JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER.
1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)
WAR WITH IRAN - DAY 33 - ISRAEL-US WAR ON IRAN CONTINUES.
THE NEXT US-ISRAEL HIT ON IRAN SHOULD BE VERSE 37. ALL OFFENSIVE NUKE SITES MISSLES,DRONES,AND OF COURSE KHEMENI AND THE IRGC GUARDS.THEN AFTER IRANS REGIME CHANGE. MUSLIMS COME TO JESUS BY THE MILLIONS.
JEREMEIAH 49:32-39 (IN IRAN AT THE BUSHEHR OR ARAK NUKE SITES AND ALL OFENSIVE WEAPONS DESTROYED IN IRAN)
Jeremiah 49:32-39
32 Their camels shall be a booty, and the multitude of their cattle a spoil: and I will scatter to all winds those who have the corners [of their hair] cut off; and I will bring their calamity from every side of them, says Yahweh.
33 Hazor shall be a dwelling-place of jackals, a desolation forever: no man shall dwell there, neither shall any son of man sojourn therein.(Location & Size: It was strategically located along the Via Maris (Way of the Sea), a major trade route connecting Egypt with Syria and Mesopotamia.)
34 The word of Yahweh that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam,(IRAN) in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying,
35 Thus says Yahweh of Hosts: Behold, I will break the bow of Elam,(IRANS OFFENSIVE WEAPONS) the chief of their might.(MISSLES AND NUKE SITES)
36 On Elam (IRAN) will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of the sky, and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation where the outcasts of Elam shall not come.(SINCE 1979 IRANIANS HAVE GOTTIN OUT OF IRAN BECAUSE OF KHEMENI AND HIS APOCOPOLIPTIC DEATH CULT BELIEF-BLACK HATER 12ERS)
37 I will cause Elam (IRAN) to be dismayed before their enemies, and before those who seek their life;(ISRAEL THE LITTLE SATAN AND THE U.S THE BIG SATAN) and I will bring evil on them, (MISSLES) even my fierce anger,(FIRE) says Yahweh; and I will send the sword after them,(IRANS OFFENSIVE WEAPONS) until I have consumed them; (DESTROYED THEM ALL NUKE SITES,MISSLES ETC)
38 and I will set my throne in Elam,(IRAN WILL BECOME A CHRISTIAN NATION) and will destroy from there king (KHEMENI, ISLAM) and princes, says Yahweh.(IRANIAN ARMY GUARDS)
39 But it shall happen in the latter days, that I will bring back the captivity of Elam,(IRAN) says Yahweh.(WERE IN THE LATTER DAYS NOW)
WHEN ARE THE 500 MILLION MIGRATING BIRDS IN ISRAEL IN THE SPRING TIME.(GET READY ISLAM TO BE BIRD SEED FOR THESE BIRDS)
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/m0bXU5Xqc5M
The 500 million migratory birds in Israel during the spring arrive from Africa and head toward Europe and Asia, with the peak migration occurring in March and April. While migration starts in late February, the most intense movements, particularly of birds of prey, storks, and pelicans, occur during the third week of March and continue into April.
Key Details on the Spring Migration
Peak Period: Mid-March through April.
Main Migration Route: The birds use the Great Rift Valley, which includes the Hula Valley and Eilat, acting as a "bottleneck" where millions of birds fly through the narrow land bridge.
Best Spots: The Hula Lake Park (Northern Israel) and the Eilat Birding Center (Southern Israel) are primary locations for observing the migration.
Key Species: Hundreds of thousands of white storks, along with black kites, raptors, and pelicans, pass through over these months.
uration: The spring migration runs from late February and continues into June, though the heaviest traffic is in March/April.
The 500 million migratory birds fly over Israel in the fall between late August and mid-December. The peak migration period for the autumn, when the highest volume of bird traffic occurs, is typically October and November.
Key Fall Migration Details
Location: The Hula Valley (Agamon Hula Park) in northern Israel is the premier spot to witness this phenomenon.
Timing: Migration starts as early as late June with some waders, but intensifies from mid-August through November.
Peak Festival: The "Annual Hula Valley Bird Festival" is usually held in November to align with the peak migration traffic.
Key Species: Many birds of prey (raptors), including honey buzzards and steppe eagles, cross during this time, along with massive flocks of storks and cranes.
While roughly 500 million birds pass through in the autumn on their way to Africa, the same number crosses again in the spring (mid-February to May) on their way back to Europe and Asia.
JEREMEIAH 49:23-27
23 Concerning Damascus.(SYRIA) Hamath is confounded, and Arpad: for they have heard evil tidings: they are fainthearted; there is sorrow on the sea;(WAR SHIPS WITH NUKES COMING ON SYRIA) it cannot be quiet.
24 Damascus is waxed feeble, and turneth herself to flee, and fear hath seized on her: anguish and sorrows have taken her, as a woman in travail.
25 How is the city of praise not left, the city of my joy!
26 Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the LORD of hosts.
27 And I will kindle a fire (NUKES OR BOMBS) in the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces of Benhadad.(ASSADS PALACES POSSIBLY IN DAMASCUS)
I ALWAYS THOUGHT APRIL FOOLS DAY TODAY. WAS JUST A FUN DAY. BUT NOW THINKING HARD ABOUT IT. I REALISE ITS A LEGAL DAY TO LIE TO EVERYBODY. AND WE WONDER WHY PEOPLE LIE SO MUCH AND THINK NOTHING OF IT. I WON'T BE DOING ANYMORE LIES TO PEOPLE ON THIS DAY ANY MORE.
Israel strikes Iran's capital as Trump set to address US on war.
Tehran, April 1 (AFP) Apr 01, 2026-Israel struck Iran's capital on Wednesday ahead of US President Donald Trump's planned address to the American public on the month-long war he said could end within weeks.The conflict that began on February 28 with US-Israeli attacks on Iran has mushroomed throughout the region, sending energy markets into a tailspin and threatening to torpedo the global economy.With the official status of talks to resolve the conflict uncertain, Iranian state television reported "attacks on Tehran" and explosions heard in the capital's north, east and centre early Wednesday.The Israeli military confirmed it had carried out a "wide-scale wave of strikes" on Tehran and later said it was intercepting a new missile attack from Iran, the first in around 20 hours.Trump, whose statements on the war have swung from combative to conciliatory, had earlier said the war could be over in "two weeks, maybe three"."But we're finishing the job," he insisted.The White House said he would give "an important update on Iran" to the nation at 9:00 pm Wednesday (0100 GMT Thursday).His Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian meanwhile assured that the Islamic republic had the "necessary will" to end the war, provided its enemies guaranteed it would not flare up again.The comments came as Iran's Revolutionary Guards threatened major US tech firms from Wednesday if more Iranian leaders were killed in "targeted assassinations".The Guards said that 18 companies, including Intel, Tesla and Palantir, were complicit in previous killings and warned they should expect "destruction" if there were any further deaths.But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the campaign would go on, even after insisting the conflict had "changed the face of the Middle East" and eradicated Iran's ballistic and nuclear threats."We had to act, and we acted," he said in a televised statement on the eve of the Passover holidays. "We will continue to crush the terror regime."Israel said on Wednesday its air defences were responding to a missile fired from Yemen, which Israeli media said was intercepted with no reports of casualties.Yemen's Houthi rebels joined the war over the weekend, firing missiles at Israel, and have threatened Red Sea shipping, which would further hamper trade already constrained by Iran largely shuttering the Strait of Hormuz.- Tanker hit -On another front, Lebanon's health ministry said early Wednesday that seven people were killed in Israeli strikes in south Beirut and a nearby area, while the Israeli military said it had struck a senior Hezbollah commander.Israel's campaign against Iran-backed Hezbollah has left more than 1,200 dead in Lebanon, according to the health ministry, with over a million displaced.The Israeli military said Wednesday it had struck "approximately 7,000 targets" since the start of the war, including "4,000 terrorist targets" in Iran.More than 2,000 Iranian soldiers and commanders were "eliminated" in the strikes, it said.Iran has kept up retaliatory attacks on Gulf nations it accuses as serving as a launchpad for US strikes and has threatened to target vital infrastructure across the region, including energy sites.Kuwait's civil aviation authority said Wednesday that the Gulf state's international airport had come under an Iranian drone attack that led to "a large fire" at its fuel tanks.Bahrain's interior ministry said a fire broke out at a business facility "as a result of the Iranian aggression".Saudi Arabia's defence ministry said several drones were "intercepted and destroyed".A tanker was hit by a projectile in the Gulf, off the coast of Qatar's capital Doha, a British maritime security agency said, reporting some damage but no casualties.- 'Nothing they can do' -Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, speaking to reporters early Tuesday after he visited US troops in the Middle East, vowed that "the upcoming days will be decisive.""Iran knows that, and there's almost nothing they can militarily do about it."US Central Command shared a video late Tuesday it said showed forces dropping "precision munitions on underground military targets deep inside Iran".Trump had threatened on Monday that if Iran didn't agree to a deal, US forces would "obliterate" its oil wells, its main Kharg Island export terminal, and possibly water desalination plants.The United States has not said who it is speaking with in Iran, which has denied it is in talks.Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera that he still receives messages from US envoy Steve Witkoff, "directly, as before, and this does not mean that we are in negotiations."Crude prices jumped on lingering worries about Iran's closure of the strategic Hormuz strait, even as Asian stocks rallied on the back of Trump's comments about the war possibly ending soon.Japan's Nikkei climbed more than three percent at the open Wednesday and South Korea's Kospi was up nearly five percent.Trump said France, China and other countries that seek passage through the Strait of Hormuz will have to "fend for themselves," lashing out at allies that have refused to help Washington secure the waterway while fighting takes place.Rising fuel prices in the US stoked by the standoff have become a headache for Trump.At a gas station in Washington's suburbs, Jeanne Williams, 83, was aghast at more costly prices visible on an LED board."That is horrible," she said."I'm just bewildered, confused, unhappy. Because we didn't ask for the war."But the US leader said he was not worried about spiking prices hurting American wallets."All I have to do is leave Iran," he told reporters."And we'll be doing that very soon, and they'll come tumbling down."burs-jfx/ceg
Middle East war: global economic fallout.
Paris, France, April 1 (AFP) Apr 01, 2026-Here are the latest economic events in the Middle East war:- Australian PM to address the nation -Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will make a rare address to the nation across television and radio networks on Wednesday, outlining Canberra's response to the Middle East conflict.Albanese will make the address at 7:00 pm Canberra time (0800 GMT) and is expected to urge Australians to save fuel for industries that need it.Treasurer Jim Chalmers announced temporary tax relief for small businesses on Wednesday, and said the longer the war drags on the greater the impact on the economy.- Stocks soar, oil retreats -Stocks rallied and oil eased after US President Donald Trump said the Middle East war may be over in up to three weeks and his Iranian counterpart said Tehran had "the necessary will" to bring it to an end.Japan's Nikkei 225 jumped 4.0 percent while benchmarks in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Seoul all rose.Wall Street stocks had already rocketed higher on Tuesday, with the blue-chip Dow index finishing up 2.5 percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq climbing 3.8 percent.Crude was still trading well above $100 a barrel, however.- Tanker struck off Qatar -A tanker has been hit by a projectile in the Gulf, off the coast of Qatar's capital Doha, a British maritime security agency said Wednesday, reporting some damage but no casualties.- Desalination plant hit -Strikes have knocked out a desalination plant on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian media reported, without saying when the attack took place."One of the desalination plants on Qeshm Island was targeted... and is now completely out of service, as it is not possible to repair it in the short term," the ISNA news agency reported, quoting health ministry official Mohsen Farhadi.- China ships transit -China's foreign ministry thanked "the relevant parties" on Tuesday for helping three Chinese ships to transit out of the Strait of Hormuz.Two container vessels belonging to shipping giant Cosco passed through the strait on Monday, tracking data showed. Beijing gave no details on the third ship.- Eurozone inflation -Eurozone inflation rose to 2.5 percent in March, the highest level since January 2025, owing to surging energy prices caused by the Middle East war.- Asia war woes -Asia faces the gravest fallout from the war and is confronting a major energy crisis, the head of global maritime analytics firm Kpler told AFP.Jean Maynier said the continent did not have enough energy resources to cover the gap, adding: "It will not be enough in China, it will not be enough to cover in big countries like the Philippines or Indonesia. So it's a real energy crisis."- Indonesia rations fuel -Indonesia announced fuel rationing and mandated work from home for civil servants as it seeks to conserve energy stocks amid global price hikes because of the Middle East war.It earlier said it would not increase fuel prices despite rising budget pressures from the war.- Kuwait tanker blaze -An Iranian attack sparked a fire on a Kuwaiti oil tanker at Dubai Port, state media reported on Tuesday. There were no injuries, according to the report, and Dubai authorities later said firefighters had extinguished the blaze.Maritime intelligence agency Vanguard and ship tracker MarineTraffic identified the ship as the Al Salmi, a 332-metre (1090-feet) long Kuwait-flagged crude tanker.- Ethiopia rations fuel -Ethiopia will prioritise vehicles transporting essential goods and those in the public transport sector at fuel stations as the country grapples with shortages caused by the Middle East war, authorities said Tuesday.- Sri Lanka hikes electricity -Sri Lanka announced a nearly 40-percent increase in electricity prices from Wednesday as it battles an energy shortage caused by the war in the Middle East.Sri Lanka has raised fuel prices three times this month, increasing them by more than a third, and has imposed a four-day working week in a bid to save energy.burs-rl-gc/des/ceg/ami
Trump threatens to obliterate Iran's Kharg island if no deal reached 'shortly'.
Washington, United States, March 30 (AFP) Mar 30, 2026-US President Donald Trump threatened Monday to destroy Iran's oil export hub of Kharg Island, oil wells and power plants if it does not soon agree to a deal to end the war.A day after sounding conciliatory and suggesting a deal could be reached this week, Trump wrote on his Truth Social network that the United States is in "serious discussions" with "a more reasonable regime" in Tehran. But he added an ominous warning."Great progress has been made but, if for any reason a deal is not shortly reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately 'Open for Business,' we will conclude our lovely 'stay' in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!), which we have purposefully not yet 'touched,'" Trump said.On Sunday night, Trump told reporters on Air Force One that the United States had achieved "regime change" in Iran through the war launched a month ago with Israel, citing the number of Iranian leaders who have been killed. He called the new leadership "much more reasonable"."We're dealing with different people than anybody's dealt with before. It's a whole different group of people. So I would consider that regime change."Asked whether there could be an agreement with Iran this coming week, Trump said: "I do see a deal in Iran. Could be soon."
Facts about Strait of Hormuz shipping blockade.
London, March 30 (AFP) Mar 30, 2026-Here are the latest key facts and figures about the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping route virtually paralysed by the Middle East war.Around a fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas passes through the waterway in peacetime.The war erupted on February 28 when the United States and Israel began bombing Iran, prompting Tehran to retaliate with strikes across the region and sharply restrict access to the strait.- Handful of crossings -Fifteen vessels crossed the strait over the weekend, 12 of them on Saturday, making it one of the busiest days for crossings since March 1, according to Kpler.From March 1 to 30 as of 0900 GMT Monday, commodities carriers made just 195 crossings, according to data from analytics firm Kpler -- a decrease of 95 percent from peacetime.Of these, 121 were by oil tankers and gas carriers and most were travelling east out of the strait.- Chinese container ships pass -Later on Monday, two further ships -- ultra-large container vessels owned by Chinese shipping giant Cosco -- appeared to have successfully crossed the strait after an aborted attempt last week, maritime tracker MarineTraffic said on X.It interpreted their passage as "signalling a potential shift in conditions for commercial shipping".- Steel, soybeans shipped -Seven of the ships passing through the strait over the weekend were dry bulk carriers transporting steel, iron ore pellets and soybean meal.Four vessels were liquified petroleum gas tankers and the rest were liquid tankers.The channel in peacetime sees around 120 daily transits, according to shipping industry intelligence site Lloyd's List.- 2,000 ships in Gulf -Around 2,142 vessels have sent transponder signals in the Gulf west of the Strait of Hormuz in the past day, according to Bloomberg data.Of those, 298 were tankers, including 10 very large gas carriers and 55 very large crude carriers.- No reported incidents since March 22 -Since March 1, 2026, 24 commercial vessels, including 11 tankers, have been attacked or reported incidents in the Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz or the Gulf of Oman, according to the British naval maritime security agency UKMTO.No incidents have been logged since March 22, when the bulk carrier Phoenix reported an explosion next to the ship in Emirati waters, according to the UKMTO.Drones struck fuel tanks at Oman's Salalah port on Saturday, injuring one worker and disrupting operations but hitting no vessels.- Eight sea workers killed -Since the conflict began, at least eight seafarers or dock workers have died in incidents in the region, according to the International Maritime Organization (IMO).A further four remained missing and 10 were injured.Around 20,000 seafarers are affected in the region, according to the IMO.- Iran-approved route -Recent crossings appeared to have mainly used a route apparently approved by Iran around Larak Island just off the country's coast.Leading shipping journal Lloyd's List last week said at least 34 ships had been tracked using it.Over the weekend three ships sent signals close to Larak Island before turning off their transponders to cross the strait.Iran's Revolutionary Guards said the route was closed to vessels travelling to and from ports linked to its "enemies".- 45% sanctioned ships -Since the war started, 45 percent of the crossings have been by ships under US, EU or UK sanctions, according to an AFP analysis of passage data.Of the crossings by oil and gas tankers, 61 percent were by vessels under sanctions.lmc/rlp/rl
Regime change'? The Iranian leaders killed in Israeli-US war.
