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Recent Appearances... Rantburg
Muhammad Ali Al-Obaidi Muhammad Ali Al-Obaidi al-Qaeda in Iraq Iraq 20060811 Link
Saud Muhammad Ali al-Khalaylah Saud Muhammad Ali al-Khalaylah al-Tawhid Middle East 20030930  

India-Pakistan
If India wants more action against terrorists, it must hold talks with Pakistan: Bilawal
2025-07-05
[GEO.TV] Pakistain People's Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that if India truly wants more action against terrorists, it must engage in dialogue with Pakistain to resolve bilateral issues.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Bilawal — who led Pakistain's diplomatic mission to Western nations to counter New Delhi's narrative post the May war — said India is attempting to establish a ''new normal'' in South Asia — a stance he termed as neither in Pakistain's nor India's interest.

He stressed that the future of 1.7 billion people cannot be handed over to non-state actors, criticising India for not sharing evidence of terrorist attacks with its own people, Pakistain, or the international community. ''India has faced fewer terrorism incidents compared to Pakistain,'' he noted.

Bilawal reaffirmed Pakistain's historical stance that Kashmir
...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it Azad (Free) Kashmir. The remainder they refer to as "Indian Occupied Kashmir". They have fought four wars with India over it, the score currently 4-0 in New Delhi's favor. After 72 years of this nonsense, India cut the Gordian knot in 2019, removing the area's special status, breaking off Ladakh as a separate state, and allowing people from other areas to settle (or in the case of the Pandits, to resettle) there....
is an integral part of Pakistain, a position consistent since the time of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

He further stated that Moslems in India face systemic discrimination. ''Any Moslem who speaks up for their rights is branded a terrorist,'' he said, adding that the same approach is used against Kashmiris in Indian Illegally Occupied Kashmir.

Bilawal emphasised that Pakistain has actively fought terrorism. ''If India wants further action against terrorists, it should talk to Pakistain to find a solution,'' he reiterated. He also mentioned Pakistain's concerns about India's involvement in acts of terrorism targeting Pakistain.

Addressing a longstanding narrative, Bilawal clarified that while Pakistain historically supported certain groups during the 1980s concerning Afghanistan, it has never backed such groups in the context of Kashmir. ''Pakistain supports the Kashmiris' right to self-determination under UN resolutions, which is not terrorism,'' he concluded.

His comments came in the wake of recent tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours after India accused Pakistain of involvement in the killing of 26 civilians in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) earlier this year — an allegation Islamabad has strongly denied
No, no! Certainly not!
.
Related:
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari 06/10/2025 Pakistan locked 20 Indian jets but chose to down only six: Bilawal
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari 04/29/2025 Can India and Pakistan Back Away From the Abyss of Nuclear War?
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari 11/17/2023 'Old politicians ought to be sent home,' Bilawal stresses need for new leadership

Link


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Israeli attacks kill two in south Lebanon in latest flare-up
2025-05-31
[NAHARNET] Leb
...Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects....
's health ministry said two people were killed in separate Israeli attacks on south Lebanon on Thursday, in the latest flare-up despite a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

The state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported Israeli strikes and shelling on multiple areas in the south.

The ministry said an "Israeli enemy strike" hit a forested area in Nabatiyeh al-Fawqa, killing one man, while Israeli gunfire on the border town of Kfarkila killed another.

The Israeli army said it struck "a Hezbollah terrorist" in southern Lebanon, alleging he was working to restore a site used to manage the group's "fire and defense array".

The military later said it hit "several military sites throughout Lebanon" belonging to Hezbollah, accusing the group of trying to reestablish its weaponry there.

It did not immediately comment on the shooting in Kfarkila.

NNA said the man in Nabatiyeh al-Fawqa was a "municipal employee" who had been fixing wells when his cycle of violence was struck.

Israeli Arclight airstrike
...KABOOM!...
s also targeted Thursday valleys and mountains in the southern regions of Hasbaya, Jezzine, and Iqlim al-Tuffah and the outskirts of al-Bissariyeh in the Sidon district.

Israel has continued to bomb Lebanon despite the November truce that sought to halt more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah, including two months of open war.

