Breaking News
12 months ago
The United States has issued a travel advisory to Germany over fears of terrorism. On Wednesday, the Department of State upgraded Germany to Level 2 out of four — an edict to “exercise increased caution” — with the stark warning that “terrorist groups keep planning attacks in Germany.” The US government added that tourist locations and transportation hubs are frequently targeted, along with hotels, restaurants, clubs, places of worship, parks, and both sporting and cultural events. “Terrorists may attack with little or no warning,” the State Department noted. In late March, Canada also advised travelers to “exercise a high degree of caution in Germany due to the threat of terrorism.” The United Kingdom’s foreign travel advice additionally cited incidents of terror in Germany in recent years. These include a killing and severe injury from a knife attack in Dresden in 2020, as well as two mass shootings at bars in Hanau that killed eight in the same year. In 2019, two people were fatally shot near a synagogue in the city of Halle. The State Department advises travelers to “identify safe areas” to turn toward in the event of an attack.
12 months ago
There is a “widespread belief” among US officials that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s goal of “eradicating” Hamas in Gaza is unattainable. Throughout the past seven months, there have been multiple signs that the US doesn’t believe Israel could achieve its goals in Gaza, yet the Biden administration has continued to support the slaughter of Palestinians in the Strip. the US intelligence agencies released their annual “threat assessment,” and it said Israel will face “lingering armed resistance” for “years to come” and that the Israeli military would struggle to destroy Hamas’s underground infrastructure. The Washington Post also reported in March that the US didn’t think Israel had clear or attainable goals as far back as October. “We never had a clear sense that the Israelis had a definable and achievable military objective,” a source familiar with an October 27 Biden administration meeting on the situation in Gaza told the Post. “From the very beginning, there’s been a sense of us not knowing how the Israelis were going to do what they said they were going to do.” The Times report focused on Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Israel and the difference in messaging from the administration and Netanyahu. […]
12 months ago
Now that Congress rammed through a huge weapons package for Ukraine, what will Ukraine do with the weapons and how long will they last? Ukraine’s Real Bottleneck Ukraine touts Russian casualties, no doubt exaggerated, while Russian published accounts of Russian losses are no doubt understated. But what about Ukraine’s losses? Those are a military secret. Despite a full understanding of how bad the situation is in Ukraine, we do know that it’s not a pretty setup. Please consider Ukraine’s Bottleneck. The main reason why opinion in Washington has shifted over Ukraine is the assessment that the country will lose the war because it does not have enough troops on the ground. We saw a story in Bild yesterday that would confirm this story line. Of all German newspapers, Bild has been the strongest supporter of Ukraine, so we don’t think we are dealing with a case of news selection bias. We know about shortages. This story goes further. Ukrainian commanders are saying that the bottleneck is no longer western weapons, but people who can use them. We should not extrapolate that information. They may overstate their case to force a change in policy. For all we know, Russia may have […]
12 months ago
Hezbollah on Tuesday conducted its deepest strikes into Israeli territory since the start of the war, launching drones at Israeli military bases on the outskirts of the Israeli city of Acre. Israel’s military said none of its facilities were hit, and videos circulating online appear to show Israeli anti-air systems intercepting at least one drone that was flying low over the Mediterranean, just off the coast where Acre is located. The IDF subsequently confirmed it intercepted two “areal targets” off Israel’s northern coast. Thus far in the conflict, Hezbollah’s daily rocket and drone attacks have tended to stay within a few kilometres of Israel. However, Tuesday’s attack seems to be sending a message that escalation could be imminent: A security source told Arab News that the attack was “a sensitive targeting.” The area struck is more than 15 kilometres from the border with Lebanon. “This targeting took place in broad daylight while the Israelis were celebrating the Jewish Passover,” the source said. Hezbollah said it launched the drones “in response to Israeli aggression against the Lebanese town of Aadloun and the assassination of a (Hezbollah) cadre there.” While the IDF denied that there were any direct hits on military bases, […]
12 months ago
