Free Republic

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced Sunday that soldiers had uncovered a massive smuggling tunnel underneath the border between Gaza and Egypt in the area of Rafah — where the U.S. had cautioned Israel not to go. _____________ In a statement, the IDF and the Israel Security Agency (ISA, or Shin Bet, or Shabak) said: Recently, IDF troops have been working to locate and destroy underground tunnel routes in the Philadelphi area, and so far, the troops have located and destroyed dozens of routes. At the beginning of last week, in one of the operations to locate underground tunnel routes...

Increasing Threats from the Iranian Regime and Rising Military Confrontation Risks in the Region Two days after the assassination of Haniyeh in Tehran, the rhetoric and threats from various Iranian officials continue unabated. Shariatmadari, the head of the Kayhan newspaper affiliated with Khamenei, stated, “Our severe retaliation must be crippling and immediate, without any delay. Dozens of strategic locations and American military and intelligence centers are within easy reach. Ain al-Asad, the Fifth Fleet’s base in Bahrain, and American fuel and goods carriers in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman can all be targeted.” One of the regime’s...

The US embassy in Beirut has urged its citizens to leave Lebanon on “any ticket available”, amid soaring tensions in the Middle East. The advisory follows a similar warning from UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who said the regional situation “could deteriorate rapidly”. The US embassy stated on Saturday that those who choose to stay in Lebanon should “prepare contingency plans” and be prepared to “shelter in place for an extended period of time”. It said that several airlines have suspended and cancelled flights, and many have sold out, but “commercial transportation options to leave Lebanon remain available".

Academy Award-winning actor George Clooney called one of President Biden’s top aides last month to complain about the president’s criticism of the International Criminal Court’s action against Israeli leaders — a case his wife, Amal Clooney, worked on, according to three people familiar with the conversation.Clooney called Steve Ricchetti, counselor to the president, to express concern about Biden’s denunciation of arrest warrants sought by ICC prosecutors for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, especially his use of the word “outrageous.” The prosecutors also sought warrants for top Hamas leaders.The actor was also upset about the administration’s...

When the International Criminal Court needed a top adviser to justify an appalling arrest warrant for Bibi Netanyahu, its members turned to Amal Clooney. The ultra-liberal British human rights lawyer – and the wife of George Clooney – was happy to comply. In a statement referring to "Palestine," she said both Netanyahu and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar are guilty of war crimes. Think about that for a moment. Hamas murders civilians deliberately, as we saw with the Oct. 7 massacre that started this war, the largest one-day death toll since the Holocaust. Israel at least tries to minimize civilian casualties...

Amal Clooney, wife of actor George Clooney, was among the experts who advised the International Criminal Court (ICC) in seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar over alleged war crimes. The ICC's chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, asked Clooney, 46, to assist him with evaluating evidence of suspected war crimes and crimes against humanity in Israel and the Gaza Strip, where Israeli military forces have been operating since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.

George and Amal Clooney Amal Clooney played a key role in arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. If her name sounds familiar it is because she is the wife of actor George Clooney. She advised the International Criminal Court (ICC) in favor of issuing the warrants. The fact that Israel is accused of crimes against humanity when it is fighting for its survival against the internationally recognized terror organization that massacred Israelis and others on October 7, 2023, is unbelievable. Equating Israel and Hamas is unacceptable. How would any reasonable person argue that...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office on Saturday night responded to reports that US President Joe Biden expressed deep frustration at Netanyahu's management of the ceasefire-prisoner swap deal. "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not discuss what was said in closed conversations with the President of the US," the statement said. "He does not interfere in American politics, and will work with whoever is elected president - just as he expects from the Americans not to interfere in Israeli politics." ....Biden even told Netanyahu, "Stop bullsh[!]tting me!" When Netanyahu responded, "We are progressing with the negotiations" and promised that "a delegation...

During an interview with Portland CBS affiliate KOIN 6 on Friday, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) responded to Israel killing some of Hamas’ leaders and its potential impact on ceasefire talks by stating that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “is going to just have to find a way to show some restraint and bring people together.” And Netanyahu, “in particular, is going to have to have some diplomacy to bring about restraint.” Co-host Elizabeth Dinh asked, “So, now to Gaza, of course, we want to talk about there was a wrench thrown in peace talks after the killing of some top...

On Friday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports,” former Defense Secretary and former CIA Director Leon Panetta responded to President Joe Biden scolding Israel for seemingly assassinating Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh by saying that “one of the things that we’ve encouraged Israel to do is to target the leaders of Hamas that were involved in the attack on Israel.” And that this is what Israel should do. Panetta acknowledged that the killing could have an impact on ceasefire talks, but argued, “that is what war is all about. And ultimately, it’s the price you have to pay in order...

