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Mon, 27 Sep 2021
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Rocket

Beirut 'responsible' for Lebanon-based 'terrorist attacks' on Israel, IDF claims as UN calls for 'restraint'

Bomb Experts
© Reuters/Gil Eliyahu
An Israeli bomb expert and two soldiers inspect the remains of a rocket fired from Lebanon
Kiryat Shmona, Israel • August 4, 2021
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has said Beirut needs to take responsibility for acts of hostility, notably Wednesday's rocket fire originating in Lebanon, as the UN pleads with all involved to avoid an escalation.

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) called on Israel and parties in Lebanon to stop firing after rockets were launched from inside southern Lebanon into Israel, triggering retaliation from the IDF.

A UNIFIL statement notes that the head of mission and force commander, Major General Stefano Del Col, had been in touch with both parties.

Comment: Other towns were alerted and took cover:
Sirens sounded in several towns in the north of the country. Residents of Kfar Giladi, Tel Hai, and Kiryat Shmona said they heard loud explosions in the area, according to local media reports.

A video uploaded on social media shows what is claimed to be a plume of black smoke coming from the rocket's impact site in Kiryat Shmona.


There have so far been no reports of casualties, but Haaretz said the explosion caused a fire not far from residential buildings in the town.

The blaze poses an added risk, as Israel is currently going through an extreme heatwave, with temperatures reaching 43C in some parts of the country. Shmona's mayor called upon locals to stay close to their bomb shelters and await further instructions from the authorities. The IDF said on Twitter that its artillery targeted Lebanese territory in response to the rocket attack.



Take 2

Texas Governor Abbott fires back after federal judge blocks executive order on migrant vehicles

Abbott
© WhatsApp/Gov. Greg Abbott's Office
Texas Governor Gregg Abbott
The office of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott fired back Tuesday after a federal judge blocked his executive order calling for state troopers to stop drivers suspected of carrying illegal immigrants in hopes of containing the spread of the coronavirus. The statement said:
"The Court's recent order is temporary and based on limited evidence. We look forward to providing the Court with the evidence to support the Governor's Executive Order to protect Texans.

"The Biden Administration has knowingly — and willfully — released COVID-19 positive migrants into Texas communities risking the potential exposure and infection of Texas residents. The Governor's Executive Order attempts to prevent the Biden Administration from spreading COVID-19 into Texas and protect the health and safety of Texans."
Abbott's order banned the transportation of migrants within Texas by anyone other than law enforcement, according to reports.

U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone in El Paso granted a request by the Justice Department for a temporary restraining order against Abbott's move. The decision was seen as an initial victory for the Biden administration.


Comment: See also:


Arrow Up

Taliban commander leading assault on Afghan city was part of prisoner swap US pressured Kabul into

Checkpoint
© AP/Rahmat Gul
Afghan National Army soldiers at checkpoint near Bagram Base
Heavy clashes are taking place between Afghanistan forces and the Taliban in several Afghan cities following the withdrawal of US and NATO forces from the country, despite ongoing peace talks between the government and the Islamist militant group in the Qatari capital of Doha.

As the Taliban continues to advance on major cities in Afghanistan amid the withdrawal of US and NATO forces, the group's commander overseeing an assault on Lashkargah is one of thousands of former prisoners released by the Afghan government last year, The Wall Street Journal cites Afghan and Western officials as saying.

The prisoner release was part of the US deal with the Taliban, signed on 29 February, to encourage negotiations between the group and the Afghan government, allowing for a cease-fire and eventual withdrawal of American and NATO troops from Afghanistan.

However, according to Afghan officials, a reluctant Kabul agreed to the prisoner release only under pressure from Washington. The deal was touted as Afghanistan's best chance for progress in intra-Afghan negotiations.

Quenelle

Russia to US: Don't lecture us on Crimea while you wholeheartedly back Israel's illegal occupation of Syrian territory

golan heights israel doldier
© Reuters / Baz Ratner
An Israeli soldier stands guard in the Occupied Golan Heights.
If all are equal before international law, it's clear some are more equal than others. That much is plain from the fact Washington is driving condemnation of Russia's reabsorption of Crimea, while defending Israel's occupations.

