Free Republic

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., swiftly pulled the plug on a meeting with Lebanese Chief of Defense Gen. Rodolphe Haykal after the Lebanese official refused to confirm that the Iranian regime-backed Hezbollah movement is a terrorist organization. Graham posted to X a blunt message about his frustration with the state of Lebanon in particular and Mideast power politics in general. "I just had a very brief meeting with the Lebanese Chief of Defense General Rodolphe Haykal. I asked him point blank if he believes Hezbollah is a terrorist organization. He said, ‘No, not in the context of Lebanon." With that, I...

Michigan synagogue attack was act of terror inspired by Hezbollah, FBI says Attacker Googled, “What time is the Trump rally in Michigan?”

While all eyes are on Iran, Gaza is being pushed to the side -- not because it has been solved, but because it has become politically inconvenient. It is still there, still burning beneath the surface, still unresolved, still deadly. And now, as attention drifts elsewhere, a so-called peace process is taking shape in the background that may do the opposite of what it promises. On paper, the latest Gaza framework sounds structured and responsible. Committees. Stages. Verification. Security transitions. Demilitarized zones. Timelines. But buried inside the language is the kind of detail that should stop everyone cold: Hamas could...

Serious disagreements have emerged between Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian and IRGC chief-commander Ahmad Vahidi over how to manage the war and its damaging impact on people’s livelihoods and the economy, sources with knowledge of the matter told Iran International. Pezeshkian has criticized the approach of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps regarding escalating tensions and continuing attacks on neighboring countries, warning about the economic consequences of the situation, according to the sources who spoke on condition of anonymity. He has stressed that without a ceasefire, Iran’s economy could face total collapse within three weeks to one month, the sources said. On...

Working with a team of visual investigators that included the Bulletin, the French newspaper Le Monde has analyzed a previously unreported satellite image of the Iranian nuclear site at Isfahan, showing a large truck loaded with containers. In a Le Monde article published Saturday, experts said they could not be certain what the containers held. But the timing of the image, the type of load, and other indirect evidence suggest that Iran may have placed a significant quantity of highly enriched uranium—possibly all of its inventory—at the facility ahead of the June 2025 strikes by Israel and the United States...

On Monday, in an unusual step, the Spanish government closed its airspace and the use of its military bases to aircraft involved in the ongoing operations in Iran. The decision includes a sweeping ban on the landing, takeoff, or refueling of fighter jets at the strategic "Rota" and "Morón" bases. Following the move, and in coordination with the government in Madrid, Washington canceled its plan to deploy heavy bombers of the B-52 and B-1 types at Morón Air Base, which is considered a critical logistical hub for the US Air Force. Amid tensions with the United States, Spanish Prime Minister...

Hizbullah's retaliatory missile attacks against Israel, following the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, have created an existential threat for the group. Hizbullah is miscalculating its heavy losses from military operations, which intensified after the group violated the November 27, 2024, ceasefire agreement. On March 13, Hizbullah Deputy Secretary-General Naim Qassem called the conflict an "existential battle," but analysts unanimously assess this will be the group's last war. "Hizbullah is waging its final, losing battle, defying the Lebanese state's designation of it as an illegitimate entity and a faction operating under the orders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps...

Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) said the military conflict in Iran will be looked at as one of the greatest “presidential blunders of our time.” Host Kristen Welker said, “The U.S. has reportedly sent Iran a 15-point plan addressing its ballistic and nuclear weapons program, and some analysts have already drawn some comparisons to the talks under the Obama administration. The deal that was struck during the Obama era. Do you support the Trump administration’s efforts to try to negotiate a deal with Iran to bring this war to an end?” Booker said, “I don’t...

There are two kinds of people: the kind of people who want to end the Iran War and people who want to win the Iran War. The Victory Option encompasses the goal of the first kind of people because it ends the war, but ending the war is not the proper objective. The proper objective in any war is to win it. Anyone glancing at social media sees people with an absolute commitment to America’s defeat. And defeat comes about only if Donald Trump chooses to quit the war – because the Iranians can’t make us do anything since they...

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...

Electricity has been cut in parts of the Iranian capital Tehran and in Alborz province after attacks on the area’s infrastructure, Iran’s state media cites the country’s ministry of energy as saying. Shrapnel hit a part of the electricity grid in Alborz province, causing power to be cut in several areas of Tehran and the city of Karaj. Authorities are working on reinstating it, state media adds.

