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)
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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.
STRONGS CONCORDANCE FOR VIOLENCE IN THE BIBLE-SEE IT FOR YOURSELVES.
2554. chamas - Strong's Concordance - chamas: to treat violently or wrong - Part of Speech: Verb - Transliteration: chamas -Phonetic Spelling: (khaw-mas') - Definition: to treat violently or wrong - make bare, shake off, violate, do violence, take away violently, wrong -A primitive root; to be violent; by implication, to maltreat -- make bare, shake off, violate, do violence, take away violently, wrong, imagine wrongfully.
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)
SECOND ANGEL: The Middle East DR DOCTORIAN
Then Isawthat the second angel had a sickle in his hand,such asis used in harvesting. The second angelsaid, “Harvest time has come in Israel and the countries all the wayto Iran.” Isawthose countriesin a fewsplitseconds. “All of Turkey and those other countries that have refused me and refused my message of love shall hate each other and kill one another.” I saw the angel raise the sickle and come down on all the Middle East countries.I saw Iran, Persia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, all of Georgia – Iraq, Syria,Lebanon,Jordan, Israel, all of Asia Minor – full of blood. Isaw blood all over these countries. And I saw fire; nuclear weapons were used in many of those countries. Smoke rising from everywhere. Sudden destruction – men destroying one another. I heard these words, “Israel, Oh Israel, the great judgment has come.”The angel said, “The chosen, the church, the remnant, shall be purified. The Spirit of God shall prepare the children of God.” I saw fires rising to heaven.The angel said, “This is the final judgment My church shall be purified, protected and ready for the final day. Men will die from thirst. Watershall be scarce all over the Middle East. Rivers shall dry up, and men will fight for water in those countries.” The angelshowed me that the United Nationsshall be broken in pieces because of the crisisin the Middle East. There shall be no more United Nations. The angel with the sickle shall reap the harvest.
ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)
ISAIAH 54:3
03-King James Bible-For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.
The right hand was a symbol of strength-Exodus 15:6, ” Your right hand, O LORD, is majestic in power. Your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy.”
EZEKIEL 17:15-24 (MUSLIM COUNTRIES HISTORY)
15 But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape that doeth such things? or shall he break the covenant, and be delivered?
16 As I live, saith the Lord God, surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he brake, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die.
17 Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company make for him in the war, by casting up mounts, and building forts, to cut off many persons:
18 Seeing he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when, lo, he had given his hand, and hath done all these things, he shall not escape.
19 Therefore thus saith the Lord God; As I live, surely mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath broken, even it will I recompense upon his own head.
20 And I will spread my net upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will plead with him there for his trespass that he hath trespassed against me.
21 And all his fugitives with all his bands shall fall by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered toward all winds: and ye shall know that I the Lord have spoken it.
22 Thus saith the Lord God; I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the top of his young twigs a tender one, and will plant it upon an high mountain and eminent:
23 In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it: and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar: and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell.
24 And all the trees of the field shall know that I the Lord have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish: I the Lord have spoken and have done it.
PSALMS 83:3-7
3 They (ARABS,MUSLIMS) have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they (MUSLIMS) have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,(JORDAN) and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, PALESTINIANS,JORDAN) and the Hagarenes;(EGYPT)
7 Gebal,(HEZBOLLAH, LEBANON) and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA,ARABS,SINAI) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)
8 Assyria (SYRIA) also has joined with them; They have helped the children of Lot. Selah
9 Deal with them as with Midian, As with Sisera, As with Jabin at the Brook Kishon,
10 Who perished at En Dor, Who became as refuse on the earth.
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and like Zeeb, Yes, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 Who said, “Let us take for ourselves The pastures of God for a possession.”
13 O my God, make them like the whirling dust, Like the chaff before the wind!
14 As the fire burns the woods, And as the flame sets the mountains on fire,
15 So pursue them with Your tempest, And frighten them with Your storm.
16 Fill their faces with shame, That they may seek Your name, O Lord.
17 Let them be [e]confounded and dismayed forever; Yes, let them be put to shame and perish,
18 That they may know that You, whose name alone is the Lord, Are the Most High over all the earth.
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.