Paris, France, March 30 (AFP) Mar 30, 2026-Since the start of the war, US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran have killed supreme leader Ali Khamenei and a whole echelon of the political and military elite in the Islamic republic.US President Donald Trump said Sunday that the war had achieved "regime change" and that "we're dealing with different people than anybody's dealt with before".But several key figures have survived and the Islamic republic has shown resilience in rapidly replacing killed leaders and also keeping up the war against the US and Israel.In the latest fatality, Alireza Tangsiri, the commander of the naval force of the Revolutionary Guards who Israel had said was responsible for the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz, died of his wounds from an Israeli strike on Thursday, the Guards said.Here is a recap of the some of the key figures killed so far in the war:- Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei -Khamenei, Iran's number one since 1989, was killed in the first hour of the war on February 28 in a strike on a meeting of senior officials in Tehran that also left his daughter-in-law, daughter and at least one grandchild dead, according to reports.His low-profile son Mojtaba survived -- although reportedly with injuries -- and took over as supreme leader. He has yet to make a public appearance.Ali Khamenei has yet to be buried although Mojtaba has said in a written statement he saw the body.- Security chief Ali Larijani -The killing of Larijani, who despite not being a cleric was a pillar of the system for decades, was likely the biggest loss to the Islamic republic after the death of Ali Khamenei.Larijani was killed on March 17 in an Israeli strike, reportedly in the Tehran region and which also killed family members.The previous week, he had defiantly walked in public in Tehran at a pro-government rally.- Revolutionary Guards chief Mohammad Pakpour -Pakpour, previously head of the Guards' ground forces, took over as commander-in-chief in June 2025 after his predecessor Hossein Salami was killed in Israel's 12-day war against Iran.He was killed on the first day of the war and has been replaced by former interior and defence minister Ahmad Vahidi.- Guards naval chief Alireza Tangsiri -A veteran of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, Tangsiri was one of the longest-serving senior figures in the Revolutionary Guards as the head of its navy since 2018 and one of its highest-profile faces within the Islamic republic.Israel's defence minister described him as the "man who was directly responsible for the terrorist operation of mining and blocking the Strait of Hormuz".- Adviser Ali Shamkhani -Shamkhani, a mainstay of the Islamic republic's armed forces since the 1980s, was killed in an airstrike on the first day of the war.He was given a public funeral in Tehran's Tajrish Square and reportedly buried without his head.He had been severely wounded, and initially reported dead, in a strike during Israel's June war against Iran but later re-emerged.- Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib -A cleric, Khatib was killed by an Israeli strike in Tehran early on March 18. As Iran's intelligence minister since 2021, he was accused by rights groups of playing a key role in the suppression of protests.- Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh -A veteran of the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, Nasirzadeh had served as defence minister since 2024. He was also killed in a strike on the first day of the war.- Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani -Soleimani headed the Basij, a volunteer paramilitary group that is a branch of the Revolutionary Guards and notorious among rights groups for suppressing protests. He was killed in an airstrike on March 17.- Guards spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini -Naini was killed at dawn Friday in what the Guards described as a "cowardly" attack by the United States and Israel.Just before his death was confirmed, the Fars news agency issued a statement quoting Naini as saying Iran's missile production deserved a "perfect score" and was continuing despite the war.- Head of military office Mohammad Shirazi -Killed on the opening day of the war, Shirazi had the crucial job of coordinating between the various branches of the Iranian security forces at the office of supreme leader.- Armed forces chief Abdolrahim Mousavi -Mousavi, killed on the first day of the war, had only taken up his post, a senior position which coordinates between the Guards and the regular army, in June 2025 following the death of his predecessor Mohammad Bagheri in the 12-day war.
UN nuclear watchdog says Iran heavy water plant 'damaged' after Israeli strike.
Vienna, March 30 (AFP) Mar 30, 2026-The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Sunday that Iran's heavy water production plant in Khondab was no longer operational after an Israeli military strike.The Israeli military said Friday it carried out a strike against a heavy water plant in Arak, central Iran, describing the site as a "key plutonium production site for nuclear weapons".On Sunday, IAEA said based on an independent analysis of satellite imagery the heavy water production plant at Khondab, which Iran reported had been attacked on 27 March, had "sustained severe damaged (sic) and is no longer operational".It added the "installation contains no declared nuclear material".
Iran reports strike at Bushehr nuclear plant, third in 10 days: IAEA.
Vienna, March 28 (AFP) Mar 28, 2026-A strike hit near Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant late Friday but caused no radiation leak or damage to the reactor, the UN atomic watchdog said, after Israeli strikes on the Islamic republic.Iran told the International Atomic Energy Agency that the plant was operating normally and had suffered no technical or structural impact, the agency said on X.The incident was the third in a series of reported strikes in Iran within the past 10 days, the IAEA said, as the war in the Middle East entered its second month.The Israeli military said Friday it had struck a heavy water reactor and a uranium processing plant in central Iran, but did not mention Bushehr.IAEA chief Rafael Grossi urged "maximum military restraint".Iranian state news agency Fars reported that a projectile hit the plant's grounds at 11:40 pm on Friday (2010 GMT), blaming the "American-Zionist enemy".There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage to the site, Fars added.The Bushehr plant in southwestern Iran has the country's only operational nuclear power reactor and was first connected to the grid in 2011, according to the IAEA.
Israel army says struck missile production sites in Tehran.
Jerusalem, March 30 (AFP) Mar 30, 2026-Israel's military said Monday it had struck dozens of weapons production sites including a long-range surface-to-air missiles manufacturing line in Iran's capital Tehran."During waves of airstrikes over the past two days in Tehran, approximately 40 weapons production and research facilities were struck," the military said.The targets, it said, included "a facility used for assembling long-range surface-to-air missiles", a site assembling components for "anti-tank missiles and small anti-aircraft missiles", and a facility that produced and researched "ballistic missile engines."
Israel hit Iran-led terror axis with ’10 plagues’ -- PM-Trump: No deal needed to end the war, Iran won’t be able to obtain a nuke ‘for years’US president says war ‘coming to an end’ even as he keeps amassing troops for potential invasion, expresses doubts Tehran can reach buried uranium; Netanyahu: Iranian nuclear production abilities ‘smashed’ By Jacob Magid and Lazar Berman-31 March 2026, 11:29 pmUpdated: Today, 3:48 am
WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said Iran does not have to agree to a deal to end the ongoing US-Israeli war with the Islamic Republic, as he stated that the United States will probably wrap up the war in two or three weeks.Trump also declared that Iran’s surviving stockpiles of enriched uranium did not concern him at all since they are buried underground and inaccessible, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boasted that Israel during the current conflict has “smashed” Tehran’s ability to produce nuclear weapons.The remarks from both Trump and Netanyahu appeared to potentially set the stage for the conclusion of the war, even as the US has been amassing troops for a potential ground operation in Iran.“No, [the Iranians] don’t have to make a deal,” Trump said in response to reporters’ questions at the White House, which later announced the president will “address the nation” about the war on Wednesday night at 9 p.m. eastern time.“When we feel that they are… put into the stone ages and won’t be able to come up with a nuclear weapon, then we’ll leave whether we have a deal or not,” he said. “It’s irrelevant now.”Trump has claimed that the US already obliterated Iran’s nuclear program in strikes last year and said earlier Tuesday that he was not focused on Iranian uranium stockpiles, so it’s not clear what else Trump is looking to accomplish militarily. It also remains unclear if Iran will follow suit if the US unilaterally ceases fire.“It’s possible that we’ll have a deal because they want to make a deal more than I want to make a deal,” Trump added.“But in a fairly short period of time, we’ll be finished, and they will not be able to do a nuclear weapon for years,” he continued.“Maybe in a long time from now, [they’ll be] able to do a nuclear weapon, you’ll have a president [who] will be like me, and he will go there and knock the hell out of them again,” Trump said, acknowledging that the ongoing war with Iran may not be definitive.Just three weeks ago, Trump made the reverse claim, saying that he wanted to “make sure that we don’t have to go back every 10 years, when you don’t have a president like me that’s not going to do it.”US to be ‘leaving’ Iran ‘very soon’While speaking with the media Tuesday in the Oval Office, Trump was adamant that the US will be “leaving” Iran “very soon,” insisting that gasoline prices will subsequently “tumble down” as well.After a reporter noted that Americans are feeling the financial squeeze at the gas pump, Trump declared they’re also “feeling a lot safer” because Iran doesn’t have a nuclear weapon.Trump claimed the “detour” from improving the US economy was necessary in order to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear bomb, something he said he already prevented in last year’s strikes against Tehran’s nuclear sites.As for the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said other countries who want to get their oil through the key waterway will have to “fend for themselves,” acknowledging that Iran could drop mines or direct machine gun and RPG fire at ships.“I think it’ll be very safe, but we have nothing to do with that,” Trump said of the strait, which Iran has shuttered in response to the US and Israeli attacks.Trump stated the US has done its part by taking out dozens of Iran’s “radicalized lunatic” leaders.He also reiterated his claim that the US has enacted “regime change” in Iran, even though the Islamic Republic is still standing. Still, he asserted that the new leadership is “much more rational.”Trump then said regime change was not even his goal to begin with, even though he urged Iranians to take over the government once the bombing stops in the speech he gave upon launching the war.He claimed that he only had one war aim: Ensuring Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.His aides have listed at least four other goals, though those too have ranged from the destruction of Iran’s missile program, the destruction of its navy, the destruction of its air force and the cessation of its support for proxies-Pressed for a more specific timeline for when the war might end, Trump responded,“I think week two or three weeks.”“Within maybe two weeks — maybe a couple of days longer,” Trump added later on.Trump has a history of providing two-week timelines in a variety of policy fields that he hasn’t typically stuck with.“We want to knock out every single thing they have now, [But] it’s possible that we’ll make a deal before that,” Trump said, adding that he’d like to hit some additional bridges in Iran, predicting that it will take 15 to 20 years to rebuild what has been hit in the war.Speaking separately on Tuesday at Pentagon briefing, US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said American forces have carried out more than 11,000 strikes against Iranian targets, while revealing they have also successfully begun conducting “overland missions” of B-52 bomber sorties, thanks to the air superiority the United States has over Iran.Also Tuesday, the White House said the US military was prepared to thwart any attacks by Iran, responding to threats by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps against US tech giants, such as Apple and Google, in the region.“The United States military is and was prepared to curtail any attacks by Iran, as evidenced by the 90 percent drop in ballistic missile and drone attacks by the terrorist regime,” said a White House official, who did not wish to be named.Iran’s uranium ‘deeply buried’ underground-In an earlier phone interview with CBS, Trump said he doesn’t “even think about” Iran’s stockpiles of highly enriched uranium, whose recovery some experts say is critical to ensuring that Tehran can’t rush to a nuclear weapon.“I don’t even think about it. I just know that it’s so deeply buried it’s going to be very hard for anybody” to reach it, Trump said, referencing the US strikes last June on Iran’s nuclear facilities where the stockpiles are believed to be held.“We’ve watched it. And at least I think finally people admit it was obliteration. It’s down there deep… Even without a war, they haven’t been able to do it. So… it’s pretty safe. But, we’ll make a determination,” he added.Asked when the war could wind down completely, Trump was again non-committal. “It won’t be long,” he said.“I would say we are two weeks ahead of schedule,” Trump claimed, even though the White House previously said the war would last four to six weeks, and the war is now in its fifth week.Trump added that it would take Iran “10 years to rebuild” after the war.Later, in an NBC interview, Trump reiterated, “We’re doing great” in the war. “And it’s coming to an end.”Meanwhile, in a video statement, Netanyahu lauded the IDF’s accomplishments in the war against Iran last June and in the current campaign, including “hitting hard and distancing two existential threats.” Tehran, he specified, was “moving ahead to develop nuclear weapons and tens of thousands of ballistic missiles.”“In Operation Rising Lion, we removed from upon us the immediate threat of Iran arming itself with a nuclear weapon and many ballistic missiles,” he said, referring to the June war. And in the current war, he added, “we brought a complementary achievement, by smashing the industrial capability of the regime to produce these tools of destruction.”Netanyahu said Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader who was killed on the war’s first day, had wanted to bury those programs deep underground to make them immune from Israeli attacks.The premier promised that “sooner or later,” the Iranian regime will fall — seemingly contradicting Trump’s assertion that the killing so far of a series of top Islamic Republic officials has already constituted “regime change.”Netanyahu said that Iran’s “trillion dollar” investment in ballistic missiles, in nuclear enrichment and in supporting armed proxies “has gone down the drain.”He summed up 10 major achievements he said were accomplished in the war, including the creation of “security zones” in Gaza, Syria and Lebanon that are patrolled by the IDF.He claimed that Israel has hit Iran and its axis with “10 plagues,” a reference to the holiday of Passover, which begins Wednesday evening.Netanyahu listed the blows Israel has delivered to terror groups Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and others in the West Bank, as well as to the ousted Assad regime in Syria. He also listed five “plagues” delivered to Iran — hitting its nuclear program, ballistic missiles, regime infrastructure, internal security forces, and senior leaders.Pakistan, China unveil truce plan; US reportedly doesn’t oppose it.Also Tuesday, Pakistan and China issued a joint call for an immediate ceasefire followed by peace talks between the US and Iran.PR No.85/2026 Five-Point Initiative of China and Pakistan for Restoring Peace and Stability in the Gulf and Middle East Region (Beijing, March 31,2026) pic.twitter.com/JAkSsro17a — Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) March 31, 2026-Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Beijing, after which they issued their five-point initiative.The plan also calls for the opening of the Strait of Hormuz and for a UN-backed peace agreement.In a call with Israel’s Channel 12, Trump didn’t deny knowledge of the plan, saying only that talks about ending the war were progressing.An official with knowledge of the details was cited by the outlet as saying that the White House does not oppose the Chinese-Pakistani initiative.
Analysis-Iran’s regime remains defiant despite absorbing massive blows from Israel and the US-While the US insists Tehran is ‘effectively neutralized,’ experts say the regime is entrenched, looks to ’cause sustained pain and to drive up the costs of the war’ for Trump-By Isabel Debre and KONSTANTIN TOROPIN 31 March 2026, 8:54 pm
BEIRUT (AP) — Since the United States and Israel launched their war against Iran on February 28, the Trump administration claims to have all but “obliterated” the Islamic Republic’s military capabilities. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared last week that “never in recorded history has a nation’s military been so quickly and so effectively neutralized.”But after more than a month of punishing US-Israeli airstrikes, a degraded Iranian military nonetheless remains a stubborn foe. Its steady stream of strikes against Israel and Gulf Arab neighbors are causing regional chaos and an outsized economic and political shock.Its missiles continue to penetrate Israeli airspace and kill civilians. Its cheap drones slip through its neighbors’ air defenses, shattering Gulf Arab nations’ carefully curated images of invincibility and wounding US troops. Its threats to attack oil and gas tankers strangle the Strait of Hormuz, sending energy prices soaring.US President Donald Trump has sought negotiations and threatened extreme destruction in hopes of securing Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium and compelling it to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.To maintain its leverage, Iran just needs to withstand the conflict long enough to pressure Washington to seek an off-ramp, experts say.“Their strategy is to try to cause sustained pain and to drive up the costs of the war for the US,” said Kelly Grieco, an expert in US military strategy and operations who is a senior fellow at the Washington-based Stimson Center think tank.Iran is firing fewer ballistic missiles than at start of the war-Since the first day of the US-Israeli bombing campaign, officials from both countries have repeatedly pointed to a steep drop-off in Iran’s firing of ballistic missiles as proof that their efforts to destroy launchers and weapons stockpiles were working.Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine told reporters on March 4 that Iran’s “ballistic missile shots fired are down 86 percent from the first day of fighting and their one-way attack drone shots are down 73%.” At a press briefing two weeks later, Hegseth said the volume of Iran’s ballistic missile attacks had dropped “90% since the start of the conflict.”On Tuesday, Hegseth told reporters at the Pentagon that in the past 24 hours Iran had fired its “lowest number” of missiles and drones, though neither he nor Caine gave any updated percentages. Trump said Tuesday on Truth Social that “Iran has been, essentially, decimated.”Claims of a slowdown in Iranian strikes are backed up by independent data from Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED), a US-based group that tracks conflicts around the world.On March 1, the second day of the war, Iran fired off almost 100 strikes. The next day, its strike count dropped to 53 and it hovered at that rate for the next few days. In the three and a half weeks since March 6, ACLED data shows Iran hasn’t fired more than 50 strikes on any given day. A “strike,” in ACLED’s methodology, can include multiple individual strikes in the same location on the same dayIran has maintained an average of 30 strikes each day for the last three weeks, and at various points it has picked up its tempo of attacks.“That makes me question whether it’s a capacity issue or a strategy issue,” Grieco said of the initial decline in Iran’s strike rate. In other words, Iran may not be running out of firepower as much as deliberately rationing its missiles and drones.Iran fires more drones that are harder to intercept-The ACLED data shows that some 40% of Iran’s salvos across the region are breaking through air defenses, signaling strain on American and Israeli supplies of interceptors. Iran has been deploying fewer missiles but more low-flying drones that are harder to intercept.“We are vaporizing billions of dollars in long-range anti-missile defenses, which are scarce national resources,” said Tom Karako, the director of the Missile Defense Project at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.The danger, Karako said, is that the US and Israel could run out of interceptors before they are able to take out the rest of Iran’s missile stockpiles and mobile launchers — an objective that has proven “maddeningly difficult.”Over a month into the war, Trump administration officials continue to refer to the first 72 hours as their point of comparison for claims about Iran’s crippled capacity.“A good percentage of Iranian missiles, at least half of the arsenal, is stored in very hardened facilities that are not easily reachable with air power,” said Farzin Nadimi, an expert on the Iranian missile program at The Washington Institute. “It looks like the Americans and the Israelis have been underestimating some level of complexity.”Experts say Iran focuses its attacks to cause economic harm-Contrary to Hegseth’s characterization of the Iranians as “flailing recklessly” by striking civilian and energy infrastructure across the Arabian Peninsula, analysts say Tehran appears to have fine-tuned its timing and targets to maximize damage.“They have been able to strike targets more efficiently and therefore use fewer missiles to achieve the same result,” Nadimi said.Iran has increasingly concentrated its firepower on sensitive sites like oil pipelines and water desalination plants across the Persian Gulf in a bid to impose a settlement on the US, hitting nearby states like the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait hardest. Last week, Iran fired ballistic missiles and drones at a Saudi air base, wounded more than two dozen US troops and damaging aircraft.This UGC image posted on social media on March 29, 2026 and verified by AFP staff appears to show a destroyed US Air Force Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft, primarily used for air traffic control, in the aftermath of a projectile strike at Prince Sultan Airbase in Saudi Arabia. (UGC / AFP)“In this asymmetrical war, the most important thing for Iran is attack the world economy in hopes of coercing the US to stop,” said Assaf Orion, a retired Israeli brigadier general and senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies. That has become more important to Iran than attacking Israel, which views this war as existential and won’t be dissuaded, he added.How long Iran can sustain its current level of retaliation remains unclear, as US and Israeli intelligence on Iran’s missile and drone inventory is limited.Military experts from both countries offer varying estimates on the remaining arsenal, but agree that Iran most likely still has thousands of cheap, locally manufactured drones that it can deploy to menace US allies even if much of its midrange ballistic missile capacity has been destroyed.“Iran built itself to be able to ride a war like this out,” said Karako. “It has been preparing for this.”
