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But guess what?
That's not the only crisis impacting Massachusetts. 
Last week the following article was published on Fox News.
Now he owes a second apology on all the soldiers and veterans that withdrew from Afghanistan and the gold star families that have been ignored by the Biden administration the whole time.
CANADA
INTERNATIONAL
EUROPE
MIDDLE EAST
Imam's Extreme Rhetoric
Quote:A Brooklyn Muslim cleric who once partnered with New York Mayor Eric Adams on a campaign to end hate is now spreading it by calling for the annihilation of Israel, The Post has learned.
Meanwhile, one of his counterparts at a mosque in the Bronx has taken to blasting “Zionist Hollywood” and Christians for packing their churches with LGBTQ worshippers, whom he claims they are recruiting to bolster dwindling congregations.
As the Israeli war against Hamas in Gaza continues, imam Sheikh Muhammad Al-Barr, called on Allah at his Bay Ridge mosque to “liberate Palestine from the occupiers and the plunderers” during a Friday service earlier this month.
“Oh Allah, annihilate those who occupied their lands, and those who betrayed and deserted them, and those who spilled their blood,” Al-Barr said in Arabic August 12 at the Islamic Society of Bay Ridge’s Masjid ibn Umair.
The video of Al-Barr’s sermon was posted last week by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), a think tank that features human rights activist Natan Sharansky and lawyer and former diplomat Stuart Eizenstat, among other religious leaders on their board of advisors.
Al-Barr, whose last name is also spelled “Elbar,” also said that “the mujahideen [Hamas fighters] in Gaza are achieving more than our Arab armies could in 1967 and 1973,” a reference to the Six Day War and the Yom Kippur War, respectively.
“Muhammad Al-Barr explains how…Hamas managed to do what the Arab armies of Egypt and Syria …did not do in 1967 and 1973,” said Yigal Carmon, president and founder of MEMRI in an interview with The Post Monday.
“He ignores one thing: How Hamas used the population as human shields…The imam shows total support for a terrorist organization in the heart of New York and totally ignores how October 7 began.”
More than 1,200 died and 240 hostages were kidnapped during the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel on that date last year.
Adams joined forces with the Bay Ridge mosque and a host of elected officials in April 2017 in a campaign to combat hate against the Muslim community. At the time he was Brooklyn Borough President.
More on Crooks
Quote:Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks broke down his AR-15 rifle into two pieces so that he could stash it inside his backpack as he made his way through the Butler, Pa. rally crowd, the FBI announced Wednesday.
The bureau released the first photos of the semi-automatic DPMS DR-15 rifle, as well as the black backpack authorities recovered onsite featuring orange and white accents.
“Thomas Crooks’ rifle broken down as was likely done for transport and the backpack recovered onsite,” The FBI captioned the bombshell new image.
A separate photo showed the rifle fully assembled and positioned next to a ruler, which pegs its length at around 36 inches stock to barrel.
The agency also released images of two improvised explosive devices in the trunk of Crooks’ car — with the receiver enabling remote detonation set in the “off” position. The bureau said the devices had “several problems with the way they were constructed.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for more updates.
Quote:Donald Trump’s would-be assassin considered targeting a number of events involving both the Republican nominee and President Biden before settling on last month’s rally in Butler, Pa., federal investigators said Wednesday — while adding that the gunman’s ultimate motive remains unknown.
Thomas Matthew Crooks “conducted more than 60 searches related to President Biden and former President Trump,” including queries about both the Republican and Democratic national conventions, FBI Pittsburgh Field Office Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek told reporters.
“He looked at any number of events or targets,” Rojek explained. “[When] the Trump rally was announced early in July, he became hyper-focused on that specific event and looked at it as a target opportunity.”
Investigators determined that Crooks espoused a “mixture of ideologies” but didn’t appear to have a “definitive” world view, with Rojak saying investigators had found “valuable insight into his mindset but not a motive.”
“We have not uncovered any credible evidence indicating the subject conspired with anyone else,” he added before declaring there was “no second shooter” in an apparent response to conspiracy theories swirling online.
Crooks, 20, was killed by a counter-sniper July 13 after his bullets cut down audience member Corey Comperatore and wounded Trump, 78, and two other spectators.
Eight days before the rally, investigators found, Crooks had searched for “When is the DNC convention” and “When is the RNC in 2024.”
Other alarming searches asked, “Where will Trump speak from at Butler farm show,” “Butler farm show podium,” “Butler farm show photos,” “detonating cord,” “blasting cap,” “How to make a bomb from fertilizer” and “how do remote detonators work.”
As far back as September 2023, authorities found, an account associated with Crooks had searched Trump’s “schedule” for Pennsylvania events.
In addition to pouring through Crooks’ internet history and overseas encrypted messaging accounts, investigators had conducted “nearly 1,000 interviews,” according to Rojak, including a sit-down with Trump.
Rojek stressed that Crooks’ parents, who have retained a top Pittsburgh law firm, “have provided all the information that we have asked and have been extremely cooperative.”
Crooks fired eight rounds before he was stopped by a “single gunshot wound to the head,” officials confirmed.
Meanwhile, the bipartisan House task force probing the attempted assassination blasted out a sprawling document and interview request earlier Wednesday.
Chairman Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) and Ranking Member Jason Crow (D-Colo.) demanded the Department of Homeland Security fork over a trove of internal communications, as well as lists of individuals in charge of 17 specific aspects of rally security, transcripts of internal interviews, and the security plan for that day, among other records.
“The Task Force is investigating all actions by any agency, Department, officer, or employee of the federal government, as well as State and local law enforcement or any other State or local government or private entities or individuals related to the attempted assassination,” Kelly and Crow wrote in a letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Kelly, whose district encompasses Butler, and Crow gave DHS a deadline of Sept. 4 to comply with their lengthy list of demands in a seven-page letter, which was first reported by Politico.
Six Democrat and three Republican members of the task force visited the Butler Farm Show grounds Monday to tour the site where the harrowing attempt on Trump’s life took place.
There are multiple investigations already underway into the attempt to kill the 45th president, including from several Senate committees, the FBI, DHS review panel and DHS Office of the Inspector General.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) unveiled the bipartisan task force last month to look into the security failings that preceded the attack.
The Secret Service has faced a firestorm of criticism after Crooks managed to crawl across the top of a shed about 130 yards from where Trump was speaking and squeeze off multiple rounds.
Quote:A SWAT counter-sniper who was working the Pennsylvania rally where former President Donald Trump was nearly assassinated last month agreed with Republican lawmakers Monday that an “odd” pattern of evidence-handling had occurred following the deadly shooting.
Washington Regional SWAT counter-sniper Ben Shaffer said it was “absolutely” concerning that the roof of the AGR International building had been quickly scrubbed and gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks’ body disposed of before an official autopsy report could be released.