Under the deal, only U.N. peacekeepers and the Lebanese army are meant to operate in the south, though Israel has maintained a presence in five areas it deems strategic.

Lebanon has urged the international community to pressure Israel to halt its attacks and withdraw its forces.

One said killed in Israeli strike in south Lebanon; no comment from IDF
[IsraelTimes] One person is said to have been killed in an Israeli strike on a vehicle in south Lebanon Friday night.

Lebanese reports cited by Hebrew-language media say the individual was killed in the strike in Deir ez-Zahrani.

There is no comment from the Israel Defense Forces.

During the ongoing ceasefire in Lebanon, the IDF has continued to strike Hezbollah operatives and sites it says violate the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.

More than 150 Hezbollah operatives have been killed since the start of the ceasefire in November 2024.
Update from the Times of Israel at 10:40 a.m. ET:
A local Hezbollah commander in charge of a rocket unit was killed in a drone strike in southern Lebanon overnight, the Israel Defense Forces said Saturday.

According to the military, the strike near Deir ez-Zahrani killed Muhammad Ali Jamoul, the commander of Hezbollah’s rocket unit in the Beaufort Castle area.

The IDF said Jamoul had advanced numerous rocket attacks on Israel during the war and was recently involved in attempting to restore Hezbollah infrastructure in the area.

His actions “constituted a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon,” the military added.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) said a man was killed when an Israeli drone targeted his car as he was heading to pray at a mosque in Deir ez-Zahrani, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the Israeli border.
Related:
Beaufort Castle: 2025-05-18 Israel Says Hezbollah Commander Killed in Lebanon
Beaufort Castle: 2025-05-09 IDF: Jets target ‘significant underground’ Hezbollah site in south Lebanon
Related:
Nabatiyeh al-Fawqa: 2025-01-29 Israeli airstrikes wound 24 in Lebanon despite ceasefire
Related:
Kfarkila: 2024-07-29 Israel launches devastating raids on Lebanon's south
Kfarkila: 2024-01-20 Heavy strikes on Ramia as border tensions escalate
Kfarkila: 2023-12-20 Israel-Hezbollah border skirmishes: Latest developments
Link


India-Pakistan
Pakistani carmakers meet only 18 of 200 global safety standards
2025-05-29
An impressive achievement.
[GEO.TV] Pak automakers comply with only 18 of 200 global safety standards, ignoring 182 entirely, despite vehicle prices being above international levels, officials in a meeting of the National Assembly's Standing Committee on Industry and Production revealed.

The committee members expressed serious concerns over the production of unsafe vehicles and demanded immediate and strict action against companies that ignore global safety standards, The News reported.

Chairman of the committee, Syed Hafeezuddin, said that major traffic accidents are taking place in Pakistain and it is the responsibility of vehicle manufacturing companies to implement safety standards in vehicles.

''Due to the decline in safety standards and quality in vehicles, we are not even able to export vehicles, while in our neighborhood, India and China have become major exporters of vehicles,'' he added.

The Secretary of Industries and Production informed the committee that the facility of two airbags in cars continues to be provided. The chairman of the committee said that the three foreign companies are not complying with rules.

Committee member Muhammad Ali Sarfaraz said that instead of giving more time to the companies that have installed plants in Pakistain for thirty to forty years and are still not following safety standards, action should be taken against them.
Link


India-Pakistan
Pahalgam round-up, Day 2, Part II: Pak Defence analysts call Pahalgam attack possible ''false flag operation'' by India, and more from Pakland
2025-04-24
Of course they did, since the Mighty Pak Army planned, trained, funded, and guarded the execution of it. Enjoy your dry riverbeds, O Pakistanis, while you ponder how it all went so horribly wrong. See here for the Indian view of Day 2 of the Pahalgam attack.
[GEO.TV] Defence analysts are sceptical of the recent attack in Pahalgam, a hill station in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir
...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it Azad (Free) Kashmir. The remainder they refer to as "Indian Occupied Kashmir". They have fought four wars with India over it, the score currently 4-0 in New Delhi's favor. After 72 years of this nonsense, India cut the Gordian knot in 2019, removing the area's special status, breaking off Ladakh as a separate state, and allowing people from other areas to settle (or in the case of the Pandits, to resettle) there....
(IIOJK), that resulted in the deaths of 26 tourists, including a navy officer, suggesting it could be part of a planned false flag operation by India.

