Recent Appearances...

Warning: Undefined array key "rbname" in /data/rantburg.com/www/pgrecentorg.php on line 14
Hello !
Recent Appearances...

Arabia

Israeli enemy ~~warplanes~~ drones conduct series of airstrikes on Yemen's Hodeidah port

2025-07-22

[HODHODYEMENNEWS.NET] Israeli enemy warplanes on Monday carried out a series of ~~Arclight~~ airstrike
<del>Arclight</del> airstrike

...KABOOM!...
s on 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...
's Hodeidah port on the Red Sea.

According to the Yemen Press Agency (YPA), there were no immediate reports of casualties or significant damage after the airstrikes.

The Israeli occupation army said the targets included ''engineering vehicles, fuel containers and naval vessels.''

The strikes came in response to recent Yemeni missile and drone attacks on Israeli targets.

The Times of Israel adds:

The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that the ~~Arclight~~ airstrikes destroyed "military infrastructure of the Houthi terror regime" at the western Yemen port, after attempts were made by the Houthis to repair areas previously targeted by Israel in response to missile and drone attacks.

Monday’s sortie marked the thirteenth time that Israel has attacked Yemen, located some 1,800 kilometers away.

Unlike previous attacks, Monday’s airstrikes did not involve dozens of fighter jets, refuelers, and spy planes. Rather, it was carried out by IAF drones, military officials told The Times of Israel.

Drones? Fascinating.

It marked the first Israeli strikes on Yemen since July 7. In the interim, the Houthis have launched six ballistic missiles and at least two drones at Israel, attacks that caused no damage or injuries.

The targets in Monday’s bombardment included "engineering equipment working to restore port infrastructure, fuel tanks, and vessels used for military activity and [attacks] against the State of Israel and ships in the maritime area near the port," the military said.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said that the IDF was "forcefully enforcing any attempt to restore the previously attacked terror infrastructure."

"The IDF identified continued activity and attempts by the Houthi terror regime’s forces to restore the terror infrastructure at the port; therefore, components used to advance this activity were targeted," the military said.

Hours after the strike, a drone launched at Israel from "the east" was intercepted by the IAF, the military said, adding that no sirens sounded, "according to protocol."

The drone was likely launched from Yemen, according to preliminary IDF assessments.

The Houthis last attacked Israel on Friday night with a ballistic missile that was intercepted.

Since March 18, when the IDF resumed its offensive against Hamas
Hamas

..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",...
in the 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...
Strip, the Houthis in Yemen have launched 62 ballistic missiles and at least 15 drones at Israel. Several of the missiles have fallen short.

Link

-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-

Half a Bucket per Meter, Simulators and Aquaplaning: How Moscow Survived the Flood

2025-07-22

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Elena Kuleshova and Yuri Zainashev

[REGNUM] On the night of July 21, Moscow was hit by a record rainfall — the most powerful in the history of observations since the mid-19th century. Streets in some areas of the capital turned into rivers, and two bridges collapsed in the Moscow region. The authorities called on city residents to stay home if possible. Presumably, Muscovites called ambulances to their homes more often, and traffic police patrols were more often called out to accidents. On such days, weather forecasters do not want to remember their own predictions about “hellish heat.”

Muscovites were asked to stay home if possible, and to be extremely careful when outside, not to take shelter under trees, and not to park cars under them.

THE TRANSPORT WAS SINKING
Muscovites and residents of the near Moscow region posted numerous photos and videos online, showing flooding on the streets, with cars one-third submerged in water. For example, such a picture was taken in the city of Odintsovo.

Traffic was temporarily closed in some parts of the capital: on Volokolamsk Highway, on Admiral Kornilov Street, on Shelepikhinskaya Embankment and on Proektiruemy Proezd (Nagatinskaya Embankment).

City residents were advised not to use cars until the evening, when the intensity of precipitation is expected to decrease. Instead, it is suggested to use public transport, since it was generally operating normally. However, as an employee of the Regnum news agency was convinced, tram service in the area of the Danilov Monastery was also interrupted.

A total of over 130 flights were cancelled or delayed at the capital's airports.

THE REGION NEAR MOSCOW WAS FLOODED
A similar flood was observed in the Moscow region. More than 80% of the monthly norm fell in one day, said leading specialist of the Phobos center Evgeny Tishkovets. According to him, the heaviest downpours occurred in Kolomna, Nemchinovka and New Jerusalem, as well as at the Vnukovo, Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo airports. In the capital, 50 liters of water fell per square meter in one day, and the heaviest rains occurred in the northwest of the city - in the Mitino and Zelenograd districts, the forecaster added.

"A concrete bridge washed out and fell due to rain in the Naro-Fominsky district at night. Part of the village of Aleksino, SNT "Vereiskoye" and "Isma" were cut off from communication," said a representative of the emergency services. According to the source, they began to dismantle the old bridge and build a new crossing, to fill it. Moreover, the work was planned to be completed by midday. Rescue workers are now ferrying local residents by boat.

By mid-day, a second overpass in the Moscow region had also fallen — a road bridge in the SNT Yubileiny-110 in the Istrinsky District. "The bridge over the Pesochnaya River collapsed. Several houses were cut off from traffic," the agency's source said.

FREQUENT ROAD ACCIDENTS
Experienced traffic police officers say that accidents happen more often during floods. "On the one hand, there are traffic jams everywhere, the average speed drops. It would seem that there should be fewer accidents, but there usually aren't fewer of them, " a former traffic police officer tells IA Regnum. "The thing is that the psychological state starts to play a role. Drivers can get nervous, lose patience and step on the gas."

In addition, a factor such as aquaplaning affects accidents. "If a car gets into high water, and especially if it is in a rut, it floats a little on its tires and therefore loses control. Another point is that some drivers even in such weather indulge in speed, drive fast and end up covering oncoming or neighboring cars in traffic with a wave, flooding the windshield. And for some time the driver completely loses visibility," the former traffic cop notes.

According to some insurance company studies, the frequency of accidents in rainy weather increases by an average of 30%. Insurers cite five main reasons: slippery roads (75%), failure to keep a safe distance (64%), poor visibility (54%), distractions (47%) and drowsy drivers (40%).