AnalysisIsrael & her allies will continue to act - Israel's US amb.As Trump signals retreat from war, Israel may have to keep fighting Iranian threat-The US president may be ready to end the campaign even if the regime still stands and remains able to attack its neighbors. In that case, for Israel and the Gulf, the war would not be over By Lazar Berman-31 March 2026, 7:05 pm
As has been the case for much of the war, the outcome of the conflict in Iran hangs on US President Donald Trump’s decision on how much longer he wants to keep fighting.Anyone familiar with Trump’s style knows that getting a read on his thinking is a notoriously difficult task. He often contradicts himself, intentionally speaks in ways that invite multiple interpretations, and likes to leave his options open.There have been reports throughout the war that Trump is eager to end the fighting, especially as energy prices rise and the Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed.The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that the president told aides he is willing to end the military campaign against Iran even if the Strait of Hormuz isn’t opened.The White House has come to the conclusion, according to the report, that a mission to reopen the waterway would extend the length of the war past Trump’s four- to six-week timeline.At the same time, Trump has ordered thousands of troops to the region over the past week in what has been described as preparation for a potential ground operation, though the buildup could also be aimed at pressuring Iran into accepting Washington’s ceasefire terms.The leaks about Trump wanting to pull the US out of the military campaign could themselves be part of an elaborate ruse meant to lull Tehran into letting its guard down before the launch of a ground push.At the same time, the unpopularity of the war at home and its impact on the economy give the president serious reasons to want out.Whether Israel’s government wants to keep fighting or is also interested in ending the war under certain conditions, there’s no guarantee that it would be able to change Trump’s mind once the president himself has made it up.But Israel does have the ability to alter its operations to maximize the time remaining, plan for the future, and do whatever it can to make sure Iran’s ability to threaten it in the coming years is as limited as possible.The ‘completion phase’Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains vague about when Israel might be willing to end its military campaign or what conditions it would want to see met.“It’s definitely beyond the halfway point,” he said in an interview on Monday. “But I don’t want to put a schedule on it.”Even if Netanyahu cannot pencil in a firm end date for the war, Israel should still have a clear end state in mind, and a military plan for getting there — though that plan must remain flexible and adaptive in order to react to a rapidly changing situation.But Israel’s desired end state continues to be a question, more than a month into the war.There is no doubt that much has been accomplished so far. Key Iranian leaders are dead, Tehran’s conventional military capabilities have been decimated, and it likely can’t rebuild quickly.It is less clear, however, how long the achievements will last before Iran manages to reconstitute its threats to Israel, and develop new ones.The IDF has nearly completed bombing all of the targets it defined for itself before the war, and has now been ordered by Netanyahu to shift to hitting “economic” targets, The Times of Israel learned on Monday.On Saturday, IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said that “within a few days” the military would complete targeting all of the “critical” assets of Iran’s military production industries, sites used to develop weapons that threaten Israel. The military has also said it has taken out most of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers and air defense systems.Israel’s defense apparatus is now in what it describes as the “completion phase” of the goals it set out at the start of the war: degrading Iran’s military capabilities and “creating the conditions” for the Iranian regime to fall.Netanyahu changes his message-That second goal seems to have fallen by the wayside in the latter stages of the war.In the first three weeks of the campaign, Netanyahu stressed repeatedly in prepared remarks that Israel was working to set the stage for the Iranian people to rise up, and even told the Iranian public that the “time is fast approaching” for Israel to “pass the torch” to them to overthrow the regime.Now, Netanyahu no longer says there will be a signal given to the public, or talks about creating the conditions for regime change. Instead, he makes do with predicting that the regime will collapse.The US, for its part, seems uninterested in bringing the Islamic Republic down. Worryingly for Israel, Trump argues — in an entirely novel definition of the term — that regime change has already been secured since Iran’s senior leadership has been wiped out.“The one regime was decimated, destroyed, they’re all dead. The next regime is mostly dead, and the third regime — we’re dealing with different people than anybody’s dealt with before,” Trump told reporters on Sunday.And even more problematically for Israel, he calls his Iranian interlocutors “very reasonable.”That seemingly includes Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, whom Trump has said is the “top man” with whom the US is interacting, a figure closely tied to the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Most analysts view Ghalibaf as no less hardline than those who were unwilling to accept US demands to date.The coming campaign-Israel’s goal of removing Iran’s ability to pose a threat likely cannot be achieved without regime change, Israel’s ambassador to Washington Yechiel Leiter said on the What the Hell is Going on? podcast Monday.The purpose of the campaign, he said, “is to make sure that we don’t have a power, an entity in Tehran, which is developing nuclear weapons, is developing weapons of mass destruction in terms of these ballistic missiles, and is supporting proxies around the region. That’s what we’re focused on.”“Now, if that can be done without regime change, okay. Probably can’t, though,” he added.Now, if that can be done without regime change, okay. Probably can’t though.If Israel can’t set in motion regime change, he said, at least Israel wants “regime collapse.”Leiter defined “de facto regime collapse” as a situation in which Iran is not producing ballistic missiles or nuclear weapons, not enriching uranium and not supporting proxies.The ambassador probably left listeners somewhat confused about what exactly the end of the war looks like for Israel. Iran won’t stop threatening Israel unless the regime collapses, he said, but regime collapse is achieved when Iran stops threatening Israel.Despite his circular argument, Leiter hinted at something with far-reaching consequences — that Israel has plans for keeping the fight against Iran going in some form even if Trump pulls the plug.“This isn’t going to end even if at some point the US says, we’ve done our job, we’ve taken out all the production sites, we’ve destroyed them militarily and now we’re wrapping up,” he said.Some of Israel’s post-war efforts will continue to go after Iranian commanders, he said: “The threat — at least from Israel, of going back to these targeted takeouts of these very bad people — certainly will be a cloud hanging over their heads for a long time. We’re not going to sleep.”“Israel and her allies will continue to act,” he said, pointing at a new, tighter defense alliance between Israel and Arab states.“Whether it’s UAE, Bahrain, I think we’ve become closer to the Saudis, closer to the Omanis,” he said. “Closer to the Kuwaitis for crying out loud. They’ve asked us for assistance.”Netanyahu also indicated as much on Tuesday.According to the Hebrew-language Maariv daily, he told ministers at a cabinet meeting that new alliances are being formed with leaders of Arab countries who “are talking about fighting together on our side.”“In the past, I had secret conversations with Arab leaders,” Netanyahu reportedly said. “I told them, ‘As soon as Iran can, it will conquer you and overthrow your kingdoms.’ Back then, they didn’t really internalize things. Today they understand.”Israel, it seems, is making plans for the distinct possibility that Trump moves on from the war and the Iranian regime survives. It will then be facing a much-weakened Islamic Republic, but one that still commands massive resources to pour into rebuilding and still has armed proxies ready to do its bidding.The military campaign, in that case, may then be over, but the war will be far from its end.
Israel envoy: War aims hard to achieve without regime change-Frustrated with allies, Trump tells countries needing fuel to go to Hormuz and ‘just take it’US president also accuses France of refusing access to Israel-bound US planes carrying arms; Netanyahu reportedly says some Arab countries ‘talking about fighting together on our side’By Jacob Magid,Lazar Berman and Nava Freiberg-31 March 2026, 6:35 pm
US President Donald Trump expressed frustration Tuesday with allies who have been unwilling to do more to support the US war effort, telling them to “go get your own oil” as the conflict with Iran and its closure of the Strait of Hormuz sent average US gas prices past $4 a gallon.Trump singled out Britain and France as unhelpful in the month-long war that has roiled global markets, driven up energy prices, and seen Iran effectively close oil tanker traffic through the Strait.“All of those countries that can’t get jet fuel because of the Strait of Hormuz, like the United Kingdom, which refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran, I have a suggestion for you: Number 1, buy from the U.S., we have plenty, and Number 2, build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.“You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil!”He also lashed out at France for not letting planes carrying military supplies to Israel fly over French territory.“The Country of France wouldn’t let planes headed to Israel, loaded up with military supplies, fly over French territory. France has been VERY UNHELPFUL with respect to the ‘Butcher of Iran,’ who has been successfully eliminated!” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.Allies have refused to get involved-The French military has previously said France allowed the US Air Force to use the Istres base in southern France, because it had guarantees that only planes not involved in carrying out strikes would land there.Spain, which has emerged as Europe’s loudest critic of the war, said Monday that it had closed its airspace for US planes involved in the conflict.Italy has refused permission for US military assets to use the Sigonella air base in Sicily for an operation linked to the offensive in the Middle East, an official with knowledge of the matter said, confirming a local press report.The denial was issued a few days ago and concerned American aircraft, including bombers, which were supposed to land at the base before continuing toward the Middle East, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.The Italian government later insisted that its relationship with the US is “solid and based on full and loyal cooperation.”‘It’s not just our problem set going forward’US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth echoed Trump’s sentiment regarding the Strait of Hormuz in a Pentagon briefing on Tuesday, lamenting that the United States has done the lion’s share of the work in making Iran less of a threat, and arguing that other countries now need to step up to reopen the key shipping route.“There are countries around the world who ought be prepared to step up on this critical waterway as well. It’s not just the United States Navy,” Hegseth said. “So the world ought to pay attention to be prepared to stand up. President Trump has been willing to do the heavy lifting on behalf of the free world to address this threat of Iran. It’s not just our problem set going forward.”Trump later told CBS News he was not yet ready to abandon US efforts to reopen the Strait. “At some point, I will, not quite yet. But countries have to come in and take care of it,” he said.Hegseth also said the next few days in the Middle East conflict would be decisive, saying there had been major desertions from the Iranian armed forces.Citing intelligence, Hegseth said: “Our strikes are damaging the morale of the Iranian military, leading to widespread desertions, key personnel shortages and causing frustrations amongst senior leaders.”“We have more and more options, and they have less… in only one month we set the terms, the upcoming days will be decisive,” he said. “Iran knows that, and there’s almost nothing they can militarily do about it.”Hegseth also revealed that he visited troops in the Middle East on Saturday to witness the military operation against Iran, touting the successes of Operation Epic Fury.“The last 24 hours saw the lowest number of enemy missiles and drones fired by Iran,” he said.Echoing Trump, Hegseth claimed that regime change had effectively been completed in Iran, thanks to the US-Israeli strikes to decapitate its leadership, even though the Islamic Republic has remained intact.“This new regime, because regime change has occurred, should be wiser than the last,” he said. “President Trump will make a deal. He is willing, and the terms of the deal are known to them.”“If Iran is not willing, then the United States War Department will continue with even more intensity,” he added.At the briefing, US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine reiterated that US forces had carried out more than 11,000 strikes against targets in Iran.Speaking during a Pentagon briefing on the war, Caine revealed that the US has successfully begun conducting “overland missions” of B-52 bomber sorties, thanks to the air superiority that the US currently has over Iran.‘Secret conversations with Arab leaders’Meanwhile on Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told ministers at a cabinet meeting that Israel is “forming alliances with Arab countries that are talking about fighting together on our side,” according to multiple Hebrew-language reports.“In the past, I had secret conversations with Arab leaders,” Netanyahu reportedly said. “I told them, ‘As soon as Iran can, it will conquer you and overthrow your kingdoms.’ Back then, they didn’t really internalize things. Today they understand.”On Monday, Ambassador to Washington Yechiel Leiter said that Gulf countries were asking Israel for help.“Some of our allies have become even greater allies over the past month,” he told hosts Danielle Pletka and Marc Thiessen on the American Enterprise Institute’s “What the Hell is Going On?” podcast. “Whether it’s UAE, Bahrain, I think we’ve become closer to the Saudis, closer to the Omanis. Closer to the Kuwaitis for crying out loud.”“They’ve asked us for assistance. So we become closer, and there’s going to be a concerted effort,” he said, without elaborating.He also hinted at joint action with Arab countries: “Israel and her allies will continue to act. This could really make the difference going into the future.”Leiter also said Israel “probably can’t” achieve its goals in the war with Iran without regime change — contradicting the US contention that regime change has already been achieved.“The purpose [of the war] is to make sure that we don’t have a power, an entity in Tehran, which is developing nuclear weapons, is developing weapons of mass destruction in terms of these ballistic missiles, and is supporting proxies around the region,” he said.“That’s what we’re focused on. Now, if that can be done without regime change, okay. Probably can’t, though. So at the very least, what we want is regime collapse,” Leiter said.Regime change was never one of the official goals of the war, and while Israeli leaders indicated their desire to topple the Islamic Republic at the start of the conflict, the regime’s apparent resilience has led recent messaging to focus mostly on degrading its military capabilities.Agencies and Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Iranian media says desalination plant on Gulf island non-functional after airstrikes-Iran’s foreign minister had said a US strike took place on March 7 on Qeshm Island, a popular yet heavily militarized tourist destination for Iranians-By AFP and ToI Staff 31 March 2026, 4:39 pm
Iranian media said Tuesday that airstrikes have put a desalination plant on Iran’s Qeshm island in the strategic Strait of Hormuz out of service, though the report did not specify when the attack took place.“One of the desalination plants on Qeshm Island was targeted… and is now completely out of service, as it is not possible to repair it in the short term,” the ISNA news agency reported, quoting health ministry official Mohsen Farhadi.Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had said a strike had taken place there on March 7, accusing the US of a “blatant and desperate crime” launched from its military base in Bahrain.Qeshm is the largest Iranian island in the Gulf, stretching for around one hundred kilometers (62.14 miles) across the Strait of Hormuz.It has become a popular tourist destination in recent years for Iranians thanks to its rare UNESCO-listed rock formations and turquoise waters, but is also heavily militarized, analysts say.There have been several attacks on desalination plants in the ongoing war, sparked by US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28.Bahrain reported an Iranian strike on a facility on March 8, apparent retaliation for the US hit on Qeshm the day before.Kuwait reported an Iranian attack on a desalination and electricity plant on Monday, which Tehran blamed on Israel, without offering proof.The Middle East is among the driest regions in the world, with many countries dependent on desalination plants for domestic and industrial water supplies.US President Donald Trump threatened on Monday to “obliterate” Iran’s power infrastructure, oil wells and “possibly all desalination plants.”That would likely draw a tit-for-tat reaction from Tehran that would escalate the conflict dramatically.Desalinated water provides 42 percent of drinking water in the United Arab Emirates, 70% in Saudi Arabia, 86% in Oman and 90% in Kuwait, according to a 2022 report from the French Institute of International Relations think tank.Some analysts have warned that Gulf states would see an attack on their critical water infrastructure as a reason to enter the war directly against Iran.They have so far remained on the sidelines of the conflict, sustaining damage from Iranian attacks while hosting US bases used for operations against the Islamic Republic.Israel launched its campaign against Iran, alongside the US, to degrade the Iranian regime’s military capabilities, distance threats posed by Iran — including its nuclear and ballistic missile programs — and “create the conditions” for the Iranian people to topple the regime, the military and other Israeli leaders have said.The Israeli Air Force has conducted hundreds of waves of strikes in Iran since February 28, dropping over 13,000 bombs on the Iranian regime and military sites, including air defense systems, ballistic missile launchers, weapon production sites, nuclear facilities, and various headquarters.The IDF has estimated that some 5,000 Iranian soldiers have been killed in Israeli strikes, along with tens of thousands more wounded, many of them members of the internal security forces and Basij paramilitary force.
PROOF HALF ON EARTH DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD (8 BILLION ON EARTH)
REVELATION 6:7-8 (8 BILLION- 2 BILLION = 6 BILLION)
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth,(2 BILLION) to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).
REVELATION 9:15,18 (6 BILLION - 2 BILLION = 4 BILLION)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,
18 By these three was the third part of men killed,(2 BILLION) by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMBS)
HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION.(THESE VERSES ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
LUKE 17:34-37 (8 TOTAL BILLION - 4 BILLION DEAD IN TRIB = 4 BILLION TO JESUS KINGDOM) (HALF DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD JUST LIKE THE BIBLE SAYS)(GOD DOES NOT LIE)(AND NOTICE MOST DIE IN WAR AND DISEASES-NOT COMETS-ASTEROIDS-QUAKES OR TSUNAMIS)
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other shall be left.(half earths population 4 billion die in the 7 yr trib)
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.(Christians have new bodies,this is the people against Jerusalem during the 7 yr treaty)(Christians bodies are not being eaten by the birds).THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES.BECAUSE NOT HALF OF PEOPLE ON EARTH ARE CHRISTIANS.AND THE CONTEXT IN LUKE 17 IS THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION OR 7 YR TREATY PERIOD.WHICH IS JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH.NOT 50% RAPTURED TO HEAVEN.
MATTHEW 24:37-42 (THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-SURE NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
42 Watch therefore:(FOR THE LAST DAYS SIGNS HAPPENING) for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
WORLD TERRORISM
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.(CAN YOU SAY TORNADOES,HURRICANES,VOLCANOES,EARTH QUAKES,LANDSLIDES,FLASH FLOODING,EXPLOSIONS,SNOW STORMS,THEN FINALLY NUKESAND ANY OTHER JUDGEMENTS THE EARTH CAN VOMIT THE SINNERS OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH WITH.
MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places,(DIFFERNT PLACES AT THE SAME TIME) and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
2 Peter 3:6-7 Amplified Bible (AMP) (HOT SUN, NUKES ETC)
6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.
7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun,(HEATING UP-SOLAR ECLIPSES) and in the moon,(MAN ON THE MOON-LUNAR ECLIPSES) and in the stars;(ASTEROIDS-PROPHECY SIGNS) and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:(DESTRUCTION) for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)
ISAIAH 14:12-14
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)
And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE.
Joel 3:2-King James Version (YOU DIVIDE JERUSALEM IN HALF - YOUR POKING GOD IN THE EYE - GOD SAYS AN EYE FOR AN EYE AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH- YOU WANNA DIVIDE JERUSALEM IN HALF - HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION 4 BILLION DIE ON EARTH.
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.
And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE.
Israel says air defences responding to missile from Yemen.
Jerusalem, April 1 (AFP) Apr 01, 2026-The Israeli military said air defences responded early Wednesday to a missile launched from Yemen, where Iran's Houthi allies have claimed attacks on Israel in recent days.A military statement said Israeli forces had "identified the launch of a missile from Yemen toward Israeli territory, aerial defence systems are operating to intercept the threat", later announcing that residents were "permitted to leave protected spaces in all areas of the country".Israeli media said the missile was intercepted, and there were no reports of any casualties or damage.Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed missile and drone attacks targeting Israel over the weekend, their first in the current war.The Israeli military also said on Monday that two drones launched from Yemen were intercepted.From Yemen, the Houthis could potentially disrupt shipping through the Red Sea, as they did at the height of Israel's war on Gaza.The Houthis have previously threatened shipping through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, which requires vessels to travel through a narrow strait off Yemen's coast.
Drone attack targets Kuwait airport, fuel tanks on fire: aviation agency.
Kuwait City, Kuwait, April 1 (AFP) Apr 01, 2026-Kuwait's civil aviation authority said Wednesday that the Gulf state's international airport had come under an Iranian drone attack that led to "a large fire" at fuel tanks."Kuwait International Airport has been subjected to blatant attacks by drones launched by Iran and the armed factions it supports," the official Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) quoted the spokesman of the General Directorate of Civil Aviation as saying.The spokesman, Abdullah Al?Rajhi, said "fuel storage tanks... were targeted, resulting in a large fire at the site", reporting no casualties.Iran has fired missiles and drones at Israel and US allies in the Gulf since the start of the war, which began with US-Israeli strikes against the Islamic republic on February 28.Elsewhere in the Gulf on Wednesday, Bahrain's interior ministry said a fire broke out at a business facility "as a result of the Iranian aggression".Saudi Arabia's defence ministry said several drones were "intercepted and destroyed".A tanker was also hit in the waters off Qatar, a British maritime security agency said.The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said "the vessel was struck by two projectiles" 17 nautical miles (31 kilometres) north of Ras Laffan, a major natural gas facility.One projectile caused a fire, which was extinguished, and another "remains unexploded within the vessel's engine room", UKMTO said in an update to its initial report, which stated that all crew members were reported as safe.It added there was "no environmental impact" and that authorities were investigating the incident.On Tuesday, KUNA said an Iranian attack sparked a fire on a Kuwaiti oil tanker at Dubai Port, causing no injuries.The oil-rich Gulf has borne the brunt of Iran's attacks in response to the US-Israeli strikes that sparked the war.Tehran has threatened to target vital infrastructure across the Gulf, including energy sites.