The Israeli army is closing in on completing its plans for an assault on the Gaza Strip’s southern city of Rafah, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Tuesday. WSJ cites Egyptian officials as saying that Israel’s plan to evacuate civilians from the city will take two to three weeks and will be carried out in cooperation with Washington, Cairo, and other Arab states, including the UAE. The officials say Israel is planning on gradual deployments of troops to Rafah. The troops will concentrate on specific areas where Tel Aviv believes Hamas leaders are holed up. The entire operation – including the evacuations – is expected to take at least six weeks, according to WSJ. The attack on Rafah will have a “very tight operational plan because it’s very complex there,” an Israeli security official told the outlet. “There’s a humanitarian response that’s happening at the same time.” Israel’s evacuation plan involves moving Rafah’s civilian population upwards towards the southern city of Khan Yunis, as well as other areas of the strip, the report states, adding that shelters with tents, food supplies, and medical facilities will be set up. Egypt has been briefed on the details of the plan. Al-Araby […]
12 months ago
Iran’s leadership has always strongly asserted that it is not pursuing the development of nuclear weapons, but instead has long sought a peaceful nuclear energy program. Various Ayatollahs over the decades have even declared the atomic bomb to be ‘unIslamic’ and against the teachings of the Koran. But that could change, Iran’s military now says, should Israel launch an attack against the Islamic Republic following last Saturday’s own Iran strike on Israel which was retaliation for the Damascus embassy attack of April 1st. The commander of Iran’s Nuclear Centers Protection and Security Corps of the IRGC, Brigadier General Ahmad Haghtalab, has warned that any aggression against Iran could trigger a review of the country’s nuclear stance. “If Israel attempts to use the threat of attacking our country’s nuclear centers as a means to pressure Iran, it is possible and conceivable that the Islamic Republic may reconsider its nuclear doctrine and policies, potentially deviating from previously announced stances,” Haghtalab was cited in Tasnim news agency as saying. “From the very beginning, Iran was ready to counter threats from Israel. Thanks to the use of passive defense plans, as well as the most modern weapons, thanks to the dispersal of nuclear facilities […]
1 year ago
A series of terror attacks rocked Iran overnight involving gunmen in several locations storming military and police stations, which left at least eleven security service members dead. It happened in the country’s restive border province which sits near Afghanistan and Pakistan. State media detailed on Thursday that at least 16 suspected Sunni militants were killed during the assaults, which took place in the towns of Chabahar and Rask in Sistan-Baluchestan. “The terrorists failed to succeed achieving their goal of seizing the Guards headquarters in Chabahar and Rask,” deputy Interior Minister Majid Mirahmadi announced. The region also saw ten additional security personnel injured and wounded. The attacks are being widely blamed on Jaish al-Adl (“Army of Justice”), which is a Sunni Baluch separatist organization operating mainly in southeastern Iran. Among the slain Iranian personnel was an IRGC officer as well as a Basij paramilitary force member, according to Iranian official IRNA news agency. The attack reportedly went on for many hours, with some reports saying it lasted all night into morning, at well over 12 hours in total before the situation was stabilized. Images of pitched battles in the middle of city streets were posted to social media. #BREAKING A video released by @haalvsh shows an explosion […]
1 year ago
This week Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Torzhok air base in Tver Region which hosts the 344th Training Center for Russian combat pilots. Some or many of these aviators who will likely go on to fly missions in Ukraine. In an address to the pilots, Putin referenced accusations frequently voiced by Western leaders that he intends to expand the war in Ukraine by attacking NATO and other European countries. He called the claim “utter nonsense” but went on to issue a warning about US-made F16 fighters jets. Describing that US “satellites” in Eastern Europe (for example, Poland) have no reason to be afraid, he said, “The claims that we are going to attack Europe after Ukraine – it is utter nonsense and intimidation of their own population just to beat the money out of them.” European countries have indeed been seeking to ramp up their defense sectors and spending, especially following two years of arming Ukraine which has largely depleted domestic stockpiles. A translation in Politico quoted Putin as further saying “…the possibility of an attack on some other countries, on Poland, the Baltic states, the Czechs are scared. It’s just nonsense,” and that Russia has “no aggressive intentions toward […]
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