Thursday, March 28, 2024

Russian warships enter the Red Sea, navy says

Several Russian warships have passed the Bab al-Mandab Strait into the Red Sea, the Russian Navy's Pacific Fleet said on Thursday, amid attacks by Yemen's Houthis on merchant shipping.

The Zvezda TV channel, owned by the defense ministry, quoted the fleet as saying the Russian cruiser Varyag and the frigate Marshal Shaposhnikov were taking part in the voyage.

Houthi terrorists in Yemen have repeatedly attacked ships passing through the Bab al-Mandab Strait in the Red Sea since November in support of Palestinians, the terror organization claims.

Attacks by Houthi terrorists

The Houthis have vowed to continue their attacks as long as Israel continues to commit "crimes against Palestinians."


In February, the Houthis attacked the Rubymar cargo ship on the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which sunk at the beginning of March. The ship, containing 21,000 metric tons of ammonium phosphate sulfate fertilizer, presents an environmental risk in the Red Sea.   

Houthi terrorists in Yemen, who control the country's most populous regions, have primarily targeted vessels with commercial ties to the United States, Britain, and Israel.

Airstrip being built on Yemeni island near shipping route; ‘I LOVE UAE’ spelled in dirt

SEOUL, South Korea — As Yemen’s Houthi rebels continue to target ships in a Mideast waterway, satellite pictures analyzed by The Associated Press show what appears to be a new airstrip being built at an entrance to that crucial maritime route.

No country has publicly claimed the construction taking place on Abd al-Kuri Island, a stretch of land rising out of the Indian Ocean near the mouth of the Gulf of Aden. However, satellite images shot for the AP appear to show workers spelled out “I LOVE UAE” with piles of dirt next to the runway, using an abbreviation for the United Arab Emirates.

Both the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea to which it leads have become a battleground between the Houthis and US-led forces in the region as Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip rages — potentially allowing a nation to project its power into the area.

The construction comes as the presence of troops from the Emirates in the Socotra island chain to which Abd al-Kuri belongs — and that of the separatist force it backs in southern Yemen — have sparked clashes in the past.

In response to questions from the AP, the United Arab Emirates said Thursday that “any presence of the UAE on Socotra island is based on humanitarian grounds that is carried out in cooperation with the Yemeni government and local authorities.” READ MORE

Northern Command commander: 'We are at war and it doesn't end with Hezbollah'

A training program on readiness for the northern arena was held this week at the Northern Command headquarters, led by the Commanding Officer of the Northern Command, Major General Ori Gordin, with the participation of division commanders, brigade commanders, and battalion commanders from both the mandatory and reserve units, who are involved in the defense battles on the northern border.

As part of the program, the commanders delved into professional content and the operational and strategic plans for the northern framework. The program, led by the 36th Division, included professional lectures and learning from the division's combat lessons in the Gaza Strip, with specific adjustments for the challenges of the northern arena. During the program, the Chief of the General Staff, LTG Herzi Halevi, presented the strategic challenges and assessments for the continuation of the war.

Additionally, the participants went through various stations where they deepened their knowledge in the fields of artillery, intelligence, engineering, information and communication technology, and administrative support. The stations simulated the variety of capabilities and the power of their integration available to the commanders on the battlefield.

"We are at war. We have been at war for almost half a year now, and it doesn't end with Hezbollah," Commanding Officer of the Northern Command, MG Ori Gordin stated. READ MORE

A rare look at the red heifers in Israel

The Academy for Temple Knowledge held a conference this week titled "The Red Heifer- Halacha, Research, and Thought," during which a special tour was held for 100 participants at the farm Red Heifer Farm in Ancient Shiloh. The red heifers are the key to a special purification ritual required before service in the temple in Jerusalem.

"The red heifers arrived in Shiloh on Sukkot and since then many interesting things have happened and the reactions have been amazing," recounted Moriah, the academy's training coordinator.