Macron lauds Europe's 'predictability' in seeming contrast to Trump.
Tokyo, April 1 (AFP) Apr 01, 2026-French President Emmanuel Macron praised Europe's "predictability" during a visit to Japan on Wednesday, contrasting it with countries that "could hurt you without even informing you" in an apparent swipe at Donald Trump.The US president lashed out at France on Tuesday, writing on social media that Paris had been "very unhelpful" during the war with Iran, which has since spread across the Middle East."I'm well aware that sometimes Europe can be seen as a continent that is slower than others," Macron told an audience of Japanese business leaders and investors in Tokyo."But predictability has value, and we have demonstrated that over all these past years and, dare I say, even these past weeks: we are where you know we will go," he added."That's not bad, in times like these, believe me."Macron criticised countries that said they were "going much faster" than their allies, but "you don't know whether the day after tomorrow they will still be in that position, and whether tomorrow they won't make a decision that could hurt you without even informing you".The remark was a reference to the month-long US-Israeli war on Iran, which has responded by virtually closing the vital Strait of Hormuz, through which a large share of the oil imported by Japan normally transits.Before meeting Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi later Wednesday, Macron spoke of the "dramatic impacts on energy" as a result of the war."Europe stands by your side," he said."We are also on the side of international law, on the side of negotiation and the return of diplomacy."Japan depends on the Middle East for 95 percent of its oil imports and has had to dip into strategic stockpiles to temper the impact of rising fuel prices since the start of the war.During Macron's talks with Takaichi, "the crisis in the Middle East will be at the heart of discussions", the Elysee said ahead of his Asia trip, which will also include a visit to South Korea.France and Japan are also expected to discuss security and partnerships in the space sector, and intend to sign a roadmap on nuclear power in Japan, the Elysee said.
Inside story'We must expel the villages and strongholds of the enemy'After uprooting Palestinian hamlets, extremist settlers set sights on purge of entire West Bank-As settler violence escalates, apparently under cover of Iran war, some behind the attacks appear to be pursuing a deliberate campaign aimed at ethnically cleansing the whole territory By Jeremy Sharon-31 March 2026, 1:41 pm
Extremist settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, already at unprecedented levels over the last three years, has reached a new zenith since the outbreak of war between Israel and Iran at the end of February.Civil rights groups and activists have reported extremely high rates of Jewish extremist attacks since war broke out, with multiple incidents of assault, vandalism, theft, and harassment occurring daily.The number of extremely severe incidents, such as fatal shootings, has also increased, with seven Palestinian civilians shot dead by extremist settlers since the war began.And last week bore witness to further escalation, as mobs of extremist Jewish youth from the settlements and illegal outposts of the West Bank descended on rural Palestinian villages, set homes and property ablaze, and violently assaulted Palestinian residents, in “revenge” for the death of a fellow settler activist who died in unclear circumstances on March 21.The severe spike in attacks during the course of the last month has been accompanied by extreme rhetoric by radical activists on social media networks, including explicit and proud statements in favor of ethnically cleansing Palestinians from the West Bank.Alongside the rhetoric, extremist settler actions once limited to Area C of the West Bank where Israel has full civil and security control — and where the overwhelming majority of settlements and illegal outposts are located — have begun to widen into Areas A and B as well, where the Palestinian Authority is supposed to hold political autonomy.This has included intensified violent settler raids into Palestinian towns and villages, as well as the establishment of Jewish settlement outposts in Areas A and B, as part of the grander plan to assert Israeli control over the entire territory from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River.Civil rights groups such as B’Tselem and Yesh Din have alleged that the timing is not coincidental — that the radical settler activists are using the Iran war as cover for increased violence targeted at displacing Palestinians.According to the Yesh Din organization, which tracks settler violence, there were 257 incidents of extremist settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank from the day the war with Iran began on February 28 until March 26, based on cross-referenced public statements and reports from different sources.These incidents included the killing of six Palestinian civilians who were shot dead by settler radicals, a figure that has since risen to seven.“Under the cover of war, settler violence is increasing with the goal of expelling Palestinians and taking control of their land,” Yesh Din alleged on March 5.The B’Tselem human rights organization, which also tracks settler extremism, made a similar observation, noting the spread of intense violence to Areas A and B of the West Bank.“The combination of the increasing and lethal use of live fire by Israeli militias and the expansion of attacks on large, established Palestinian communities indicates the intensification of Israel’s ethnic cleansing efforts under cover of the war with Iran,” B’Tselem charged on March 9.Extremist vanguard-In the first week of the current Iranian war, an administrator of a public WhatsApp channel dubbed “Hilltop News” spelled out the strategy of the extremists.The channel, run by extremist settlers, is one of a number of similar outlets seen as representative of the settler movement’s most radical, and often violent, wing.The post argued that it must be the settler radicals who first advance the goal of removing Palestinians from the West Bank, a concept they term “transfer.” Their efforts, if determined enough, will eventually be adopted by the state, similar to how the settlement movement itself started at the grassroots level before being backed by the government in the 1970s and 80s, it claimed.“In the end, transfer will really happen due to the initiative of private individuals, and not because the government woke up,” declared the post.It referenced the fact that many thriving settlements began life as illegal outposts before being retroactively authorized.“Just as it happens with the settlements, first Jews move into the area, and only after a few months or years do the heads of regional councils, cabinet ministers, and members of Knesset arrive to ‘approve’ and cut the red ribbon,” the post continued.Jewish extremists in the West Bank have been working toward the goal of expelling as many Palestinians as possible from Area C for several years, human rights groups have alleged. But those efforts shifted into high gear with the outbreak of war in Gaza following the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, invasion and atrocities.According to B’Tselem, 57 Palestinian communities, home to over 3,900 people, have been displaced since that date due to settler violence and harassment in Areas C and B of the West Bank. Another 530-odd Palestinians have been forced out of their homes in 17 partially displaced West Bank communities.The strenuous attempts to displace Palestinians from the region have been accompanied by similarly energetic efforts for Jewish Israelis to control as much West Bank land as possible, which also stepped up over the last three years. According to Peace Now, 86 illegal outposts were established in 2025, 62 in 2024, and 32 in 2023.The average number of illegal outposts established every year until the current government took office was six.The spike comes as settlers have also shifted from establishing small, densely clustered outposts to setting up agricultural bases that allow them to lay claim to vast tracts for growing or grazing, expanding the reach of their land grab. These activities often bring about fraught encounters with Palestinian herding communities.In many cases, extremists have appeared to use outposts as forward positions to harass and attack local Palestinians in a bid to force them to abandon their homes.Several dozen Palestinian Bedouin families fled Wadi as-Seeq in October 2023, in the face of persistent settler harassment and violence after radical activists established an illegal outpost right next to the hamlet.The entire population of Khirbet Zanuta in the South Hebron Hills also fled their village due to persistent violence and harassment from extremists from the nearby Meitarim Farm outpost.And the residents of Mu’arrajat in the Jordan Valley fled their homes in July 2025 after extremists set up an outpost encampment less than 100 meters from the Palestinian hamlet, stole from their homes, vandalized their property and engaged in other forms of harassment and intimidation.Depopulation and war-Settler extremists have not explicitly said they are using the war as cover to step up attacks on Palestinians while the world is looking away, but comments from members of the community make clear that at the very least, the fighting against Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon has not distracted them from the goal of expelling Palestinians.“Sad Jews are reporting that even during Operation Roaring Lion [the IDF campaign against Iran] happy Jews continue Operation You Shall Inherit in Judea and Samaria!” sneered one bulletin posted on the Hilltop News channel, mocking human rights activists lamenting the displacement that week of a Bedouin community next to the Palestinian town of Duma.“Operation You Shall Inherit” is the biblically inspired name given by the settler extremists to their campaign to expel Palestinians from the West Bank, also called Judea and Samaria, and crops up frequently in their rhetoric and social media posts.In a post in another extremist WhatsApp group called “Fighting for Life,” extremist settler ideologue Rabbi Menachem Ben Shahar portrayed the war as a model for how to expel Palestinians from the West Bank.“There is an unbelievable gap between the actions of the people of Israel against the distant enemy in Iran, and Beirut, and the nearby enemy,” said Ben Shahar, who has been investigated by the police for incitement.“Issue notices, expel entire villages, bomb. An enemy is an enemy is an enemy. Bomb the enemy wherever they are,” urged Ben Shahar, a teacher in a yeshiva in Homesh, a far-flung settlement in the northern West Bank that had been evacuated by the government in 2005 and was only recently re-legalized.“Now we must bridge the gap and defeat the close enemy as well. We must expel the villages and strongholds of the enemy in Judea and Samaria [the West Bank], the Galilee, Ramallah, Qalqiliya, everywhere in the land,” he declared.Another post in Hilltop News by an administrator cheered the uprooting of Palestinian Bedouin communities, which often bear the brunt of settler violence, and expressed hopes that such efforts would soon expand to larger Palestinian population centers.The post quoted a “senior figure in Hilltop News” who “clarified that while there is yet another military campaign, he is optimistic, and that it will be possible to go to the stage of expulsion from the big towns in the coming months.”In the past, settler extremists have raided Palestinian towns, setting fires and beating residents, in revenge for terror attacks — often with little or no link between their victims and those behind the terror activity — or as part of a program of retaliation for Israeli authorities moving against them.Yet the post indicated that settlers are now looking to carry out such attacks with the goal of expelling Palestinians to points unknown.Such processes may already be underway.In the northern West Bank, settler extremists, apparently from the nearby illegal outpost of Kol Mevaser, attacked the Bedouin hamlet of Khalet a-Sidra with such brutality that the approximately 16 families living there decided to leave. The same decision has been made by dozens of other similar communities in the last three years.Since then, what appears to be the same group has turned its attention to the long-established village of Mukhmas, just a few hundred meters from Khalet a-Sidra, including one incident in which a 19-year-old youth was shot and killed and over 350 sheep were allegedly stolen from the residents of the village.When Israeli authorities tore down some of Kol Mevaser’s structures on March 18, several settler extremists descended from the wildcat hilltop outpost and set fires in Mukhmas.“The clear goal of the Kol Mevaser outpost is to use violence to force Palestinians out of their homes,” said Rabbi Arik Ascherman, who heads the dovish Torat Tzedek organization and has monitored violence in the area. “They are now working on the village of Mukhmas as well.”In Mukhmas, as elsewhere, Palestinians who are under attack say they will not leave their land, and it may not matter whether settlers are motivated by revenge or a campaign of ethnic cleansing. The end result of both is the same: death and fiery destruction.“I’m not going to leave,” Youssef Hammas Abu Ali, a Mukhmas chicken farmer whose coops were assaulted, told The Times of Israel recently. “This is my village. I have my house [here], my land.”No more ABC-The notion of putting up illegal settlement outposts in the areas governed by the Palestinian Authority was given full expression this week, with the almost unprecedented establishment of three illegal settlement outposts in Area A of the West Bank.In the past, almost all settlement activity has been limited to Area C, the 60 percent of the West Bank that Israel has full military and civil control over, which is home to all the Israeli settlements and several hundred thousand Palestinians.Area A, which Palestinians both govern and secure, comprises around 18% of the territory, almost all of which is made up of the urban core of Palestinian cities and towns.Pictures posted by Palestinian media outlets this week of one of the new outposts in the northern West Bank close to the Palestinian town of Jaba and just north of the Palestinian village of Beit Imrin showed a stone building with an Israeli flag raised over it.The Times of Israel confirmed that extremist settler activists had indeed taken up residence in the building.The establishment of the outpost appeared to be a response to the death of Yehuda Sherman, a resident of the illegal agricultural outpost of Shuva Yisrael, located very close to Beit Imrin.Like other activists of his ilk, Sherman was “driven crazy” by the distinction between areas of the West Bank under Israeli versus Palestinian control, viewing the whole West Bank as a Jewish inheritance, his father Yehoshua Sherman was quoted saying in the Olam Katan weekly, which is associated with the far right.“When they established the [Shuva Yisrael] farm I brought a surveying gauge for them to measure where Area C was. Yehuda asked me ‘Dad, what does it matter? Why are you limiting us? It’s the Land of Israel,’” the elder Sherman told the weekly.At the funeral, Yehoshua Sherman called on the government to annul the Oslo Accords of the 1990s, which split the West Bank into Areas A, B, and C.“The generation that grew up here doesn’t know what A, B and C is, it just knows that all of the Land of Israel is ours,” said Sherman in his eulogy.Yehuda Sherman was killed when a Palestinian vehicle hit the ATV he and his brother were in while they conducted a “patrol” close to their illegal settlement outpost. The police and Shin Bet stated on Thursday that “suspicions are growing” that Sherman’s death was the result of a terror attack.The death sparked two nights of attacks on Palestinian communities across the West Bank, with the violence reaching levels that managed to break through the Iran war’s monopoly on attention. Military officials were alarmed to the point that an Israel Defense Forces unit was redeployed from Lebanon to help quell the violence.The attacks have largely ended, but settler extremists are still speaking openly of their desire to rid the West Bank of Palestinians.On Thursday, Elisha Yered, a central figure in the network of extremist settler activists, wrote a lengthy essay calling for the abolition of the Oslo Accords, the expansion of Israeli settlements into Areas A and B, and the expulsion of Palestinians from the West Bank, saying such actions would fulfill the “unwritten will” of Yehuda Sherman.“We must not be content with the Oslo borders… but continue forward with all our might,” he wrote, asserting that the government’s support for illegal settlement outposts was proof of how such radicals can influence government policy.“That which has been done in the farming outposts and in the hills must be replicated as soon as possible in Areas A and B, in places in Area C that the enemy has already invaded,” declared Yered, a suspect in several crimes against Palestinians in the West Bank. “[We must] not be afraid to proudly demand expulsion, occupation, and inheritance alongside the settlement of the land and the flourishing of the wilderness.”
Trump administration planning international summit on countering antifa violence-Some officials fear the confab on the unstructured leftist movement is a distraction as the US faces a more pressing threat from Iran-linked terror groups-By Reuters 31 March 2026, 3:13 pm
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is organizing an international summit focused on countering the left-wing movement antifa and other groups, three sources familiar with the matter said, an effort that highlights the shift in the US government’s counterterrorism priorities over the past year.The conference, tentatively planned for June or July, will convene officials from various nations to discuss strategies for battling antifa and encourage intelligence sharing, said the sources, who requested anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media.US President Donald Trump has portrayed antifa as a severe threat to the US.Counterterrorism experts argue it does not exist as an organized entity, though people claiming affinity to antifa have been involved in armed attacks in the US.Among the officials organizing the event is Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Thomas DiNanno, said two of the people.In response to requests for comment, spokespeople for the White House and State Department both described antifa as a major security concern for the Trump administration.“The anarchists, Marxists, and violent extremists of antifa have waged a terror campaign in the United States and across the Western world for decades, carrying out bombings, beatings, shootings, and riots in service of their extreme agenda,” said Tommy Pigott, the State Department’s principal deputy spokesman.A question of priorities-The planned event has raised concerns among some current and former officials, who argue that the summit would be a distraction when the US faces threats from Iran-sponsored terror groups driven by the war in the Middle East.“I am just skeptical that now, with everything going on, when you see the number of plots being put together by Iran and Hezbollah, that there really is a compelling need to spend limited counterterrorism resources on the antifa threat right now,” said Michael Jacobson, who was the director of strategy, plans and initiatives for the State Department’s Counterterrorism Bureau until 2025. Now, he is a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for the Near East Policy think tank.A State Department official argued the administration had taken “unprecedented steps to combat terrorism worldwide,” including many actions against Hezbollah, Hamas, the Yemen-based Houthis, and various drug cartels.Many details of the planned event were unclear, including which countries were invited and would participate.As of last week, formal invites for the conference had not yet been sent, two of the people said. The State Department official said no summit date had been set.It was also unclear if the event would focus narrowly on groups or individuals that self-identify with antifa, or on left-wing groups generally. At times, senior administration officials have used antifa as public shorthand for leftist extremism of all stripes.One source expected European governments to receive many of the invites. In November, the Trump administration designated four left-wing entities in Germany, Italy, and Greece as foreign terrorist organizations under US law. Seven people allegedly linked to one of those groups, known as Antifa Ost, went on trial in Germany in November for charges including attempted murder.The source said administration officials hoped to announce a global coalition countering antifa around the time of the planned conference.Acts of violence — but no hierarchy-Antifa, short for “anti-fascist,” is not an organized political group but is a decentralized movement without a clear structure, command hierarchy, or leader, according to a 2020 Congressional Research Service report.Some experts on political extremism, along with former FBI director Christopher Wray, have argued that antifa is better viewed as an ideology than a cohesive entity, and legal and civil rights advocates have expressed concerns that Trump’s pursuit of antifa amounts to an attempt to criminalize certain political views.Supporters of the administration’s focus on antifa point out that individuals who identify as antifa sympathizers have, in fact, committed acts of violence.A federal jury in Fort Worth this month convicted nine people, who prosecutors said were antifa operatives, on terrorism-related and weapons charges for an attack on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Texas last year.Trump first sought to designate the movement as a domestic terror organization in 2020, when left-wing demonstrators attacked federal buildings in Portland, Oregon, during weeks of unrest following the police killing of George Floyd.A self-identified antifa supporter shot and killed a member of the far-right group Patriot Prayer in Portland in August 2020 and was in turn killed by federal and local law enforcement officers.Iran threat looms large-Most Western counterterrorism officials are now focused on the threat of Iran-sponsored terror attacks directed at US, European, and Israeli targets.Ahead of the joint US-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28, the FBI warned law enforcement agencies that Tehran might try to retaliate for any US strikes by launching surprise drone attacks in California, according to a security bulletin seen by Reuters.European police body Europol has warned that the conflict has “immediate repercussions” for European Union security, with an increased threat of acts of terror on the continent.Both at home and abroad, US officials have in recent years focused more on right-wing extremism than left-wing extremism.But Trump has made countering left-wing groups — and antifa in particular — a priority. He singled out the movement on the campaign trail in 2024, and he vowed to take action against left-wing groups he accuses of fomenting violence after the murder of conservative activist and ally Charlie Kirk in September.Publicly available evidence in that case has not tied alleged assassin Tyler Robinson to antifa.Shortly after the assassination, Trump signed an executive order labeling antifa a “domestic terrorist organization.”Legal experts have said the domestic terrorist designation is legally and constitutionally dubious and raises free-speech concerns.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
UN probe shows roadside blast killed 2 UNIFIL troops; IDF: Hezbollah planted bombs--UN security source says 3rd Indonesian peacekeeper killed this week was hit by Israeli tank fire, says debris from shell found nearby; IDF investigating both incidents-By ToI Staff, Agencies and Emanuel Fabian-31 March 2026, 10:17 pmUpdated at 10:59 pm
A roadside explosion appears to have struck the convoy of two Indonesian peacekeepers killed in southern Lebanon, the UN peacekeeping chief said on Tuesday, citing initial findings of an investigation.The two peacekeepers with the UNIFIL force were killed on Monday near Bani Hayyan in south Lebanon and two other soldiers were wounded.A preliminary review of the incident conducted by the Israel Defense Forces found that the blast was caused by roadside bombs likely placed by Hezbollah, a military official told The Times of Israel.In an official statement, the military said that “a comprehensive operational examination indicates that no explosive device was placed in the area by IDF troops, and that no IDF troops were present in the area at all.”“The IDF is operating against Hezbollah, and not against UNIFIL, the Lebanese Armed Forces, or Lebanese civilians. The IDF calls on UNIFIL to avoid presence in combat zones where the IDF has issued warnings to the civilian population to evacuate for their safety,” the military added.Another Indonesian soldier was killed overnight Sunday into Monday when a projectile exploded near one of the group’s positions. According to a UN security source, the peacekeeper was killed by Israeli fire.“UNIFIL is conducting investigations to determine the circumstances of these reprehensible developments,” Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the head of UN peacekeeping, told a UN Security Council meeting on Lebanon, where a new war between Israel and Lebanese terror group Hezbollah erupted on March 2.Israel’s UN ambassador, Danny Danon, blamed the deaths of the three peacekeepers on Hezbollah. He charged that the group launches rockets from villages next to UN positions, “putting peacekeepers directly in the line of fire.”Three UNIFIL peacekeepers were killed in south Lebanon in less than 48 hours.@UNPeacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix affirmed that UN peacekeepers "remain on the ground, carrying out Security Council-mandated tasks, in extremely dangerous conditions."https://t.co/qGgYopzCya pic.twitter.com/me6M6uDVWA— UN News (@UN_News_Centre) March 30, 2026-Asked about Danon’s statement, UNIFIL spokesperson Kandice Ardiel said: “We invite them to share their evidence with our investigative team.”UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told a briefing a “roadside bomb, most likely an IED,” or improvised explosive device, was to blame for the Bani Hayyan incident.The third peacekeeper, who was killed the previous night, was struck by fire from an Israeli tank, a UN security source told AFP on condition of anonymity.“Debris from a tank round has been recovered” at the site, the source added.The IDF said it was probing the incident.“It should be noted these incidents occurred in an active combat area,” the military said, adding that “it should not be assumed that incidents in which UNIFIL soldiers were harmed were caused by the IDF.”UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the killing of the peacekeepers, saying that such attacks were “grave violations of international humanitarian law… and may amount to war crimes.”“There will need to be accountability,” he added in a statement.Indonesia’s foreign ministry on Tuesday condemned the attacks “in the strongest terms,” adding that they reflected the deteriorating security environment in the region. It said that ongoing Israeli military operations have placed UN peacekeepers in Lebanon at grave risk.US envoy to the UN Mike Waltz told the Security Council meeting that since 1978, more than 300 UNIFIL peacekeepers had been killed, showing that the council “must think very carefully about the effectiveness of this effort.”“We can help refocus international efforts on supporting Lebanese state institutions, reducing risk to peacekeepers, and pressing Hezbollah and Iran to cease their destabilizing activities,” he said.Ten European countries, including France and the United Kingdom, urged all sides to ensure the safety of UNIFIL.“We urge all parties, under all circumstances, to ensure the safety and security of UNIFIL personnel and premises, in accordance with international law,” the foreign ministers of Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal and the United Kingdom, as well as the European Union’s top diplomat, said in a joint statement.In line with a Security Council decision, UNIFIL will cease operations at the end of 2026 and withdraw in 2027. As of March, UNIFIL had 7,505 peacekeepers from 47 nations.Israel has long argued that the observer force has failed in its mission, doing little to block Hezbollah from building up its forces near the Israeli border over decades.