Bangladesh backs South Africa’s genocide claims against Israel-South Asian country, which rejects ties with Jerusalem, joins chorus demanding that The Hague order Israel to stop military campaign — despite own alleged rights abuses-By ToI Staff Today, 6:12 pm-JAN 15,24
Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday voiced support for genocide claims against Israel amid the war against Hamas, joining others backing a controversial South African application at the Hague.The Sunday statement from Dhaka, asserting that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians and must immediately suspend all military operations, came days after the International Court of Justice held hearings that could lead to it ordering the Israel Defense Forces to suspend its campaign against the Hamas terror group.Bangladesh, which does not recognize Israel, claimed that the IDF’s campaign in Gaza has resulted in the deaths of “thousands of innocent Palestinian civilians, the majority of whom are women and children.”Dhaka also accused Israel of violating the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide and concluded its statement with a call to end “Israel’s occupation of Palestine” and restore pre-1967 borders.Israel’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to any of Bangladesh’s claims.South Africa’s allegations of genocide at The Hague were largely based on the assertion that inflammatory comments by senior Israeli cabinet ministers with a say over war policy demonstrate an intent to kill civilians.Israel on Friday refuted the claims before the ICJ, asserting that the body has no jurisdiction over the complaints since they relate to the laws of armed conflict, not genocide. The Jewish state’s six legal representatives also insisted that the widespread harm to Palestinian civilians during the war was a result of Hamas’s massive use of civilian infrastructure for military purposes and not genocidal acts.Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, and the dozens of Muslim nations comprising the Organization of Islamic Countries and the Arab League have all issued messages of support for South Africa, while a small number of powerful allies, including the US, UK and Canada, have rallied behind Israel.On Friday, Germany said it would seek to intervene in the proceedings on Israel’s behalf, saying there was “no basis whatsoever” for an accusation of genocide against Israel.South Africa’s case is “completely unjustified and wrong,” British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said, according to a spokesperson quoted by BBC news on Friday.In addition to being one of the 28 UN member states that do not recognize the State of Israel, Bangladesh is one of a handful of countries that do not allow its citizens to travel to Israel and do not accept Israeli passports at their border.In 2014, Bangladeshi journalist Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury was sentenced to seven years in prison for criticizing the government and for trying to visit Israel over a decade before, even though he was arrested in 2003 before he could board his flight to Tel Aviv.Despite having no diplomatic relations with Israel and overt travel and trade prohibitions, Dhaka has reportedly shown interest in Israeli-made spyware over the last decade.Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported last year that privately developed Israeli surveillance equipment was sold to the Bangladeshi government in 2022.In 2021, the newspaper published a similar report claiming Israeli-owned intelligence firm Cellbrite sold surveillance technology to the Rapid Action Battalion.The South Asian country has been rocked by political unrest in recent years, with the US issuing sanctions against its elite police unit, the Rapid Action Battalion, for alleged human rights abuses, and UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk charging that recent elections were “marred by violence and repression of opposition candidates and supporters.”Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry refuted the UN chief’s claims in a January 8 press release, less than one week before issuing its support for South Africa’s claims of Israeli genocide.The ICJ is expected to rule on possible emergency measures for the Israeli military later this month, but will not rule at that time on the genocide allegations — those proceedings could take years.The court’s decisions are final and without appeal. The court has no way to enforce them, but ignoring them could have significant international ramifications.The war was triggered by the October 7 Hamas-led massacre, when some 3,000 terrorists burst across the border by land, air and sea, killing some 1,200 people and seizing over 240 hostages of all ages.Jeremy Sharon and agencies contributed to this report.