According to her, "We have special rules for raising the red heifer, we don't take them to graze, they are very spoiled, and dirty because it's dangerous to clean them, we're afraid of pulling out a hair (which would disqualify the cow from the ritual). And if they get wet they may get pneumonia, we're waiting for the summer so we can wash them without hurting them.

They have feeding areas so they won't fight with each other and an examination room where once every two weeks representatives of the Temple Institute come to inspect the Texan cattle. The cattle are of a special breed which is the correct color. There is still a challenge since they can't have a tag on their ears and they can't carry a yoke. Cameras are filming them constantly to make sure no one comes and touches them since that disqualifies them. Even if I was hot and I took off my blanket and put it on the cow it is disqualified, there are a lot of things that take a lot of caution."

Moriah shares a special story about the cattle: "On Sunday when a red heifer came here from its farm in the north for a day. At the same time, a haredi woman who lost her child a few months ago arrived in Israel, her whole world was destroyed and she had been questioning her faith. She heard a rumor that a red heifer arrived in Israel and told herself: 'G-d, show me a sign if I see a sign that things will be ok.' She went to visit Shiloh and saw before her eyes the red heifer, a sign from heaven."

Note from Bill Koenig:

On Friday, March 22, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken warned that a major Rafah operation could result in global isolation and long-term security harm for Israel. 


On Sunday Vice President Kamala Harris would not rule out consequences for Israel if it goes ahead with the Rafah operation.


Moreover, in a meeting with Israel Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Monday, Blinken reiterated U.S. “opposition to a major operation in Rafah.”


Then also on Monday, the United Nations Security Council unanimously passed a resolution that demanded Israel’s ceasefire for the rest of the Muslim holiday of Ramadan and the release of all hostages being held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The United States abstained.


Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu immediately canceled plans to send a delegation to the United States to discuss plans for an operation in Rafah after the U.N. Security Council voted to back the ceasefire and the United States failed to veto the resolution.


Within hours there a worldwide geomagnetic storm  occurred and at 1:30 am Tuesday morning the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed after being struck by a cargo ship. Key was the writer of “The Star Spangled Banner,” the national anthem of the United States.

The following “Purim to Passover 2024” was written by my good friend Ted Vanlandeghem, a Jewish believer in Yeshua. Over the years he has been very supportive of my “Eye to Eye―Facing the Consequences of Dividing Israel.”

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

What’s behind Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ‘firm’ support for Hamas?

 


Tayyip Erdogan’s assertion earlier this month that Turkey “firmly backs” Hamas was the culmination of months in which the Turkish president has lambasted Israel’s war in Gaza.

The feud between the two countries did not end there. Last week, Israel’s Foreign Ministry summoned the Turkish envoy for a reprimand after Erdogan berated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and said God would “make him miserable and curse him.” 

Israel’s foreign minister shot back on social media, “There is no God who will listen to those who support the atrocities and crimes against humanity committed by your barbaric Hamas friends. Be quiet and shame on you!”

Is there really an acrimonious relationship between Israel and Turkey?

Those public comments paint a picture of an acrimonious relationship between Israel and Turkey, but scholars say the reality is more complicated. Erdogan has spoken warmly about Hamas for decades and engaged in several high-profile diplomatic spats with Israel since coming to power more than 20 years ago. But at the same time, trade between the two countries is booming and their relations were warming up before Oct. 7.

“We know from the past, Erdogan always calls Israel a ‘terrorist state’ and a ‘genocidal state,’ yet business goes on with the state of Israel,” M. Hakan Yavuz, a professor of political science at the University of Utah and the author of 2021’s “Erdogan: The Making of an Autocrat,” told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. READ MORE

Released hostage Amit Soussana recounts sexual assault at hands of Hamas captor

Released hostage Amit Soussana, 40, was sexually assaulted and attacked by her Hamas guard during her captivity in Gaza, she told The New York Times in an interview published Tuesday, marking the first time a freed hostage has spoken publicly about experiencing sexual abuse.