LOTS OF AMBULANCES
"There are more calls in rainy weather, " Andrey Zvonkov, an ambulance doctor, tells IA Regnum. "Atmospheric pressure drops, and people's blood pressure drops as a result." Hypertensive patients - people with atherosclerotic vessels - react to this more acutely than those with elastic vessels and no autonomic disorders, the doctor explains.

"Imagine a situation where you take a balloon filled with air and place it in a room where the air is being pumped out. What happens? The balloon inflates until it bursts. A person's kidney problems may suddenly worsen - a blood vessel inside will burst. That's why people call the ambulance more often in hot weather or before a thunderstorm," says Zvonkov.

However, during rainy seasons, unfounded calls are more common, which also "spoil" the statistics. "Give me a full check-up, I don't feel well," but the real reason is that I just don't want to go to the clinic in such weather," Zvonkov complains.

"We were recently called to the 11th floor, the elevator broke down, and the ambulance was walking up, with tongues on their shoulders (all equipment was taken with them, according to orders). And the patient was waiting for us with a phone in her hands - she was recording on camera how the team was "slowly" arriving at the call. The woman was given a referral, but on the same day she called again, saying that she "lost the paper", - the doctor is indignant.

WHERE IS THE "HELLISH HEAT"?
The previous heavy rainfall hit Moscow and some areas of the Moscow region on July 15. Then, in a few hours, a month's worth of precipitation fell, and some areas were flooded.

In mid-spring, the Hydrometeorological Center did not rule out that July and August would become record-breaking hot and the thermometer would often exceed +35 degrees.

It is risky to make such long-term forecasts; seasonal forecasts are not distinguished by their “falsifability” at all, Alexander Shuvalov, a weather forecaster and climatologist, told IA Regnum.

He believes that "the location and intensity of rain can be predicted only 24 hours in advance, storm warnings - several hours in advance. More general forecasts are in the range of 3-5 days. Personally, I very rarely undertake to predict the weather for a month. A week is possible, no more."

However, according to the climatologist, predictions for 10 years ahead can be made more confidently.

"If Muscovites are now walking ankle-deep in water, then in ten years, perhaps, they will be wading knee-deep after such downpours. Over time, both the frequency and intensity of downpours will increase. A flood does not depend on the amount of precipitation, but on precipitation per unit of time. There are very short "take-offs" of half a bucket per square meter in just 10 minutes. And such "take-offs" form a wave, which then forces us to walk ankle-deep," the scientist explained.

"The downpour passed through the central region of Russia: yesterday it affected Lipetsk, Kaluga, Maloyaroslavets. Today - Moscow. But this zone of precipitation has finished its reign over Moscow, " the weather forecaster predicts. "Gradually, its most active part is moving to the northwest. But there is still rain in Ryazan, the train of which is moving towards the capital."

According to his forecast, the rains will continue until Thursday, and on Friday the weather will improve, warming up to 25-27 degrees.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Masses of Gazan Civilians Just Meters from IDF Soldiers – The Order: “No One Fires!”

2025-07-21

[X] Amid claims that the IDF fired at civilians in the jihadist occupied 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...
strip, in areas where humanitarian aid is distributed, the IDF Arabic-language spokesperson tonight released footage of an incident that occurred earlier today in which hundreds of Gazook civilians looted a humanitarian aid truck that had entered the Strip.

The masses of Gazooks stood just a few meters from the soldiers, who were on alert and ready to open fire to push them back — but the soldiers ordered one another: ''No one opens fire!''

The IDF Arabic spokesperson wrote:

''There is no famine, no deliberate killing, and no intentional harm to those seeking aid. There is only Hamas
Hamas

..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",...
propaganda, with media outlets spreading lies to salvage what's left of the defeated Hamas.''

Hamas officials say at least 73 Gazans killed, most near aid site; IDF: Toll exaggerated

[IsraelTimes] Army confirms firing ‘warning shots’ near UN aid convoy, as GHF denies involvement; Israeli strikes kill 2 commanders of Hamas-linked terror group involved in Oct. 7 hostage-taking

At least 85 Gazooks were killed Sunday in the Gazoo Strip, the vast majority of them while seeking out aid at distribution sites near Gaza City, the territory’s Hamas
Hamas

..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,...
-run health ministry said, with Israel disputing the corpse count.

The largest toll was in northern Gaza, where at least 79 Paleostinians were allegedly rubbed out trying to reach aid that had entered through the Zikim Crossing with Israel, the ministry said.

The remaining six were killed in the southern part of the Strip, according to the ministry.

It was not immediately clear whether the victims were killed by the Israel Defense Forces or armed gangs or both. But some witnesses said that Israeli troops shot at the crowd.

Responding to the reports, the IDF said it had fired "warning shots to remove an immediate threat posed to the troops" in northern Gaza, but denied the steep corpse count, insisting that the "reported number of casualties does not align with the existing information."

The army has been implicated in near-daily shooting incidents near humanitarian aid

sites in recent months.

The UN World Food Program said 25 trucks with aid had entered via Zikim for "starving communities" when the convoy encountered massive crowds.

A UN official, speaking on condition of anonymity
... for fear of being murdered...
because they were not allowed to comment on the incident to the media, claimed Israeli forces opened fire toward crowds who tried to take food from the trucks. Footage taken by the UN and shared with the AP showed Paleostinian men running as automatic gunfire was heard.

"Suddenly, tanks surrounded us and trapped us as gunshots and strikes rained down. We were trapped for around two hours," said Ehab al-Zei, who had been waiting for flour and said he hadn’t eaten bread in 15 days. He spoke over the din of people carrying the dead and maimed. "I will never go back again. Let us die of hunger, it’s better."

More than 150 people were maimed Sunday, with some of them at death's door, according to hospital tolls cited by the News Agency that Dare Not be Named.

The killings in northern Gaza did not take place near aid distribution points associated with the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which hands out food packages to Paleostinians.

Following the reports, the GHF stressed that the shooting took place near a UN aid convoy, rather than near any of their distribution hubs, which have seen hundreds of people killed in recent months by Israeli fire while trying to access the sites, according to witnesses and health workers.