"When I see armed terrorists in Toyotas storming into another country to massacre innocent civilians, I think of only one thing." "Members of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, an umbrella group that includes several Iran-aligned Shi’ite militias, were seen in the streets of Abadan, according to video published by state-affiliated media."

Qatar and Ukraine have signed a defence agreement seeking joint expertise on countering threats from missiles and drones, according to Qatar’s Ministry of Defence, as Iran continues attacking its Gulf neighbours. The agreement was made on Saturday during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Doha, following his stop in the UAE earlier in the day. Earlier on Saturday, Zelenskyy said Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates had also agreed to cooperate on defence, a day after signing a deal with Saudi Arabia during his visit to the kingdom on Thursday.

Ukraine signed a defense cooperation pact with Saudi Arabia on Friday, as Gulf countries look to Kyiv for assistance on defending against drone attacks from Iran. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the agreement with senior Saudi officials during his two-day visit to Riyadh. The accord "lays the foundation for future contracts, technological cooperation, and investment. It also strengthens Ukraine’s international role as a security donor," Zelenskyy announced Friday morning. "We are ready to share our expertise and systems with Saudi Arabia and to work together to strengthen the protection of lives. Now into the fifth year, Ukrainians are resisting the same...

Roaring Lion Shows Israel’s Moral Compass in War. Gaza and Iran Alike—Israel’s War Is With Terror, Not Civilians. Israel’s Precision Strikes Prove It Never Targets Civilians. Israel’s conduct during Operation Roaring Lion underscores a consistent principle: it does not target civilians as a matter of policy. Even in Iran—where Israel has no obligation to minimize harm toward a hostile regime—civilian casualties were unintended and limited. This is significant because it demonstrates that Israel’s military doctrine prioritizes precision and restraint even when facing adversaries. If Israel were indifferent to civilian life, operations in Iran would likely look very different. Instead, the...

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranian-backed Houthi rebels entered the month-old war in the Middle East on Saturday, claiming two missile launches at Israel. About 2,500 U.S. Marines arrived in the region. And Pakistan’s government said that regional powers plan to meet Sunday to discuss how to end the fighting.

Hizbullah's act of retribution for the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has ignited a fierce, growing wave of opposition within the Shia community. Following Hizbullah's March 1st missile launch at Israel in vengeance for Khamenei's death, the collective voice of Shia activists and citizens erupted against its actions. The objectors condemned Hizbullah for plunging Lebanon into a war that exclusively served the Iranian regime's interests. This conflict has displaced thousands of civilians, devastating their property and the Lebanese economy with its heavy, unbearable cost. Shia citizens are now openly confronting Hizbullah, channeling their fury through defiant video clips....

FBI Director Kash Patel’s personal email has been hacked by an Iran-backed group, the Department of Justice has confirmed. The group, called Handala Hack Team, posted personal photos and other documents including a purported resume to its website, claiming the files were taken directly from Patel’s inbox. Patel “will now find his name among the list of successfully hacked victims,” the group’s website said. A Justice Department official confirmed the hack and said material posted online “appeared to be authentic,” Reuters reported Friday. JUST IN – FBI director Kash Patel's personal email address hacked, says DOJ. This comes only a...

WASHINGTON, March 27 (Reuters) - Iran-linked hackers on Friday claimed they had accessed ​FBI Director Kash Patel's personal email inbox, publishing photographs of the ‌director and other documents to the internet. On their website, the hacker group Handala Hack Team said Patel "will now find his name among the list of ​successfully hacked victims." The hackers published a series of personal photographs ​of Patel sniffing and smoking cigars, riding in an antique ⁠convertible, and making a face while taking a picture of ​himself in the mirror with a large bottle of rum. A Justice Department ​official confirmed that Patel's email...

For decades, the Iranian regime has forged a powerful network of regional allies, known as the "Axis of Resistance" or "Axis of Steadfastness." The regime began building alliances and entities supporting its ideology immediately upon assuming power in 1979. The axis evolved into a diverse coalition of groups and armed forces, centrally featuring Hizbullah, Hamas, the Houthis, Iraqi militias and the former Syrian regime. However, the axis has suffered severe blows and largely disintegrated over the last two years. Operation Epic Fury, a major US-Israel offensive against Iranian regime targets on February 28, resulted in the death of Supreme Leader...