Soussana, who was released from captivity on the last day of a weeklong truce in late November, recounted to the newspaper how she was held alone, chained up in a child’s bedroom in darkness where she was forced to commit sexual acts for her Hamas captor, who she said went by the name Muhammad.

Sometime around October 24, he attacked her while she was briefly unchained in order to use the bathroom, she recounted.

“He came towards me and shoved the gun at my forehead,” Soussana said. “He sat me on the edge of the bath. And I closed my legs. And I resisted. And he kept punching me and put his gun in my face,” Soussana stated. “Then he dragged me to the bedroom.”

She recounted being forced to remove her towel while Muhammad groped her, before being marched at gunpoint back to the bedroom, where he forced her to “commit a sexual act on him.” READ MORE

Three Palestinians killed by Israeli troops in Jenin drone strike, heavy clashes

Three Palestinians were killed — two of them in a drone strike — during an arrest raid in the West Bank city Jenin on Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces said.

The military said that the two killed in the drone strike were gunmen, and that the third Palestinian killed by Israeli fire during the raid had hurled explosive devices at troops, who responded by opening fire toward the man.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa named the two killed in the drone strike as Hamza Ararawi, 27, and Muhammad Nasser Al-Sabti, 19.

The army said that combat engineers destroyed a vehicle that contained several primed explosive devices during the raid, which began overnight and continued into the morning.

Two suspects in the car were detained by troops before it was blown up. Combat engineers also uncovered roadside explosives in the city. READ MORE

IDF strikes Iran-linked operatives, assets in eastern Syria; more than 15 said killed

The Israeli Air Force carried out airstrikes in the predawn hours of Tuesday morning in eastern Syria, targeting Iranian assets and operatives involved in a recent plot to smuggle advanced arms to West Bank terrorists, The Times of Israel has learned.

More than 15 people were reportedly killed in the strikes in the Deir Ezzor and al-Bukamal areas, close to Syria’s border with Iraq.

The strikes targeted assets belonging to Iran’s Unit 4000, the Special Operations Division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ Intelligence Organization, and the special operations unit of the IRGC’s Quds Force in Syria, known as Unit 18840, according to Israeli defense sources.

On Monday, the Shin Bet announced that it had foiled attempts by the two Iranian units to smuggle advanced weapons to West Bank Palestinian terrorists.

The strikes overnight were a response to the smuggling attempts and targeted assets related to the Iranian plot, the defense sources said. READ MORE

Austin to Gallant: No to Rafah operation without plan that ensures safety of civilians

Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder on Tuesday issued a statement summarizing the meeting between Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, which took place at the Pentagon.

Ryder noted that Gallant’s visit to Washington “is a testament to the United States' unwavering support for Israel's long-term security. The Secretary and Minister affirmed their shared interest in defeating Hamas.”

“Secretary Austin and Minister Gallant discussed the importance of prioritizing civilian protection in the event of military operations in Rafah, the dire humanitarian situation across Gaza, and threats to regional security,” added the statement, which reiterated the US position against an Israeli operation in the Gazan city of Rafah.

“The Secretary stressed that the United States and Israel have a moral imperative and a shared strategic interest in safeguarding civilians, noting that operations in Rafah should not proceed without a credible and implementable plan that ensures the safety of and humanitarian support for civilians sheltering there,” said the statement. READ MORE

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Earthquake Swarms Off Pacific Coast Raising New Concerns

An area off the coast of Washington state is being shaken by hundreds and hundreds of earthquakes.  So is this an indication of potential trouble for the Cascadia Subduction Zone?  


At this point, there is so much that we don't know.  Scientists are telling us that the quakes are centered around a large underwater volcano.  The underwater volcano does not pose a threat at all, but if an enormous earthquake along the Cascadia Subduction Zone were to trigger a giant tsunami that slams into the west coast, that would be a historic disaster of epic proportions.