"Like most ~~violent~~ mostly peaceful incidents, this incident is not linked to GHF, despite what was falsely implied by Al Jazeera," the group insisted, adding that it hoped "news hounds will cover these incidents with the same scrutiny GHF receives."

Health ministry front man Zaher al-Wahidi said Israeli gunfire also killed another six Paleostinians in the Shakoush area, hundreds of meters north of a GHF hub in the southern city of Rafah. The GHF said it was not aware of any incident near its site.

Separately, seven Paleostinians were killed while sheltering in tents in Khan Younis in the south, including a 5-year-old boy, according to the Kuwait Specialized Field Hospital, which received the casualties.

FOOD RELIEF GROUP FORCED TO SCALE BACK OPERATIONS
On top of the regular shooting incidents Gazook aid-seekers have faced over the past few months, food has been spread thin in the war-torn enclave.

The World Central Kitchen organization, which works to provide fresh meals in disaster-stricken areas, said Sunday that it had depleted all supplies in its Gaza warehouses and that its aid trucks were stuck at the border.

As a result, the organization was forced to halt operations in kitchens that were serving hot meals. However,
a clean conscience makes a soft pillow...
its teams in Gaza are continuing to bake bread and distribute water to residents, the group said. It added that on Saturday, it served 80,000 meals to residents of Gaza.

The entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza has been a point of conflict between Israel and aid organizations since the start of the war. Aid groups have accused Israel of obstructing deliveries, while Israel repeatedly claims the organizations fail to meet necessary conditions for safe food distribution, such as compliance with specific aid routes in the Strip.

Last week, the GHF announced that UN-affiliated organizations had not delivered food to Gaza for over a week, and that the GHF was currently the only group bringing humanitarian aid into the territory. This appeared to no longer hold true, however, given the Sunday reports of the shooting near a UN aid convoy which had entered Gaza via the Zikim Crossing.

Ambulances in front of three major hospitals in Gaza sounded their alarms simultaneously Sunday, in an urgent appeal to shed light on the hunger crisis in the territory. The Hamas-run health ministry posted pictures on social media of doctors holding paper signs about malnourished children and lack of medication.

Al-Wahidi said that at least nine children under 5 years old had died of malnutrition as of Sunday, since Israel’s complete blockade on aid entry in March, which was lifted in May after over two months.

In northern Gaza, Shifa Hospital director Mohammed Abu Salmiya said that the hospital recorded 79 people who died of malnutrition in the past month.

Israeli strikes continued to pound the Gaza Strip overnight Saturday into Sunday. Large explosions in northern Gaza were visible from Israel as plumes of fire shot into the sky.

Two senior Mujahideen Brigades operatives killed in southern Gaza strike, terror group says

By EMANUEL FABIAN
Two senior members of the Mujahideen Brigades were killed in an Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis yesterday, the terror group announces.

The Mujahideen Brigades is a relatively small Hamas-allied terror group in the Strip. According to the IDF, the group was responsible for the abduction and murder of Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir; Gadi Haggai and Judih Weinstein; and Thai hostage Nattapong Pinta.

The terror group says the strike in Khan Younis killed Azmi Mohammed Qdeih, a commander responsible for the Gaza City area; and Raed al-Saqa, a commander responsible for the southern part of the Strip.

The strike also killed several members of their families, the terror group says.

The IDF has not yet commented on the strike.

The leader of the Mujahideen Brigades was killed in a strike last month, along with another senior member of the terror group. Another Mujahideen Brigades operative involved in burying the bodies of slain hostages was killed in a separate strike last month. eeèe>IDF STRIKES COMMANDERS OF HAMAS-LINKED TERROR GROUP
Meanwhile,
...back at the shouting match, a new, even louder, voice was to be heard...
the Mujahideen Brigades announced Sunday that two of its senior members were killed the day prior in an Israeli ~~Arclight~~ airstrike
...KABOOM!...
in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis.

The Mujahideen Brigades is a relatively small Hamas-allied terror group in the Strip. According to the IDF, the group was responsible for the abduction and murder of Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir; Gadi Haggai and Judih Weinstein; and Thai hostage Nattapong Pinta.

The terror group said the strike in Khan Younis killed Azmi Mohammed Qdeih, a commander responsible for the Gaza City area, and Raed al-Saqa, a commander responsible for the southern part of the Strip. It also killed several members of their families, the terror group added.

The IDF did not immediately comment on the strike.

The leader of the Mujahideen Brigades was killed in an IDF strike in June, along with another senior member of the terror group. Another Mujahideen Brigades operative involved in burying the bodies of slain hostages was killed in a separate strike, also in June.

The IDF reissued evacuation orders for all of northern Gaza and parts of Gaza City, as the military continued its offensive against Hamas in the area.

In a statement, Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson, warned "all those who have returned or intend to return to the areas of Beit Lahia, Jabalia, Beit Hanoun, Shejiya, Daraj, the Old City, Tuffah, [and] Zeitoun" that those areas are "dangerous combat zones."

"The Israel Defense Forces are operating in these areas with very great force," he said.

Three IDF divisions are operating in the northern Gaza Strip area, mostly in Beit Hanoun, Jabalia, and Gaza City’s eastern neighborhoods.

Link

Home Front: WoT

Who is Benjamin Song? New details emerge about anti-ICE suspect captured after major Texas manhunt

2025-07-16

[FOXNEWS] Benjamin Song, who was captured by the FBI in Dallas on Tuesday afternoon for his alleged role in an anti-ICE Texas attack on Independence Day, was previously sued over his alleged involvement in an Antifa protester that resulted in assault charges in 2023.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation spent over a week trying to hunt down Benjamin Song, 32, for his alleged role in the Alvarado, Texas, attack targeting ICE agents, which left a local police officer shot in the neck and cars vandalized. The police officer is expected to recover. A $25,000 reward was offered for information leading to his arrest and conviction.

"The FBI has worked tirelessly to arrest everyone associated with the shooting at the Prairieland Detention Center," FBI Dallas Field Office Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock said. "We would like to thank all the entities that publicized this case and assisted in our efforts to successfully locate Benjamin Song."

There were ten suspects already facing federal charges for the attempted murder of federal officers and for "discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence." Song is now facing the same charges.