At least 17 people were also injured in the shooting on Tuesday in the Baisaran valley in the Pahalgam area. The dead included 25 Indians and one Nepalese national, police said.

It was the worst attack on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai shootings, and shattered the relative calm in Kashmir, where tourism has boomed as an anti-India insurgency, opens new tab has waned in recent years.

Defence expert, Brigadier (retd) Ahmed Saeed Minhas, denounced Indian media for blaming Pakistain without evidence, pointing out that the attack occurred 400 kilometres inside IIOJK.

Talking to Geo News, Brig Minhas referred to India's past response, mentioning that Pakistain showed great restraint in 2019 by returning Indian pilot Abhinandan safely.

Another analyst, Brigadier (retd) Rashid Wali, also raised questions about India's approach, noting that propaganda against Pakistain started doing the rounds almost immediately after the attack, with Indian media spreading baseless claims.

"If India attempts any action, it may face embarrassment like the Balakot episode," he warned.

Former senator, Mushahid Hussain Syed, who is also a veteran foreign affairs expert, condemned India's practice of jumping to blaming Pakistain following terror incidents in India or IIOJK.

He called it an "automated response" by the Indian government and mentioned that such actions, like the Jaffer Express attack and now the Pahalgam incident, fit into India's routine of shifting blame without investigation.

Commenting on India's allegations, national security expert Syed Muhammad Ali said that New Delhi's alleged ''false flag operation'' serves to defame Islam, Pakistain, and the Kashmiri people, while distracting from domestic issues.

India pledges strong response after IIOJK attack kills 26 tourists
[GEO.TV] Indian security forces launched a massive hunt on Wednesday for attackers suspected of killing 26 men at a tourist destination in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) in the worst attack on civilians in nearly two decades, with New Delhi pledging a strong response.

At least 17 people were also injured in the shooting that took place on Tuesday in the Baisaran valley in the Pahalgam area of the scenic, Himalayan federal territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The dead included 25 Indians and one Nepalese national, police said.

It was the worst attack on civilians since the 2008 Mumbai shootings, and shattered the relative calm in IIOJK, where tourism has boomed as an anti-India insurgency has waned in recent years.

India suspends Indus Water Treaty, bans entry of Pakistanis
[GEO.TV] India on Wednesday suspended the Indus Water Treaty and banned the entry of Pak nationals, a day after the killing of at least 26 tourists in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

The new measures announced by New Delhi mark a sharp escalation between the two nuclear-armed South Asian nations.

Speaking to journalists after a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security — India's highest decision-making body on national security, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) detailed five measures as part of what officials called a "decisive response to cross-border terrorism".

"The Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 will be held in abeyance with immediate effect, until Pakistain credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism", Indian diplomat Vikram Misri told news hounds in New Delhi.

The Indus Water Treaty is a water-sharing agreement between Pakistain and India, facilitated by the World Bank. It gives India control over the three eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas and Sutlej) of the Indus basin while it gives Pakistain authority over the three western rivers (Indus, Jhelum and Chenab).

Furthermore, he said, the Integrated Check Post Attari would be closed with immediate effect. "Those who have crossed over with valid endorsements may return through that route before May 1, 2025," he added.

Link


India-Pakistan
Kurram clashes: KP govt announces ''indiscriminate action'' against miscreants
2025-01-20
[GEO.TV] In efforts to secure the roads and establish lasting peace in the restive Kurram district, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to take "indiscriminate and stringent action" against miscreants involved in attacks on relief convoys and deputy commissioner.

The decision was taken in a high-level meeting, which was attended by provincial chief secretary, Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Akhtar Hayat Khan and civil and coppers, KP government spokesperson Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif said in a statement.

"Action against such miscreants in affected areas is indispensable," he said, vowing to ensure the implementation of a peace agreement within the two warring tribes as per the law.