The frequency of the earthquakes that we are witnessing off the coast of Washington is extremely alarming.

It is being reported that earlier this month there were "as many as 200 in a single hour"...

Scientists have detected a 'great swarm' of earthquakes off the coast of Washington clocking as many as 200 in a single hour during one day.

That is a lot of quakes!


According to one of the experts that has been monitoring this area, there were over 2,000 earthquakes in a single day...

"It's about 10 times as active as it normally is," said Jesse Hutchinson, a junior staff scientist with ONC, an ocean observation facility based at the University of Victoria.

He said more than 2,000 earthquakes had been detected in one day.

Why haven't we heard more about this?

If I was living on the west coast, I would definitely want this to be in the news.

We are being told that this "great swarm" of earthquakes potentially means that a "magmatic rupture" is imminent...

The 'great swarm' of earthquakes followed multiple days of increasingly frequent quakes, according to Ocean Networks Canada (ONC), which is collecting the data for researchers to study.

The spike indicated a possible 'impending magmatic rupture,' the research group reported.

A magmatic rupture, which occurs when the Earth's crust splits open for some reason and spills molten rock out, is a natural phenomena that can form new ocean floor, according to Zoe Krauss, a marine seismology PhD candidate at the University of Washington.

A "magmatic rupture" would not be a problem.

But what happens if this area continues to shake violently and eventually an extremely large earthquake is triggered along the Cascadia Subduction Zone? READ MORE

Iran believes Gaza war will ‘shape new world order’ - analysis

Iran’s president Ebrahim Raisi believes that the war in Gaza will lead to a “transformation in the unjust order that rules the world.” He made the claims at a gathering on Monday, according to Iran’s pro-government Fars news.

Iran’s president appears to believe that the war in Gaza will accelerate various processes in the global order. He said that after the war the new world order is “very close and achievable.”

In Iran’s view the war in Gaza is part of a larger process. It could be seen as a kind of first shot of a major war in the world. This war is not always being fought on battlefields.


It may be other types of struggles, such as Iran joining BRICS and the SCO, two economic groups that are linked to China or Russia, and which Iran wants to be part of in order to balance the western-led economies such as the G7.

Why Raisi's statements matter

Iran’s president’s statement matters. It shows how Iran is thinking about October 7 and the long term plans that Iran has. Iran sees the fighting in Gaza as a benefit. It also sees the suffering of Gazans as a benefit. What that means if that Iran believes it can use suffering in Gaza to take advantage of the war, and exploit it for its own interests. READ MORE

Previously undisclosed documents reveal 2020 arson at Iran nuclear facility

A workshop belonging to Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization in the Shadabad area of Tehran was set on fire in July 2020, information concealed until now by Iranian officials, according to Iran International who claimed to have viewed judicial documents relating to the arson. The documents confirmed that Iran believes the Mossad orchestrated the fire.

The judicial documents were obtained as part of a trove that a network of hacktivists leaked to the source on Thursday. Some of the referenced Iranian government documents are among millions of judicial records that the group announced they obtained Thursday.

The industrial weapons production workshop was reportedly set ablaze by Masoud Rahimi, his two brothers and six other accomplices, although Iran believed Israel was responsible for the fire, the source reported. Masoud Rahimi, along with his accomplices, entered the workshop with weapons, tied up the guard, and set fire to some of the equipment inside.


An anonymous creditor reportedly gave the nine alleged arsonists the equivalent of $10,000 to start the fire as revenge. An additional payment had been promised if the group filmed themselves carrying out the crime, Iran International revealed.

The accused group was quickly arrested and accused of "acts against national security through cooperation with Israel." READ MORE

Up to 30 said dead in Syria strikes, including 8 Iran Guards fighters, top commander

Some 30 people were killed, among them at least nine pro-Iranian fighters including a commander, in overnight strikes on a villa taken over by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps in eastern Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Tuesday morning.