Israel renews strikes on Beirut suburbs, kills Lebanese soldier.
Beirut, Lebanon, March 30 (AFP) Mar 30, 2026-Israel renewed its bombardment of Beirut's southern suburbs on Monday while continuing air strikes on Lebanon's south, one of which targeted an army checkpoint and killed a soldier.Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East conflict when Tehran-backed armed group Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel on March 2 in revenge for the killing of Iran's supreme leader, the opening salvo in the US-Israeli war against the Islamic republic.Israel has responded with large-scale air strikes across Lebanon and a ground offensive in the south. Lebanese authorities say more than 1,200 people have been killed since the hostilities broke out.On Monday, two strikes hit Beirut's southern suburbs, one of them targeting an apartment in a residential building, according to an AFP photographer, who said Hezbollah gunmen imposed a security cordon at the site after the attack.A security source told AFP that three Hezbollah members were killed in the strike and three others wounded.An eyewitness who declined to be named said victims were evacuated from the site following the strike.The building targeted is located in a residential neighbourhood packed with shops and commercial establishments, several of which were damaged, according to the photographer.The Israeli army, which had issued an evacuation order for the area -- where most residents had already fled -- said it had "begun striking Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure in Beirut".In south Lebanon, where state media reported a series of Israeli air strikes, the Lebanese army said one of its soldiers was killed and others wounded in an attack on one of its checkpoints in the Tyre region.A military source told AFP that the strike was the first direct targeting of a Lebanese army checkpoint since the start of the war.Earlier, the army's command announced the deaths of eight soldiers in the south and east of Lebanon since the war's beginning, although they were not on duty at the time of their deaths.On Sunday, an Indonesian soldier with the UN's peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was also killed when a projectile exploded near a UNIFIL position close to the border, while three others were wounded.The source of the projectile has not yet been determined.Other UN peacekeepers were wounded on Monday in a separate "incident" near the Lebanese-Israeli border, a spokesperson for the force said, without specifying the nature of the incident.Hezbollah, for its part, continued to claim attacks against Israeli positions and forces, including on an intelligence base on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.The Israeli military announced Monday that one of its soldiers was killed fighting in south Lebanon, and another seriously wounded, bringing the number of Israeli soldiers killed in Lebanon to six.
Russian strike on Chernobyl caused 500 mn euros damage: France.
Abbaye de Sept-Fons, France, March 26 (AFP) Mar 26, 2026-The dome protecting the nuclear reactor that exploded in Ukraine's Chernobyl in 1986 will require almost 500 million euros of repairs after it was damaged in a Russian strike last year, France's foreign minister said Thursday.The structure was pierced in a Russian drone strike in February 2025, sparking international anger and concern about the safety of the power plant some four decades on from the world's worst nuclear accident.In 1986, while Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union, a reactor at Chernobyl exploded during a botched safety test, sending clouds of radiation across much of Europe and forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate."We presented this evening the first financial estimate of the damage caused by this drone which amounts to around 500 million euros," said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot after chairing a meeting of G7 foreign ministers.The G7 group of industrialised democracies, which France currently chairs, will play a key role in raising the funds, he said.It will work closely with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), he added."I went to the scene in July 2025 to witness the devastation of this war without limits," said Barrot.In November 2016, a massive metal dome was erected over the remains of the reactor -- paid for with 2.1 billion euros in international funding -- to stop future leaks.The Russian drone strike left a large hole in the New Safe Confinement (NSC), the outer of two radiation shells covering the remnants of the nuclear power plant.It functions as a modern high-tech replacement for an inner steel-and-concrete structure -- known as the "sarcophagus", a defensive layer built hastily after the 1986 incident.The plant's director told AFP in late 2025 it could take another three to four years before the outer dome regains its primary safety functions.Russia's army captured the plant on the first day of its 2022 full-scale invasion Ukraine, before withdrawing a few weeks later.Ukraine has repeatedly accused Moscow of targeting Chernobyl and its other nuclear power plants, saying Moscow's strikes risk triggering a potentially catastrophic disaster.dt-sjw/ah/pdw
G7 ministers tackle economic fallout of Mideast war.
Paris, France, March 30 (AFP) Mar 30, 2026-G7 ministers and central bank officials gathered Monday to tackle the economic consequences of the war in the Middle East that has sent energy prices soaring and has triggered fears for the world economy.The United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran in late February, and Tehran has hit back by targeting crude-exporting countries in the region and halting most shipments through the Gulf.The squeeze on supply has pushed oil and natural gas prices higher, with drastic knock-on effects for supply chains in multiple industries.French Finance Minister Roland Lescure said the G7 was convening finance ministers, energy ministers, and central bank officials, the first gathering in that format since the G7 was established in 1975."We know that what's happening now in the Gulf is having energy consequences, economic consequences, financial market consequences and potentially inflation consequences," he told reporters ahead of the meeting."The idea is to monitor developments, to exchange diagnoses especially on potential disruptions."Representatives of the International Energy Agency (IEA), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank were present at the meeting held by video link.The G7, an informal grouping of the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan, helps shape policy debates in the world's wealthiest nations.France currently holds the rotating presidency of the G7 advanced economies.The United States has sought support from the group to help halt Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz shipping route.After a meeting last week, G7 foreign ministers said it was an "absolute necessity" for Iran to re-establish free passage through the strait and called for an end to attacks on civilian infrastructure.- 'Act quickly' -Under increasing pressure, many governments have rolled out measures to limit the impact of supply difficulties and soaring energy prices.On Friday, the French government announced it would spend 70 million euros ($80 million) to help the fishing, agriculture and transport industries in April.Lescure said on Monday that measures of support should be targeted and rapid."This is a crisis that affects all of us and that will result in costs for the nation," Lescure told reporters.We need to "act quickly and act fairly," he said.US officials, including President Donald Trump, have said their goals in the war are almost achieved, but thousands of US personnel have been sent to the region in an unprecedented military build-up.Activists based outside Iran say the US-Israeli campaign has killed more than 3,000 people in the country, over half of them civilians, while Lebanese officials have said more than 1,000 have been killed there since Israel began attacking its territory in retaliation for Hezbollah attacks on March 2.Officials in Israel and countries across the Gulf have also reported much smaller numbers of casualties.
Somali troops enter key city ruled by renegade leader.
Mogadishu, March 30 (AFP) Mar 30, 2026-Somali federal troops Monday entered the key city of Baidoa after clashes with forces loyal to the head of the region, whose mandate Mogadishu says expired four years ago.The fighting broke out about six kilometres (3.7 miles) from the city of several hundred thousand inhabitants and local forces fled, Hassan Mohamed, a commander of the Somali National Army, told AFP."We have now entered the town from the side of the animal market, and very soon, we are planning to clear the rest of the city of the deposed regime loyalists," he told AFP."Their remnants are still in some parts of the town, but we will force them to retreat or surrender," he added.Residents contacted by AFP confirmed that Somali army soldiers had entered the city, accompanied by fighters from a militia opposed to the local authorities."There was no fighting inside Baidoa so far, the opposition forces and the members of the national army have managed to enter the town after brief fighting in the suburbs of the town," Mahdi Ali, a resident, said by phone.A few hours before pro-government forces entered Baidoa, an official from the South West State, where Baidoa is located, had insisted that local authorities and forces would repel any attack."Those who have invaded the people of the South West State will never succeed. They will be defeated," said Ugaas Hassan, spokesman for the state administration.Deeply fractured Somalia's central government accuses the South West State president, Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen, of having illegally extended his mandate, which in theory expired in 2022.Tensions have risen recently after Laftagareen opposed a reform of the Somali constitution, adopted in early March, which extends the presidential term from four to five years and introduces the election of Somali MPs and senators by direct universal suffrage instead of the current indirect, clan-based system.On Sunday, several security sources said Mogadishu had sent between 600 and 800 soldiers as reinforcements to retake Baidoa, supported by hundreds of local militiamen.Laftagareen's fate and whereabouts are currently unknown.
Kentucky governor: Gaza ‘genocide’ claims shouldn’t be a litmus test for Democrats-Andy Beshear, a 2028 presidential hopeful, says Israel ‘has the right to exist as a democratic country, as a Jewish country’ while bashing Trump and Netanyahu over the Gaza and Iran wars-By Grace Gilson Today, 6:48 am-APR 1,26
JTA — Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear declined to label Israel’s actions in Gaza as “genocide” in an interview with Politico published Sunday, instead critiquing the question as a litmus test among Democrats.“That’s becoming one of those new litmus tests that we said we would never do as a party again,” Beshear told Politico’s Dasha Burns after being asked if he agreed with the label. “It’s trying to throw out a word and, ‘Are you going to raise your hand or are you not going to?’”Beshear is the Democratic governor of a solidly red state and a potential 2028 presidential contender. His remarks come as Democratic candidates increasingly grapple with their stances on Israel amid record low support for Israel among its base.While several lawmakers, including Vermont’s Jewish Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent, have called Israel’s actions in Gaza a “genocide,” the label has not gained mainstream support in the Democratic party. Last October, former Vice President Kamala Harris declined to use the “genocide” label, which Israel had long rejected, but said, “We should all step back and ask this question and be honest about it.”Some Democrats have embraced the question, with a New York congressional candidate telling the leftist streamer Hasan Piker this week that she is “100%” comfortable with the issue serving as a litmus test in her party.Others have acted as though the litmus test is already in place. In January, for example, California congressional candidate Scott Wiener announced that he believes Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute a genocide after drawing scrutiny for declining to answer the question during a debate.While Beshear told Burns that Israel “has the right to exist as a democratic country, as a Jewish country,” he added that his feelings about President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s conduct during the war in Gaza and ongoing war in Iran were “a different thing.”“I believe the United States needs a strong Israel, but not one with decisions being made in the way that Netanyahu is making them,” Beshear said.Beshear also critiqued US President Donald Trump’s response to the crisis in Gaza.“I believe that it could have been done without a lot of the suffering, but I put a lot of that blame also on Donald Trump,” he said. “If he’d said we are coming in and we are bringing food and aid and you are going to make sure that we’re safe, it would’ve happened.”Last week, a spokesperson for Beshear told Politico that “AIPAC has never contributed to Governor Beshear and they’re never going to — ever,” a response that dovetailed with a host of other potential Democratic presidential candidates, including California Governor Gavin Newsom, who are increasingly distancing themselves from the pro-Israel lobby.“I think that’s up to each and every Democrat,” Beshear answered when asked whether he thought his fellow Democrats should take money from AIPAC.“In the end, I think people need to be clear about their stance on these issues,” Beshear said. “And for me, it’s one where I believe that we need a future with an ally in Israel. But we need decision makers there that are not acting the way that Netanyahu is and we need a president that will push when we are seeing humanitarian crises to actually do something about it.”
'I graduated from Manischewitz'Trade war meets tradition: Canadian Jews confront a Manischewitz-free Passover-The ban on American booze, which came in response to the country’s tariffs, has ‘created a meaningful opening’ for Israeli wineries in Canada, according to a wine executive-By Joseph Strauss Today, 4:26 am-APR 1,26
TORONTO (JTA) — Max Kirschner pondered the kosher wine section at an uptown Toronto liquor store, two days before the start of Passover.As he mulled over which six bottles to purchase for his two Seders, he had plenty of options: Wines from Israel, Italy, Chile, Argentina and New Zealand lined the shelves. The South African sauvignon blancs were directly below the French bordeaux.There was something missing, though: any product from the United States.That’s because all US-produced wines and spirits have been pulled from the shelves across the province of Ontario in response to US President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs. Other provinces have enacted similar bans.Which means that, for the second year in a row, Jewish customers don’t have access to some traditional, kosher-for-passover options such as Manischewitz.The change has left some Jewish Canadians scrambling for alternative, sweet kosher red wines, or even having bottles shipped across the country. On Monday afternoon, however, Kirschner seemed unbothered by the change.“I graduated from Manischewitz,” Kirschner said. “Twenty, 25 years ago Manischewitz and Carmel were the only two choices. Now, there’s lots of choices.”Though tucked away in a corner on the second floor, the kosher section is particularly robust at this liquor store location, in the predominantly Jewish Ledbury Park neighborhood. An employee, who’d been speaking on the phone about wines for haroset, guided a steady stream of customers through the global selection of kosher wines.Mike, who declined to share his last name to avoid potential backlash at his workplace for supporting Israel, said Manischewitz has never been on the table at his family’s Moroccan Jewish Seders.But he said he saw a silver lining for those who partook in the Manischewitz tradition. “Now people can buy Israeli,” he said.A number of customers said they would be supporting Israel by buying bottles from its wineries. And according to Josh Greenstein, executive vice president of the Israeli Wine Producers Association, the American booze ban in provinces like Ontario has “created a meaningful opening” for Israeli wineries in Canada.That demand has been “absorbed primarily by domestic Canadian wines,” but Greenstein said there are “pockets of increased interest in imported alternatives, including Israeli wines — particularly within the kosher market and among consumers already familiar with the category.”While the long-term impact will depend on future trade dynamics and consumer behaviors, he said, “Israeli wine is well-positioned to gain incremental share, and we are actively working with partners to support that growth.”Some Jewish Torontonians are not making a trip to the liquor store at all.For Sylvia Babins, Manischewitz is a crucial ingredient in her haroset recipe — so she ordered a shipment from a liquor store across the country, in Calgary, Alberta, where American wines are still on shelves.Babins said she ordered nine bottles of the kosher wine — six for her, three for her sister — at a cost of $11 per bottle and about $50 in shipping.“I’m sure I can go find a sweet, red kosher wine [at a Toronto liquor store], but I make haroset every year for the family and I always use Manischewitz,” Babins said. “I need it.”Haroset in a silver holder for Passover. (The Toby Press)-In a Jewish Toronto Facebook group that she’s in, Babins said other members reported making the two-hour drive to Buffalo, New York. But between paying for gasoline and import duties, Babins said the costs would’ve exceeded her shipping payment anyway. Plus, she added, she didn’t have to give her business to an American store.“Yeah, I’d rather support Canada,” she said.There was clearly some demand for the sweet Manischewitz taste at the store on Monday. An employee pointed out a spot on the bottom-left shelf, where they’d kept the bottles of Carmel Palwin, a sweet, yellow-labeled Israeli wine that tastes similar to Manischewitz (though it isn’t made with Concord grapes)-They had run out.
