER RIDGE NOT THE MOST IMPORTANT FOR HEZBOLLAH, LEBANESE MILITARY HOLDS
The newspaper cited an Israeli report saying that IDF forces already control large parts of the ridge, but have been ordered to halt their tactical advance for the time being due to political sensitivities and ongoing negotiations between Jerusalem and Beirut.
The ridge, located north of the Litani River, rises to an elevation of about 600 meters and overlooks Nabatieh and the surrounding area. According to Nidaa al Watan, Lebanese security officials assess that the area's strategic importance extends beyond its elevated position.
The report claimed that a network of tunnels and facilities used by Hezbollah for years lies beneath the ridge, and that Israeli activity is now focused on locating entrances, underground infrastructure, and command rooms.
When they are ready to act, they will know exactly what and where to hit.
However,
the hip bone's connected to the leg bone... Lebanese military sources quoted by the newspaper claimed that Israel's characterization of the Ali Taher Ridge as Hezbollah's most important command center is exaggerated, and that the terrorist organization maintains more infrastructure elsewhere in southern Lebanon.
The same sources also claimed that the compound remains connected to supply routes and that dozens of Hezbollah operatives are staying there. These reports have not been independently confirmed.
Amid concerns over a possible escalation, US Gen. Joseph Clearfield is working to advance another round of talks between Israel and Lebanon in Rome in early September. Al Joumhouria reported that the US administration is seeking to advance two measures at the same time: a gradual Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and the disarmament of Hezbollah.
The newspaper also reported that Washington objected to remarks by Defense Minister Israel Katz, who said Israel could remain in southern Lebanon for an extended period.
US OPPOSED TO PERMANENT ISRAELI PRESENCE IN THE AREA
Israel is opposed also, but until Hezbollah becomes sensible, it is necessary to prevent another 10/7. One must work within the culture as it is, not how one would desperately like it to be. Israel learnt this in 10/7; if America does not learn it, they will be repeatedly disappointed. The interesting thing is that in the old days, through the Six Day War, Israel won its wars quickly and decisively. Afterward, since America changed from ignoring Israel to supporting it, Israel has accommodated America’s requests to be more gentle, to negotiate, and they have had endless wars like rockets/missiles from Hezbollah, or repeated wars, like Hamas since they conquered Gaza in 2006. Possibly indulging American scruples is not a good idea — Israel has sacrificed a great deal to honour their friendship with America.
A US State Department official said that a permanent Israeli military presence would not be consistent with the framework of the understandings, and that the United States supports Lebanon's illusory sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Lebanese newspaper An Nahar also reported Friday morning on tensions surrounding the negotiations. According to the newspaper, Israel is demanding that the Lebanese Armed Forces enter the Ali Taher compound and verify that Hezbollah's infrastructure there has been dismantled.
Officials in Beirut, however, warned that such a move could put the Lebanese army in direct confrontation with Hezbollah. The newspaper added that Israel had rejected Lebanese proposals to expand the pilot areas from which Israeli forces would withdraw.
According to reports from Lebanon, Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon continued, including artillery fire toward the Ali Taher area.
Against this backdrop, the ridge has emerged as a key test of US efforts to preserve the diplomatic track, while Israel weighs whether to pursue a military outcome on the ground.
Al Akhbar, a Lebanese newspaper affiliated with Hezbollah, also assessed Friday morning that the possibility of renewed large-scale fighting is linked in part to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political considerations ahead of Israel's elections.
[IsraelTimes] Lebanese media reports six dead in an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon before dawn.
The deadly strike took place in the town of Ansar, north of the coastal city of Tyre, according to the reports.
Additionally, a series of airstrikes took place in the Nabatieh area, the reports say, including some of the heaviest strikes yet on the Ali Taher Ridge, beneath which Hezbollah has a major underground facility.
#1
IDF: 'Radwan Force Battalion Commander Eliminated in Lebanon – Used His Family as Human Shields' The IDF struck a central Hezbollah command center in the Kafr Ansar area in southern Lebanon overnight. This was reported by the IDF spokesperson, who noted that "the strike was carried out in response to Hezbollah's action against our forces operating in the area." It was further reported that the terrorist Ali Samir al-Haj Hassan, a battalion commander in the Radwan Force unit, was eliminated in the strike, along with several other terrorists. The IDF emphasized that "Hassan's family was also present at the military command center during the strike and, according to reports, was harmed in the attack. It should be emphasized that they were not the target of the strike. It was directed in a focused manner at Hassan, who was a legitimate target for attack in accordance with international law. The terrorist used his family as human shields and hid with them inside the military command center."
If you're a terrorist, don't bring your family to work?
[North Press] Israeli forces recently entered a road between al-Aridah neighborhood and Abdeen village in Syria’s Quneitra governorate, removing stones residents placed to block access to the village.
According to a North Press correspondent, the forces also uprooted several fruit-bearing olive trees along both sides of the road and bulldozed parts of nearby agricultural land.
During documentation of the damage, United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) personnel arrived at the site, met with residents and heard their complaints. They also documented the incident and resulting damage.
North Press footage shows the roots of uprooted olive trees, stones removed from the road, and bulldozer tracks on the road and surrounding agricultural land.
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 Moslem country located in the Horn of Africa. It is noted for its affinity for rule by ex- or current generals, its holy men, and for the oppression of the native Afro population by its Arab conquerors. South Sudan, populated mostly by the natives, split off from Sudan proper, which left North and South Darfur to be oppressed by the guys with turbans...
...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 
..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,...
...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 
...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?...
