News of the World

[kyonides]

MIDDLE EAST

---

Month of Terror?

Hamas, Islamic Jihad Call for ‘Terror’ During Islamic Month of Ramadan

Palestinian Islamic Jihad is calling for Ramadan to be a “month of terror” and seeks to escalate attacks in the West Bank and Gaza. In a recent speech, Abu Hamza, the spokesman for PIJ’s Al-Quds Brigades, said he wants Arab countries in the region and pro-Iranian groups to continue to “unify” various arenas and fronts against Israel.

This is the latest indication that terrorist groups plan to seek an escalation in hostilities over the next month. Hamza’s remarks were published by Beirut-based Al Mayadeen news channel, which is pro-Iranian and frequently highlights Hamas and Hezbollah attacks.
...
The terrorist group’s comments are also linked to those made by Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who has called for an escalation of hostilities during Ramadan.

Ramadan is set to begin on March 10, when the new moon heralds the arrival of the new month on the lunar calendar.

Arab and Muslim states have fought many wars on Ramadan, notably the Yom Kippur War of 1973, when Egyptian soldiers broke their fasts and crossed the Suez Canal.

But the Biden administration is treating Ramadan with great care, describing it as a traditional time of peace and hoping to fashion a hostage release deal before it begins.

Last week, White House national security spokesman John Kirby had this exchange with reporters at the White House:

Q Thank you so much, John. I’ll start with Israel then move on to Ukraine. You just said it’s not about trying to beat the clock to Ramadan, in terms of a ceasefire. But how concerned is the administration about the possibility of escalation during Ramadan, during this holy month, and how, you know, it’s going to be seen for U.S.-backed troops to be attacking Muslim —

MR. KIRBY: We’re mindful of the sensity — sensitivities, of course, around the month of Ramadan and the import- — the spiritual importance of that to — to the — to the Muslim world. Of course, we understand that.

What — what we don’t want us — we — we want to see this temporary ceasefire in place as soon as possible. And, again, if we can get the agreement for several weeks, it would take you through Ramadan anyway.

The clock that we’re worried about is the — the hostages. We can only assume that they are being held in abhorrent conditions and that their health is at risk, their lives are at risk. We want to get them ba- — out as soon as possible.

Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz said that Ramadan would be the deadline for a hostage deal, and warned that Israel will invade the southern Gaza town of Rafah, near the Egyptian border, if Hamas does not agree to a deal.

USA

---

US Colonel States Arabs Want Hamas & Hezbolla Destroyed

Col. Richard Kemp: Arab States Want Hamas, Hezbollah ‘Destroyed’

In an exclusive interview with Breitbart News, Kemp described the IDF’s military operations in Gaza thus far as having been “remarkable.”

“I think the success of their campaign so far will be studied by military professionals for a long time to come,” he said. “They’ve achieved, I think, much more than they expected [and] with far fewer casualties than they feared on their own side.”

Gaza Challenges

The former commander, who led British forces in Afghanistan in 2003 and later joined the committee supervising the country’s intelligence services, listed three reasons why the ground offensive has taken nearly four months, which he deemed a relatively long time.

“One is that the need to deal with a tunnel system, which is unparalleled in the history of warfare, has meant that it’s slowed their operations down significantly, and it’s been probably the single major function of the ground-war,” he said. “But they’ve already had well trained units prepared and equipped to deal with fighting the tunnels. And from what I understand, they’ve been very successful at it.”

“I’ve been into one of the tunnels underneath Gaza myself and I can testify to the complexities involved in that and the professionalism of the IDF in dealing with it,” he added.

The second reason he offered is because of the caution maintained in relation to civilian casualties.

“They obviously are intent on minimizing civilian casualties in Gaza, which is very difficult when you’re fighting an enemy that wants you to maximize their own civilian casualties as part of their strategy,” he said. “So that’s been a contributor.”

The third reason he suggested is their conduct, which aims to minimize its own casualties. 

“So it’s gone relatively slowly, but I think very impressively, in the circumstances,” he said, noting that IDF soldiers are “fighting on one of the most treacherous and complex battlefields any army has ever fought on.”

What makes it “incredibly difficult to fight” is Gaza’s mainly urban terrain, “which is notoriously difficult for any combat;” Hamas’ extremely long time “to prepare the ground, to lay ambushes, to put minefields in place, [and] to position booby traps, sniper positions in both rural and urban areas;”  the aforementioned tunnel complex; and the civilian population.

An additional challenge is the “intense spotlight” on Gaza, on the war “with media organizations, human rights groups, international bodies, like the UN and the EU, all desperate to accuse or convict Israel of war crimes.”

“[All] that adds to the complications of the whole operation,” he stated.

RUSSIA

---

Russia Kills Islamic State Terrorists

Russians Have Deadly Shootout with Alleged Islamic State Terrorists in North Caucasus Region

Six alleged members of the Islamic State group were killed in a shootout in Russia’s volatile North Caucasus region, in what the country’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAC) described Sunday as a “counterterrorism operation.”

According to a statement by the NAC, late on Saturday the six men barricaded themselves in a third-floor apartment in Karabulak, a town of about 30,000 in Russia’s semi-autonomous Republic of Ingushetia. A shootout with security services followed, as surrounding streets were blocked off and residents of the apartment block evacuated to a nearby school, according to Russia’s Interfax agency.

Heavy gunfire and blasts appearing to come from inside an apartment block could be heard in videos posted by Karabulak residents on social media.

The NAC did not immediately name the alleged militants, but said three of them were on Russia’s wanted list and all six had been involved in violent acts, including an attack on a traffic police unit last March that killed three officers.

The local branch of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), the country’s main security agency, announced at 7:30 p.m. local time on Saturday that emergency measures were being brought in the vicinity of the building due to an ongoing “counterterrorism” operation. The restrictions were lifted shortly after midday on Sunday.

The NAC claimed that security services found automatic weapons, ammunition, hand grenades and homemade explosives inside the apartment where the men were hiding out.

The agency said that no local residents were hurt, while Baza – a Russian Telegram channel set up by journalists critical of the Kremlin – reported that a man walking by was killed in the shootout. It was not immediately possible to reconcile the conflicting accounts.

SWITZERLAND

---

Terrorist Stabs Jewish Man

Orthodox Jewish Man Stabbed by Knifeman in Zurich

A 50-year-old man of Orthodox Jewish faith was left with life-threatening injuries after being stabbed multiple times in Switzerland’s largest city at the Brandschenkestrasse/Selnaustrasse junction in Zurich District 2.

According to the German-language Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung, a 15-year-old suspect was arrested at the scene of the attack. Police are currently investigating the potential motive for the attack, including the possibility that it was inspired by antisemitism.

The name and background of the suspected knifeman have yet to be revealed to the public.

The police said in a statement per NTV: “The ongoing investigations by the Zurich cantonal police and the responsible youth prosecutor’s office are going in all directions and explicitly include the possibility of an antisemitic crime.”

However, according to local news outlet 20 Minutes, witnesses to the attack said that the teen shouted out “death to all Jews” and the Jihadist war cry “Allahu Akbar” shortly before stabbing the man. Police have so far not confirmed these reports.

According to his acquaintances, the 50-year-old victim is currently in critical but stable condition in the hospital.

Local councillor, Jehuda Spielman, who personally knows the victim, said that he believed that the attack was inspired by antisemitism, saying: “It’s a shock, but unfortunately the act doesn’t come as a complete surprise given the atmosphere after October 7th.”