Knesset restores rabbinical courts, echoing Isaiah: “I will restore your judges as of old”Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz-Israel News-March 26, 2026
The Knesset passed a law on Tuesday morning restoring to rabbinical courts a power they had exercised for decades before it was stripped away by a judicial ruling 20 years ago. By a vote of 65 to 41, lawmakers approved legislation allowing state rabbinical and Sharia courts to arbitrate civil disputes, a move supporters describe as a return to tradition and critics warn could reshape the balance between religion and state.The law, advanced by United Torah Judaism and Shas, grants religious courts authority to adjudicate financial disputes when both parties give explicit and recent consent. Until 2006, rabbinical courts regularly handled such arbitration, a practice halted by a court decision that removed their standing in civil matters. Under the new law, their jurisdiction remains limited: they cannot hear criminal or administrative cases, matters involving the state, or disputes tied to marriage and divorce. Labor disputes are also excluded unless initiated freely by the employee.Rabbinical courts are already embedded in Israel’s judiciary, overseeing areas such as divorce, inheritance, and conversion. The system includes 12 regional courts, with the Great Rabbinical Court in Jerusalem serving as the highest authority. It is currently headed by Sephardi Chief Rabbi David Yosef.Supporters framed the legislation as a correction of a historical anomaly. MK Yitzhak Pindrus told lawmakers that “for 50 years after the state’s founding, rabbinical courts deliberated on these matters,” dismissing claims that the law disrupts the status quo. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called the bill “a liberal and egalitarian” measure grounded in free choice, adding that Israelis should have access to “a legal system with values and morality” rooted in Jewish tradition.MK Moshe Gafni, one of the bill’s sponsors, tied the moment to a broader religious vision. “We are now at the stage of ‘I will restore your judges as of old,’” he said, invoking the verse: “And I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning; afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city” (Isaiah 1:26).Jewish law (Halacha) prohibits resorting to non-Torah-based legal systems. Outside of Israel, rabbinic injunction resorts to a workaround called dina d’malkhuta dina — “the law of the land is the law” — which permitted Jews living under foreign sovereign rule to engage with gentile legal systems.In the Land of Israel, the halachic leniency that permits the use of non-Torah-based courts is considerably stricter than in the Diaspora. The principle of dina d’malkhuta dina does not apply in Israel, according to the majority of halachic authorities. This is because the doctrine was conceived specifically to address Jewish life under non-Jewish governance; in a Jewish state, no such dispensation exists. The prohibition of arkaot, bringing disputes before secular tribunals, therefore stands in full force. Rooted in the Talmud’s reading of Mishpatim (Exodus 21:1) and codified by Maimonides, the prohibition means that a Jew who takes a fellow Jew to Israel’s secular civil courts violates Torah law, desecrates God’s name (chillul Hashem), and bypasses the divinely ordained system of mishpat Ivri, Hebrew law administered through batei din (rabbinical courts). Many leading Israeli halachic authorities, including Rav Shaul Yisraeli and others associated with the religious Zionist tradition, have written extensively on this point.Ironically, Israel’s secular court system is inherited largely from British Mandatory law and shaped by modern civil jurisprudence, which handles the overwhelming majority of civil, commercial, and family disputes among Israeli Jews. For Torah-observant Jews, this creates a profound tension: the state’s legal apparatus is readily accessible and enforceable, while the batei din (Rabbinic courts), though recognized for matters of personal status such as marriage and divorce, have limited jurisdiction and enforcement power in civil matters. ‼️ UPDATE:Knesset members rushed to shelters after the IDF detected an Iranian ballistic missile attack targeting Jerusalem and central Israel.Lawmakers were forced to leave the wartime plenum mid-session while debating a bill to significantly expand the authority of Israel’s… pic.twitter.com/OPfUmHN6lT— Mossad Commentary (@MOSSADil) March 23, 2026It is precisely this gap that makes recent Knesset legislation expanding the authority and jurisdiction of rabbinical courts so halachically significant. By broadening the scope of cases batei din may adjudicate and strengthening their ability to enforce rulings, the legislation offers observant Jews a viable and halachically sanctioned alternative, potentially allowing them to resolve disputes fully within the Torah’s legal framework without resorting to the secular courts that Jewish law forbids.Opposition figures in the Knesset delivered sharp criticism of the new law, warning of long-term consequences. Opposition leader Yair Lapid declared the religious status quo “dead, buried, eliminated [and] canceled,” while MK Merav Michaeli described the law as “another step toward a halachic state.” MK Merav Cohen pointed to the absence of female judges in rabbinical courts, arguing that “a system that does not allow women to be partners cannot provide them with equality.”Rabbi Yehudah Glick, a former Member of Knesset and founder of the Shalom Jerusalem Foundation, “We’re talking about a situation where both sides agree, and it’s only giving the authority to the Bet Din to enforce their decisions. The ability to make these decisions was already given by the agreement of both sides.”Rabbi Glick saw the Knesset law as returning the role of the Bet Din to its Biblically intended role.“It’s a very wonderful development, because until now, the religious Bet Din was perceived as a place where you get married or divorced, but not really a true Bet Din that was involved in the jury system.Now, they can make decisions influencing everyday life, including arguments between people. That’s really that’s what a Beit Din is all about.”“That’s what the Torah and Parshat Mishpatim talk about when neighbors have disagreements. That’s what the Beit Din is for. Until now, you always had to go to the Israeli court, which is based on the Turkish and British systems, but you couldn’t go to a Bet Din that’s based on Torah. That was also a source of indictment against Torah laws, as if following the Torah laws is something primitive and something that is… not reasonable.”“Now, Israeli law recognizes the fact that the Jewish Torah, [the] Beth Din, has the authority to make decisions. And I think that’s very, very wonderful, and I hope more and more people will use it, and we’ll see that the Bet Din searches for justice. When standing before judges today, they’ll tell you that they are not looking for truth or justice. They are looking for legality. We’re looking for whatever our legal system decides.“With a Bet Din, we’re looking for true justice. I am sure that more and more people are going to want to follow Torah law, because it really is law,” Rabbi Glick concluded.Civil society voices also raised concerns. Rabbi Seth Farber, director of the ITIM nonprofit, said the law “could further alienate large segments of Israeli society from Judaism itself,” warning against coercion within religious institutions. Uri Keidar of Israel Hofsheet called on a future government to repeal the legislation.The law includes provisions intended to address such concerns. Arbitration is permitted only with clear consent from both parties, and rulings cannot violate Israel’s civil rights laws, including protections for women. Lawmakers also removed earlier provisions that would have allowed the courts to rule on child custody and disputes involving married couples, narrowing the scope significantly during committee deliberations.Supporters argue that the law’s principle, often described as judicial pluralism, allows communities to resolve disputes according to their own legal traditions. Critics counter that even voluntary frameworks can carry social pressure, particularly within close-knit religious communities.The passage of the law during wartime intensified the political debate. Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman called the timing “absolute madness and moral bankruptcy,” while coalition members argued that strengthening Jewish legal institutions is what the moment demands.
Jewish legal scholar: “Trump leadership might have stopped the Holocaust.”Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz-Israel News-March 31, 2026
Alan Dershowitz, a prominent legal scholar, said in a televised interview that if Donald Trump had been in power in the mid-1930s, the Holocaust might have been prevented, a claim he tied directly to current efforts to confront the Iranian regime.Speaking on Newsmax, Dershowitz framed the present conflict with Iran as a historical inflection point, comparing it to the rise of Adolf Hitler. He argued that early, forceful intervention of the kind he attributes to Trump could have stopped Nazi Germany before it carried out the systematic murder of six million Jews. “Had President Trump been in charge in 1935, 1936, I think the Holocaust would have been prevented,” Dershowitz said, adding that similar resolve is now required to stop what he called “Nazi Iran.”Students of history note that justice must be pursued actively, not deferred until it is too late. History records what happens when powerful nations fail to act. This was perhaps most clearly illustrated by Neville Chamberlain’s policy of appeasement aimed to maintain peace with Nazi Germany by making concessions to Hitler’s territorial demands, most famously the 1938 Munich Agreement. Believing Hitler could be reasoned with and that another war would be catastrophic, Chamberlain ceded the Sudetenland to Germany. While initially popular and hailed as “peace for our time,” this policy failed to stop Hitler, who violated agreements, ultimately leading to World War II.Dershowitz’s remarks come as critics of Israel accuse the Jewish state of committing “genocide” in Gaza, even as Israel continues its war against Hamas, a terrorist organization responsible for the October 7 massacre. The charge stands in stark contrast to the documented reality of the Holocaust, in which Nazi Germany industrialized the murder of six million Jews—men, women, and children targeted solely for being Jewish.Had President Trump been in charge in 1935, 1936, I think the Holocaust would have been prevented.I think he would have gone in after Nazi Germany, he would… pic.twitter.com/anKo22YFA7— The Daily News (@DailyNewsJustIn) March 24, 2026 By comparison, data cited in recent analyses show that population figures in Gaza have not declined in a manner consistent with genocide claims. Civilian casualties, while tragic, have occurred in the context of urban warfare against an embedded terrorist force. The term genocide, as defined after World War II, describes the intentional destruction of a people. That definition emerged from the ashes of the Holocaust, not from modern asymmetrical conflicts.At the same time, the Iranian regime has been responsible for the killing of tens of thousands of its own citizens in crackdowns on dissent. Yet many of the same political voices condemning Israel remain largely silent about these mass killings. The selective outrage underscores Dershowitz’s broader argument about moral clarity and political will.He also warned of internal divisions within the United States, criticizing figures he accused of undermining efforts to confront Iran. In his remarks, he described opposition within political circles as dangerous at a moment he considers historically significant.Dershowitz has long argued that comparisons between Trump and Hitler distort the historical record. In previous interviews, he labeled such claims as a form of Holocaust denial, insisting that the scale and nature of Nazi crimes must not be trivialized.The historical comparison he now advances cuts in the opposite direction. Instead of equating modern leaders with Hitler, he argues that strong leadership could have stopped Hitler before the machinery of genocide was fully operational.
YouVersion CEO: The Best AI Models Misquote the Bible at Least 15% of the Time-Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz-Biblical News-March 29, 2026
YouVersion, the most widely used Bible app in the world, with over one billion downloads, is refusing to let artificial intelligence answer spiritual questions — and the reason is damning. Bobby Gruenewald, founder and CEO of YouVersion, has gone public, warning that the best AI models on the market misquote the Bible at least 15% of the time, and some err as much as 60% of the time.This technical glitch has grave spiritual implications. The Torah commands lo tosif al ha-davar — “you shall not add to the word” (Deuteronomy 4:2). Yet AI systems are inventing verses, altering punctuation and wording, and presenting fabricated text as authentic..Jeremy Hodes of Evangelical Missions Quarterly documented ChatGPT inventing a verse and labeling it John 5:5: “We know that we shall behold a Mocker of Defamers; and, as the defamers, we are of the mockers.” The actual John 5:5 describes a man at the Pool of Bethesda who had been ill for 38 years. Fox News reported another fabrication, attributed to Jesus: “there is no man or woman.” No such verse exists anywhere in the Christian or Jewish canon.YouVersion uses AI internally to accelerate coding and streamline workflow. Gruenewald utilizes the technology, describing himself as an early AI adopter. But he has drawn a sharp line between back-office automation and putting AI in front of a billion users to answer questions about God. “When it comes to answering life’s most important questions and trying to give direction from God’s Word,” he said, “we need it to be better in order to rely on it.”He added: “The best model with the best performance, with the most popular versions of the Bible that are most indexed, misquotes Scripture at least 15% of the time. Some of them as much as 60% of the time.”Gruenewald said that YouVersion has privately challenged AI developers to improve how their models handle Scripture. He has told them that if they can consistently quote the Bible accurately, YouVersion will help them gain access to reliable biblical texts. So far, no model has cleared that bar.The broader Christian world is moving in the opposite direction. Churches are using AI to draft sermons. Platforms allow users to “chat” with biblical characters. Prayer apps are being powered by algorithms. Ken Ham, founder of Answers in Genesis and the Ark Encounter, put it plainly in Harbingers Daily: “AI can be a useful tool, but it should never replace careful study of the Scriptures for yourself. Remember, it is programmed by fallible, sinful humans.”Gloo, a faith-oriented technology firm, is attempting to build guardrails — evaluating AI systems against standards like theological integrity and human flourishing. The effort is serious, but it remains upstream of the problem. The models generating Scripture responses are general-purpose systems trained on vast swaths of the internet, not curated biblical texts reviewed by scholars.For Gruenewald, the technology may get there eventually. “If we ever do fully adapt AI, it will be because we feel very confident that it can be done safely and be done with a level of accuracy and integrity,” he said. But “eventually” is not now.Younger generations already turn to chatbots before they turn to clergy. Most users have not memorized Scripture. They will not catch a fabricated verse. They will not know when a comma has shifted the meaning of a passage that took scholars centuries to translate. They will simply read what the machine tells them, assume it is accurate, and carry that error forward.It should be emphasized that Gruenewald is not telling people to avoid AI entirely. He is saying that speed and popularity do not outweigh fidelity to the text. That is not a conservative position. That is the only defensible position.
Canada’s bill C-9 raises alarm: could quoting the Bible become a crime? Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz-World News-March 30, 2026
A vote in Canada’s House of Commons has set the stage for the rapid passage of Bill C-9, legislation that has ignited a fierce backlash from religious leaders who warn it could criminalize core expressions of faith. With debate abruptly cut off by a 186–144 vote led by Liberal and Bloc Québécois MPs, the bill now advances toward final approval, raising alarm among Christian groups who say the measure strips away long-standing protections for quoting Scripture.Bill C-9, known as the “Combating Hate Act,” introduces new hate-related offenses while also removing a religious exemption that had shielded individuals from prosecution if their statements were made in good faith and rooted in sincerely held beliefs. Critics argue that this change exposes clergy and laypeople alike to criminal liability for articulating traditional teachings on marriage, gender, and the sanctity of life.David Cooke of Campaign Life Coalition stated that the legislation “will certainly result in the prosecution of Canadian Christians who quote Holy Scripture in defence of God’s design for marriage, gender, and the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death.” He added that removing the requirement for Attorney General approval could allow police to act on complaints without Attorney General approval, dramatically increasing the likelihood of charges.Christian leaders point to previous cases in which street preachers were investigated or charged for public expressions of biblical teaching. They argue that Bill C-9 will expand such enforcement. Conservative MP Andrew Lawton wrote that the bill is being “rammed through” without meaningful debate, while MP Larry Brock called the move to end discussion an unacceptable attempt to silence concerns about religious freedom.The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a formal warning after the government removed the religious exemption clause. In a letter to lawmakers, Cardinal Frank Leo wrote that while combating hatred is necessary, “this should not come at the cost of diminishing or doing away with basic, fundamental civil liberties.” He urged the Senate to amend the bill to explicitly protect the reading and teaching of Scripture.At the center of the concern is the possibility that passages from the Bible addressing moral conduct could be interpreted as “hate speech” under the revised law. The fear is not theoretical. Legal experts have noted that the amendment opens the door to prosecution based on subjective claims of harm, including alleged violations of personal “feelings.”Jewish advocacy groups in Canada have taken a different position. Major organizations, including the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs and B’nai Brith Canada, publicly supported the bill, citing a surge in antisemitic incidents across the country. In a joint statement, they described Bill C-9 as “an important and necessary step to strengthen tools for law enforcement and prosecutors to protect targeted communities and hold criminals accountable.” At the same time, these groups emphasized that further action will be needed to combat rising antisemitism and anti-Israel activism.The divide reflects two competing concerns: the urgent need to confront real threats against Jewish communities and the equally serious warning from Christian leaders that expanding hate speech laws without clear safeguards risks criminalizing religious expression itself. With the Senate expected to review the bill shortly and approval widely anticipated, Canada is poised to enact legislation that will test the boundaries between protecting vulnerable communities and preserving the right to speak openly from sacred texts.
REVELATION 13:16-18
16 And he(FALSE POPE) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, (SLAVE) to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(CHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM
I KNOW THIS MARK WILL BE A MICROCHIP IMPLANT UNDER THE SKIN. LETS LOOK UP WHAT THE WORD MARK SAYS IN REVELATION 13:16-18, 14:9,11, 15:2, 16:2, 19:20, 20:4-ALL THESE VERSES FROM THE BOOK OF REVELATION SPEAK OF THIS DICTATORS MARK. NOW LETS SEE WHAT IT MEANS FROM STRONGS EXAUSTIVE CONCORDANCE OF THE BIBLE. UNDER MARK PAGE 684.MARK UNDER MARK. THE OLD TESTAMENT IS UNDER HEBREW AND THE NEW TESTAMENT IS UNDER GREEK. SO WHEN WE LOOK UNDER REVELATION 13:16-17 WE SEE IT IS UNDER GREEK, SO WE GO TO GREEK IN THE BACK SECTION AND GO TO 5480 TO SEE WHAT IT SAYS THIS MARK WOULD BE. SO LETS GET TO IT.MARK IN STRONGS GREEK 5480 XAPAYUA CHARAGMA, KHAR-AG-MAH: FROM THE SAME AS 5482: A SCRATCH OR ETCHING, I.E STAMP (AS A BADGE OF SERVITUDE), OR SCULPTURED FIGURE-(STATUE):-GRAVEN, MARK FROM 5482 XAPAE CHARAX, KHAR-AX; FROM XAPAOOW CHARASSO (TO SHARPEN TO A POINT; AKIN TO 1125 THROUGH THE IDEA OF SCRATCHING); A STAKE, I.E (BYIMPL.) A PALISADE OR RAMPART (MILITARY MOUND FOR CIRCUMVALLATION IN A SIEGE): - TRENCH FROM 1125 YPAPOE GRAPHO, GRAF-0; A PRIM. VERB; TO "GRAVE", ESPEC. TO WRITE; FIG. TO DESCRIBE:-DESCRIBE, WRITE (-ING, -TEN).G5516-GO TO G4742-666 - STRONGS NT 4742: στίγμα - στίγμα, στιγματος, τό (from στίζω to prick; (cf. Latinstimulus, etc.; German stechen, English stick, sting, etc.; Curtius, § 226)), a mark pricked in or branded upon the body. According to ancient oriental usage, slaves and soldiers bore the name or stamp of their master or commander branded or pricked (cut) into their bodies to indicate what master or general they belonged to, and there were even some devotees who stamped themselves in this way with the token of their gods (cf. Deyling, Observations, iii., p. 423ff); hence, τά στίγματα τοῦ (κυρίου so Rec.) Ἰησοῦ, the marks of (the Lord) Jesus, which Paul in Galatians 6:17 says he bears branded on his body, are the traces left there by the perils, hardships, imprisonments, scourgings, endured by him for the cause of Christ, and which mark him as Christ's faithful and approved votary, servant, soldier (see Lightfoots Commentary on Galatians, the passage cited). (Herodotus 7, 233; Aristotle, Aelian, Plutarch, Lcian, others.)
French state buys nuclear supercomputer firm.