Song is a former U.S. Marine Corps reservist,

…oh dear…

and the FBI warned during the manhunt that he should be considered "armed and dangerous."

Song was mentioned as an alleged member of an Antifa group in a 2023 lawsuit after three people protesting a drag queen brunch near Fort Worth, Texas, were assaulted by the members, according to the Post Millennial.

According to KERA News, Song was part of the Elm Fork Brown Gun Club that was both counter-protesting and doing security at the event, with the outlet reporting that they wore face coverings.

The group made headlines at the time for its Fort Worth counter-protest, including Rolling Stone, as those protesting were part of a Christian nationalist group.

Song's father is Tailim Song, a registered Democrat and partner at the Dallas-based law firm, Song Whiddon PLLC, according to online records reviewed by Fox News Digital. His law firm bio says he "has been handling and trying cases for more than 20 years" and "has represented businesses and individuals across a wide variety of industries and practice areas, including litigation, real estate, land use, zoning, manufacturing, intellectual property, technology—environmental, aviation, consumer products, insurance, entertainment, transportation, medical devices, oil and gas, and renewable energy."

Ah. A generalist.

Link

Europe

EU holds off on sanctioning Israel over Gaza war

2025-07-16

[IsraelTimes] But EU officials say they’ll reconsider sanctions at next meeting in two weeks if Israel doesn’t implement pledged steps on Gaza aid, release of withheld tax funds from the PA

European Union
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced Tuesday that the EU decided against adopting punitive measures against Israel over its military conduct 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...
, following a meeting of EU foreign ministers to discuss the matter.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar hailed the news as "an important diplomatic victory," saying his office had been working aggressively to convince countries in the bloc not to join an effort pushed by Ireland, Spain and other countries for sanctions against Israel over its conduct in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.

Speaking to news hounds after the Brussels meeting, Kallas reiterated that there were"positive signs" regarding Israel’s implementation of its agreement with the EU last week to increase aid to Gaza, but said "more concrete steps" were needed.

Taking the sanction threat seriously, Israel reached an agreement with the EU on a series of steps to boost aid on July 10. They included the reopening of several aid corridors, including routes through Egypt and Jordan, and several other crossing points in northern and southern Gaza. The deal will provide for at least 150 trucks to enter Gaza daily — far less than the 500 that were entering the Strip before the war but more than double the daily average over the past two months, during which the humanitarian crisis has continued to deteriorate.

Kallas said the EU will closely monitor Israel’s implementation of the agreement and will update member states on Jerusalem’s compliance when foreign ministers meet again in two weeks. If Israel fails to implement the promised steps, the bloc will reconsider punitive measures against Jerusalem.

Kallas has put forward 10 potential options after an EU review determined that Israel is in breach of a cooperation deal between the two sides on human rights
...which are often intentionally defined so widely as to be meaningless...
grounds over its conduct in Gaza and the West Bank.

Israel faces numerous war crimes allegations in Gaza amid the fighting against Hamas
Hamas

..one of the armed feet of the Moslem Brüderbund millipede,...
, where it has denied claims of intentionally targeting civilians, and has been hit with mounting Western sanctions over its failure to crack down on settler violence in the West Bank.

The measures proposed by Kallas range from suspending the entire accord to curbing trade ties, sanctioning Israeli ministers, imposing an arms embargo and halting visa-free travel.

Despite growing anger over the devastation in Gaza, EU states remain divided over Israel, and there was no critical mass for taking any of the moves against it at this week’s meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

"We will keep these options on the table and stand ready to act," Kallas insisted.

The more far-reaching steps are unlikely to secure the necessary votes, but the fact that the steps are even being seriously considered has been unprecedented.

The bloc only agreed to review the cooperation deal after Israel relaunched military operations in Gaza following the collapse of a ceasefire in March.

The EU will also tie its decision on sanctions to the situation in the West Bank, and Brussels raised with Israeli officials a demand for Jerusalem to release tax revenues that are being withheld from the Paleostinian Authority, in violation of the Oslo Accords, two EU officials told The Times of Israel

The PA says that Israel is withholding roughly NIS 2.5 billion shekels ($742 million) in funds that belong to Ramallah. Israel collects customs revenues on the PA’s behalf and is supposed to transfer them to Ramallah on a monthly basis.

Israel has been withholding a portion of those funds, which it says amounts to the sum of the stipends that the PA pays to the families of security prisoners and slain terrorists. PA President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas
...aka Abu Mazen, a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial. While no Yasser Arafat, he has his own brand of evil, just a little more lowercase....>
signed a decree in February ending the policy, though Israel has been dismissive of the move.

Israel has also been withholding a portion of the tax revenues that it says amount to the sum of the funds that the PA uses to pay civil servants in Gaza, which Jerusalem claims are at risk of reaching Hamas.

Moreover, since May, when the UK issued sanctions against far-right Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir, Jerusalem stopped transferring the monthly customs revenues entirely, robbing the PA of roughly NIS 900 million ($267 million) in funds.

The move by Smotrich once again has the PA at risk of financial collapse, with Ramallah unable to pay its employees for June. Previous months saw PA employees only receiving a portion of their salaries due to Ramallah’s dire financial situation.

A spokesperson for one of the PA’s ministries told The Times of Israel that many workers are not showing up to the office, as they cannot afford the cost of travel or don’t have time to wait hours at Israeli checkpoints, which have significantly hampered Paleostinian transit throughout the West Bank.

An EU diplomat said Israel’s delegation indicated during this week’s high-level meeting of EU foreign ministers that Jerusalem would release some of the PA’s funds — likely the tax revenues that have been withheld since May.

However,
corruption finds a dozen alibis for its evil deeds...
a Foreign Ministry spokesperson denied that any commitment was made on the matter.

A spokesperson for Smotrich — whose approval is needed to release the PA funds — did not respond to queries on the matter.

Sa’ar still celebrated Kallas’s decision, writing in a post on X that it was the result of a "complex, grueling, and multi-front diplomatic battle."

"The attempt to impose sanctions on a democratic country defending itself against efforts to destroy it is outrageous," Sa’ar said, thanking Israel’s allies in Europa
...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum...
who helped thwart the punitive measures.