Five House Republicans — Reps. Andy Biggs and Eli Crane of Arizona, Matt Gaetz and Cory Mills of Florida, and Chip Roy of Texas — hosted the panel discussion with Shaffer and other witnesses at the conservative Heritage Foundation.
“Do you find it odd that literally only days after the attempted assassination on President Donald J. Trump, while the roof was too sloped to place individuals for counter-sniper operations, that it wasn’t too sloped of a roof for the FBI to go ahead and tamper, in my opinion, with evidence by washing the roof off that may have had significant evidence on it?” Mills asked Shaffer, referring to the chain of events following the July 13 shooting at the Butler, Pa., campaign event which left one audience member dead and three others, including Trump, injured.
“Yes, I do,” Shaffer answered.
“Do you also find it odd … that the body of Matthew Crooks had not only been released and cremated — but that the coroner who’s responsible for releasing the body had no knowledge of it?” Mills pressed.
“Yes, absolutely,” Shaffer said.
“It sounds like destruction of evidence,” replied Erik Prince, a former US Navy SEAL who founded the private military contractor Blackwater in the late 1990s.
Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who resigned over her disastrous testimony to Congress in the wake of the near-assassination of the 45th president, infamously said in her first interview since the attack that counter-sniper teams had not been placed on the AGR International building where Crooks later perched because of the “sloped roof.”
Mills also accused the FBI of a lack of transparency about Crooks’ purported “online” research into explosives and encrypted overseas messaging accounts.
Earlier, Shaffer told Biggs that Crooks being seen walking the grounds of the Butler Farm Show with a rangefinder scope should have elevated him from a “suspicious person” to a “person of interest” in law enforcement’s eyes.
“That would warrant some type of either investigatory detention or stop-and-question,” he said.
Crooks was first photographed by local counter-snipers at 5:10 p.m. and observed with the rangefinder “shortly after 5:38 p.m.,” according to Shaffer — 33 minutes before he targeted Trump at 6:11 p.m.
The gunman fired eight shots, striking Trump in the right ear and killing rallygoer Corey Comperatore, 50, and critically wounding David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74.
Counter-sniper teams fired two shots in response, but it is unknown whether just one of those shots or both killed Crooks, Shaffer noted in his testimony.
The 20-year-old shooter’s death was ruled a “homicide” by a “gunshot wound to the head,” according to an Aug. 2 report by Butler County Coroner William Young.
Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.), a former police officer and member of the House select task force probing the Butler shooting, revealed in a preliminary investigative report to the panel’s chairman, Mike Kelly (R-Pa.), that “the FBI released the body for cremation 10 days after” the attack.
Crooks’ motivations remain a mystery for many lawmakers in the House and Senate — including Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.), another member of the select task force whose members traveled to Butler on Monday to examine the rally scene.
At one point, lawmakers were spotted on the roof of the building where Crooks took up his position, about 150 feet from the stage where Trump was speaking.
Waltz said last week that FBI briefings had revealed Crooks’ use of messaging accounts on platforms located in Belgium, Germany and New Zealand.
“Why does a 19-year-old kid who is a health care aide need encrypted platforms not even based in the United States, but based abroad — where most terrorist organizations know it is harder for our law enforcement to get into?” Waltz said at a press conference last week.
“How did he learn to build those IEDs? How did he learn to install remote detonators? How did he conduct those searches and not get popped?” he told The Post the following day. “I still have a lot of questions.”
“We’ve heard both the Secret Service and the FBI kind of phrase it in different ways — that everything they’ve seen [points to] he acted alone and that they have yet to find any co-conspirator,” Waltz added. “I find that hard to believe, and I want to see, where’s the proof?”
“Any suggestion the FBI is interfering with congressional efforts to look into the attempted assassination which took place in Butler, Pennsylvania, is inaccurate and unfounded,” the bureau said in a statement Monday evening. “The FBI has been working closely with our law enforcement partners to conduct a thorough investigation into the shooting, and we have followed normal procedures in the handling of the crime scene and evidence.
Sarah Palin VS the Gray Lady
Quote:Sarah Palin on Wednesday won her bid for a new trial against the New York Times over an editorial that the former Alaska governor said was defamatory.
The 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals said Palin can try again to prove that the Times should be liable for a 2017 editorial that incorrectly linked her to a mass shooting six years earlier that killed six people and seriously wounded Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.).
Lawyers for Palin argued that US District Judge Jed Rakoff, who oversaw the February 2022 trial, wrongly excluded evidence of the Times’ actual malice and wrongly instructed jurors to disregard some of that evidence.
Media critics, and Palin herself, have viewed the case as a possible vehicle to overturn New York Times v. Sullivan, the landmark 1964 US Supreme Court decision that set a high bar for public figures to prove defamation.
To win, public figures must show that media demonstrated “actual malice,” meaning they knowingly published false information or had reckless disregard for the truth.
Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch have urged a reconsideration of the Sullivan decision, with Gorsuch citing changes in the media landscape, including the growth of cable TV news and online media and spread of disinformation.
The Times’ editorial, “America’s Lethal Politics,” addressed gun control and lamented the rise of incendiary political rhetoric.
It was published on June 14, 2017, after a gunman opened fire at a congressional baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia, injuring Congressman Steve Scalise (R-La.) and others.
The editorial noted that before the 2011 shooting in Tucson, Arizona, in which Giffords was wounded, Palin’s political action committee published a map with crosshairs over Giffords’ election district.
Palin objected to the editorial, saying “the link to political incitement was clear” despite there being no evidence that the map motivated Jared Lee Loughner, the Arizona gunman.
MA Secret Immigrant Spending
Quote:Massachusetts Republicans have submitted a formal request with the state’s government for information on the alleged “$1 billion in secret migrant crisis spending” as the Bay State grapples with the migrant crisis.
In a release from the state’s Republican Party, MassGOP, the group demanded that Gov. Maura Healey’s administration provides a detailed cost breakdown of the toll that the migrant crisis has caused for the state’s residents.
“The Healey-Driscoll Administration has shrouded nearly $1 billion spent in secrecy, leaving Massachusetts residents in the dark,” MassGOP chair Amy Carnevale said in a statement. “They have withheld critical information on 600 incidents involving police, fire and EMT. Blocking journalists at every turn, the administration has obstructed the flow of information to the public.”
In a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, Carnevale demanded the specifics of the state’s funding to provide housing for migrants.
In the FOIA request, Carnevale called for the Healey administration to provide the names of government and private entities that are providing emergency housing for migrants, where the emergency housing is located, any correspondents relating to public safety concerns, and any incident reports or police reports.
Carnevale argued that the Democrats’ supermajority has created a “veil of secrecy” surrounding the migrant crisis.