Paris, France, March 31 (AFP) Mar 31, 2026-France's government on Tuesday completed the purchase of the supercomputing arm of IT firm Atos, which builds machines for nuclear weapons development as well as artificial intelligence and quantum computing.The move marked "a decisive step for France's technological sovereignty," economy minister Roland Lescure said in a statement -- a concern that has shot to the top of the agenda in Europe amid transatlantic tensions.Paris is now the only shareholder of the Atos supercomputing spinoff dubbed Bull, which the company said was valued at up to 404 million euros ($467 million).Bull has around 3,000 employees worldwide and revenues of 720 million euros in 2025 -- up 16 percent year-on-year.The unit last year completed Europe's first "exascale" supercomputer, Germany-based Jupiter, able to carry out more than one quintillion (a billion billion) operations per second.While that computer is powered by chips from American giant Nvidia, the company's US rival AMD will contribute to its next, more powerful project, France-based Alice Recoque, set for completion in 2027."We are the only European player capable of building computers and systems suited to AI," Bull chief Emmanuel Le Roux told AFP.Being spun off "gives us the agility required to respond to a market undergoing far-reaching transformation," he added.The company has doubled the capacity of a factory in Angers in western France and aims to deliver its first hybrid quantum-classical computer within five years, Le Roux said.Bull is also aiming to achieve an 80 percent ratio of European components in upcoming supercomputers.dax-mng/tgb/giv
Thales subsidiary to provide ABIS for Sweden’s migrant biometrics checks-Mar 31, 2026, 1:13 pm EDT | Chris Burt
Sweden’s Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) has signed a 30 million Swedish kronor ($3.2 million) contract with Thales subsidiary AB Svenska Pass for the implementation of an Automated Biometric Identification System and subsequent support functions.The Swedish Migration Board will use the ABIS in its issuance and verification of residence permit cards, which include the bearer’s face and fingerprint biometrics.Under the contract, AB Svenska Pass is responsible for an on-premises deployment of the ABIS at a Migrationsverket facility, as well as support during Swedish office hours and software upgrades. When the RFI for the project was issued last year, the authority said the register includes biometric data from various immigration applicants, including asylum seekers, holding 3 million fingerprint records and 7 million facial images.The contract’s estimated term began earlier this year, and runs until the beginning of 2034.Previously, Migrationsverket has used a police ABIS.Thales acquired AB Svenska Pass when it acquired Gemalto AB back in 2019 and integrated the company and its subsidiaries with its Digital Identity and Security division. The Swedish ID provider also holds the contract for Sweden’s biometric passports and national ID cards.Sweden’s government had budgeted up to SEK 40 million (approximately US$4.2 million) for the project before evaluating bids.Other bidders for the contract include major European biometrics firms Idemia Public Security, Dermalog, Neurotechnology and Sopra Steria.
Biometrics providers prepare for emerging wave of biometrics demand-Mar 28, 2026, 9:29 am EDT | Chris Burt
The tremendous commercial opportunity for biometrics is shown in a major provider merger and growing demand from airports to the internet. The week’s top stories on Biometric Update illustrate the land-rush developing in age assurance and already underway in border control, as well as national digital identity and ensuring trust as a wave of AI agents arrives.Precise Biometrics and Fingerprint Cards announced a merger agreement, creating a Swedish biometrics giant with a full stack of sensors, hardware, algorithms and software. The deal values FPC at approximately $14.5 million, but could create up to $4.8 million in cost synergies, along with cross-selling and product development opportunities.Avoiding those airport lines-Portugal has adopted the Travel to Europe app as part of its EES border control implementation without increasing airport lines and wait times. It is the second country to adopt Frontex’ biometric app, developed with tech from Signicat subsidiary Inverid and iProov.Long airport lines are all too familiar, and biometric corridors could help prevent them. Alan Goode explores Paravision’s biometric corridor pitch with partner AiFi at PTE World London 2026 in a column.Online age and liability anxiety-Businesses are adopting biometric facial age estimation at a rapid pace for an emerging technology that is not yet accompanied by robust testing methodologies and capacity, Ingenium’s Chris Allgrove pointed out in an EAB workshop this week. Experts from KJR, Cognitec, NIST, the University of Southampton, Ghent University and Ofcom discussed how far the FAE ecosystem has come and important next steps.A policy framework for AI from the White House not only prioritizes age assurance, it specifically suggests “parental attestation” as an appropriate method. It could also open up a new market for age estimation and verification providers. And regulators are not the only stakeholder that can drive platforms to adopt age checks. The jury in a California civil lawsuit has ruled Meta and YouTube must pay $6 million to a plaintiff who began using the platforms in childhood, specifically raising minimum age enforcement questions for Meta and setting an expensive precedent.Age checks are coming to all iPhone and iPad users in the UK, with the EU to follow, so Apple can apply age filters. Yoti CEO Robin Tombs tells Biometric Update in emailed comments that the move sends a clear positive about the importance of age assurance, but does not address some important scenarios.MOSIP implementations advance--Sri Lanka has closed submissions from managed service providers for its MOSIP-based national digital ID system, and plans to evaluate its MSP options in April. A phased rollout is planned over a two year period to ensure the necessary capabilities and core infrastructure are in place before a transition away from the previous national ID is complete.Zambia has revealed some details of its planned MOSIP implementation planned for this year. SZI will build the country’s digital ID through a largely home-grown approach, but also contract an international technology partner.Trust shields up-iProov argues in an infosheet that AI agents are on the cusp of striking a blow to public trust on the same scale as deepfakes due to an “accountability vacuum.” The company’s Johan Sellström will demonstrate its solution for binding AI agents to human intent cryptographically in a keynote at RSA Conference 2026.The impact deepfake fraud has had on hiring practices and what businesses can do to detect it was the focus of Socure Head of Product Deepanker Saxena’s discussion with the Biometric Update Podcast.Testing patience-The EU may need its own independent biometrics evaluation capability comparable to NIST in the U.S. to ensure tech sovereignty, according to a policy brief from the EU Innovation Hub for Internal Security. The brief was coordinated by eu-LISA with cooperation from the EC, Europol and Frontex.NIST released an update to its latent fingerprint biometrics dataset SD 302, as well as open-source fingerprint data quality assessment software OpenLQM, to help improve software and expert performance alike.Please let us know if you come across any podcasts, videos or other content we should share with the people in biometrics and the broader digital identity community in the comments below or through social media.
PALOP countries collaborate to enhance digital Identity and public services-Mar 31, 2026, 2:22 pm EDT | Masha Borak
Portuguese-speaking African countries (PALOP) face structural obstacles, including limited infrastructure, uneven institutional capacity, and unequal access to digital technologies. The issues are affecting the development of digital identity systems that help citizens access public services, speakers shared at a webinar organized by the United Nations University’s Operating Unit on Electronic Governance (UNU-EGOV), the Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br) and the Brazilian Network Information Center (NIC.br).The webinar, held on March 26th, is part of a broader initiative called Digital Governance Dialogues, which aims to enhance digital governance in PALOP countries on both the supply and demand sides, meaning both governments and users.The project includes a series of thematic sessions, hosted in Lusophone African countries, between 2025 and 2027.The inaugural webinar was held in October 2025 and focused on national digital governance strategies, policies and plans. The latest session, on the other hand, examined the role of digital ID as foundational digital public infrastructure, as well as questions around implementation, efficiency, and integration between services.The webinar can be viewed on YouTube (in Portuguese).The activities involve all PALOP countries, including Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, and São Tomé and Príncipe, as well as other Portuguese-speaking countries, such as Brazil and Portugal. The events are directed at government representatives and policymakers, as well as international and regional organizations.
US criticizes allies’ deepfake laws as other countries tighten AI controls-Mar 31, 2026, 2:08 pm EDT | Lu-Hai Liang
Reality is blurring with misinformation and deepfakes, and opposing views on regulation is leading to some high-level tension.South Korea, for example, is pursuing a bill that would impose heavy fines on traditional news outlets as well as online media that publish false or fabricated information, including deepfakes or synthetic likenesses, that cause verifiable damage.South Korea’s bill has faced criticism from the current U.S. administration, which has accused countries pursuing digital regulation of censorship. A senior politician who has strongly criticized South Korea’s bill is due to visit Seoul and Tokyo.At present, the EU, UK and Australia have drawn Washington’s ire over online safety bills that cover issues such as age assurance for social media. These digital regulations threaten U.S. corporations such as Apple, Meta and Google, especially as more countries draft revised online safety bills or impose age limits on social media.The U.S. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy, Sarah Rogers, raised tensions with Seoul after calling the new law a “censorship bill threatening U.S.–Korea technology cooperation.” The revised Information and Communications Network Act, which was passed last year, targets deepfakes. Rogers has said that the Act risks “encouraging global regulatory trends.”During her visit to Japan and South Korea, Rogers is expected to convey her concerns and to “reaffirm the Trump administration’s commitment to safeguarding freedom of expression and digital freedom,” according to a State Department release. The Chosun Daily reports that Rogers is scheduled to meet with Big Tech representatives in Korea during her visit.This comes even as experts warn of the deleterious effects of deepfakes on public trust, especially as political parties in the U.S. are running AI-generated deepfake campaign ads. That’s right. Political campaigns are using deepfaked content ahead of the U.S. midterm elections in November, as Reuters reports. The news agency reports that both Democrats and Republicans are using the technology, with the red side more enthusiastic users.Daniel Schiff, a professor who’s studied deepfakes at Purdue University, told Reuters that content that spreads political misinformation could erode the rigor and credibility of democratic systems, with the damage risks “supercharged” with growing use. Worryingly, AI researchers have found that political deepfakes can be persuasive even if people know they aren’t real.America flies against international trends-While the U.S. takes a relatively relaxed stance toward deepfakes, other countries are moving in the opposite direction, treating AI‑driven impersonation as an urgent national security and economic threat.In Malaysia, regulators and researchers are sounding warnings. The Institute for Data Innovation and Artificial Intelligence (IDEA‑AI) says the country must rapidly strengthen its AI policies and legal framework to counter a surge in deepfake‑enabled scams.Fraud syndicates are already using AI tools to mimic voices and identities, contributing to more than 35,000 online fraud cases in 2024 and another 12,000 in the first quarter of 2025. Existing laws that were drafted long before deepfakes existed offer little protection, Mohd Saberi Mohamad, CEO and director of IDEA-AI, told Bernama.Malaysia’s National Artificial Intelligence Office is now developing a comprehensive regulatory framework covering risk management, harm mitigation, incident reporting and ethical standards, while the Ministry of Digital prepares an AI Governance Bill.IDEA‑AI’s leadership is calling for a risk‑based regulatory model, with strict oversight for high‑risk AI uses such as biometrics, finance and automated decision‑making. They also want a dedicated AI Act to clearly assign responsibilities to developers and users.The Philippines is also taking a proactive stance. With 67 percent of Filipinos now worried about online misinformation and disinformation, the country is treating deepfakes not just as a political problem but as a business‑continuity and cybersecurity threat.Filipino organizations are shifting to building reactive resilience, including rapid breach detection and strict reporting timelines. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is pushing banks to adopt server-side biometric authentication such as fingerprint or face biometrics. The country’s central bank wants this stored and verified on secure backend systems, replacing one-time passwords (OTPs) for enhanced security. It aligns with the Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act (Afasa), which aims to reduce fraud, account takeovers and phishing attacks.
Brazil investing $8M to accelerate switch to new digital ID in remote communities-Mar 31, 2026, 12:31 pm EDT | Ayang Macdonald
The Brazilian government has announced a financial boost, under a program dubbed PROCIN, to enable some states to expand issuance of the country’s new national digital ID (CIN). PROCIN is an acronym for the National Program for Promoting the Management and Issuance of the National Identity Card.Launched this week by the Ministry of Management and Innovation in Public Services, the first round of the financial support initiative amounts to 44.25 million Brazilian reais (US$7.76 million), and will help issue digital IDs in difficult-to-reach communities in the states of Bahia, Amapá, Amazonas, and Maranhão. The initiative also targets vulnerable people.The funding from the government will particularly be used to upgrade infrastructure, staffing and mobile units in order to reach more people speedily. Issuance of early copies of the card is free of charge.The government news agency reports that the move is part of the central government’s push to increase CIN adoption, and facilitate identity verification and access to services for millions of Brazilians. Brazil is seeing a switch from the traditional RG cards to the CIN.Brazil’s government launched the Federal Biometric Service to oversee issuance of the CIN last year.In an announcement in Salvador, Minister of Public Service Esther Dweck said the initiative is designed to assist states to boost their ID issuance capacity, especially in remote areas, and make it easier for people who have often faced challenges in getting the service.The government official also spoke about the security features of the digital ID which uses the CPF as a single and universal identifier, instead of multiple state-issued identification numbers for different purposes such as social protection, worker registration, social security, voter ID, and more.Dweck said this security upgrade makes the ID ten times more secure and a crucial tool in helping the government fight identity fraud and other identity-related crimes. She also underscored the importance of the digital ID, saying it is a requirement for access to social protection benefits, as well as a good number of public and private sector services. Last year, the government introduced biometric ID verification for access to social benefits.“All Brazilians will have to exchange their old RG for the CIN, which is the new card, [which is] ten times more secure than the old RG,” Dweck is quoted by the news agency.The CIN can be accessed via the Gov.Br digital government mobile application which is now used by 175 million citizens. To obtain it, users must first register online, where they will pick an appointment for a physical visit to submit their biometrics.Already, 49 million Brazilians have switched to the new digital ID, but the government is eyeing a target of around 150 million people by the end of this year. The CIN will become mandatory nationwide by 2032.
Spain’s national digital ID going live with full legal status-Phase 2 of digital DNI rollout begins this week-Mar 31, 2026, 11:58 am EDT | Ayang Macdonald
From April 2, public and private institutions in Spain are required to begin putting in place measures to accept or support the digital version of the country’s national identity card (DNI). The digital ID takes the same legal status as the physical ID card on Thursday.The acceptance step constitutes the second phase of a nationwide effort to put in place a digital ID system that aims to facilitate secure identity verification, and make access to public services easier.Among other things, the digital DNI can streamline access to services like voting, banking, in-person age verification, hotel check-ins, car rentals, package collection, and entertainment venues.As part of this second phase rollout, users of the digital ID will be able to have access to more online services, and there’s also the imminent activation of a digital signature feature to make certain digital transactions and internet-based operations easier, according to the government’s official website.Users store the digital ID on a mobile application, MiDNI, which was launched in April last year. The objective, authorities explained, is to streamline identity verification and transform how public services are delivered. Only the MiDNI app is legally accepted for the digital ID storage. The app can be unlocked with a password or native device biometrics.With the digital ID, citizens are not obliged to carry along their physical ID cards for any transactions and it is a system that keeps the power of personal data control fully in the hands of the subject, who can decide what information to share, how, with whom and when to do so.There are three levels of data-sharing via the app and all of them involve a QR code which can be scanned, but not copied due to time limitations. Also, as part of the security and privacy measures, the mobile application is connected to police servers to enable data verification in real-time.The government has explained that to get the digital ID app, users first need to register by linking their mobile phone to their DNI using official platforms of the national police that have been made available, after which they can download the app either from Google Play or the App Store.At the expiry of a physical card, the corresponding digital ID must also be reactivated, officials have advised.
WTO E-Commerce Agreement sets stage for regulatory alignment to boost digital trade-Mar 31, 2026, 11:06 am EDT | Ayang Macdonald
The World Trade Organization (WTO) concluded its 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) in the early hours of March 30 in the Cameroonian capital Yaounde, with marked progress in the push to fully implement its agreement on digital trade.The MC14, which started on March 26, brought together an estimated 4,000 delegates including trade ministers from the organization’s 166 member states.On the final day of the deliberations, discussions at ministerial level on the digital trade agreement and other issues related the WTO’s reform agenda, dragged on for many hours as members disagreed on several issues, with the goal of finding common ground and a sustainable path forward for global business.Ahead of the ministerial debates, however, 66 member states of the organization that make up 70 percent of global trade had, a day earlier, agreed to the adoption of a pathway to bring into force the WTO Agreement on Electronic Commerce, as the instrument is officially labelled.Before the agreement actually gets approved by all member states and incorporated into the WTO’s legal framework, it is expected to function under what the body describes as “interim arrangements.”Already, this is considered a major step towards the full adoption of the document which the WTO described as “the world’s first baseline set of global digital trade rules.” It is also seen as a key step forward given that digital transactions contribute over 60 percent of global GDP.In remarks after the adoption of the pathway, the WTO Director General Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala called digital trade an exciting frontier for driving economic growth and job creation.“By moving forward with the E-Commerce Agreement, participating economies are helping to establish a shared regulatory framework that can lower costs and unlock new opportunities. They are also demonstrating that the multilateral trading system can respond, and is responding, to new challenges and changing economic circumstances,” Okonjo-Iweala said.The shared regulatory framework will presumably include alignment on KYC and AML rules, if not specifically on cross-border digital identity verification. The E-Commerce Agreement also comes at a time when Africa is working to operationalize its single market ambition, with secure, safe and interoperable digital public infrastructure (DPI) seen as a cornerstone in realizing that objective.A new Cambridge DPI Regulatory Programme was also launched weeks ago in help coordinate the regulatory alignment that can help turn digital ID and DPI gains into financial opportunity.Okonjo-Iweala added that with that vital step already taken, there is need for “continued cooperation” to ensure that “digital trade remains open and predictable, and that its benefits are shared across economies at all levels of development.”Japan was one of the co-convenors of the pathway adoption. Its State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Yamada Kenji, said it was “a historic step in implementing global digital trade rules.”Trade ministers of Australia, Canada, China, Costa Rica, The Gambia, Mauritius, Peru, Singapore, Switzerland, the UAE, the UK, as well as the EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, who also participated in the adoption process, all described it as a major win for the establishment of a global framework that defines how digital trade should happen.To the WTO, having operational rules for digital trade will “significantly bolster stability and predictability for businesses and consumers around the world,” and “unlock new opportunities for micro, small, and medium enterprises by reducing regulatory barriers and enhancing access to global markets.”
Socure launches payment screening as fintechs seek streamlined IDV, risk checks-Plaid strikes authentication deal, OneID pitches privacy-preserving identity verification-Mar 31, 2026, 11:48 am EDT | Masha Borak
Although fraud has been rising – Australia reported financial losses of US$1.4 billion due to scams – companies such as Socure and Plaid are launching new products and making new deals to prevent fraudsters from accessing their users’ money.Identity verification firm Socure has launched a new payment AML screening product that avoids fragmentation by integrating real-time sanctions and watchlist monitoring into the payment flow.Organizations can evaluate transactions for sanctions risk through a single, orchestrated API call, including senders, beneficiaries, intermediary banks, and payment identifiers such as BICs and blockchain addresses, the company says in a release.The payment screening solution is part of its anti-fraud platform, RiskOS, and relies on matching identities on a watchlist to a persistent identity within Socure’s Identity Graph. The matches are based on identity similarities rather than just name matches, reducing false-positive alerts.Socure recently announced the expansion of its Bank Account Verification coverage to more than 30 countries outside of the U.S. and Canada. The product builds on the RiskOS platform.Finix integrates Plaid’s authentication for bank account verification-Bank account verification is one of the most critical steps in payments. This is why payment processor Finix integrated Plaid’s authentication and identity software to support fast bank account verification during merchant onboarding, payouts and payment management.San Francisco-based Finix helps businesses accept and send payments online and in-store. The integration with Plaid will enable businesses to connect, verify, and update bank accounts, reduce onboarding delays, mitigate fraud risk and streamline compliance workflows, the firm says.As a data network that serves as the financial services analytics layer, Plaid has been adding capabilities to help banks and other financial institutions reduce fraud risk during remote customer onboarding. Last year, the company upgraded its identity verification tools, including adding DMV-backed identity verification.OneID promotes privacy-by-design IDV-UK identity service OneID believes that one of the biggest challenges for identity verification in the financial services is verifying users without creating unnecessary privacy risk. Companies often err on the side of caution, gathering more data and asking users to upload documents, submit selfie biometrics and additional information – even though they don’t need it.OneID says that’s not necessary. It doesn’t require users to download any apps or scan documents, but verifies age through digital IDs, bank-backed identity and telecom-verified data.“Start with the minimum data required for the decision in front of you, then use a trusted verification method that gives you strong assurance without over-collecting,” the company says in its latest blog post. “For customer onboarding, that can mean verifying core identity attributes through authoritative sources instead of defaulting to document upload.”OneID crossed over the 10 million user threshold for its age verification service in 2025 and is rolling out its services in the U.S. and several European markets.Australians were scammed out of $1.4B in 2025-Australians reported more than AU$2.1 billion ($1.4 billion) in financial losses due to scams in 2025, according to the National Anti-Scam Centre.Although the financial losses were 7.8 percent higher year-on-year, the 2025 figure represents a slowdown from the 2022 record of AU$3.1 billion ($2.1 billion) in losses. Overall, the organization counted more than 481,000 scam reports, of which over 274,000 resulted in financial losses.The most lucrative scams for fraudsters were investment scams, followed by payment redirection, romance, phishing and remote access scams.The data was collected from Scamwatch, run by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC); the government cybercrime portal ReportCyber; the Australian Financial Crimes Exchange (AFCX); identity theft support organization IDCARE; and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).