Throughout the Brussels summit, some Israel-friendly EU allies, including the Czech Republic and Hungary, voiced support for Israel and pushed back against proposed sanctions. In messages reposted by Sa’ar on X, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó and Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský reaffirmed their backing.

Lipavský said in a phone call with Sa’ar, "It is in the EU’s interest to maintain influence in a turbulent region, not withdraw from it," and expressed hope for a ceasefire and the full resumption of aid to Gaza.

Szijjártó, who met with Sa’ar in Brussels, said, "There will be strong pressure on us in Brussels to sanction Israeli settlers. That would be the wrong move. This is the time for diplomacy, not sanctions."

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Israeli Air Force conducted airstrikes on approximately 35 Hamas targets in Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza

2025-07-13

[PUBLISH.TWITTER]

The Israeli Air Force conducted airstrikes on approximately 35 Hamas targets in Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza, within the past hour, targeting Hamas tunnels among other sites, as part of intensified operations, the IDF confirmed. pic.twitter.com/uP62k0VT3l
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) July 12, 2025

Video footage from the Israeli border community of Netiv Haasara displays the intense Israeli airstrikes targeting Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza, conducted a short time ago.pic.twitter.com/viaAyrxIBl https://t.co/etuVwHzSSx
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) July 12, 2025

Several IDF troops hurt in Gaza fighting as Palestinians reported killed at aid site

[IsraelTimes] Army reports the injured soldiers were moderately and lightly wounded in separate incidents; says unaware of any casualties near Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution hubs

The military announced that two soldiers were moderately hurt on Saturday in separate incidents during fighting 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...
, as fresh deaths were reported among Paleostinians at an aid distribution site.

One of the soldiers was hurt in the northern part of the coastal enclave, while the other was hurt in the southern part. In the latter incident, two other soldiers were lightly injured.

All four were taken to hospitals, and their families were notified.

The injuries came as the Israel Defense Forces said Saturday that over 250 terror targets in Gaza were hit in ~~Arclight~~ airstrike
...KABOOM!...
s since Thursday. A fresh wave of airstrikes Saturday evening hit over 35 targets in northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun, the military said.

The IDF said the targets included operatives, booby-trapped buildings, weapon depots, anti-tank launch posts, sniper posts, tunnels, and other terror infrastructure.

At least 143 Paleostinians were killed in Gaza since Wednesday, according to statistics published by the Hamas
Hamas

..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,...
-run health ministry on Friday night.

The strikes came as five IDF divisions, made up of tens of thousands of troops, continued to operate across Gaza.

In a statement on the Beit Hanoun strikes, which could be seen from across the border in Israel, the military said dozens of Israeli Air Force fighter jets hit some 35 Hamas targets in the area.

The targets included Hamas tunnels in the area, the IDF said.

Earlier, the military said troops of the 98th Division located Hamas and Paleostinian Islamic Jihad
...created after many members of the Egyptian Moslem Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah...
observation posts and caches of bombs in Gaza City’s Shejaiya and Zeitoun neighborhoods.

Numerous operatives were killed elsewhere by the troops, including by calling in airstrikes, the IDF added.

MORE DEATHS REPORTED AT AID SITES
Paleostinian reports, meanwhile, said that aid seekers were rubbed out and injured Saturday around the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation facility in northwest Rafah, with the News Agency that Dare Not be Named quoting hospital officials and witnesses as saying that at least 24 people were killed.

Hamas has been getting busy with their guns, as they do every day that the people they own dare to get help from a group that doesn’t let them skim off the top, the bottom, and both sides..

The IDF pushed back on the Paleostinian reports, saying the military was unaware of any casualties from troops’ gunfire near GHF distribution sites on Saturday.

A military official did say that several suspects were spotted approaching forces in Rafah on Saturday, hundreds of meters from the aid site, and that "troops acted to prevent the suspects from approaching and fired warning shots. No injuries from the gunfire are known."

The IDF, in its statement, said it "continues to operate in order to enable the distribution of humanitarian aid

in the Strip, and to allow passage to the distribution areas via organized and secured routes."

The statement added that the IDF is continuing to investigate the claims of injuries on Saturday near the aid site.

GHF, an Israeli-backed US organization that seeks to circumvent Hamas in the distribution of aid, has faced harsh criticism from the UN and other aid organizations, which charge that it fails to meet the needs of Gaza’s population. Gazooks have reported near-daily incidents in which groups trying to reach GHF facilities are shot at by Israeli forces, leading to mass casualties.

Israel, which accuses Hamas of hoarding aid, has also accused the terror group of attacking Gazook aid seekers near GHF sites and falsifying corpse counts. However,
you can observe a lot just by watching...
Israel has also acknowledged that "several" Paleostinian civilians have been killed near GHF aid distribution sites.

GHF commenced operations in May as Israel lifted a nearly three-month aid blockade on Gaza, amid a renewed offensive there that seeks to take over 75% of the Strip.

On Friday, the United Nations
...where theory meets practice and practice loses...
said nearly 800 people have died trying to access aid in Gaza since late May, with most killed near the GHF’s distribution sites.

Numbers supplied by Hamas are vary from exaggerated to greatly exaggerated, coupled with flat-out lies.

GHF, which denies that deadly incidents have occurred at its sites, told Rooters the UN figures were "false and misleading."

The IDF said Friday that it had issued instructions to troops in the field "following lessons learned" after reports of deadly incidents at GHF distribution facilities.

SWIMMING RESTRICTIONS
The IDF on Saturday also reiterated a restriction on Paleostinians, in place since the beginning of the war, forbidding them from entering the sea along the entire coast of the Gaza Strip. The IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Col. Avichay Adraee, reminded residents in a post on X that "security restrictions have been imposed in the maritime area adjacent to the Strip, and entry into the sea is prohibited."

He added, "The IDF will respond to any violation of these restrictions. We urge fishermen, swimmers, and divers to refrain from entering the sea. Entering the sea along the Strip exposes you to danger."

Nevertheless, the IDF has not enforced the restriction against Paleostinians seeking to cool off in the waters on the beach, but only those heading out deeper into the sea.

The vast majority of the Paleostinian population in Gaza is concentrated in areas on the coast, with tent camps set up on the beaches.