“Today, the Massachusetts Republican Party is standing against the veil of secrecy and the obstructionist efforts of the Healey-Driscoll Administration and the Democratic supermajority,” she said. “We stand with the Massachusetts press corps in declaring: enough is enough. The public deserves transparency. Release the details on the vendors profiting from this crisis and the public safety issues affecting our communities.”
“On behalf of Massachusetts residents, we are demanding accountability,” Carnevale added.
The MassGOP’s request comes after the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) released a report on July 24, which predicted Massachusetts will struggle to manage the growing number of migrants coming to the state.
The report noted that the state has already spent more than $1 billion on the Emergency Assistance sheltering program that houses migrants.
“The cost to Massachusetts taxpayers of temporary housing and shelters is enormous, but it pales in comparison to the costs that will accumulate in the future if those in the temporary shelters today remain in the Commonwealth for the long term,” wrote Jessica Vaughan, CIS director of policy studies.
In addition to housing, some other costs taxpayers will have to cover include schooling, social services, medical care and public safety.
But guess what?
That's not the only crisis impacting Massachusetts. Last week the following article was published on Fox News.Quote:Parents and students of a school district outside of Boston were informed last week that they would be without school bus service, citing a lack of funding and a shortage of buses.
The 150 students at Stoughton Public Schools will have to find a new way to get to school ahead of the academic year's September 4 start date, the Boston Herald first reported. The news comes at the same time that the state has started paying for buses for the migrant students of the more than 200 migrant families that recently moved into their community.
"Unfortunately, for the upcoming 2024-2025 school year, 150 secondary students who signed up to ride a bus were not able to be placed on a bus," a letter sent to parents from Superintendent of Schools Joseph Baeta read. "Those families not receiving bus transportation were notified this week. Those receiving bus transportation will receive their bus postcards the week of August 19."
"We understand the feelings of disappointment and frustration this caused for the families who did not receive bus transportation," the letter added. "We feel it is important to explain this situation to all of our families to allow you to better understand how we arrived at this point."
Over 160 more students applied for bus transportation compared to the year before, the letter said. Because of budget restraints, the district has one less bus than the year before. The superintendent also said there is a shortage of bus drivers.
There is no requirement in the state of Massachusetts to provide transportation for students in grades 7-12, but the district is required to provide busing to students living in hotels and shelters, the letter said. However, according to the superintendent, the arrival of migrant families in Stoughton is not the reason for the shortage of buses.
"We are utilizing funding the state provides to the district to bus the students living in hotels/shelters," the letter said. "The funding for these two buses does not come from our operational budget. It is inaccurate to suggest that these children receiving busing is the reason yours did not. If we were not receiving the funding from the state for the students living in hotels/shelters, we would not be able to have these two additional buses."
The district indicated there wasn't much it could do to provide additional busing, but announced there would be a virtual forum on Monday night where families could express concern or ask questions.
In a March letter issued by the Stoughton Superintendent, he recognized the uptick in migrants as a contributor to "financial pressures."
Biden's Disastrous Gaza Aid Pier
Quote:President Biden charged ahead with a $230 million pier to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza despite the urgings of multiple federal aid workers, according to an internal report on the project, which delivered less than a third of the intended assistance to the Hamas-ruled Palestinian enclave.
Biden, 81, announced the pier plan with great fanfare during his March 7 State of the Union address to Congress, with the White House projecting it would help convey enough provisions to feed an estimated 1.5 million Palestinians over a three-month period.
But thanks to “rough weather and high seas,” the pier only operated for 20 days, delivering enough food and medical aid for just 450,000 Palestinians before it was decommissioned on July 17, according to the US Agency for International Development (USAID) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) report issued Tuesday.
Not only did the pier fail to meet its goal, but three service members were injured — one critically — during operations there.
Pier pressure
With far-left Democrats calling for Biden to stop supporting Israel’s war efforts against Hamas, the president pitched the pier as a way to placate concerns about the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
“This temporary pier would enable a massive increase in the amount of humanitarian assistance
getting into Gaza every day,” Biden told lawmakers.
Behind the scenes, however, “multiple” USAID staff members were expressing “concerns that the focus on using [the pier] would detract from the agency’s advocacy for opening land crossings, which were seen as more efficient and proven methods of transporting aid into Gaza,” the watchdog found.
“However, once the president issued the directive, the Agency’s focus was to use [the pier] as effectively as possible,” it added.
In addition, almost no implementation planning had taken place before Biden’s announcement, according to the report, forcing State and Defense Department officials to quickly work together on the project.
In fact, it took USAID another 20 days after Biden’s announcement before it could submit its formal request to the Pentagon for official assistance.
“In the week following the State of the Union address, DoD and USAID held several meetings on the initial operational planning to use [the pier], according to multiple USAID staff,” the report said. “On March 27, USAID formally requested that DoD ‘facilitate maritime delivery of humanitarian supplies and associated logistics support’ from Cyprus to Gaza to support its humanitarian response operations.”
While the Defense Department had put such systems in place before, it had never done so in the “non-permissive environment” of an active combat zone, according to the report.
Not even the United Nations’ World Food Program was on board with Biden’s plan, according to the IG’s office.
“Before its launch, WFP highlighted in its USAID award documentation that lack of community buy-in among Palestinians for the maritime corridor could result in significant safety and security risks and compromise its operations,” the report found. “Further, the WFP documentation stated that its participation … ‘potentially entailed significant risk exposure for WFP.’”
John Kirby Doesn't Regret Saying He Didn't See Any Chaos during Troops Withdrawal from Afghanistan
Quote:On Monday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Lead,” White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby stated that he doesn’t regret saying that he “didn’t see” chaos in Afghanistan from his “perch.” Because even though “there was chaos,” “the question was asking me just a blanket sort of bumper sticker adjective slapped onto the withdrawal,” and “it deeply offends me, as a veteran myself, that we’re just slapping that bumper sticker on the whole withdrawal and I think that does a disservice to all the brave men and women, civilian and military alike, who pulled that withdrawal off.”
Host Phil Mattingly said, “[Y]ou received blowback last year for a comment that you made after one of the administration’s reviews came out. I want to give you a chance to respond to it, but first, this is what it was.”
He then played video of Kirby stating, “Proud of the fact that we got more than 124,000 people safely out of Afghanistan? You bet. Proud of the fact that American troops were able to seize control of a defunct airport and get it operational in 48 hours? You bet. Proud of the fact that we now have about 100,000 Afghans, our former allies and partners, living in this country and working towards citizenship? You bet. But does that mean that everything went perfect in that evacuation? Of course not. … For all this talk of chaos, I just didn’t see it, not from my perch.”
Mattingly then asked, “It was that last line that drew some criticism on Capitol Hill from Republicans, but also from those — others who were involved in that. I don’t ask about the impassioned point you were making before that last line, but on that last line, do you wish you had kind of framed it differently?”