“Nine pro-Iranian fighters, including a leader and a Syrian, were killed and more than 20 wounded in airstrikes targeting the villa they were staying in, which served as a communications center,” said the Britain-based war monitor, which did not yet know the origin of the strikes.

A later post from the rights group on X, formerly Twitter, updated the death toll to at least 30 people.

Media close to the Syrian government said the strikes were American.

The Observatory said that a few hours earlier, an Iranian cargo plane flew from Damascus to the eastern city of Deir Ezzor carrying technical equipment and soldiers of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. READ MORE

Poll: Majority of Israelis believe war with Hezbollah certain

A majority - 69% - of Israelis strongly believe that a war will soon break out between Israel and Hezbollah on the Lebanon border, according to a new poll by the Israel Democracy Institute.

A significant majority of both Arab and Jewish Israelis believe such a war to be inevitable. The assumption holds true for center, right, and left political blocs, without significant differences between them.

Respondents were asked to rate senior officials in public offices on their performance in the war. The highest score went to Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, with 55% rating him positively. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant received 46%, Minister Benny Gantz 37.5%, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 32%, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich 21.5%.

A full 82% of left-wing respondents stated that Israel should coordinate itself with the USA instead of acting only in its own interests. Another 64.5% of centrist voters said the same, while 64% of right-wing voters stated that Israel must act only in its own interests.

Defense Min.: 'Only a decisive victory will bring to an end to this war'

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant spoke following his visit to the US Department of State, emphasizing that Israel will continue the war until victory.

"[Just completed a meeting] At the U.S. Department of State, with my friend Secretary Blinken," he wrote. "We discussed developments in the war against Hamas and the military operations required to destroy Hamas as a military and governing authority in Gaza."

"During our discussion I emphasized that Israel will not cease operating in Gaza until the return of all the hostages. Only a decisive victory will bring to an end of this war."

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met on Monday in Washington with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement after the meeting that Blinken “reiterated the United States’ support for ensuring the defeat of Hamas, including in Rafah, while reiterating opposition to a major ground operation in Rafah that would further jeopardize the welfare of the more than 1.4 million Palestinian civilians sheltering there.”

“The Secretary underscored that alternatives exist to a major ground invasion that would both better ensure Israel’s security and protect Palestinian civilians. Secretary Blinken also discussed the need to immediately surge and sustain additional humanitarian assistance to meet the needs of civilians in Gaza,” the statement added.

Prime Minister's Office: 'Hamas has turned down every compromise proposed by the US'

The Prime Minister's Office on Tuesday morning said that Hamas is not interested in a prisoner swap agreement.

"The Hamas position proves clearly that Hamas is not interested in continuing the negotiations for a deal, and constitutes saddening evidence of the damage done by the Security Council's resolution," the Office said in a statement.

"Hamas has once again rejected every US compromise and returned to its extremist demands: an immediate end to the war, the IDF's complete withdrawal from the Strip, and remaining in power so that they can repeat the October 7 massacre over and over again, as they have promised to do.

"Hamas has refused every US compromise proposal, and praised the Security Council resolution.

"Israel will not cave to Hamas' outrageous demands, and will continue operating to achieve all of the goals of the war: the release of all the hostages, the destruction of Hamas' military and governing abilities, and ensuring that Gaza will never again threaten Israel."

Monday, March 25, 2024

Moment UN Security Council votes on immediate ceasefire in Gaza, US abstains (one minute video)

UN Security Council approves Gaza cease-fire resolution as US abstains


The United Nations Security Council on Monday passed its first resolution calling for a cease-fire in Gaza after the U.S. abstained from the vote on Israel’s war against Hamas.

The final vote was 14 in favor, no votes against and one abstention. After the vote, the council broke into applause. The resolution calls for an immediate cease-fire during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and for the immediate release of all hostages.