Link

Europe

Paradoxical alliance: Erdogan's friend and the gypsies' friend subjugate Bulgaria

2025-07-12

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Igor Ivanenko

[REGNUM] No sooner had the EU structures managed to suppress the “sovereignist rebellion” in Romania than they were faced with the prospect of losing absolute control over the policies of neighboring Bulgaria.

Moreover, it would seem that today Sofia is experiencing the apogee of European integration.

This year, Bulgaria became a full member of the Schengen Agreement, and the government of Rosen Zhelyazkov, formed several months ago, despite all the intrigues of the opposition, is confidently leading the country to enter the “euro zone”.

On July 11, the republic's parliament unsuccessfully considered the fourth vote of no confidence in the cabinet of ministers in six months; a fifth is expected in September, but its prospects are also illusory.

And this is despite the fact that Zhelezyakov heads a “minority government” that officially relies on three parliamentary factions out of nine. They have only 102 parliamentary mandates out of 240 at their disposal.

The tenacity of the current, at first glance rather flimsy, cabinet of ministers is explained by the fact that it managed to link its own future with the prospect of Bulgaria introducing the euro. They say that if Zhelezyakov's team does not hold out, then the country's accession to the European monetary union will be postponed for at least several years.

In this case, the Bulgarian ruling elites managed to take advantage of the weakened state of the EU itself.

The crisis of legitimacy of the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, the almost open conflict of the Brussels bureaucracy with the Donald Trump administration, the strengthening of the intra-European front – Hungary and Slovakia, the gravitation of Romania and Poland towards it – all this has raised the price of Bulgarian loyalty to the EU institutions.

Taking advantage of the EU leadership's clear request to maintain a positive integration agenda, Bulgaria was able to win approval for the introduction of the euro. Moreover, this happened despite the fact that the country does not meet the requirements for the introduction of the euro currency in terms of key macroeconomic indicators.

Critics of this controversial move point to Bulgarian inflation being beyond EU standards. But does that matter when von der Leyen, who has suffered painful criticism for Pfizergate and her reckless support for Ukraine, needs a big PR victory?

The main sacrifice that ordinary Bulgarians are already forced to pay for their country's entry into the eurozone is the regime of austerity in social spending. This has hit the pro-European government hard in popularity. It needed a strong backing to keep it in parliament.

The paradox is that this has become the political force that is considered not to meet the standards of European democracy. We are talking about the party "Movement for Rights and Freedoms - New Beginning" headed by the oligarch Delyan Peevski.

It is one of two groups into which the pro-Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) split last year.

The part of the movement that is focused on the votes of Bulgarian citizens living in Turkey remained with the long-time leader of the DPS, Ahmed Dogan (also accused of corruption by European politicians).

Peevsky relies mainly on the ethno-religious minorities in Bulgaria itself - Turks, Muslim Bulgarians and Roma.

In the last parliamentary elections, in the fall of 2024, about 25% of those who voted for Peevski's political force were Roma. This gave the politician's opponents grounds to accuse him of bribing voters, since Roma usually do not show much interest in political life.

But, of course, Peevsky ended up on the notorious “Magnitsky list” in the US for much more obvious offenses involving the misappropriation of public funds, abuse of state property, and similar actions.

If New Beginning had not supported the ruling coalition during the third vote of no confidence earlier this month, there would have been "no government and no eurozone".

These words belong to the leader of the GERB party (Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria) Boyko Borisov, the former prime minister and de facto leader of the current pro-European parliamentary coalition. Along with GERB, it includes the Socialist Party and the populist movement "There is such a people".

Borisov is a patriarch of Bulgarian politics, whose first term as prime minister began in 2009, and for many years he skillfully maneuvered between different geopolitical centers.

For example, GERB, which is part of the European People's Party, contributed to the extension of the powers of the current head of the European Commission and her recent overcoming of a vote of no confidence. At the same time, in his home country, Borisov is considered to be perhaps the most pro-Turkish politician and a friend of Recep Erdogan.

In domestic Bulgarian politics, Borisov had to take into account for a long time the presence of other pro-European liberal parties, with which GERB was doomed to form government coalitions. For Brussels and the Democratic administration in the United States, this was very convenient, as it allowed them to keep the politicians in Sofia in check.

However, by taking advantage of the upheavals in the Euro-Atlanticist camp at the beginning of 2025, Borisov was able to avoid creating a traditional alliance with the left-liberal and American Democrat-oriented Continue Changes (CC) party.

In Brussels, the collapse of the "democratic coalition" caused undisguised irritation. But the EU leadership could not react harshly to this in the context of the emerging confrontation with the Republican administration of the United States.

Moreover, Borisov also took out insurance.

On the one hand, the government of his party comrade Zhelezjakov proclaimed a course towards the eurozone, and on the other, an informal alliance with the DPS-NN emerged.

In essence, the emergence of the Borisov-Peevsky bi-umvirate is evident in Bulgaria.

During the upcoming presidential elections in a year and the very likely early parliamentary elections, this alliance could be formalized: Borisov as head of state, Peevsky as head of government.

Recent party popularity surveys show that GERB has a support level of 24.5%, while DPS-NN is in second place with 15.7%. Third place belongs to the opposition bloc "Continue Changes - Democratic Bulgaria" (14.2%).

The absorption of the latter will probably be the main element in achieving a confident victory for Borisov, GERB and DPS-NN in the upcoming elections.

A week ago, the PP was effectively decapitated, as a corruption scandal forced the left-liberal party's leader, Harvard graduate Kiril Petkov, to resign.

On July 9, Petkov's associate, the mayor of Varna, Bulgaria's third city, Blagomir Kotsev, was taken into custody on suspicion of corruption High-ranking officials from the capital's mayor's office, where the PP also has strong positions, are also under investigation.

Associates of the persecuted officials claim that their cases are politically motivated. They have attempted to organize protests in Sofia and Varna and have sought protection in Brussels.

The latter's reaction is a major political intrigue, since the monopolization of political power in Sofia poses a number of threats to him, but the disruption of the process of introducing the single European currency in Bulgaria is also fraught with serious costs.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Hamas agrees to release 10 Israelis held hostage

2025-07-10

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The Palestinian movement Hamas will release 10 Israelis held hostage. This was reported on July 9 by the movement's press service on the Telegram channel.