Kirby responded, “Look, I think the line’s being taken a little bit out of context. And look, I’d be the first one to admit that I could always be more contextual in answering questions. I don’t regret saying it. Look, I had said, many times, and I did two briefings a day during the withdrawal at the Pentagon, and I was nothing but honest and forthcoming about the things that didn’t go well in that withdrawal. And of course there was chaos, of course there was confusion, there was blood, there was violence at different times during that evacuation. And you can find me saying that on the record and numerous times during the withdrawal and afterward. What I was referring to was the question was asked of me — and that’s missing in this soundbite — the question was asking me just a blanket sort of bumper sticker adjective slapped onto the withdrawal, I hear it all the time, chaotic. And I don’t apologize for the fact that, from where I was sitting at the Pentagon and watching how hard our troops and our State Department civilians and our intelligence community [were working] to get that airport up and running and to get it functional and to get more than 120 folks out, you — they created order out of disorder, Phil. They created the opposite of chaos on that field to try to get those folks out.”
He continued, “Now, yes, of course, outside the field, there was lots of confusion and chaos and violence, and I recognize that. And you can find me saying that in any number of interviews and press conferences, but I make no apologies at slapping back to criticism that everything about the withdrawal was faulty and everything was wrong, and that that does a disservice to the men and women who so bravely and courageously tried to get so many people out, and did so successfully. At one point, Phil, during the withdrawal, there was a C-17 full of people taking off about every hour. In fact, less than every hour, at one point during that withdrawal. That’s not chaos to me. So, I understand that criticism I’m coming under there. I think you have to look at the question as well, not just my answer. Could I have been more contextual? Probably. I freely admit that there are times when I’m not as contextual as possible, but I make no apologies and no bones and I don’t regret saying that, because it deeply offends me, as a veteran myself, that we’re just slapping that bumper sticker on the whole withdrawal and I think that does a disservice to all the brave men and women, civilian and military alike, who pulled that withdrawal off.”
Now he owes a second apology on all the soldiers and veterans that withdrew from Afghanistan and the gold star families that have been ignored by the Biden administration the whole time.
CANADA
Trudeau on Temporary Foreign Workers
Quote:Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Canada would be “reducing the number” of “temporary foreign workers” in the country.
In a post on X, Trudeau wrote that businesses in Canada should be investing in hiring “Canadian workers and youth.”
Trudeau’s words come as Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre has vowed to make cuts to Trudeau’s migration flood, implying that immigration numbers would be linked to the rate of homes being built and the jobs that are created.
“We’re reducing the number of low-wage, temporary foreign workers in Canada,” Trudeau wrote. “The labour market has changed. Now is the time for our businesses to invest in Canadian workers and youth.”
During a press conference on Monday, Trudeau explained that Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker program would be receiving an overhaul, according to BBC News.
Trudeau explained that not only is it “not fair to Canadians” who are having difficulties finding employment, but to some foreign workers who are being “mistreated and exploited.”
“It’s not fair to Canadians struggling to find a good job, and it’s not fair to those temporary foreign workers, some of whom are being mistreated and exploited,” Trudeau explained.
This comes as Canada saw the unemployment rate rise 0.2 percent to 6.4 in June, according to Statistics Canada.
Trudeau has previously acknowledged that young Canadians would be denied housing wealth due to the country’s housing market being impacted by an influx of foreign workers.
In April, Trudeau revealed that he had plans to reduce the number of migrant workers coming into the country and noted that “more and more businesses” in Canada were “relying on temporary foreign workers in a way that is driving down wages in some sectors.”
Canada was reported to have reached a population mark of 40 million in June 2023, and in March 2024, it was reported to have reached the 41 million mark.
Statistics Canada attributed the increase in Canada’s population to “international migration” during the first quarter of 2024.
INTERNATIONAL
Israeli UN Ambassador Warns UN About Hezbollah & Iran
Quote:The new Israeli ambassador to the United Nations has issued a stern warning to the international body amid escalating tensions with Hezbollah and concerns that Iran could be close to obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Ambassador Danny Danon told Fox News Digital that Security Council Resolution 1701 "said very clearly that there would be no military force in southern Lebanon besides the Lebanese military, but look what happened since 2006."
"Hezbollah took over, they controlled the region, and they made this area a hub for terrorism with tens of thousands of rockets that, unfortunately, in the last few months, we felt the capabilities," he argued. "I think if the U.N. is not capable of implementing the resolution, we will have to implement the resolution and push Hezbollah away from our community in the north."
Part of tackling the various groups in the Middle East – such as Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon or the Houthis in Yemen – requires dealing with Iran.
"I think it’s about time that not only Israel will deal with Iran, but the Western democracies will realize that they have to put pressure on Iran, they have to be active in order to prevent Iran from achieving nuclear capabilities," he said.
"We thought on April 14 when they sent hundreds of projectiles into Israel and their intentions … imagine they had nuclear capabilities," Danon noted. "We will not wait for that day. We will not allow them to achieve nuclear capabilities."
Danon replaced Gilad Erdan, who in May decided to end his tenure as the permanent representative to the U.N. Danon previously held the role from 2015 until 2020, after which he took the role of Minister of Science, Technology and Space.
Erdan served in the U.N. during the Oct. 7 attack and roughly the first nine months of Israel’s incursion into the Gaza Strip as the Israeli Defense Forces hunted down Hamas.
Erdan rose to international prominence for his fiery rhetoric, his bold speeches – including symbolically shredding the U.N. charter – and labeling the United Nations as a broken institution. Just last week, he declared that "the U.N. building in Jerusalem needs to be closed and erased from the face of the Earth."
Taliban Rebukes UN Concerns
Quote:The Taliban on Monday rejected concerns and criticism of the United Nations over new vice and virtue laws which ban women in Afghanistan from baring their faces and speaking in public places.
Roza Otunbayeva, who heads the U.N. mission in the country, UNAMA, said Sunday the laws provided a "distressing vision" for Afghanistan’s future. She said the laws extend the " already intolerable restrictions " on the rights of women and girls, with "even the sound of a female voice" outside the home apparently deemed a moral violation.
Zabihullah Mujahid, main spokesman for the Taliban’s government, in a statement warned against "arrogance" from those who may not be familiar with Islamic Sharia law, particularly non-Muslims who might express reservations or objections.
"We urge a thorough understanding of these laws and a respectful acknowledgment of Islamic values. To reject these laws without such understanding is, in our view, an expression of arrogance," he said.
Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers last Wednesday issued the country’s first set of laws to prevent vice and promote virtue.
They include a requirement for a woman to conceal her face, body and voice outside the home. They also ban images of living beings, such as photographs.
"After decades of war and in the midst of a terrible humanitarian crisis, the Afghan people deserve much better than being threatened or jailed if they happen to be late for prayers, glance at a member of the opposite sex who is not a family member, or possess a photo of a loved one," Otunbayeva said.