Kurram has been wracked by violence for decades, but around 150 people have been killed in a fresh round of fighting which started in November last year when two separate convoys travelling under police escort were ambushed, leaving 40 people dead.

Despite the peace agreement reached on January 1, there have been repeated attacks on convoys and vehicles in the Bagan area and its surroundings, including a assassination on Deputy Commissioner Javedullah Mehsud.

Last week, bandidos Lions of Islam ambushed a convoy of 35 vehicles set to resupply local traders in the restive territory with rice, flour, cooking oil and essential medicine, which claimed the lives of at least 8 people, including security personnel, drivers and civilians. Retaliatory action by security forces resulted in the killing of six assailants.

In the statement issued today, Barrister Saif regretted that some miscreants have "infiltrated" among the peace-loving people of Kurram.
Related:
Kurram district: 2024-12-02 Truce brokered in Kurram, says DC as tribal clashes claim 130 lives so far
Kurram district: 2024-11-25 Warring tribes agree on 7-day ceasefire in Kurram as dozens killed in clashes
Kurram district: 2024-11-24 Sectarian Strife Engulfs Pakistan’s Kurram District Amid Renewed Shia-Sunni Violence
Link


India-Pakistan
Rival Kurram tribes agree to ''indefinite ceasefire'' after deadly clashes
2024-12-08
[GEO.TV] In a major development, rival tribes in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's Kurram district have finally agreed to an ''indefinite ceasefire'' after deadly festivities that claimed at least 133 lives, announced the Kohat Region Commissioner on Friday.

The development came following a grand Jirga, organised to ensure sustainable peace in the restive territory, under the chairmanship of the Kohat region commissioner.

The jirga was attended by over 100 individuals, including elders, from the rival tribes.

The recent episode of festivities triggered by ambush on two separate convoys under police escort, resulting in 52 deaths on November 21. Subsequently, festivities between the warring clans escalated despite efforts to broker a ceasefire.

The violence claimed at least 133 lives and injured 186 others, in total.

In a statement issued today, the commissioner said: "Tribal elders from both sides have agreed on an indefinite ceasefire," adding that the parties have expressed resolved to "sit together" to establish lasting peace in the region.

Meanwhile,
...back at the Council of Boskone, Helmuth ordered the entire 614th quadrant searched. The Green Lensman must be found!...
KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur hailed the peace efforts of the grand jirga and met the members of the body, said adviser to KP Chief Minister on Information Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif quoting the provincial chief executive.

''Over 100 people from both sides attended the jirga,'' he said, adding that it was decided that firing posts would be vacated until the final decision of the jirga.
Related:
Kurram: 2024-12-03 Anti-state terrorism witnesses significant rise in November
Kurram: 2024-12-02 Good Morning
Kurram: 2024-12-02 Truce brokered in Kurram, says DC as tribal clashes claim 130 lives so far
Link


India-Pakistan
Warring tribes agree on 7-day ceasefire in Kurram as dozens killed in clashes
2024-11-25
[GEO.TV] The warring tribal groups in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's Kurram district have finally agreed to a seven-day ceasefire after days of festivities that left at least 30 dead and injured dozens, a KP government spokesperson said on Sunday.

"The two parties have agreed to return each other's hostages and bodies," Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif said in a statement after the delegation, under his chairmanship, met the tribal leaders in a bid to stop the festivities.

He noted that the government delegation flew to Parachinar — Kurram's main city — on Saturday to meet leaders of both sides.

The delegation met both warring parties today to try to broker a ceasefire deal and then move to resolve the matter.

Armed groups have attacked settlements that are populated by members of rival groups.

"Approximately 300 families have relocated to Hangu and Beautiful Downtown Peshawar
...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistain's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire...
since this morning in search of safety," a bigwig told AFP, adding that more families were preparing to leave the violence-hit district.

The festivities started after button men attacked convoys of civilian vehicles on Thursday, killing at least 44. That sparked retaliatory attacks and there have been pitched battles between gangs from both sides.

At least 75 people have been killed over the past three days in the ongoing shootouts between different tribes, according to police.

It is pertinent to mention here that tribal and family feuds are common in the area.

Last month, at least 16 people, including three women and two children, were killed in a clash in Kurram.