The vote comes just two days after Russia and China vetoed a resolution from the U.S. that tied a cease-fire to the release of hostages.

The latest resolution has the backing of officials from the United Nations, who have expressed growing concern about the plight of Palestinians in Gaza.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said after the vote that “this resolution must be implemented.”

“Failure would be unforgivable,” he wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. U.N. Security Council resolutions are legally binding, unlike those from the General Assembly. Still, they can technically be ignored. (The Hill) (Watch US Response)

US ‘disappointed’ by Netanyahu’s decision to cancel delegation’s trip to discuss Rafah

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby says the US is “disappointed” by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision not to send an Israeli delegation to Washington to discuss alternatives to a major invasion of Rafah.

“We’re very disappointed that they won’t be coming to Washington DC to allow us to have a fulsome conversation on the viable alternatives to going in on the ground in Rafah,” Kirby tells reporters in a briefing.

Netanyahu canceled the planned trip a short while ago directly after the US refrained from using a veto to block a UN Security Council resolution that called for a ceasefire without conditioning it on the release of hostages. (Times of Israel)

Gallant in US: Israel has ‘no moral right’ to stop Gaza war until all hostages are home

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who is currently visiting the United States for an official trip, says Israel has “no moral right to stop the war in Gaza until we return all the hostages to their homes.”

The remarks are released by his office ahead of Gallant’s meetings with US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, and shortly after the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, after the US withheld its veto and abstained from the vote.

“In the first meeting, with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, I will make clear the importance of collapsing the Hamas regime and returning the hostages to their homes. We will act against Hamas everywhere, even in areas where we have not been yet. We will create an alternative to Hamas so that the IDF can complete its mission,” Gallant says.

“We have no moral right to stop the war in Gaza until we return all the hostages to their homes. If we don’t reach a clear and absolute victory in Gaza, it could bring a war in the north closer,” he adds. (Times of Israel)

Sunday, March 24, 2024

Shipping giant Maersk says it will avoid Red Sea despite EU security operation


Shipping company Maersk said on Friday it was too early to resume sailings through the Red Sea due to a continued elevated risk level, despite an initiative by the European Union to increase safety in the region.

Maersk, one of the world’s biggest container shipping companies, suspended Red Sea traffic on January 5 and has since redirected ships via the Cape of Good Hope.

The EU’s naval mission in the southern Red Sea was launched in February to help protect the key maritime trade route from drone and missile attacks by Yemen’s Houthi militia, who say they are retaliating against Israel’s war on Gaza. (Read More)

‘No other choice’: Northern border towns predict war with Hezbollah


Displaced residents of Israel’s northernmost town have learned to dread hearing from David Azulay — the man who calls when Hezbollah rockets have smashed into their abandoned homes.

The 57-year-old has been mostly on his own since nearly all of Metula’s inhabitants fled following the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas in October.

As head of the town council, Azulay felt an obligation to stay behind and monitor damage wrought by Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group as it fires missiles and mortars on northern Israel in solidarity with Hamas, its Gaza-based ally. (Read More)

Hezbollah fires dozens of rockets at northern Israel as IDF strikes deep in Lebanon

The Hezbollah terror group fired at least 50 rockets at northern Israel in the predawn hours of Sunday, with the Israel Defense Forces saying it shot down several of the projectiles as others hit open areas.

The barrage, one of the heaviest since the start of hostilities in October, came amid a weekend of strikes by Israel on the Iran-backed terror group’s sites, including one far in the northeastern part of the country shortly after midnight on Sunday, that Hezbollah said prompted the rocket fire in response.

Israel has been launching airstrikes deeper and deeper into Lebanese territory against Hezbollah positions for several weeks as the terror group steps up its attacks, heightening the threat of open warfare and an expansion of the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip to Israel’s south. (Read More)

VP Kamala Harris: 'Any large-scale operation in Rafah would be a mistake'

"I studied the maps. The people there have nowhere to go. Entering Rafah would be a mistake," Vice President Kamala Harris said during an interview on ABC News on Sunday.

