Free Republic

What we know Iran has launched more than 100 drones toward Israel, military officials said, beginning its retaliatory attack weeks after a suspected Israeli strike on the Iranian consular building in Syria killed two of Tehran’s top commanders. The Biden administration expects Iran will also launch dozens of cruise missiles and ballistic missiles targeting Israeli government sites, not civilians or religious sites, a U.S. official said. It will be hours before the drones arrive and Israel will aim to intercept them, Israeli military officials said. The U.S. and Israel have coordinated on a defense plan, including the USS Carney and...

Sirens sound across Israel's north, south, Jerusalem and West Bank ■ IDF: Over 200 missiles, drones launched from Iran, most intercepted; army base in southern Israel sustained minor damage ■ U.S., U.K. and Jordan reportedly intercept drones ■ IDF deploys GPS jamming ■ Israeli war, security cabinets convened ■ Israel intensifies emergency guidelines, shuts down schools and large gatherings U.S. Embassy in Israel directs U.S. government employees to take shelter until further notice Israeli cabinet members authorize Netanyahu, Gallant and Gantz to make decisions on response to Iran's attack IDF: Residents of northern Golan, Nevatim, Dimona, Beer Sheva, Eilat no...

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei: The Earthquake in Turkey and Syria Is a “Small Thing” Compared to Political Issues Like Palestine or American Interference in the Region #Iran #earthquake #EarthquakeTurkeySyria #Khamenei pic.twitter.com/g2ey6bY6mg— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) February 20, 2023

On Saturday, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, tweeted: “Martyr Soleimani is an eternal reality that will live on forever. His assassins – including Trump & the like – will go down in history’s garbage bin, but of course after receiving retribution in this world for the crime they committed .” This is a clear threat, but Twitter has not banned or suspended Khamenei’s account. After all, he was threatening Donald Trump, and as far as Twitter is concerned, what could be wrong with that?Khamenei was referring, of course, to Qasem Soleimani, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force commander...

(Subtitle) Isolated and embattled, Russia and Iran are increasingly cooperative. Russia once viewed the G-20 group of leading economies as the world’s key cooperative forum. No longer. The November 15-16 meeting in Bali will not be attended by Vladimir Putin and there is therefore little chance that his isolation will be illustrated through face-to-face condemnations from Western leaders. That’s not to say that Russia has no friends, just that it has fewer than before its all-out war on Ukraine began in February. North Korea, for example, has reportedly drawn closer to the Kremlin through supplies of military equipment to aid...

We’ve reported on the ongoing protests in Iran following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, reportedly from being beaten while in custody following her arrest for “unsuitable attire.” Late in October, the Biden Administration announced it was levying sanctions against 14 Iranian officials in response to the government’s crackdown.

Ever since the recent murder of a 22-year-old Iranian woman by the morality police after she was found not “properly” wearing her headscarf, protests have erupted in the streets of Tehran and other locations around the country. The government has been beating down and/or arresting the protesters, but some of them have continued to take to the streets. Yesterday, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, had clearly had enough of the unrest. He issued a blistering message to let everyone know who the real villains are and why the protests need to stop. This isn’t even about head scarfs, you see....

The Gatestone Institute’s Khaled Abu Toameh warns that the White House has “effectively decided to sacrifice the Arabs, their interests, demands and fears in order to appease Iran.” Not to mention America’s own interests, which as president, Biden is supposed to pursue. Earlier this year, Biden unilaterally dropped sanctions on Iran’s nuclear program put in place under President Donald Trump. The hope was to entice Tehran into negotiations. The result was to encourage the Mullahs to demand even more. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) warned at the time, “As a result of President Biden’s weakness and appeasement, this administration is ramping...

Intel officials told VICE World News Hadi Matar had been in contact with members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. .. The 24-year-old man accused of stabbing author Salman Rushdie had been in direct contact with members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on social media, European and Middle Eastern intelligence officials told VICE World News. Hadi Matar has been charged with attempted murder after Rushdie, 75, was repeatedly stabbed on stage ahead of a speaking event in Chautauqua, New York, on Friday. On Sunday, Rushdie’s son Zafar Rushdie said his father was in a critical condition and had sustained “life-changing” injuries...