Previous festivities in July and September killed dozens of people and ended only after a jirga, or tribal council, called a ceasefire. HRCP said 79 people died between July and October in festivities.

Several hundred people demonstrated against the violence on Friday in Lahore and Bloody Karachi
...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous...

In Parachinar, the main town of Kurram district, thousands participated in a sit-in, while hundreds attended the funerals of the victims of Thursday's attack.

The latest violence drew condemnation from officials and human rights
...which are usually open to widely divergent definitions...
groups.
Link


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Reservist killed fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon; Syrian media reports new IDF strikes
2024-10-11
[IsraelTimes] Sgt. Maj. (res.) Ronny Ganizate, 36, killed in ground op; IDF says two Hezbollah commanders responsible for firing on Kiryat Shmona killed in south Lebanon airstrike

The Israel Defense Forces on Thursday morning announced that Sgt. Maj. (res.) Ronny Ganizate, of the Alon Brigade’s 5030th Battalion, was killed fighting Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, as the military continued to battle the Iran-backed terror group on multiple fronts including Syria.

Another reserve soldier from the 5030th Battalion was seriously wounded in the same incident and taken to a hospital, the military added.

Ganizate, 36, of Givat Shmuel, was the 12th Israeli soldier killed in the ground offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon and during operations on the border. Israel launched an offensive on September 23 aimed at removing the terror group from southern Lebanon following a year of near-daily cross-border attacks.

Also Thursday morning, the IDF said that air force jets struck and killed two Hezbollah commanders in south Lebanon.

One was named as Ahmad Mustaga Alhaj Ali, responsible for the firing of hundreds of rockets and anti-tank missiles at the border city of Kiryat Shmona. The other was Muhammad Ali Hamdan, commander of Hezbollah’s anti-tank corps in Meiss Ej Jabal, across the border from Kiryat Shmona, who the IDF said was also behind many attacks on northern communities.

The airstrikes came after two civilians, Revital Yehud, 45, and Dvir Sharvit, 43, were killed in a rocket attack on Kiryat Shmona Wednesday, as Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets into northern Israel and military forces aimed heavy air and ground fire at the Lebanese terror group.

The pair of fatalities, the first civilians to be killed since fighting between Israel and Lebanon intensified late last month, came on a day that also saw five people injured in a large rocket barrage on Haifa.

The IDF statement on Thursday morning said that it had struck weapons caches in south Lebanon and Beirut overnight, noting that steps were taken ahead of the strikes to minimize harm to civilians, including warnings to evacuate.

Also Wednesday, the IDF said in a statement that it killed Adham Jahout, a Hezbollah operative in the Quneitra area of southern Syria just across the border from the Golan Heights earlier in the day.

Jahout “passed information from Syrian regime officials to the Hezbollah organization,” as well as other information it gathered along the border to target the Golan Heights, the IDF said, in a rare Israeli confirmation of operations in Syria.

Hezbollah has lobbed over 3,000 rockets at Israel’s north — and in some cases beyond — since Israel launched its offensive on September 23. Israel says it is seeking to make it safe for some 60,000 people displaced by the ongoing Hezbollah attacks since October 2023 to return home, including by eliminating the threat of a Hamas-style cross-border rampage it alleges Hezbollah had planned to unleash on northern towns.

The Israeli military said it has dismantled Hezbollah infrastructure along the border and killed hundreds of Hezbollah fighters. It has also carried out airstrikes deeper inside Lebanon, including an attack on a coastal town near Sidon that Lebanon said killed four people on Wednesday. It did not say if the four were civilians or combatants.

The attacks on northern Israel over the last year have resulted in the deaths of 28 civilians. In addition, 34 IDF soldiers and reservists have died in cross-border skirmishes and in the ensuing ground operation launched in southern Lebanon in late September.

Two soldiers have been killed in a drone attack from Iraq, and there have also been several attacks from Syria, without any injuries.

Hezbollah has named 516 members who have been killed by Israel during the ongoing skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon but some also in Syria. Another 94 operatives from other terror groups, a Lebanese soldier, and dozens of civilians have also been killed.

