Free Republic

The Allen family are seen with Allen, second from right, together with brother Gabriel, his mother Kathy, father, Thomas, and sisters Stephanie and Avriana

Israel’s military removed two soldiers from combat duty and placed them in military detention for 30 days after they destroyed the town’s crucifix. The social media picture of an Israeli soldier taking the blunt side ‌of an axe to a fallen sculpture of Jesus on the cross drew worldwide condemnation and apologies from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni thanked the Italian soldiers, saying: “I thank Commander Diodato Abagnara and the entire Italian contingent of UNIFIL for their decision to donate a new crucifix to the Lebanese village of Debel.” One of the...

Steven Mills, Tiffany Score suing Fertility Center of OrlandoA Central Florida couple suing an IVF clinic over an embryo mix-up now knows who their baby girl’s biological parents are, their attorney said. The couple gave birth to the girl in December through the Fertility Center of Orlando, only to discover the child was not biologically related to them. Genetic testing later confirmed the mix-up. Steven Mills and Tiffany Score’s attorney confirmed to News 6 that the biological parents of the baby have been identified. Additional details about those individuals were not given. “The results of testing delivered to us today...

Female IDF reservists were forced to guard violent Nukhba terrorists at the Sde Teiman base and detention center in the days following October 7, 2023, despite repeated sexual harassment, according to a Monday KAN News report. "We would serve them food, cuff them, be with them for long hours, and during this time, they would masturbate in front of us, blow us kisses, and try to undress. Their gazes were degrading, stripping. It was unbearable,” one reservist told KAN News's Carmela Menashe. “I didn’t enlist in the IDF for this,” one of the soldiers, who is refusing to return to...

An Israel Defense Forces soldier who smashed a statue of Jesus with a sledgehammer in southern Lebanon, along with another soldier who photographed the act, have been dismissed from combat duty and sentenced to jail, the military announced on Tuesday. An investigation by the military into the incident in the Christian village of Debel found that in addition to the soldier who damaged the statue and the soldier who photographed him, six other troops were “present at the scene and did not act to stop the incident or report it.” “The inquiry determined that the soldiers’ conduct completely deviated from...

Two Israeli soldiers have been pulled from combat duty and given 30-day jail sentences after one photographed the other swinging what appeared to be a sledgehammer at the head of a statue of Jesus in southern Lebanon, the Israeli military said on Tuesday. Other troops who stood by but did nothing to intervene, the military said, have also been summoned and could face disciplinary action. The military replaced the damaged statue with a gleaming new sculpture of the crucifixion of Christ and released a photo of it. The extraordinarily swift administration of military justice by Israel was a tacit acknowledgment...

A photo of an Israeli soldier smashing a statue of Jesus Christ with a sledgehammer in southern Lebanon has sparked widespread condemnation. Israeli officials confirmed the image is genuine and ‘promised to investigate’. Video on link...

Israel Defense Forces @IDFFollowing the completion of an initial examination regarding a photograph published earlier today of an IDF soldier harming a Christian symbol, it was determined that the photograph depicts an IDF soldier operating in southern Lebanon.The IDF views the incident with great severity and emphasizes that the soldier’s conduct is wholly inconsistent with the values expected of its troops.The incident is being investigated by the Northern Command and is currently being addressed through the chain of command. Appropriate measures will be taken against those involved in accordance with the findings.Furthermore, the IDF is working to assist the community...

President Donald Trump announced Thursday that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire. “I just had excellent conversations with the Highly Respected President Joseph Aoun, of Lebanon, and Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, of Israel. These two Leaders have agreed that in order to achieve PEACE between their Countries, they will formally begin a 10 Day CEASEFIRE at 5 P.M. EST,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “On Tuesday, the two Countries met for the first time in 34 years here in Washington, D.C., with our Great Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. I have directed Vice President JD Vance and...

Israel has struck hard against Hezbollah forces in Lebanon, and this time they made it personal; they didn't go after weapons caches or logistics, instead targeting Hezbollah's members and leaders directly, in an attack that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has done more damage than the famous 2024 pager attacks. That's serious stuff.Hezbollah, an Iran-backed terrorist group, saw its command structure across Lebanon come under what Israeli officials described as one of the most devastating blows of the war April 8.Nearly simultaneously, explosions tore through Beirut, Lebanon, the Beqaa Valley and southern Lebanon as roughly 50 Israeli aircraft struck more...