The US and its allies have led the charge in the UN to condemn Moscow for the 2014 move that saw it reassert its historic control over the disputed peninsula. A measure that clearly had the support of an overwhelming majority of locals, which has been proven by subsequent American and German polling.

At the same time, though, it has turned a deaf ear towards that same body's criticism of Israel's annexation of the Golan Heights, internationally recognized as Syrian territory. One gets sanctions, the other gets support.

Syringe

Russia's top EU envoy blasts Brussels for 'politicizing' Covid-19 vaccines: Blames 'Big Pharma' over delay in approving Sputnik V

sputnik V vaccines ampules covid Russia
© Sputnik; (inset); Getty Images / Cristina Arias
Ampules of the Gam-COVID-VAK (trademark "Sputnik V") coronavirus vaccine.
Vladimir Chizhov, Moscow's permanent representative to the EU, has hit out at the bloc for delays to the approval of his country's flagship coronavirus vaccine, arguing the hold-ups are in reality down to politics, not science.

Speaking as part of an interview with Moscow daily Izvestiya, published on Wednesday, the diplomat said the process of appraising Sputnik V had dragged on for months, despite talks with experts and officials in Brussels. Now, he said, the review had gone on for so long that it was unlikely the vaccine, made by Moscow's Gamaleya Center, would be bought in large volumes for use by member states.

Comment: Besides the obvious problem that utilizing the Russian vaccine will cut into western Big Pharma's profits, there is the problem of it being free of all the nefarious ingredients western vaccines contain, and thus safer and more effective. Can't have that.


Pirates

The problem is evil: Of cyberterrorism, great resets, and political prisoners

capitol demonstration
© REUTERS Jim Bourg
The present elite in the west is governed by a misanthropic principle, which views the exercise of power as something measured by the degree to which it can be exercised in the most painful way.

How is a citizenry to respond to Evil, to publicly made threats that they are now in a period where novel viruses, cyberterrorism, and food shortages may strike at any moment?

What about the fact that making threats to achieve political or ideological aims is the very definition of terrorism itself, or the fact that using the internet to do this is the definition of cyberterrorism? When we look at those who have benefited politically and financially from the lockdowns, and who will undoubtedly do the same with the coming cyberterrorism seasons, we are reasonable in asking: Is the World Economic Forum website in fact a terrorist website?

Are the Davos people terrorists? Certainly, the plausible deniability here is that these 'threats' are actually just warnings, warnings that other nefarious actors like the so-called DarkSide, "thought" to be behind the Colonial Pipeline attack, are lurking in the shadows of supposed anonymity may carry out attacks or make threats.

What about the rising phenomenon of censorship, and the taking of political prisoners?

Well how about a bit of wisdom from wiseguys and gangsters, new and old, which goes something like this: those delivering warnings work for those behind the threats.

Eye 2

We Have Entered the Eye of Davos' Storm

black hole
Congress recessed for the summer passing neither the infrastructure nor spending bills that were the focus of all of Washington's attention for weeks thanks to Krysten Sinema from Arizona. She personally torpedoed the Biden Administration's signature piece of legislation that took months to wrangle to that point and then gave the whole thing a big John McCain-like thumbs down.

The debt ceiling suspension put in place under Trump has not been renewed. We are currently more than $6 trillion over it as I type this.

Fungal President Joe Biden stopped looked up from his jello cup long enough to implore Congress to extend the eviction moratorium for those behind on rent and mortgage payments which has been in place for more than a year. Estimates are 6.5 million people will now face eviction who are behind on their rent.

U.S. tax-cows have drawn down their savings at an alarming rate while facing this eviction cliff. But, hey, your per child tax credit is now showing up as a monthly check as long as the Post Office stays on the job. By the way, they are refusing to go along with Biden's plans for forcing all government employees be vaccinated against a virus which isn't killing anyone anymore.