These numbers have not been consistently updated since Israel began a new offensive against Hezbollah in September, including the ground operation, in which the military says at least 450 Hezbollah operatives have been killed.
Link


India-Pakistan
Lt Col among six soldiers martyred in N Waziristan gun battle with terrorists
2024-10-06
[GEO.TV] A lieutenant colonel was among six soldiers who embraced martyrdom during a shootout with forces of Evil in North Wazoo's Spinwam area, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Saturday.

In a statement, the military's media wing said that the exchange of fire between the two sides took place on the night between October 4-5, during which "six Khwarij" were also killed.

"Lt Col Muhammad Ali Shaukat was leading the operation against the khwarij when he and five soldiers were martyred as a result of intense exchange of fire," the ISPR stated.

The martyred soldiers were identified as Lance Naik Muhammad Ullah, Lance Naik Yusaf Ali, Lance Naik Shahid Ullah, Lance Naik Akhtar Zaman and Sepoy Jameel Ahmed.

"Security forces are determined to eradicate the menace of terrorism. Sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our determination," the military's media wing added.
Link


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
DEAD: Hezbollah terror leader Hassan Nasrallah KILLED in massive missile blitz on chief's Beirut HQ
2024-09-28
[TheSun] The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced that Friday's fighter jet blitz successfully eliminated the terror group's Secretary-General.

They said: "Hassan Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrorize the world."

And military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani added: "Hassan Nasrallah is dead."

Hezbollah also confirmed Nasrallah had been killed - and vowed to continue its fight against Israel.

Ali Karki, the Commander of Hezbollah's Southern Front, is also believed to have been killed alongside Nasrallah in the strikes on Friday.

Israel also claims to have wiped out several other Hezbollah officials including Muhammad Ali Ismail, the commander of Hezbollah's missile unit in southern Lebanon, in the blasts.

His deputy and "other senior officials" were also taken out.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu is believed to have personally signed off the attack after spies discovered Nasrallah was set to convene a meeting of his surviving leaders at his underground HQ.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halev said "a lot of preparation" was behind the attack.

He said: "It was the right time, [we] did it in a very precise way."

Before warning Israel was set to continue with their targeted assaults across the border.

"This is not the end of our toolbox, we have to be very clear. We have more capacity going forward," Halev added.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei - one of Nasrallah's closest allies - issued a chilling message to Israel after Israel's assassination claims.

He did not mention Nasrallah - but slammed Israel for the massive blitz on Lebanon.

Khamenei said Lebanon will make Israel "regret their actions" and blasted the "shortsighted and foolish" policies of Israeli leaders.

He claimed Israel was "too small" to cause any damage to Hezbollah.

It's feared Iran could respond by targeting Israel directly, sending weapons through Iraq and Syria to Lebanon or by sending fighters to Lebanon to shore up Hezbollah, Professor Fawaz Gerges from LSE said.

The chair of contemporary Middle Eastern Studies said Israel has effectively "declared all-out war".

He told Sky News: "Benjamin Netanyahu has declared all-out war against the entire axis of resistance – including Iran.

"This is a decade-long war... Hezbollah will bide its time.

"Israel has been trying to systematically destroy the leadership structure of Hezbollah – and there are hundreds of leaders who could replace him [Hassan Nasrallah]."

Mr Gerges suggested Israel is "trying to soften that structure in preparation for a ground invasion".

IDF military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said on Friday that a "precise strike" hit Hezbollah's "central headquarters" located underneath residential buildings in Dahiyeh.

Huge 4,000lb laser and GPS-guided GBU-28 and 2,000lb Blu-109 bunker buster bombs are believed to have been deployed - burrowing up to 200ft below ground before exploding.

Images of the Lebanese suburb shows a series of huge blasts with large mushroom clouds erupting into the sky last night.

A source close to Hezbollah said the wave of strikes took out six buildings - including apartment blocks.

Thousands were forced to flee their homes as the rockets closed in.

Six people were killed along with another 91 wounded, according to preliminary data from Lebanon's health ministry.

A second round of Israeli strikes hit the same area of Beirut later in the night.

Pictures show smoking buildings early this morning following the successive blitzes.