In response to the UNAMA statement, Mujahid added, "We must stress that the concerns raised by various parties will not sway the Islamic Emirate from its commitment to upholding and enforcing Islamic Sharia law."
EUROPE
UK: Say You're Sorry & We'll Let You Go Scot-Free
Quote:Violent knife and sex offenders can increasingly escape prosecution if they show contrition and say sorry, a report Wednesday claims.
According to the Daily Telegraph, more than 147,000 people accused of offences including sex crimes, violence and weapons possession across the UK were given community resolutions in the year to March instead of being prosecuted.
Such resolutions do not result in a criminal record. The outlet set out the terms applied to each case of forgiveness against a background of jail overcrowding:
Police guidance says community resolutions should be restricted to low-level crimes, with offenders required to apologise to the victim, accept “responsibility” for their crime and offer some form of recompense.
But the resolutions, which are issued at the discretion of individual officers, have increased by 40 per cent since 2019 – when 102,574 were recorded – and are now nearly twice as likely as a criminal charge, according to an analysis of Ministry of Justice data.
The surge comes amid a deepening crisis in the criminal justice system. Prisons are so full that the Government is releasing thousands of criminals early next month in the wake of the riots, while police have raised concerns that any worsening of jail overcrowding could limit their ability to make arrests.
Jess Phillips, the Home Office minister responsible for safeguarding, has ordered a review of the police response to “non-contact” sexual offences.
This issue was reportedly raised by the inquiry into the rape and murder of Sarah Everard by Pc Wayne Couzens, who had a history of exposing himself to women.
Phillips told the Telegraph: “This Government has been clear that violence against women and girls is a national emergency, and we expect police to treat all sexual offences with the seriousness it warrants.”
Since 2019, community resolutions given for robbery have increased by 127 percent, from 175 to 397. Those issued for sex offences have risen by 29 percent, from 482 to 621.
Resolutions for offences involving violence against a person have risen by 57 percent, from 29,188 to 45,845, while those for possession of weapons are up 77 percent, from 1,590 to 2,821.
The surge in community resolutions comes as knife crime approaches record levels and orders given to clear prison space amid the sentencing of anti-migration rioters, protesters, and social media posters that will reportedly see at least 5,500 criminals released early by the autumn, as Breitbart News reported.
UK: Carnival Was a Family Day Even After Mother Got Stabbed
Quote:London’s Metropolitan Police have described the multicultural Notting Hill Carnival as a “fantastic event” and a “family day” as a mother was left in critical condition after being stabbed while she was with her child.
Accusations of “two-tier” policing have once again been levelled at the Met, as the British capital’s police force appeared to take pains to paint the two-day Afro-Caribbean street party as a wholesome event fit for families, despite frequent violence, drug use, sexual assaults, and participants often attending in scantily-clad, highly-sexualised outfits.
At the end of the first day of the Carnival on Sunday evening, the police said: “Hundreds of thousands of people came to Notting Hill Carnival today to enjoy a fantastic celebration… Regrettably, a minority came to commit crime and engage in violence.”
Sunday saw three people stabbed, including a 32-year-old mother who was with her child as she was attacked. She has since been hospitalised with life-threatening injuries. Two men, aged 29 and 24 years old, were also stabbed on Sunday.
Additionally, 15 police officers were assaulted, 10 emergency workers were assaulted, and 90 people were arrested for a range of offences, including possession of weapons and drugs.
Nevertheless, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said: “Carnival is a community event and the vast majority of people come to celebrate, to dance, to enjoy music and have a fantastic experience… This was supposed to be ‘family day’ – a celebration suitable for all ages.”
Birmingham, UK
Quote:Police in Birmingham have launched an investigation after three instances of apparently anti-white graffiti appeared in the multicultural British city.
The inner-city Birmingham neighbourhood of Alum Rock saw graffiti reading “no whites” and “no whites allowed” appear over the past week, the Daily Telegraph broadsheet reported.
The paper obtained CCTV footage appearing to show a man in a hoodie sweatshirt scrawling the message “no whites” on a wall outside of a primary school in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Two other locations were marked with a similar message, however, there is currently no indication that the same man was responsible.
Birmingham, the United Kingdom’s second-largest city behind London, was listed in the 2021 Census as one of Britain’s minority-majority cities, with ethnic minorities making up 51.4 per cent of the population.
Birmingham’s white population has fallen from 71 per cent in 2001 and 58 per cent in 2011 to just 48.6 per cent according to the latest census.
The area which reportedly saw the anti-white graffiti, Alum Rock, is heavily dominated by people identifying as “Asian”, which in Britain typically refers to people from South Asian countries such as Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan.
Responding to the apparent anti-white incidents, a West Midlands Police spokesman said: “We are investigating after graffiti was sprayed at locations around the Alum Rock area. An investigation is under way to identify who is responsible, and we are carrying out CCTV enquiries.
“We are in contact with the community and will be carrying out patrols in the area. We are working with the local authority to ensure the graffiti is promptly removed.”
Ukraine on Peace Plan
Quote:Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters Tuesday that his country will “finalize” a peace plan to end the Russian invasion by November — the month of the scheduled American presidential election.
Zelensky said that he hoped to present the plan to leftist American President Joe Biden and the top two candidates vying to replace him, his Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. He added that Ukraine is also planning to host a second iteration of the “peace summit” hosted by Switzerland in June, which Russia did not participate in and resulted in no significant changes on the battleground.
Ukraine has faced some form of aggression from Russia for over a decade, since Moscow announced the colonization of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula in March 2014. After years of low-level military conflict in the eastern Ukrainian Donbass region between the Ukrainian military and Russian-backed separatists, Russian strongman Vladimir Putin announced that he would deploy the Russian military for a “special operation” in February 2022 to oust Zelensky. That “special operation” led to the “annexation” of four other regions of Ukraine — both Donbass regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, as well as Kherson and Zaporizhzhia — and remains ongoing to this day.
The Ukrainian military appeared to change the momentum of the war in early August by invading uncontested Russian territory in the Kursk region, and threatening neighboring Bryansk and Belgorod. Ukraine continues to control significant territory in Kursk, according to both Russian and Ukrainian estimates, but Russia launched a massive nationwide attack on the Ukrainian power grid on Monday that has limited Kyiv’s ability to expand its attacks.
Zelensky emphasized in his remarks during a press conference on Tuesday that his administration is looking to end the war as soon as possible.
“The main point of this plan is to force Russia to end the war. And I want that very much — (that it would be) fair for Ukraine,” Zelensky said, according to Reuters, referring to the plan he expects to debut in November. He nonetheless suggested that dialogue with Russia would not be part of the peace plan: “There can be no compromises with Putin, dialogue today is in principle empty and meaningless because he does not want to end the war diplomatically.”