FTC order bars OkCupid from misleading users about biometric data sharing-Mar 31, 2026, 8:55 am EDT | Anthony Kimery
Dallas, Texas-based dating app company Match Group Americas and its subsidiary Humor Rainbow, Inc., doing business as OkCupid, have agreed to a proposed Federal Trade Commission (FTC) settlement that would bar the two companies from misrepresenting how they collect, use, disclose, delete or protect users’ personal data, including biometrics.The FTC alleged the companies shared OkCupid user information with a third-party facial recognition company despite privacy promises to the contrary. That company has been identified as Clarifai, an AI company that makes facial recognition software.In May 2022, the FTC filed a petition to force Match to comply with a demand for documents related to an alleged 2014 data-sharing deal between Match, its subsidiary OkCupid, and Clarifai.The Washington, D.C.-based law firm Migliaccio & Rathod LLP said this week that it “is investigating OkCupid and its affiliate, Match Group Americas, following reports that OkCupid provided a third-party, Clarifai, with unauthorized access to millions of users’ personal data.”The FTC order, filed in the Northern District of Texas, resolves the FTC’s claims against Match Group Americas and Humor Rainbow.The FTC’s complaint alleges the companies engaged in deceptive acts or practices in violation of Section 5 of the FTC Act by providing OkCupid user data to a third-party facial recognition technology company in a way that contradicted statements in OkCupid’s privacy policies.Match and OkCupid neither admit nor deny the allegations, but they waive any right to challenge the validity of the order and agree to its entry.“The FTC enforces the privacy promises that companies make,” said Christopher Mufarrige, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “We will investigate, and where appropriate, take action against companies that promise to safeguard your data but fail to follow through – even if that means we have to enforce our Civil Investigative Demands in court.”The proposed settlement does not impose a civil penalty. Instead, it centers on a broad, forward-looking injunction covering privacy representations tied to the OkCupid service and any successor online dating service.Under the order, Match and OkCupid are permanently prohibited from misrepresenting the extent to which they collect, maintain, use, disclose, delete or protect covered information, the purposes for which they handle that information, and the function of privacy controls or consumer choices presented through their interfaces.The definition of “covered information” in the order is expansive. It includes names, physical addresses, email addresses and other online contact information, phone numbers, financial account and payment card information, precise geolocation, photos and videos, and persistent identifiers such as cookies, static IP addresses and mobile device IDs.The “covered service” is defined as OkCupid and any successor online dating service.The order also puts in place a lengthy compliance regime. Within ten days of entry, each defendant must submit a sworn acknowledgement that it received the order, and for ten years, the companies must distribute the order to principals, officers, directors, managers, and employees with managerial responsibility for consumer-facing privacy representations and obtain signed acknowledgements from those recipients.They also must submit a detailed compliance report after one year and notify the FTC within 14 days of key corporate changes or bankruptcy filings that could affect compliance.Record keeping and monitoring provisions extend the oversight further. For 10 years the companies must create specified records and keep each for five years, including accounting records for the covered service, consumer complaints and refund requests related to privacy practices, and materials needed to demonstrate compliance.The FTC may demand additional reports, take depositions, inspect documents and communicate directly with the companies for monitoring purposes. The order states it will remain in effect for 20 years.The case traces back to a long-running dispute over the use of dating app photos in facial recognition systems.Earlier, Match sought to keep FTC court proceedings secret while the commission investigated claims that the company shared users’ photos with a facial recognition business, an issue that followed earlier biometric data privacy litigation involving Match-owned services.That earlier litigation was tied to the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), which has become one of the most important state laws governing the collection and use of biometric identifiers and biometric information.Plaintiffs had alleged Match dating platforms improperly used or disclosed users’ facial geometry data through facial recognition-related practices.The FTC matter ran on a parallel track, focusing not on BIPA directly but on whether OkCupid misled consumers about their privacy practices.The case is notable because it sits at the intersection of biometric privacy, consumer protection law, and the especially sensitive nature of data held by dating services.Photos, profile information and related identifiers on dating apps can reveal intimate details about users’ lives, relationships, and habits.Even where biometric data itself is not singled out in a federal privacy statute, regulators have increasingly treated misleading statements about data sharing and privacy controls as potential deception under the FTC Act.The Match order reflects that approach by focusing heavily on representations to users and on how privacy controls are described.The settlement also shows the FTC’s continued reliance on long-duration conduct orders in privacy cases. Rather than requiring only a one-time change, the order creates an extended structure of accountability, with sworn submissions, preservation duties and access for agency investigators.For a company operating a major online dating service, those provisions could shape internal privacy governance well beyond OkCupid itself, particularly because the order applies not just to the current service, but also to any successor dating service covered by the definition in the settlement document.The order still requires court entry to take effect formally. Once entered, the court will retain jurisdiction to enforce or modify it. The stipulation was signed by FTC attorneys and by counsel and corporate officials for Match Group Americas and Humor Rainbow in February, indicating the parties had already reached agreement before the filing date.For Match, the settlement closes a chapter that has lingered since at least 2021 and 2022, when the company was fighting both private biometric privacy claims and scrutiny over how user photos may have been made available to facial recognition technology.For the FTC, it is another example of using deception authority to police promises around personal data handling in the absence of a comprehensive federal privacy law.
Sumsub integrates AI risk intelligence layer from ComplyAdvantage-Strategic partnerships unify identity monitoring functions to strengthen KYC, AML compliance-Mar 31, 2026, 9:45 am EDT | Joel R. McConvey
A strategic partnership with ComplyAdvantage will see Sumsub integrate its full-cycle verification platform with Mesh, ComplyAdvantage’s AI-native risk intelligence layer for identity resolution, financial crime risk data and enterprise-scale threat detection to maintain compliance.A release says Mesh will now serve as the foundational layer powering Sumsub’s AML screening platform, available across its Know-Your-Customer (KYC), Know-Your-Business (KYB) and Transaction Monitoring products.The partnership aims to enhance anti-money laundering (AML) screening capabilities for compliance teams globally.“Compliance teams don’t need more tools – they need one powerful system that does it all,” says Andrew Novoselsky, chief product officer at Sumsub. “Sumsub brings together verification, screening, monitoring, and intelligent decisioning into a single environment, giving teams complete control, real-time intelligence, and the ability to scale with confidence in an increasingly complex regulatory landscape.”An API first technical approach brings “a marked improvement on performance, screening flexibility and supports broader customization to align with varying risk appetites and regulatory expectations.” The integration will improve screening accuracy and signal quality and provide richer profile information. Sumsub will also launch Mesh Bring Your Own Key (BYOK), enabling customers to connect their own ComplyAdvantage Mesh API credentials directly into the Sumsub platform.Financial infrastructure provider Noah claims it has shortened screening times through Sumsub’s partnership with ComplyAdvantage.Mark Watson, chief technology and product officer at ComplyAdvantage, says the partnership with Sumsub brings its foundational capabilities in proprietary data sourcing and AI-native risk classification to “a broader set of compliance teams who demand both speed and precision, alongside a full-cycle verification platform.”Approvely partnership to support scaling in gambling market-Sumsub has announced a strategic partnership with Approvely, a fintech infrastructure platform serving regulated and high-risk industries across North America.Sumsub’s identity verification will be integrated directly into Approvely’s payments and risk management ecosystem aimed at gambling merchants, to provide what a release calls “a single, compliant path from user onboarding to transaction processing.” Services will include automated KYC, AML screening, and document verification available across more than 220 countries and territories.The intention is to enable Approvely to expand its presence at scale across regulated markets, as advanced fraud attacks, including synthetic identity fraud, multiaccounting, bonus abuse, and organized first-party fraud, make strong verification a necessity. Meanwhile, users demand minimal friction for “a direct path from identity verification to checkout.”“Regulated industries demand verification that is both rigorous and fast,” says Anastasia Shvechkova, business development director for Americas at Sumsub. “Our partnership with Approvely reflects our commitment to helping businesses in compliance-intensive verticals onboard users with confidence, reduce fraud at the source, and scale across jurisdictions without operational drag.”ComplyAdvantage’s AI-native Mesh platform powers risk intelligence within Sumsub’s AML screening, enhancing accuracy, efficiency, and flexibility for compliance teams.
Face biometrics to accelerate motorcycle border crossings in Singapore-Mar 30, 2026, 4:36 pm EDT | Lu-Hai Liang
Faces can be better than fingers, particularly in wet weather. That’s what Singapore has discovered following what appears to be a successful border biometrics trial.Singapore will begin phasing in facial scanning as the primary biometric identifier for motorcyclists and pillion riders at land checkpoints from March 31. It replaces fingerprints as part of the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority’s (ICA) push toward fully contactless clearance.Superintendent Eliane Chee, senior assistant director of operations at ICA, told the Straits Times that face biometrics are “especially useful on rainy days, as wet fingerprints are harder to detect.” The same publication reports clearance times are reduced from 30 seconds to 20 seconds at lanes using facial scanning.The decision follows trials launched in January at selected motorcycle lanes in the Arrival Zone of Woodlands Checkpoint, where more than 150,000 travellers tested the face biometrics system.ICA said feedback from the trials helped refine the technology, including improving its ability to detect when facial features are obscured by masks or sunglasses and adding on‑screen prompts instructing travellers to remove such obstructions.From the end of March, facial recognition will be deployed at 18 automated motorcycle lanes in the Woodlands Arrival Zone, with the rollout expanding to all 70 automated arrival and departure motorcycle lanes in the months that follow. Tuas Checkpoint is expected to adopt the system in the third quarter of 2026.Singaporean border officials began trialling face biometrics from Tascent for in-car clearance of motorists at Woodlands in mid-2022, before the company folded. At the time Tascent had an existing partnership with NEC at Singapore’s borders. Idemia provides the Automated Border Control System (ABCS) and Borderguard Lanes used across Singapore’s air, land and sea checkpoints. The system employs high-accuracy facial recognition to allow passport-less clearance. Idemia has been supplying biometrics to Singapore’s government for border security checks since a 2017 deployment at Changi Airport.As part of the new clearance sequence, motorcyclists and pillion riders must present either a QR code or their passport before undergoing biometric verification. ICA reports that 62 percent of travellers in this group already use QR codes generated through the MyICA mobile app, and the agency is encouraging wider adoption to speed up traffic flow.Travellers are still required to carry their passports, which may be requested for verification, and must update their QR code if their passport details change.The contactless shift forms part of the ICA’s New Clearance Concept (NCC), which aims to deliver faster and more secure immigration processing via biometric automation. The process applies to Singapore residents, long‑term pass holders and foreign visitors who have previously entered the country. First‑time visitors, or those arriving with a different passport from their last trip, will continue to undergo manual clearance but will be eligible for automated, biometric‑based clearance on subsequent visits.
Precise, FPC each meet April 30 to approve merger for full biometrics stack-Mar 30, 2026, 3:05 pm EDT | Chris Burt
A pair of Extraordinary General Meetings are planned for April 30 to finalize shareholder votes on the proposed merger between Precise Biometrics and Fingerprint Cards.Precise will hold its meeting at 9:30 CEST in Lund, Sweden, while FPC’s begins at 10:00 in Stockholm.Fingerprint Cards shareholders will have the option to vote by post, and shareholders of either can assign a proxy. In addition to the merger proposal itself, FPC shareholders will have to decide on a reduction of its share capital to cover its loss, according to the agenda.
Dover and Eurotunnel report new EES delays-Mar 30, 2026, 1:37 pm EDT | Masha Borak
The Port of Dover and Eurotunnel, the primary routes for Brits travelling to the EU, are once again delaying Entry-Exit System (EES) biometric border checks, even as the April 10th deadline for the full launch of the system draws near.The rollout has been pushed back after French authorities reported technical setbacks, a spokesperson for the Port of Dover said last Friday.“We are working closely with our French border agency partners to ensure a smooth introduction of the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) for tourist passengers, which includes waiting until current issues with the French technology are resolved and thorough testing at Dover has been conducted,” the statement noted.The Port of Dover has previously postponed EES registrations for car passengers at the request of French authorities.Eurotunnel’s LeShuttle railway service said that full biometric checks will be introduced once it receives formal go-ahead from French and EU authorities.Starting April 10th, French border police (Police aux Frontières or PAF) will begin manually registering car travellers in the EES at crossing points, though biometric data such as facial recognition and fingerprints will not be collected at the outset. Passport stamping will continue in the interim, according to Connexion France.French border authorities intend to run passport lanes at full capacity, adapting operations to “deliver the high‑quality, stress-free travel experience customers expect from LeShuttle,” according to a Eurotunnel spokesperson.The UK has been warning travelers to Europe of potential traffic disruptions and queues due to the introduction of the EES. Similar warnings can be heard across the Channel.French port union requests meeting with gov over EES failures-Last week, a union representing French ports and commercial shipping warned of “serious risks of congestion and disorganisation” at the border this summer, requesting an urgent meeting with the ministers for the interior and transportation.French port borders are seeing software failures in pre-registration kiosks and tablets which are preventing their proper use, the Union des Ports de France and Armateurs de France said in a letter addressed to the French government.Another issue is that the current organisation of checks and staffing levels will not be able to handle expected high-season traffic volumes. The system has been designed with airport traveller flows in mind, making it ill-suited to the particular challenges of large numbers of passengers arriving by ferry in their vehicles.“The consequences could be serious: massively lengthened turnaround times in port, knock-on delays to ferry services, deterioration of passengers’ experiences, security risks and a loss of competitiveness by French ports,” the letter notes.The issues seem to go beyond technical difficulties: Ports de Normandie said earlier this month that it is still waiting for the state to deliver the pre-registration equipment, Connexion France reports.Aside from sea ports, French airports are also struggling with the introduction of the new system. Last month, Aéroports de Paris (ADP) group, which manages Paris Orly and Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle airports, has requested a postponement of further EES rollouts until after the tourist season.According to the EU plan, all 29 Schengen area countries must have EES operational at every border crossing to record the entry of all third-country nationals by collecting their biographical and biometric data on April 10th.Member states will be able to partially suspend EES operations where necessary during an additional 90-day period, with a possible 60-day extension to cover the summer peak. This means that manual passport stamping could remain in place at many crossings well into the summer.
iProov warns of ‘accountability vacuum’ with rise of autonomous AI agents-Mar 26, 2026, 11:03 am EDT | Lu-Hai Liang
In a world of AI agents whizzing around, the potential infinitude of these agents could wreak havoc. Long-time identity company iProov is sounding a stark warning about the risks of autonomous AI agents as it argues we could be sleepwalking into an “accountability vacuum.”This is a black hole where high‑impact decisions are made without any verifiable human authorization. The company has shone a light on the issue at RSA Conference 2026, where iProov’s Johan Sellström will demonstrate new methods for cryptographically binding AI‑agent actions to confirm human intent.iProov has titled research it conducted “The Great Trust Recession.” It sees a parallel to the deepfake‑driven fall in public trust with the threat coming not just from external manipulation but from organizations’ own automated systems acting without meaningful human oversight.Andrew Bud, iProov’s founder and CEO, argues that the identity infrastructure operating today was never designed for autonomous decision‑making. Even authentication standards such as FIDO2, one‑time passcodes and push notifications assume a human is present.These systems verify identity and permission, but they cannot verify intent. As Bud puts it: “The entire trust chain begins and ends with a real person,” but AI agents break that assumption.The U.S. National Cyber Strategy calls for rapid adoption of agentic AI to modernize national‑scale systems, while regulators in Europe and the U.S. are converging on the principle that human oversight must be “meaningful, not ceremonial.” NIST’s recent concept paper on agent identity identifies human‑in‑the‑loop binding as a core requirement.iProov argues that effective oversight requires three elements: the right human with the authority to make the decision, sufficient context to make a real choice, and an attributable, timestamped record tied to a verified identity. Without these, the company warns, enterprises risk legal, financial and ethical exposure.At RSA 2026, Sellström will demonstrate how AI‑agent actions can be cryptographically tied to verified human approval. iProov says this kind of binding is essential if organizations want to scale agentic AI safely and avoid the internal trust collapse it predicts.Agentic AI a big theme for RSA 2026-Agentic AI was a big theme of the RSA Conference 2026, held in San Francisco, with Cisco president and chief product officer Jeetu Patel giving a keynote address on how AI agents are challenging the foundations on which security architecture was built.The speed and scale of AI erodes the fabric of traditional security models, he said. Cisco’s 2026 Data Privacy Benchmark Study found that 90 percent of organizations have added AI to their privacy programs but that only 12 percent say their AI governance is mature and proactive. Patel believes the rise of AI agents will need a new model for establishing trust, granting access, and maintaining ownership.Meta incident shows why humans should be kept in the loop-Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta meanwhile is spending enormous amounts on developing AI, setting aside billions to hire top talent and to invest in AI infrastructure. Yet it has succumbed to the risks of AI when an AI agent, acting without permission, caused a data leak that exposed sensitive details for hours, reports The Information (via AI Magazine).According to The Information’s reporting, a software engineer at Meta posed a technical query on an internal forum. Another employee used an in-house AI agent to look at the problem. But instead of just providing the analysis, the AI agent posted its response in the forum without the employee telling it to do so.The software engineer who’d posted the original question then acted on the guidance given by the AI agent. And this is what caused the exposure of sensitive data. The incident illuminates what phrases like “human oversight” and “trust” really mean.There was no human oversight of what the AI agent did when it posted its answer, while there was also a layer of oversight lacking when the software engineer implemented its advice. They trusted the guidance when full trust of LLMs is not advisable.The incident highlights the need to keep humans in the loop, an expert told AI Magazine. Artificial assistants must be kept on track, with guard rails in place, to ensure they behave as intended, and its actions and outputs are reviewed, they suggested.