The men — all members of what has been described as an extremist sect called Neturei Karta — are among some of the most dedicated and controversial advocates for Palestine in the world. They claim that they are the only 'authentic Rabbis' and that all 'true Jews' reject the existence of Israel. But mainstream Jewish figures have condemned the group, dubbing them the 'Westboro Baptist Church of the Jewish community' after the Kansas sect most famous for demonstrating against homosexuality under the slogan 'God hates f*gs'. While Westboro is thought to have fewer than 100 members, Neturei Karta — which...

Israelis braced for a potential attack by Iran as they headed into the weekend, amid threats by Iranian leaders to retaliate against Israel for a strike that killed Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran earlier this week. Many travelers found themselves stranded by canceled flights, as several American and European airlines suspended service to Israel through early August, though the Israeli government insisted that Israel remains safe for travel.

The Mossad enlisted Iranian security agents to plant explosives in the Tehran guesthouse where Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh was staying, according to a report in the Telegraph. The report says the initial plan called for assassinating Haniyeh when visited Tehran in May to attend the funeral of president Ebrahim Raisi, but two Iranian officials tell the newspaper the operation was called off due to the large number of people in the building and seeming high possibility of failure. The British daily says the agents nevertheless went ahead and planted explosives in three rooms at the compound, and later left Iran....

The Pentagon is dispatching a new carrier strike group, a fighter jet squadron, missile defense-capable cruisers and other military assets to the Middle East amid rising tensions between Israel, Iran and Tehran’s network of proxy groups across the region, military officials said Friday. In a statement, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said the U.S. remains committed to de-escalating the increasingly dangerous situation across the theater but is taking steps “to ensure the United States is prepared to respond to various contingencies.” “As we have demonstrated since October and again in April, the United States’ global defense is dynamic and...

Kamala Harris has close ties to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a radical organization whose executive director celebrated the October 7 Hamas terror attack on Israel... CAIR’s executive director, Nihad Awad, said he was “happy” at news of the terror attack. Throughout the war that erupted thereafter, CAIR has spread inflammatory anti-Israel propaganda. ... In 2007-8, CAIR was named an unindicted co-conspirator in the terror financing trial of the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development. .. a federal judge ruled that the government “produced ample evidence to establish” the ties of CAIR with Hamas, the Palestinian terror organization....

Iran’s so-called “Supreme Leader” has called for a direct attack on Israel in response to an Israeli airstrike on Tehran, Iran’s capital city, that killed Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh on Wednesday. The New York Times reported: Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has issued an order for Iran to strike Israel directly, in retaliation for the killing in Tehran of Hamas’s leader, Ismail Haniyeh, according to three Iranian officials briefed on the order.

On Thursday, the IDF and Israel Security Agency (ISA, or Shin Bet, or Shabak) released a statement identifying the "journalist" as a terrorist:In a joint IDF and ISA operation, the IAF struck and eliminated Ismail al-Ghoul, a Hamas Military Wing operative and Nukhba terrorist who participated in the October 7th Massacre.As part of his role in the military wing, Al-Ghoul instructed other operatives on how to record operations and was actively involved in recording and publicizing attacks against IDF troops. His activities in the field were a vital part of Hamas' military activity.The IDF and ISA are operating in order...

The Domino Effect of Haniyeh’s Death on Iran’s Stability and Influence After Haniyeh’s assassination, the critical question is what decision Khamenei will make and which direction he will take. If Khamenei doesn’t respond properly, everyone will see how weak his regime is, leading to scandal and shame. This will make things even worse for Khamenei, causing more problems and divisions within the regime. People will start to believe more in the possibility of uprisings and protests. In the region, proxy forces will lose trust in the regime and no longer see Khamenei as reliable. Additionally, the people of Gaza will...

Sometimes you have to go with your gut instincts, and I wish I'd stuck with mine yesterday. Wednesday morning it was my happy duty to report on the assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, Iran, the night before. "My first thought was that a Mossad assassination team had snuck in, done some dirty work that needed doing, and then snuck back out," is what my gut assured me had happened. But then reports came in that Haniyeh had been killed in a precision airstrike. But no. "Never trust first reports." I'm going to write that on a...

Former Trump national security adviser John Bolton on Thursday argued the Middle East is already in the middle of a “wider war” as concerns grow about an escalating conflict following the apparent assassination of a top Hamas political leader in Tehran this week. Bolton argued the larger regional conflict began after Oct. 7, when the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise assault on southern Israel, where they killed 1,200 people and kidnapped 250 others. “We’re not dealing with conflict in Gaza or the conflict with Hezbollah and North Lebanon or a conflict with the Houthis closing the Red Sea...