In the interview, Harris also stated that the Biden administration has communicated to relevant Israeli officials 'in many conversations and every way possible' that it opposes a ground operation in Rafah.

Israel willing to defy US on Rafah, PM says, Israeli officials head to DC


Israel is willing to defy the United States on Rafah if it has to, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said as top Israeli officials are prepared to head to Washington this week to discuss the controversial military operation in southern Gaza.

“There is no way for us to defeat Hamas without going into Rafah and eliminating the rest of the battalions there,” Netanyahu said on Friday after he met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Tel Aviv. Blinken made his sixth trip to the region since the start of the war.

The two men discussed the growing tension between their governments over the Rafah operation, which the US opposes and which Israel insists is the only way to win the war. (Read More)

Saturday, March 23, 2024

Iran and Hezbollah shaken by Israel's new warfare tactics, Saudi expert says


Assad Awad, the military commentator from the Saudi channel Al-Hadath, appeared on the channel on Thursday. He addressed the situation in Israel’s North and analyzed the IDF's tactics in the region.

Awad addressed Israel’s conflict between Hezbollah and Iran. Speaking on the conflict, Awad suggested, "Israel was surprised by the extent of the tunnels in Gaza and the military methods [of Hamas,] and it has adopted a new strategy for regional deterrence," he said at the outset.



In the initial stage, according to Awad, "Israel severely hit Iranian shipment operations to the region and destroyed many weapon shipments that were on their way from Iran.


"In the next stage, warehouses in eastern Syria were attacked and destroyed. [The warehouses] contain[ed] weapons that could have been deployed to the border with Israel within hours. In fact, it undermined Iran's supply lines to Hezbollah and Iranian militias in the region. (Read More)

Islamic State terrorists kill 143, wound hundreds in Moscow concert hall shooting


The death toll from an attack near Moscow on Saturday has risen to 133 people, with many more injured, Russia's Investigative Committee said. However, Russian state TV journalist and head of Russia Today Margarita Simonyan claimed that the toll stands at 143 murdered.

Another source, Moscow Region, reported that 121 people were wounded with 60 of them in critical condition. Russia has arrested 11 people including four suspected gunmen in connection with the shooting rampage in a concert hall near Moscow, the Kremlin said on Saturday. (Read More)

Israel summons Turkish envoy after Erdogan threatens Netanyahu

Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Friday ordered the Foreign Ministry to summon Turkey’s envoy to Israel for a “serious reprimand” after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to “send [Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] to Allah.”

“I instructed officials to summon the Turkish deputy ambassador to Israel for a serious reprimand, following Erdogan’s serious attack on Prime Minister Netanyahu and his threats to send PM Netanyahu to Allah and to convey a clear message to Erdogan,” Katz posted on X.

“You who support the burning of babies, murderers, rapists and the mutilation of corpses by Hamas criminals, [are] the last one who can speak about God. There is no God who will listen to those who support the atrocities and crimes against humanity committed by your barbaric Hamas friends,” Katz said. “Be quiet and shame on you!” (Read More)

Blinken warns major Rafah op risks global isolation, long-term security harm for Israel

After meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doubled down on the message he has expressed in recent days — that while Israel will happily work with the US on improving the humanitarian situation and evacuating civilians from Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah, a military operation there is inevitable.

Blinken said he told Netanyahu in response, however, that a major ground offensive in Rafah was not the way to defeat Hamas. And he warned starkly that it would risk more civilian fatalities, undermine aid assistance, risk greater isolation for Israel and endanger Israel’s security and international standing.

In a video statement after meeting with Blinken, Netanyahu said, “I told him that I deeply appreciate the fact that for more than five months, we have stood together in the war against Hamas.” (Read More)