Rep. Eric Swalwell denied allegations of rape and sexual assault in a social media post that was filmed Friday at the Beverly Hills mansion of his eccentric billionaire benefactor, The Post has learned. Multiple sources confirmed that the video Swalwell recorded of his full-throated denial was taken from a room inside the 9,700-square-foot home of Stephen Cloobeck, who’s also been shacking up with an alleged honeytrapper accused of burglarizing the home of rich, older men in Los Angeles. “A lot has been said about me today through anonymous allegations, and I thought it was important that you see and hear...

Report: Israeli commando units participated in rescue of US navigator. Iran International reported that the IDF commando units Shaldag and Sayeret Matkal took part in the American operation to rescue the F-15 navigator whose aircraft was shot down in Iran.

Israel assisted in US rescue mission of downed airman in Iran. Israel was involved in the rescue operation of a U.S. airman in Iran, Fox News has learned. Israeli officials reportedly shared information with the U.S. as the search-and-rescue operation unfolded. Additionally, the Israeli military helped halt Iranian air strikes in the area while the rescue mission was underway over the past 36 hours. President Donald Trump said Sunday that dozens of aircraft were involved in the evacuation.

The Defense Ministry has recognized Israel Air Force navigator Maj. (res.) Asaf Dagan as a fallen soldier, his family announced on Monday. Dagan committed suicide on October 23, 2024, while not serving in active duty, after suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)-related symptoms. Initially, he was not recognized as a fallen soldier or permitted a military funeral. However, a court ruling permitted him a military funeral, but in a civilian cemetery, reports at the time said. The Dagan family continued to fight for his recognition due to evidence linking his PTSD to his military service, particularly after he continued his...

Israel announced that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' intelligence chief Brig. Gen. Majid Khademi was killed in a precision strike, with an Israeli official noting that Quds Force’s special operations commander Asghar Bagheri was eliminated at the same time. In a statement posted on X, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed Khademi's killing, accusing him of helping advance terrorist attacks abroad and overseeing surveillance of Iranian civilians as part of the regime’s crackdown on domestic protests. "Khademi wasn’t just any figure, he was effectively No. 2 within the IRGC, one of the few senior commanders who managed to survive multiple...

The war has brought intense uncertainty to the south, a predominantly Shiite Muslim area dominated by Hezbollah for decades. This week, Israeli officials offered their most explicit plan to date to occupy a swath of southern Lebanon from the border up to the Litani River after the ground invasion ends. That would amount to about 10 percent of the entire country. Israeli officials have said they aim to establish a “security zone” to prevent the territory from being used to attack Israel. In March, the Israeli military demolished most of the key bridges across the Litani River, in what...

Hours before the Passover holiday on Wednesday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir issued an unusual letter to government officials, warning of a growing manpower crisis and calling on lawmakers to “fulfill your responsibility” by advancing urgent legislation to support both regular and reserve soldiers. “The central challenge we face in the current campaign is the expansion of IDF missions,” Zamir wrote, pointing to the need to defend border communities while proactively eliminating threats. He stressed that the military must be able to operate with “initiative and offensiveness” across multiple fronts. Zamir warned that a decision to shorten mandatory...

The Friends of the Israel Defense Forces said that it is giving more than $430,000 to families of 118 fallen Israeli soldiers through its After the Shiva program ahead of the Passover holiday. The funds will support “ongoing financial needs, along with holiday shopping gift cards, personalized gifts and herb plants to help families prepare for and observe Passover,” the group said. Maj. Gen. (Res.) Nadav Padan, CEO of the group, stated that “supporting bereaved families is a sacred responsibility that reflects the deep bond between Israel’s supporters around the world and those who have made the greatest sacrifice on...

Four IDF soldiers were killed while fighting in Southern Lebanon, the IDF confirmed on Tuesday. The military shared the names of the fallen soldiers: Captain Noam Madmoni, Staff Sergeant Ben Cohen, Staff Sergeant Maxsim Entis, and Staff Sergeant Gilad Harel. During the incident, two additional soldiers were wounded, one in serious condition and the other with moderate wounds.

An Israel Defense Forces soldier was killed in a Hezbollah rocket attack on troops in southern Lebanon overnight between Friday and Saturday, the military announced early Sunday morning. Sgt. Moshe Yitzchak Katz, 22, of the Paratroopers Brigade’s 890th Battalion, was a member of the Chabad community in New Haven, Connecticut. “My oldest son, with a zest for life and jokes,” wrote Katz’s father Mendy on Facebook. “My heart is shattered and the wound is real.” ...Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also offered condolences in a post, noting that Katz had moved to Israel to join the IDF, and saying he “fought...