"Hamas has shown the necessary flexibility and agreed to the release of 10 prisoners as part of its interest in the successful progress of the ongoing negotiations," a statement issued during the talks in Doha said.

However, consultations continue on a number of issues, including the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, the withdrawal of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the provision of guarantees for a permanent ceasefire.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Al-Qassam Brigades announce operation in Beit Hanoun

2025-07-09

[HODHODYEMENNEWS.NET] The complex operation in Beit Hanoun, which targeted an area the occupation forces believed to be empty after completely leveling it, dealt a significant blow to the prestige of the Israeli military, said Abu Obeida, spokesperson for the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas
Hamas

..a regional Iranian catspaw,...
In a statement published on Telegram on Tuesday, Abu Obeida added that the war of attrition being waged by Resistance® fighters across the 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...
Strip, from north to south, continues to inflict daily losses on the Israeli occupation.

''Our fighters launched their attack from the very ruins the occupation believed were devoid of life,'' Abu Obeida stated, adding, ''The war of attrition our fighters are fighting across the entire Gaza Strip, from the North to the South, will continue to cost the enemy more losses by the day.''

He also warned that even if the occupation previously managed to extract its soldiers from what he described as ''the inferno'', it would not succeed again, alluding to the potential for more Israeli soldiers to be captured in future confrontations.

The IDF takes a larger view of the situation:

IDF Surrounding Northern Gaza Town As Dozens Said Killed In Strikes

[IsraelTimes] The military is surrounding Beit Hanoun "from all directions," IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said in a presser on Tuesday after five troops were killed in an ambush in the northern Gaza town Monday night.

"Beit Hanoun is a fortified area, where dozens of turbans still remain. There are still many underground tunnels that we must demolish," said Defrin.

"We will continue to attack and clear the area to remove the threat to the residents of the western Negev," he said, noting that Beit Hanoun overlooks several border towns, including Sderot, as well as a train line.

IDF probe: 3 bombs were remotely detonated in deadly northern Gaza ambush last night
[IsraelTimes] Three explosive devices were remotely detonated in succession against troops in the deadly ambush last night in northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun, according to a military probe.

Five soldiers were killed and 14 were wounded in the attack, which took place around 1.5 kilometers from the Israeli border.

According to the IDF’s investigation, most troops were hurt by the first and second bombs, which were detonated within a few moments of each other. The first bomb hit several soldiers, and the troops that rushed to help them were hit by the second bomb.

As the third bomb was detonated, a cell of Hamas operatives opened fire with light arms on the Israeli troops.

The military believes the bombs, rigged up to remote detonators, were planted by the Hamas cell during the previous 24 hours.

Following the attack, the IDF dispatched Israeli Air Force drones, helicopters, and fighter jets to the area to prevent any potential attempts by Hamas to abduct the soldiers. Within an hour and a half, the incident was considered over, according to the military.

The military believes that dozens of Hamas operatives remain holed up in Beit Hanoun, mostly deep underground in the terror group’s tunnels.

The offensive in the northern Gaza town is intended to clear it of these remaining Hamas operatives, the IDF says.

Link

Economy

Why Metal Recyclers Are Optimistic About Tariffs

2025-07-09

[Epoch Times] The recycled metals industry is growing domestically and internationally, in part fueled by the rapid expansion of construction and automotive manufacturing. Now, tariffs may be giving it a boost.

Buyers may be reluctant to pay higher prices on imported metals if recycled materials offer similar quality. "That shift creates a baseline demand for recycled metals that didn’t exist before .... Businesses are treating domestic supply like insurance against future supply chain shocks," Schmied said.

Generally, when scrap metal is sorted and purified by a recycling company, the metal is melted down and recast—made into rolls, ingots, or sheets—depending on the type of metal and its intended purpose. After this process, recycled metals can be sold to manufacturers for use in new products. This can be done with significantly less expense than mining new, unprocessed elements.
This is news?

You’re right. Olds it is.

U.S. companies imported $1.31 billion in scrap aluminum in 2024—mostly from Canada and Mexico—according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) with data sourced from public customs records.

The United States is also a major exporter of scrap metals, with $3.98 billion in scrap aluminum exports in 2024—mostly to India, Thailand, Malaysia, and South Korea—according to OEC data. Scrap iron exports amounted to $6.46 billion in the same year.
Interesting.

Link

Government Corruption

Federal judge pauses Trump administration's Planned Parenthood defunding measure

2025-07-08

[FoxNews] A federal judge on Monday prevented the Trump administration from enforcing part of a massive tax and spending bill that would block Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood health centers.

The temporary restraining order by Judge Indira Talwani in Massachusetts blocks the "big, beautiful bill's" provision to defund the family planning provider.

At issue is the provision in the new tax and spending bill signed into law by President Donald Trump on July 4 that eliminates one year of Medicaid payments from Planned Parenthood health centers because the organization also provides abortions.

A White House official told Fox News Digital that the Trump administration is committed to ending the use of federal taxpayer dollars to fund or promote elective abortions. The official noted that the administration's stance is a commonsense position that the overwhelming majority of Americans agree with.

On Monday, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts and Planned Parenthood Association of Utah filed a lawsuit in federal court.

"The prohibition specifically targets Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its member health care providers in order to punish them for lawful activity, namely advocating for and providing legal abortion access wholly outside the Medicaid program and without using any federal funds," the lawsuit states.

If allowed to stand, Planned Parenthood said the provision would have "devastating consequences" for the more than 1 million patients who use Medicaid as their insurance at Planned Parenthood health centers across the country to get birth control and cancer screenings, among other services.

Dominique Lee, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, said the organization has a long history of fighting for sexual and reproductive freedom.

"The Trump administration’s hell-bent ambitions to close our clinics and abandon our patients won’t stop us. Let me be crystal clear: We are not intimidated. We were built for this moment," she said. "Here in Massachusetts, we fight back, and we will never be bullied into turning our backs on health care or human rights."