Zelensky signed a decree in October 2022 that outlawed dialogue with Russia so long as Vladimir Putin remained at the helm of the country.
On the peace plan in development, Zelensky said it would address energy safety, food security, and the release of Ukrainians imprisoned or forcibly moved into Russia.
Russia Hits Ukraine With Missile Attacks on Civilian Areas
Quote:Ukraine continues to reel from Russia’s missile strike on Monday, which ranks as the largest attack since the start of the war, as Moscow is beginning to suggest that Ukraine could make desperate moves.
"Russia’s large-scale strikes on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure on Monday are almost certainly in response to Ukraine’s incursion into Kursk Oblast, breaching Russia’s border," Rebekah Koffler, told Fox News Digital.
"Zelenskyy likely anticipated Russia’s retaliation and accepted the risk anyway," Koffler explained. "Zelenskyy wants to stay in the fight - there’s no other path for him personally or professionally."
"To stay in the fight, he needs more weapons and financing from the West," she added. "Zelenskyy likely seeks from the Biden Administration the removal of restrictions for the employment of U.S.-provided weapons, so Ukrainian forces can strike targets deeper inside Russia that are currently within range."
On Monday, Russia launched 100 missiles and 100 drones as Ukraine continued its incursion into the Kursk region, which marked the first land invasion of Russia since World War II and the most significant setback for Russian President Vladimir Putin since his troops invaded Ukraine. The strikes knocked out key energy infrastructure in 15 regions across the country, killed five people and injured many others, French outlet Le Monde reported.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed on his Telegram channel that Western allies had effectively hamstrung Ukraine with restrictions on weapon use, arguing that "We could do much more to protect lives if the air forces of our European neighbors worked together with our F-16 [fighters] and anti-aircraft defenses."
Russia followed up that massive strike with a second volley overnight Monday, which killed at least two people as missiles and drones rained down across the Zaporizhzhia region in the southeast, the BBC reported. Ukraine used newly-deployed F16s to help shoot down five missiles and 60 drones, limiting the second strike's impact to a couple dozen projectiles overall.
President Biden blasted Russia for the "outrageous" attacks and promised to support Ukraine's energy grid. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy ridiculed Russia for "cowardly missile and drone attacks on civilian infrastructure."
Russia on the Ukrainian Incursion
Quote:The governor of the Russian region of Belgorod claimed on Tuesday that Ukrainian troops had launched an attempt to “break through the border,” potentially expanding the surprise ground campaign targeting neighboring Kursk that began on August 6.
The Ukrainian government began a campaign to seize land in Kursk, uncontested Russian territory, in early August that forced the Russian military to redirect resources out of war-torn eastern Ukraine and resulted in mass evacuations of Russian civilians from the border. After nearly three weeks of headlines suggesting that Ukraine had shifted the momentum to its benefit in the two-year-old full-scale invasion, the Russian government launched nationwide airstrikes in response, targeting the Ukrainian power grid.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Monday that the country was facing blackouts “everywhere,” while electricity officials announced they would have to implement rolling power outages to ensure that enough electricity would go to essential services. The Russian government confirmed that it had targeted electrical infrastructure in an attempt to cripple the Ukrainian military.
Ukrainian authorities have not at press time addressed the reported attacks in Belgorod.
“There is information that the enemy is trying to break through the border of the Belgorod Region,” Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov announced on Tuesday, according to the Russian news network Tass. Russian authorities reportedly insisted that the situation was “under control,” though suggested that fighting was ongoing.
The Moscow Times reported that, in addition to official information, unofficial news on Russian regime-linked Telegram channels suggested that hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers were participating in assaults on the Belgorod border. One such account indicated that 200 Ukrainian troops had deployed “near” one border checkpoint and 300 near another. Neither the Russian nor Ukrainian government have confirmed those reports, however.
Belgorod is located southeast of Kursk, where the August Ukrainian ground initiative has largely focused, and 25 miles from the border with Kharkiv, Ukraine. Its location has made it vulnerable to Ukrainian attack throughout the war. Governor Gladkov offered to voluntarily relocate residents out of the region in January in the face of mounting Ukrainian attacks, seven months after the first large-scale reports of “paramilitary” fighting in the region. Deadly shelling in July, targeting locations the Russian military uses to fire into Ukraine, outraged local residents, who lamented to Al Jazeera that they did not feel that Moscow was protecting them. At the time, Gladkov claimed that over 200 Belgorod residents had died as a result of the war since 2022.
Gladkov declared a state of emergency in Belgorod on August 14 in response to the Kursk counter-invasion, which had also affected parts of his region.
“Houses are destroyed. Civilians died and were injured,” he said in his announcement, describing the situation in Belgorod as “extremely difficult and tense.”
In a meeting with Russian strongman Vladimir Putin shortly before the state of emergency declaration, Gladkov said his region had begun planning to evacuate as many as 11,000 people to protect from Ukrainian attacks.
A week ago, the Russian news agency Tass reported a barrage of Ukrainian bombing over Belgorod.
“Eight drones were shot down by the air defense system,” Tass quoted Gladkov as reporting. “One residential building, three private households, five cars, one social facility, two production enterprises and a communications infrastructure facility were damaged.”
MIDDLE EAST
IDF on Hezbollah
Quote:The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Monday that 90% of the Hezbollah rockets that were intercepted Sunday were fired from civilian areas in southern Lebanon, a further violation of international law by the Iran-backed terror group.
In a statement, the IDF said:
Early Sunday morning, following the detection of preparations by Hezbollah to launch missiles and rockets aimed toward the north and the center of the State of Israel, the IDF struck Hezbollah targets that posed an immediate threat.
During the strike, about 230 launches and 20 aerial targets were identified crossing into Israeli territory.
The Hezbollah terrorist organization places its terrorist infrastructure in the middle of the civilian population while using Lebanese civilians as human shields. 90% of the launches were from the heart of a civilian area, near civilian facilities such as mosques, schools, UN sites, etc.
Hezbollah and Hamas, a Palestinian terror group, both follow the practice of hiding weapons among civilians so that if Israel attacks the weapons sites, there will be civilian casualties for which Israel will be blamed — even though intentionally exposing civilians to enemy fire is a violation of international humanitarian law by the terrorists.
Israel launched a preemptive strike targeting thousands of Hezbollah rocket launchers before the terror organization attacked. One of the targets of Hezbollah had reportedly been Tel Aviv. Hezbollah was seeking to avenge the death of its second-in-command, Fuad Shukr, killed by Israel last month. Shukr was also linked to the U.S. Marines barracks bombing in 1983 that killed 241 U.S. servicemen.
Hezbollah’s very presence in southern Lebanon is a violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 of 2006, which requires southern Lebanon to be demilitarized.
Israel Launches Major Counterterror Operation
Quote:The Israeli military carried out a major operation in the West Bank this week that killed nine militants, Israel Defense Forces announced Wednesday.