UK to ban Sunni Islamist Hizb ut-Tahrir for antisemitism, promoting terror-Home Secretary Cleverly notes that group, already banned in other countries, praised and celebrated October 7 Hamas attacks; says it promotes and encourages terrorism-By AFP and ToI Staff Today, 6:12 pm-JAN 15,24
Britain’s interior minister James Cleverly said on Monday he had begun the process of banning the Sunni Islamist political organization Hizb ut-Tahrir, saying it was antisemitic and promoted “terrorism.”The group is already banned in Bangladesh, Egypt, Germany, Pakistan, and several Central Asian and Arab countries.“Hizb ut-Tahrir is an anti-Semitic organization that actively promotes and encourages terrorism, including praising and celebrating the appalling 7 October attacks (on Israel),” Cleverly said, referring to the devastating massacres by Palestinian terror group Hamas.If a draft order laid before parliament by Cleverly is approved by MPs, the ban will come into force on January 19, making it an offense to support the group punishable by up to 14 years in prison. It can also lead to an asset seizure.“Hizb ut-Tahrir’s praise of the 7 October attacks and associated incidents, as well as describing Hamas as ‘heroes’ on their central website constitutes promoting and encouraging terrorism,” a government statement said.“Hizb ut-Tahrir has a history of praising and celebrating attacks against Israel and attacks against Jews more widely. The UK stands strongly against antisemitism and will not tolerate the promotion of terrorism in any form,” it added.On October 7 thousands of Hamas-led terrorists burst through the border with the Gaza Strip and invaded Israel, where they killed some 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and committed many acts of brutality and sexual violence. Until the Israel Defense Forces could mount a response, the terrorists also abducted at least 240 people and took them to Gaza as hostages, where most of them are still being held captive.Israel responded to the attack with a military campaign aimed at destroying Hamas, removing it from power in Gaza, and releasing the hostages.Hizb ut-Tahrir’s long-term goal is to establish a Caliphate ruled under Islamic law.Founded in 1953, it is headquartered in Lebanon and operates in at least 32 countries including the UK, United States, Canada, and Australia, according to the UK’s Home Office.The Islamist group has a few thousand supporters in the West Bank, where the Palestinian Authority has also sought to clamp down on its activities.Operatives had flowers and messages sent to hostage families
Shin Bet unveils Iranian plot to trick Israelis into giving info on defense officials-Espionage operation included fake social media pages urging users to photograph homes of top officials and rallies for release of hostages, tried to gather intel via fake surveys-By Emanuel Fabian Today, 3:40 pm-JAN 15,24
The Shin Bet security agency on Monday revealed attempts by Iranian intelligence services to spy on Israeli defense officials and gather information on civilians by using fake social media pages related to the ongoing war and the hostages held by terrorists in the Gaza Strip.According to the Shin Bet, Iranian operatives, using fake online profiles, tasked Israelis with photographing the residences of Israeli defense officials and other officials who appear frequently in the media and speak out publicly against Iran.Using fictitious social media pages and websites, the Iranian operatives also initiated gatherings near the homes of the families of the hostages kidnapped by Hamas and had bouquets of flowers and messages sent to their homes, the Shin Bet said.The agency said that the Iranian operatives had taken advantage of the protests in support of the hostages by having Israelis hang signs relating to the issue that had been written by them, as well as asking them to photograph the demonstrators.The pages also asked Israelis to fill out surveys, which would require victims to give out personal information. The Shin Bet said this was an attempt to collect further information on Israeli civilians, to later use them to carry out various tasks.The social media profiles — on Instagram, Telegram and TikTok — included pages posing as those of far-right activists and supporters of releasing the hostages, as well as a page named Kan+, impersonating the Kan public broadcaster.The operation revealed on Monday was run by the same Iranian network behind attempts uncovered last month to recruit Israelis over social media to carry out spying missions, including an assassination, in exchange for money.In that operation, individuals affiliated with Iranian security services contacted Israelis on various platforms and sparked an initial conversation using various deceptions. They then asked their marks to perform tasks such as photographing various sites and verifying addresses.The attempts to recruit the Israelis are a “well-known method of operation of the Iranian security agencies,” the Shin Bet explained.It added that since the beginning of the war in the Gaza Strip in October, the agency has identified that “the activity efforts of Iranian security forces have greatly intensified, while using digital space for the purposes of intimidation, conveying messages or advancing terror activity.”