Hezbollah has already retaliated after they fired rockets on the Israeli city of Safed - but there are no reports of casualties.

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, is set to hold an emergency meeting of the Supreme National Security Council to respond to the Israeli attacks.

Narallah's backers in Iran's embassy in Beirut said the latest massive strike on the Lebanese capital was a "dangerous, game-changing escalation".

The embassy added the strike was a “war crime" which merits "appropriate punishment"

. It comes as Israel continues to gear up for a huge ground offensive across the border and into Lebanon.

The IDF have been making plans to activate two brigades consisting of up to 10,000 soldiers for "operational missions".

This morning they announced three more battalions of reserve soldiers are also being readied up.

Tanks and military trucks were also seen being transported towards the border as an escalation drew closer.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi already announced how his troops were planning to step up their attacks on Wednesday.

He said the barrage of airstrikes in recent days had been a tactical ploy to help the soldiers once they crossed into Lebanon.

Halevi said: "You can hear the planes above, we are attacking all day.

"This is both to prepare the ground for your possible entry and to continue degrading Hezbollah."

Link


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
The view from Lebanon: Intensive Israeli airstrikes target Beirut southern suburbs after evacuation warnings
2024-09-28
[AnNahar] Israel conducted several rounds of air strikes on Hezbollah's main bastion in the southern suburbe of Beirut, sending huge clouds of smoke soaring above the densely populated area.

Friday's strikes were heard across the Mediterranean city and sparked panic in the residential area that has been Hezbollah's main stronghold for decades.

They were by far the fiercest strikes to hit Beirut's suburbs since Israel shifted its focus from the war in Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an 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...
to Leb
...an Iranian satrapy currently ruled by Hassan Nasrallah situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. 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? It is the home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers...
this week, pounding Hezbollah strongholds around the country and killing hundreds of people.

Israeli television networks reported that Hezbollah chief Sayyed
...Arabic term meaning your/his lordship. Groveling in His Exalted Presence is encouraged...
His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah
...The satrap of the Medes and the Persians in Leb...>
was the target of the first violent mostly peaceful strike, though a source close to the group said he was "fine".
"He's pining for the fjords"
Nasrallah enjoys cult status among his supporters and is the only man in Lebanon with the power to wage war or make peace, but he leads a life in hiding to avoid liquidation.

The Israeli army claimed early Saturday that its air strikes killed "Muhammad Ali Ismail, the commander of Hezbollah's missile unit in southern Lebanon, and his deputy," as well as "other bigwigs.".l

The strikes felt "like an earthquake", according to Ahmad Ahmad, who fled his house in the southern suburbs.

A teacher in her 40s, Abir Hammoud, said: "I felt like the building was going to collapse on top of me."

The strikes were followed by a second bombing hours later, which Israel's military said targeted Hezbollah weapons stored in buildings in the area, a claim the group denied.

Hezbollah started fighting Israeli troops along the Lebanon border a day after its Paleostinian ally Hamas
..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",...
staged its unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed in an address to world leaders on Friday that there would be no let-up in the battle against Hezbollah until Israel's northern border was secured.

- WARNING TO CIVILIANS -
A source close to Hezbollah said the initial wave of strikes had levelled six buildings, and according to a preliminary toll, six people were killed and 91 maimed.

Israeli military front man Daniel Hagari said the strike had targeted "the central headquarters" of Hezbollah in the southern suburbs of the city.

After the Beirut strikes, Hezbollah said it had fired more rockets into Israel "in defense of Lebanon and its people". There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The Israeli military warned civilians in parts of Hezbollah's south Beirut stronghold to evacuate the area before conducting its second bombing.

It also said it would not allow 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...
to transfer weapons to its ally Hezbollah through Beirut airport -- adding that its jets were ready to intervene should any such transfers be detected.

Israel's army said the second wave of strikes had targeted Hezbollah targets in the Tyre area of southern Lebanon.

- 'DEADLIEST IN A GENERATION' -
The U.N. has repeatedly condemned this week's sharp escalation of violence in Lebanon.

"We are witnessing the deadliest period in Lebanon in a generation, and many express their fear that this is just the beginning," the U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Lebanon, Imran Riza, said.