The IDF said a large group of its forces entered the city of Jenin on Wednesday, adding that all nine people who were killed in the operation were militants. IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said three of the individuals were killed in an airstrike on Tulkarem, while four others were killed in an an airstrike in Al-Faraa.
The final two were killed by Israeli soldiers.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz wrote on social media that the goal of the operation was to destabilize Iranian "terrorist infrastructure" within the West Bank.
"We must deal with the threat just as we deal with the terrorist infrastructure in Gaza, including the temporary evacuation of Palestinian residents and whatever steps are required," Katz wrote. "This is a war for all terms and purposes and we must win it."
The West Bank operation comes one day after the Israeli military successfully rescued a hostage being held by Hamas in Gaza on Tuesday.
"The IDF and ISA have rescued Qaid Farhan Alkadi from Gaza where he was held hostage, and brought him to his family in Israel. This operation was part of the IDF’s daring and courageous activities conducted deep inside the Gaza strip," said Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant.
Netanyahu on Sanctions Imposed by Biden
Quote:Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is speaking out after the Biden-Harris administration slapped a sixth round of sanctions on Israelis on Wednesday, as part of an effort to appease anti-Israel critics on the political left.
“Israel views with utmost severity the imposition of sanctions on citizens of Israel. The issue is in a pointed discussion with the US,” Netanyahu said in a statement circulated by the Government Press Office.
The sanctions apply to an organization called Hashomer Yosh, which the Times of Israel describes as a group that “arranges for volunteers to provide help and support for at least 26 illegal farming outposts in the West Bank, among other activities.”
The Times of Israel adds:
At least two of the illegal outposts that the organization supports, Meitarim Farm and Moshe’s Farm, are run by US-designated individuals. The group has also provided support for Yinon Levi, Neriya Ben Pazi and Zvi Bar Yosef, who have all been designated by the US for their involvement in violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.
…
Hashomer Yosh has received over NIS 8 million ($2.2 million) from the Agriculture Ministry and the Negev, Galilee and National Resilience Ministry since 2018 for its activities.
The sanctions are part of a Biden-Harris crackdown on “extremist” settlers, motivated in part by anti-Israel groups such as Democracy for the Arab World Now, and based on unconfirmed accusations.
The sanctions also further the agenda of the anti-Israel (and antisemitic) “Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions” (BDS) movement. No such sanctions have been applied to the Palestinian Authority or Palestinian organizations.
IDF Freed Arab Israeli
Quote:Qaid Farhan al-Qadi, 52, the Bedouin Israeli Arab Muslim hostage whom Israeli soldiers rescued from a Hamas tunnel in Gaza on Tuesday, thanked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the “sacred” work the soldiers had done.
The Government Press Office published a transcript of their telephone conversation, as al-Qadi, the first Israeli hostage to be rescued from within a tunnel, was treated in Soroka Hospital in Beersheba after being rescued.
Prime Minister Netanyahu: “Farhan, hello to you my friend. Welcome back!”
Farhan Qadi: “Hello; welcome. Hello Bibi, Abu [father of] Yair!”
Prime Minister Netanyahu: “Farhan, I am so happy to speak with you.”
Farhan Qadi: “I am also happy. I have been waiting for this moment. I swear to you, Abu Yair.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu: “Tell me, have you already met with your family?”
Farhan Qadi: “Yes, two of my children are here.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu: “I want you to know that we are truly moved from the depth of our hearts, for both you and your family.”
Farhan Qadi: “I thank you for this work, that you have reached a situation in which I see my family and am here. You truly did sacred work. There are other people who are waiting.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu: “I want you to know that are not forgetting anyone, just like we did not forget you. We are committed to returning everyone, without exception.”
Farhan Qadi: “I thank you very much. I invite you, Abu Yair.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu: “Thank you. I would like you to embrace your family and I want you to know that the entire people of Israel embraces you, and the others. We will bring them.”
Farhan Qadi: “Thank you. May it be G-d’s will. Thank you very much.”
The freed hostage also spoke with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, whose office released the following statement:
President Isaac Herzog spoke this evening with Qaid Farhan al-Qadi, a resident of Rahat who was abducted on October 7th and rescued today by security forces from captivity in Gaza. Qaid Farhan is currently receiving treatment at Soroka University Medical Center.
The President emotionally said to him: “Dear Farhan, how moving it is to hear your voice! Our brother has come home. Our brother has returned!”
Farhan thanked the President and responded: “I am grateful to the State of Israel, to the army, who came. People are suffering there. Do everything you can to bring people home. Work 24 hours, don’t sleep until they return. People are really suffering, you can’t imagine. Suddenly, I heard someone speaking Hebrew outside the door, I couldn’t believe it, I couldn’t believe it. I thank you very much. This is thanks to our army, they are doing a sacred duty, risking their lives. Thank you very much, Mr. President.”
The President replied: “You went through hell there, I understand, it’s hard. The most important thing is to bring everyone back. Thank God you’ve returned, and now you can see your entire big family. We are very, very proud of the army, the Shin Bet, and all the forces that took part in this amazing operation. There are still so many brothers and sisters there, and we want them all home, the entire nation of Israel is with us. The entire country, the entire state. Welcome back, dear brother, and good health.”
A-Qadi was described as thin but in stable condition after his rescue, which was described as a complex operation.
Many Bedouin Arabs, who are Muslim, serve in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and are loyal to the Jewish state.
Israel Opens Tombs from Ancient Rome
Quote:Tombs dating back to the ancient Roman era have been opened to the public for the first time after a meticulous restoration process, according to an announcement from the Israel Antiquities Authority.
The two tombs, estimated to be nearly 2,000 years old, were originally discovered by British archaeologists in the 1930s.
For nearly 100 years, the tombs were closed to the public to protect the paintings depicting vines, Roman deities, and mythological creatures.
The tombs, located in Ashkelon, Israel about 6 miles from the Gaza Strip, were ultimately renovated when the city decided to make the site an educational park for public visits.
They are located within a stones' throw of the beach, and were likely a burial site for aristocratic Roman citizens in Ashkelon about 1,800 years ago.
"This tomb has wonderful paintings that were preserved remarkably well, and that’s surprising considering that the time that has passed and the location next to the sea, the humidity, the sand, the winds, everything affects the plaster and the paintings," said Anat Rasiuk, an archaeologist with the Antiquities Authority to the Associated Press.
The murals depict birds, children picking bunches of grapes, nymphs with lotus plants, and figures from Greek mythology that were adopted by the Romans like the head of Medusa and Demeter, the goddess of the harvest.
Some of the lime-based plaster paintings were removed from the tombs' walls and taken off-site for restoration, where others were painstakingly cleaned and given touch-ups that look the same as the ancient pigment on-site.