“Its purpose is to assist Hamas in its war and to damage Israel’s national resilience and war effort, sowing demoralization and deepening social divisions,” the agency said.The plans recently uncovered by the Shin Bet are not the first instances of Iranian operatives trying to target Israelis via social media.In July of last year, the Shin Bet said it had uncovered an Iranian phishing campaign against Israeli civilians, mostly targeting state employees and researchers, in a bid to obtain intelligence on state policy.According to the agency, Iranian operatives would contact Israeli targets on LinkedIn while posing as acquaintances, and the conversation would move to an email, where the operatives would either invite them to a conference by sending them a document with further details or sharing a research paper.In 2021, something similar was attempted, and Iranian operatives were found to have attempted to lure Israeli academics, business people and former defense officials abroad, in an effort to kidnap or otherwise harm them.At the time, the Shin Bet said the operatives used spoofed emails, pretending to be academics, journalists, businessmen and philanthropists.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Woman killed, 17 wounded in terrorist car-ramming and stabbing spree in Ra’anana-Children, teens among injured; cars seized from owners during attack; police arrest 2 suspects — Palestinian relatives from Hebron area who were working illegally in the city-By Emanuel Fabian, Renee Ghert-Zand and ToI Staff Today, 4:43 pm-JAN 15,24
An elderly woman was killed and at least 17 people were injured, including at least seven children and teenagers, in a multipronged Palestinian car-ramming and stabbing terror attack in the central Israel city of Ra’anana early on Monday afternoon.During the attack, the perpetrators — two West Bank Palestinians working in Israel illegally — seized at least three vehicles and rammed pedestrians in several locations in the city, also stabbing one or more of their victims, according to police, medics, and eyewitnesses.Meir Hospital said a woman in her 70s, who arrived in critical condition, succumbed to her wounds. She was not immediately named.The two suspects were named as Ahmed Zidat, 25, and Mahmoud Zidad, 44, both residents of the southern West Bank town of Bani Naim, close to Hebron. According to the Shin Bet, both had been blacklisted for entering Israel illegally numerous times in the past.The attack occurred as schools were dismissing students for the day.According to reports, one of the terrorists stabbed a driver on the city’s Haharoshet Street before stealing the car and driving it into three people.The terrorist then got stuck and abandoned the car, before stealing a second vehicle and continuing on, driving down the central Ahuza Street and ramming into at least one other group of people, witnesses said.“It all happened in a second,” a passerby who witnessed the start of the attack told Army Radio.“We heard the noise of a crash, like a car bumping into another car,” Eden Arzi said. “We saw the driver go to stab a woman and she ran away, and [the driver] went and stabbed a 60-year-old man while there were a bunch of screams in the background, until he fell on the ground.”Another witness told Haaretz: “I saw someone stab three people next to the mall, steal a car and run people over with it.”Casualties from the attack were taken to Meir Hospital in Kfar Saba, Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva and the adjacent Schneider Children’s Medical Center.Magen David Adom said that the injured included at least two in serious condition — a man aged 34 and a 16-year-old boy — along with nine in moderate condition, and six who sustained light wounds.Seven children and teenagers were brought to Schneider in moderate condition, some of them having been transferred from Beilinson Hospital, where they were initially taken.Ichilov Hospital said two victims of the attack arrived at the hospital, both men in moderate condition and suffering from orthopedic injuries. One of the men was in his 40s and the other in his 20s, the hospital said.The head of the police’s Central District, Deputy Commissioner Avi Bitton, said the attack was carried out by two Palestinian relatives from the Hebron area of the West Bank who had recently been working in the city’s industrial zone. They were in the country illegally.Both the suspects were under arrest and being questioned, Bitton said, adding that the first was apprehended very quickly and the second a few minutes later.The pair were taken to be interrogated by the Shin Bet.“This was a very grave terror attack,” Bitton said, adding that the police were not ruling out other suspects and were continuing to search the wider area.Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai praised the rapid and professional police response, including the closing off of the area.Police and the Shin Bet security agency were jointly investigating.Violence in the West Bank has soared since Hamas’s October 7 massacre, which saw thousands of terrorists burst across the border from the Gaza Strip by land, air and sea, killing some 1,200 people and seizing over 240 hostages of all ages — mainly civilians. In response to the deadliest attack in the country’s history, Israel vowed to eliminate Hamas from the Gaza Strip, where the terror group has ruled since 2007, and return the hostages.Since October 7, troops have arrested more than 2,650 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank, including more than 1,300 affiliated with Hamas. According to the Palestinian Authority health ministry, some 300 West Bank Palestinians have been killed in that time. Based on military estimates, the vast majority of those killed since October 7 were shot during clashes amid arrest raids.