This latest wave of homeless people wandering the streets of the U.S. over the next year will be used by the Democrats and the media (but I repeat myself) to demonize the evil Republicans for not DOING SOMETHING about this new crisis.

Never mind that it was wholly manufactured by locking down parts of the world and blowing up both the financial markets and disrupting the natural flow of goods that is a functional economy.

Tornado2

Things get ripe

Man and Raven
© Unknown
Besides trying to just live their lives in these days of socioeconomic meltdown, which, Gawd knows, is hard enough, the people can barely sort out the seemingly malevolent intentions of the folks in-charge of the monster that government has become. And so, the question arises: are they actually trying to kill us all, or are they so corrupt and stupid that everything they touch falls apart? In other words, is it mastermindery or clusterfuckery?

On the former side, you have that gallery of international villains out of the James Bond playbook: Bill Gates, Klaus Schwab, and George Soros — megalomaniacs armed with mega-money, a sho'nuff recipe for trouble — representing the emergence of a world-saving regime, in concert with lackey national leaderships. Their narrative goes like this:
Humans have over-replicated, like maggots in a trash can, they're wrecking the planet and gobbling (our) resources, and we must find a way to get rid of them that looks like a natural catastrophe so the hidden powers-that-be don't get blamed for pulling a global Auschwitz.
Hence Covid-19 and the sketchy vaccinations. ("The Great Reset." You will be dead and you will like it!)

I must say, I don't go for that story, even if that trio have played their parts in some wicked doings du jour. Rather, I subscribe to the latter scenario: the likelihood that we're in a pile-up of quandaries that we can only pretend to manage, and that all our pretenses of control and management only make things worse, while making a mockery of human ingenuity. This does not rule out an element of personal greed and attempted power-mongering, but look, for instance, at where all that has left the hapless Dr. Tony Fauci.

Star of David

Israel's Bennett says Tel Aviv keeps option open to 'act alone' against Iran after tanker attack

Bennett
© Ronen Zvulun/EPA
Israeli PM Naftali Bennett
Tehran has flatly denied having anything to do with the attack on the Mercer Street, an oil tanker managed by Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer. The vessel was struck in the Gulf of Oman on 29 July, killing its Romanian captain and a British national. Western powers have threatened to join Israel in 'punishing' Iran.

Israel does not rule out acting alone in its 'response' to Iran over the Mercer Street tanker attack, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has indicated.
"Sitting peacefully in Tehran and igniting the entire Middle East - these times are over. We are working for the world to join us, but at the same time we also know how to act alone. Iran knows the price that we'll exact when someone threatens our security."
The prime minister made the comments Tuesday during a visit to the Northern Command. Bennett's remarks come amid growing consolidation among Israel's Western allies in expressing support for Tel Aviv and condemning Tehran over its suspected role in the tanker attack.

Comment: Guilt without proof...gets support every time. This is about nixing the revival of the JCPOA. Cui bono?


Star of David

Bibi says Biden could ruin Israeli operations against Iran by leaking info to US media

Netanyahu
© Iran Press
Former Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and his secret policies issues
According to the former prime minister, his anti-Iran policies were successful because he kept the American presidents in the dark as to Israel's plans in the region.

Leader of Israel's opposition, Benjamin Netanyahu, slammed the incumbent government for the so-called "no surprises policy" with the United States, lamenting it would potentially thwart Israel's attacks against its rival Iran, Israeli media reported on Monday. Netanyahu, as quoted by The Times of Israel, said:
"The information that is sent to America could be leaked to major media outlets and in this way our operations will be thwarted. That is why for the last decade I have refused the requests of American presidents to always inform them of our actions. This is an existential issue for Israel, in which there may be surprises and sometimes surprises are needed."
He also said that the government of Naftali Bennett has "turned us into some sort of protectorate with a duty to report. If we have no independence on this matter, we have no independence at all."

Comment: While it is not beyond belief for Israel to destroy its own assets in order to blame Iran, Bibi has a point. Who would want to bet their state secrets on Joe Biden's reliability?

See also:
Will Israel stop playing and breaking its teeth in the 'Axis of Resistance' playground?