Link

Arabia

Yemen’s Houthi rebels claim cargo ship they attacked Sunday has sunk; anti-Houthi Yemeni govt official says Houthis attacked 2nd ship in Red Sea Monday night, leaving 4 casualties

2025-07-08

[IsraelTimes] Assault on Greek-owned ship and subsequent Israeli strikes raise fears of regional escalation, with hostage deal hanging in balance and Iran weighing continued talks with US

A fat merchantman attacked by 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...
’s Iran's Houthi sock puppets
...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him...
rebels sank in the Red Sea, the group said Monday, raising new concerns over safety in a waterway that is crucial to global shipping, as Israel targeted the rebels with ~~Arclight~~ airstrike
...KABOOM!...
s.

The Houthis attacked the Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier Magic Seas with drones, missiles, rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire on Sunday, forcing its crew of 22 to abandon the vessel.

The Magic Seas attack and subsequent Israeli airstrikes early Monday targeting the rebels raised fears of a renewed Houthi campaign against shipping that could again draw in US and Western forces to the area, particularly after US President Donald Trump
...dictatorial for repealing some (but not all) of the diktats of his predecessor, misogynistic because he likes pretty girls, homophobic because he doesn't think gender bending should be mandatory, truly a man for all seasons...
’s administration targeted the rebels in a major airstrike campaign.

The ship attack comes at a sensitive moment in the Middle East, as a possible ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas
Hamas

..always the voice of sweet reason...
war hangs in the balance, and as 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 ~~Jews~~ ~~Zionists~~ Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
weighs whether to restart negotiations over its nuclear program, following American airstrikes targeting its most sensitive atomic sites during Israel’s war against the Islamic Theocratic RepublicPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to Washington Sunday to meet with Trump.

SHIP ATTACK FORCES CREW TO ABANDON VESSEL
The attack on Magic Seas, a bulk carrier heading north to Egypt’s Suez Canal, happened about 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of Hodeida, Yemen, which is held by the Houthis.

The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center, or UKMTO, first said that an armed security team on the vessel had returned fire against an initial attack of gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades, though the vessel later was struck by projectiles.

Ambrey, a private maritime security firm, said that Magic Seas also had been attacked by bomb-carrying drone boats, which could be a major escalation. It said that two drone boats struck the ship, while another two were destroyed by the armed guards on board.

UKMTO said the ship was taking on water and its crew had abandoned the vessel. They were rescued by a passing ship, it added.

A European Union
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
anti-piracy patrol in the region, called Operation Atalanta, said that 22 mariners had been on board Magic Seas.

Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the Houthis’ military front man, later claimed the attack and said the rebels used missiles and bomb-carrying drone boats to attack the ship.

"Our operations continue in targeting the depths of the Israeli entity in occupied Paleostine, as well as preventing Israeli maritime navigation in the Red and Arabian Seas... until the aggression on 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...
stops and the siege on it is lifted," Saree said.

The Magic Seas owners did not respond to a request for comment. Saree later said the vessel sank in the Red Sea.

FRESH HOUTHI ATTACKS AFTER ISRAELI STRIKES
Separately, on Monday afternoon, a drone launched by the Houthis in Yemen at Israel was shot down by the Israeli Air Force, the Israel Defense Forces said.

No sirens sounded, "according to protocol," the military added.

Hours later, a ballistic missile launched at Israel by the Houthis fell short outside the country’s borders, according to a military official.

The IDF identified the launch, but no sirens sounded in Israel because the missile did not pose a threat.

The two attacks came after the IDF overnight said it struck Houthi-held ports at Hodeida, Ras Isa, and Salif, as well as the Ras Kanatib power plant.

The IDF also said it struck Galaxy Leader, a vehicle-carrying vessel that the Houthis seized back in November 2023 when they began their attacks in the Red Sea corridor over the Israel-Hamas war.

"Houthi forces installed a radar system on the ship and have been using it to track vessels in the international maritime arena to facilitate further terrorist activities," the IDF said.

On Monday evening, the IDF released footage showing the strike on the hijacked ship. The Bahamas-flagged Galaxy Leader was affiliated with an Israeli billionaire and had been operated by a Japanese firm, NYK Line.

The Houthis acknowledged the strikes, but offered no damage assessment from the attack. Saree, the Houthi front man, claimed the rebels’ air defense forces "effectively confronted" the Israelis, without offering evidence.

[X]

First video from inside the Magic Seas ship before it was sunk after being targeted by the Yemeni Armed Forces. pic.twitter.com/93iZS7kaY4
— Middle Eastern Affairs (@Middle_Eastern0) July 7, 2025

Yemeni official says Houthis behind second attack on Red Sea ship
[IsraelTimes] Moammar al-Eryani, the information minister for Yemen’s internationally recognized government that opposes the Houthis, says the rebel group is behind Monday night’s attack on maritime shipping in the Red Sea.

According to the private security firm Ambrey, the Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned Eternity C had been heading north toward the Suez Canal when it came under fire by men in small boats and by bomb-carrying drones. The security guards on board opened fire in the attack.

“The vessel’s engines had reportedly been disabled and Ambrey observed that the vessel had started to drift,” the firm says.

There were no other immediate details on the attack, which is also acknowledged by the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, or UKMTO, center. The Houthis’ al-Masirah satellite news channel notes the attack, but the rebels have not claimed the assault.

The US military’s Central Command says it is aware of reports of the attack, but declines to comment further.

The attack occurs in the same area as Sunday’s assault on Magic Seas, another bulk carrier heading north to Egypt’s Suez Canal, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of the port of Hodeida, Yemen, which is held by the Houthis.

Two hurt, two more missing in second Houthi attack on Red Sea shipping
[IsraelTimes] Two crew members of a Greek-managed vessel have been wounded and two more are missing in a drone attack off Yemen, hours after the Iran-aligned Houthis claim an assault on another bulk carrier in the Red Sea that it claimed to have sunk.

The Liberia-flagged, Greek-operated bulk carrier Eternity C was attacked with sea drones and skiffs off the port of Hodeidah, its manager, Cosmoship Management, tells Reuters.

Two crew members are seriously wounded and two are missing, the company says, adding that armed security guards were on board.

The vessel’s bridge was hit, an official at Cosmoship says, adding that telecommunications are impacted and contacting the crew is hard.

Link

Warning: Undefined property: stdClass::$T in /data/rantburg.com/www/pgrecentorg.php on line 132
-12 More