Six pro-Palestinian activists arrested for plot to disrupt London Stock Exchange-Police say plan to prevent opening of building may have had ‘serious implications’ if successful; top BBC presenter Gary Lineker advocates for international sport boycott of Israel-By Reuters and ToI Staff Today, 10:30 am
British police on Sunday arrested six members of the Palestine Action protest group as part of an investigation into an alleged plot to disrupt the London Stock Exchange.The police alleged the activists had planned to target the LSE on Monday morning in an attempt to prevent the building from opening for trading.In a statement, London’s Metropolitan Police said three people were arrested in the northern English city of Liverpool, two in London, and one in the south coast city of Brighton.“These are significant arrests. We believe this group was ready to carry out a disruptive and damaging stunt which could have had serious implications had it been carried out successfully,” said Detective Superintendent Sian Thomas.The police said all six activists remained in custody.In a statement reported by Sky News, Palestine Action said: “Our direct action campaign will not be deterred. We are unafraid of putting our liberty on the line.”London has seen large weekly rallies calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, which have come under scrutiny for antisemitic chants and posters by some participants.Also in the UK, the BBC’s highest-paid presenter, Gary Lineker, reposted a tweet from the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic & Cultural Boycott of Israel, urging FIFA and the International Olympic Committee to join a global boycott of Israel.The Palestinian Football Association calls on @iocmedia, @FIFAcom and all regional and int'l sports bodies to take an urgent stance on Israel’s grave violations of human rights and subject it to legal accountability measures. https://t.co/WLgKm4SIKY pic.twitter.com/jpg4JA2rNT— PACBI – BDS movement (@PACBI) January 13, 2024-The former soccer star was blasted by Conservative MPs, who said the BBC should take action against Lineker for supporting the boycott campaign.“The BDS [Boycott Divestment and Sanctions] movement [to boycott Israel] is a racist, antisemitic campaign and nobody who receives taxpayers’ money working in the BBC should be endorsing a campaign that is widely understood to promote Jew hate,” Conservative MP Andrew Percy told The Telegraph.“There has to be a line where the BBC has to intervene and him endorsing a racist campaign, which is what the BDS group is widely understood to be, surely must be a new low if they’re going to allow him to get away with that,” he added.The BBC, the UK’s public broadcaster, has had to issue several apologies over its reporting of the Israel-Hamas war since the start of the conflict on October 7, at times rushing to publish unverifiable claims by Hamas and Palestinian media.The TV network has also faced widespread criticism, including from the British government, for refusing to call Hamas a terrorist group or its members terrorists — a policy it has in common with many major international news organizations.Lineker has been the focus of an ongoing dispute over the impartiality of the BBC, sparked by his criticism of the UK government’s asylum policy. The former England soccer player was briefly taken off air by bosses at the publicly funded broadcaster last year after comparing the launch of the Conservatives’ new policy to the rhetoric of Nazi-era Germany.The UK has experienced a surge in antisemitic and anti-Israel activity since October 7, when Hamas-led terrorists rampaged through southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping at least 240 people to Gaza.Israel then launched a military campaign — aimed at toppling the Hamas regime which has ruled Gaza since 2007 — and securing the release of the hostages. The offensive has come under harsh international criticism for its mounting death toll.