Ayatollah on US & Nukes
Quote:Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei hinted on Tuesday that he could be open to resuming limited nuclear negotiations with Iran’s great “enemy,” the United States.
He also advised civilian government officials not to trust anything the “enemy” says during those negotiations.
The Supreme Leader was firm on regarding the U.S. as a deeply distrusted adversary, but said Iran can still “interact with the same enemy in certain situations.”
“There is no harm in that, but do not place your hopes in them,” he said. “Do not trust the enemy.”
Khamenei, who has absolute power and final say over international relations under Iran’s authoritarian theocracy, made his remarks while speaking with President Masoud Pezeshkian and his cabinet.
Pezeshkian, billed as a “moderate” and “reformer,” was the surprise winner of the July emergency election to replace President Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter crash in May. Pezeshkian’s candidacy was supported by the marginalized “moderate” wing of Iranian politics that negotiated the 2015 nuclear deal with former President Barack Obama.
In fact, the new president’s first pick for vice president was the chief negotiator of the deal, former foreign minister Mohmmad Javad Zarif, but he quickly resigned because he disagreed with Pezeshkian’s choices for cabinet minister. Zarif just as suddenly un–resigned on Tuesday, seemingly pleased with the Ayatollah’s support for resuming nuclear negotiations.
“My colleagues and I in the steering council and committees take pride in the fact that nearly 70% of the ministers and vice presidents, along with numerous deputy ministers and organizations, stem from expert recommendations derived from this transparent and inclusive process,” Zarif said in a post on social media, essentially taking back the entire reason he ostentatiously resigned from the vice presidency less than three weeks ago.
“Following the thoughtful follow-ups and consultations led by the president, along with his written directive, I am committed to resuming my responsibilities in the Strategic Vice Presidency, with faith in Allah and the support of our great nation,” he said.
Pezeshkian campaigned on improving ties with the West and said he favored resuming nuclear negotiations to lift crushing sanctions and “normalize relations with the world.” As with all Iranian leaders, including the most bloodthirsty hardliners, he insisted Iran’s defense plan “does not include nuclear weapons.”
Iran-watchers have been curious to see how much room the hardline Supreme Leader would give Pezeshkian to negotiate. The U.S. State Department did not seem terribly impressed by the signals Khamenei sent in his remarks to the cabinet on Tuesday.
“We have long said that we ultimately view diplomacy as the best way to achieve an effective, sustainable solution with regard to Iran’s nuclear program. However, we are far away from anything like that right now given Iran’s escalations across the board, including its nuclear escalations and its failure to cooperate,” the State Department said.
“If Iran wants to demonstrate seriousness or a new approach, they should stop nuclear escalations and start meaningfully cooperating with the IAEA,” the statement added.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog, has been complaining for years about Iran refusing to fully cooperate with its inspectors. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi denounced Iran’s level of cooperation as “completely unsatisfactory” after a visit to Tehran in May.
Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) senior fellow Ray Takeyh told the New York Times (NYT) on Tuesday that although Iran insists it has no interest in the outcome of the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Tehran would be far more likely to negotiate with an extended Biden administration under his vice president, Kamala Harris.
Greek Tanker Spilling Oil into Red Sea
Quote:The Pentagon said on Tuesday that the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion, abandoned in the Red Sea after a pirate attack by the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists of Yemen on August 21, appears to be leaking oil — possibly the prelude to a much-feared environmental catastrophe.
The Sounion was en route from Iraq to Greece with 150,000 tons of crude oil when it came under repeated attack by the Houthis, including pirate attacks with armed men in small boats. The ship was eventually disabled with multiple explosions and caught fire in several locations along its superstructure. The crew was rescued by ASPIDES, the European naval task force in the Red Sea.
The Houthis gleefully celebrated their successful terrorist attack by broadcasting images of the burning ship on their state media. The Biden-Harris administration helplessly complained that the burning oil tanker, which is much larger than the infamous Exxon Valdez tanker at the heart of a historic environmental catastrophe in the late 1980s, posed a major threat to the surrounding sea.
“Through these attacks, the Houthis have made clear they are willing to destroy the fishing industry and regional ecosystems that Yemenis and other communities in the region rely on for their livelihoods, just as they have undermined the delivery of vital humanitarian aid to the region through their reckless attacks,” the State Department said on Saturday.
The Pentagon initially said there was no sign of oil leaking from the stricken tanker but, on Tuesday, it revised its appraisal and warned the Sounion now appears to be leaking oil.
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
![[Image: SP1-Scripter.png]](https://www.save-point.org/images/userbars/SP1-Scripter.png)
![[Image: SP1-Writer.png]](https://www.save-point.org/images/userbars/SP1-Writer.png)
![[Image: SP1-Poet.png]](https://www.save-point.org/images/userbars/SP1-Poet.png)
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My Original Stories (available in English and Spanish)
List of Compiled Binary Executables I have published...
HiddenChest & Roole
Give me a free copy of your completed game if you include at least 3 of my scripts!
Just some scripts I've already published on the board...
KyoGemBoost XP VX & ACE, RandomEnkounters XP, KSkillShop XP, Kolloseum States XP, KEvents XP, KScenario XP & Gosu, KyoPrizeShop XP Mangostan, Kuests XP, KyoDiscounts XP VX, ACE & MV, KChest XP VX & ACE 2016, KTelePort XP, KSkillMax XP & VX & ACE, Gem Roulette XP VX & VX Ace, KRespawnPoint XP, VX & VX Ace, GiveAway XP VX & ACE, Klearance XP VX & ACE, KUnits XP VX, ACE & Gosu 2017, KLevel XP, KRumors XP & ACE, KMonsterPals XP VX & ACE, KStatsRefill XP VX & ACE, KLotto XP VX & ACE, KItemDesc XP & VX, KPocket XP & VX, OpenChest XP VX & ACE
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
My Original Stories (available in English and Spanish)
List of Compiled Binary Executables I have published...
HiddenChest & Roole
Give me a free copy of your completed game if you include at least 3 of my scripts!
Just some scripts I've already published on the board...
KyoGemBoost XP VX & ACE, RandomEnkounters XP, KSkillShop XP, Kolloseum States XP, KEvents XP, KScenario XP & Gosu, KyoPrizeShop XP Mangostan, Kuests XP, KyoDiscounts XP VX, ACE & MV, KChest XP VX & ACE 2016, KTelePort XP, KSkillMax XP & VX & ACE, Gem Roulette XP VX & VX Ace, KRespawnPoint XP, VX & VX Ace, GiveAway XP VX & ACE, Klearance XP VX & ACE, KUnits XP VX, ACE & Gosu 2017, KLevel XP, KRumors XP & ACE, KMonsterPals XP VX & ACE, KStatsRefill XP VX & ACE, KLotto XP VX & ACE, KItemDesc XP & VX, KPocket XP & VX, OpenChest XP VX & ACE