In Israel, too, many were weary of the violence.

"It is incredibly exhausting to be in this situation. We don't really know what's going to happen, there's talk of a ground offensive or a major operation," said Lital Shmuelovich, a physiotherapy student.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken
...71st United States secretary of state and a leading light of the corrupt and inept Biden administration. He previously served as deputy national security advisor from 2013 to 2015 and deputy secretary of state from 2015 to 2017 under the corrupt and inept Obama administration. He advocated for the 2003 invasion of Iraq while serving as the Democratic staff director of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 2002 to 2008. He was a foreign policy advisor for the Biden 2008 presidential campaign. During his tenure in the Obama administration, Blinken helped craft B.O.'s policy on Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the nuclear program of Iran. We all saw how well each of those worked. After leaving government service, Blinken moved into the private sector, co-founding WestExec Advisors, a lobbying firm...
appealed again for a ceasefire, after a U.S.-led bid for a truce failed earlier this week.

"The path to diplomacy may seem difficult to see at this moment, but it is there, and in our judgement, it is necessary," Blinken said.

In New York, Netanyahu also addressed the war in Gaza, saying that Israel's military would continue to fight Hamas until it achieved "total victory."

Diplomats have said efforts to end the war in Gaza were key to halting the fighting in Lebanon and bringing the region back from the brink of all-out war.

But despite months of mediation efforts, a Gaza ceasefire remains elusive.

Hamas' October 7 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures that include hostages killed in captivity.

Of the 251 hostages seized by bad boys, 97 are still held in Gaza, including 33 the Israeli military says are dead.

Israel's retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 41,534 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to figures provided by the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The U.N. has described the figures as reliable.

- 'CHANGE THE RULES' -
The Lebanon violence has raised fears of wider turmoil in the Middle East, with Iran-backed murderous Moslems across the region vowing to keep up their fight with Israel.

Netanyahu took aim at Iran in his U.N. General Assembly address, saying: "I have a message for the tyrants of Tehran. If you strike us, we will strike you."

He added: "There is no place in Iran that the long arm of Israel cannot reach, and that's true of the entire Middle East."

Analysts have said Iran would try to resist being dragged into the conflict.

But following the Beirut strikes, Iran's embassy in Lebanon said: "This reprehensible crime... represents a dangerous escalation that changes the rules of the game."

Iran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, later condemned the strikes, branding them a "flagrant war crime".
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India-Pakistan
PTI heaps scorn on Maulana Fazl for ''legitimising'' coalition govt
2024-09-08
[GEOTV] The Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf
...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations....
(PTI) on Saturday castigated JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman
...Deobandi holy man, known as Mullah Diesel during the war against the Soviets, his sympathies for the Taliban have never been tempered by honesty. Fazl seldom misses a meal and is now so large he has his own gravitational pull...
for 'legitimising' the ruling regime following the latter's major shift in his stance on the coalition government amid parliamentary collaboration with the former ruling party.

"We never needed [Maulana Fazl] support, neither in the past nor today." Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government spokesperson Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif said while speaking on Geo News programme 'Naya Pakistain'.

The PTI leader's statement came as JUI-F chief Maulana Fazl seemingly lowered his rhetoric against the PML-N-led coalition government which he accused of coming to power via "rigged" February 8 general elections.

Speaking in the National Assembly on Wednesday, the JUI-F chief referred to the alleged manipulation in the election results saying whether the present parliament was a product of "Form 45 or 47", they had to accept and use it to address all the national issues.

Fazl also urged both the government and the opposition to confront the challenge of terrorism, saying parliament is the supreme institution.

The religio-political party and the PTI had reached a consensus on cooperation in the National Assembly and the Senate in August.

Both the parties, who have traditionally been arch-rivals, have held multiple interactions since the February 8 polls owing to their mutual concerns regarding alleged election result manipulation and irregularities in the polls.

Later, the incumbent government stepped up its efforts to woo the disgruntled ally as President Asif Ali Ten Percent Zardari

...former president of Pakistain, husband of the late Benazir Bhutto, who has been singularly lacking in curiosity about who done her in...
and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held separate meetings with him and sought to assuage his concerns.
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