Houthi missile hits US-owned vessel off Yemen in the Gulf of Aden-No injuries or significant damage reported on Eagle Gibraltar which continues to sail; US Maritime administration advises US-owned ships to stay away from area-By AP and ToI Staff Today, 7:41 pm-JAN 15,24
Houthi rebels fired a missile, striking a US-owned ship Monday just off the coast of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden, less than a day after they launched an anti-ship cruise missile toward an American destroyer in the Red Sea, officials said.The attack on the Gibraltar Eagle, though not immediately claimed by the Houthis, further escalates tensions gripping the Red Sea after American-led strikes on the rebels. The Houthis’ attacks have roiled global shipping, at the same time as Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, targeting a crucial corridor linking Asian and Mideast energy and cargo shipments to the Suez Canal onward to Europe.The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which oversees Mideast waters, said Monday’s attack happened some 110 miles (177 kilometers) miles southeast of Aden. It said the ship’s captain reported that the “port side of vessel hit from above by a missile.”Private security firms Ambrey and Dryad Global told The Associated Press that the vessel was the Eagle Gibraltar, a Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier. The US military’s Central Command later acknowledged the strike, blaming the Houthis for the assault.“The ship has reported no injuries or significant damage and is continuing its journey,” Central Command said.The vessel is owned by Eagle Bulk Shipping, a Stamford, Connecticut-based firm traded on the New York Stock Exchange. In a statement to the AP, the company acknowledged the strike and said it caused “limited damage to a cargo hold but (the ship) is stable and is heading out of the area.”“All seafarers onboard the vessel are confirmed to be uninjured,” the firm said. “The vessel is carrying a cargo of steel products. Eagle Bulk management is in close contact with all relevant authorities concerning this matter.”#Breaking: The Eagle Gibraltar, owned by Eagle Bulk in Connecticut, (not Israeli owned) was hit by a Houthi-fired missile off Yemen's coast, causing a fire onboard but no casualties. pic.twitter.com/WrxlH82Gx7— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) January 15, 2024-Satellite-tracking data analyzed by the AP showed the Eagle Gibraltar had been bound for the Suez Canal, but rapidly turned around at the time of the attack.Central Command said it detected a separate anti-ship ballistic missile launch toward the southern Red Sea on Monday, though it “failed in flight and impacted on land in Yemen.”The US Maritime Administration, under the Transportation Department, also issued a warning Monday saying there continues to be “a high degree of risk to commercial vessels” traveling near Yemen.“While the decision to transit remains at the discretion of individual vessels and companies, it is recommended that US flag and US-owned commercial vessels” stay away from Yemen in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden “until further notice,” the advisory said.Sunday’s missile launch toward the American warship also marked the first US-acknowledged fire by the Houthis since America and allied nations began strikes Friday on the rebels following weeks of assaults on shipping in the Red Sea.The Houthi fire in the direction of the USS Laboon, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer operating in the southern reaches of the Red Sea, Central Command said.The missile came from near Hodeida, a Red Sea port city long held by the Houthis, the US said.“An anti-ship cruise missile was fired from Iranian-backed Houthi militant areas of Yemen toward USS Laboon,” Central Command said. “There were no injuries or damage reported.”The Houthis did not immediately acknowledge that attack either.It was not immediately clear whether the US would retaliate for the latest attacks, though President Joe Biden said he “will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary.”The first day of US-led strikes Friday hit 28 locations and struck more than 60 targets with cruise missiles and bombs launched by fighter jets, warships and a submarine. Sites hit included weapon depots, radars and command centers, including in remote mountain areas, the US has said.The Houthis have yet to acknowledge how severe the damage was from the strikes, which they said killed five of their troops and wounded six others.US forces followed up with a strike Saturday on a Houthi radar site.Since November, the rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea, saying they were avenging Israel’s offensive in Gaza against Hamas. But they have frequently targeted vessels with tenuous or no clear links to Israel, imperiling shipping in a key route for global trade.Even the leader of the Lebanese terror Hezbollah group, Hassan Nasrallah, obliquely referred to the widening Houthi attacks on ships in a speech Sunday, saying that “the sea has become a battlefield of missiles, drones, and warships,” and blaming the US strikes for escalating maritime tensions.“The most dangerous thing is what the Americans did in the Red Sea, (it) will harm the security of all maritime navigation,” Nasrallah said.Though the Biden administration and its allies have tried to calm tensions in the Middle East for weeks and prevent any wider conflict, the strikes in the Red Sea threaten to ignite one.They are also affecting shipping for the Middle East nation of Qatar, one of the world’s top natural gas suppliers. Three liquid natural gas tankers that had recently loaded in Qatar and were bound for the Suez Canal remain idling off Oman, while another coming from Europe to Qatar remains off Saudi Arabia. QatarEnergy and government officials did not respond to a request for comment.Saudi Arabia, which supports the Yemeni government-in-exile that the Houthis are fighting, sought to distance itself from the attacks on Houthi sites, as it tries to maintain a delicate détente with Iran and a ceasefire it has in Yemen. The Saudi-led, US-backed war in Yemen that began in 2015 has killed more than 150,000 people, including fighters and civilians, and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters, killing tens of thousands more.The American military did not specifically say the fire targeted the Laboon, following a pattern by the US since the Houthi attacks began. However, US sailors have received combat ribbons for their actions in the Red Sea — something handed out only to those who face active hostilities with an enemy force.The war between Israel and Hamas erupted when the terror group carried out a devastating attack that killed 1,200 people in southern Israel, mostly civilians. The 3,000 Hamas-led terrorists who invaded from the Gaza Strip also abducted at least 240 other people of all ages, most of whom are still being held in the Palestinian enclave.Israel responded with a military campaign aimed at destroying Hamas, removing it from power in Gaza, and releasing the hostages.
Anticipating long war, IDF pulls one of four divisions out of Gaza for R&R, training-Army to decide mission of 36th Division, which battled Hamas in northern part of Strip, after its break, as ground operation expands in central Gaza-By Emanuel Fabian Today, 6:44 pm-JAN 15,24
The Israel Defense Forces on Monday began to withdraw its 36th Division from Gaza for an R&R and training period, leaving three other divisions fighting Hamas in the Strip.The withdrawal of the division comes as part of the IDF’s plans for a long war against Hamas, as well as a potential escalation in the fighting against the Lebanese Hezbollah terror group in northern Israel, while maintaining the troops’ competence.The division’s units will be given a short break, then will return for a training period, after which the IDF will decide if and where to redeploy them based to its latest assessments.Over the past 80 days, the 36th Division operated in Gaza City’s Zeitoun, Shati, Shejaiya, and Rimal neighborhoods, where the IDF dismantled all of Hamas’s battalions. It also operated in central Gaza recently.The 162nd Division remains in northern Gaza, carrying out clean-up operations to locate Hamas’s infrastructure and kill or capture its remaining operatives; the 99th Division is operating in the central part of the Strip; and the 98th Division is fighting Hamas in the Khan Younis area of southern Gaza.The IDF has assessed that fighting in Gaza will likely last throughout all of 2024, as Israel works to strip Hamas of its military and governing capabilities. The army is also preparing for fighting to escalate further on the Lebanon border, where Hezbollah and allied Palestinian terror groups have carried out daily rocket, missile, and drone attacks amid the war in Gaza.The IDF releases clips of the 36th Division’s units, including the Golani Infantry Brigade, 188th Armored Brigade, 605th Combat Engineering Battalion, and 282nd Artillery Regiment, operating in Gaza over the past two months, as they are withdrawn from the Strip for R&R and… https://t.co/U4KNv4gueF pic.twitter.com/O7C4MaJrWR— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) January 15, 2024-Last month, the IDF said it was withdrawing five brigades from Gaza — three brigades usually tasked with training other forces and two reserve brigades — as the fighting in the northern part of the Strip shifted into a lower intensity.Also on Monday, the IDF said it had begun for the first time in the war to operate on the ground in central Gaza’s Nuseirat, as the offensive against Hamas further expanded.It said troops of the 646th Reserve Paratroopers Brigade — part of the 99th Division — operating in Nuseirat located a mortar production facility, a rocket manufacturing factory, and weapons hidden in a building belonging to a humanitarian organization.The IDF said the reservists also raided a school in Nuseirat where eight Hamas operatives were holed up. The operatives were detained and taken to Israel to be questioned.Also in the area of the school, the troops located a weapons depot, the IDF added.Meanwhile, in Khan Younis, the IDF said Monday that troops of the 98th Division and Israeli Air Force aircraft foiled an attempt by Hamas to ferry weaponry in a truck to operatives in the Khan Younis area.The IDF said the 98th Division spotted two Hamas operatives loading a truck with weapons and called in an airstrike. The truck was destroyed, along with the operatives who fled to a nearby building, it said.Also in Khan Younis, the IDF said troops of the 7th Armored Brigade raided a Hamas command center, locating a cache of weapons. The IDF said the troops seized assault rifles, handguns, grenades, RPGs, and diving equipment belonging to Hamas’s naval forces.Two more weapons depots were destroyed by the IDF in Khan Younis, and other caches of weapons were found in various buildings, including the home of a Hamas operative, it said.Meanwhile, in northern Gaza, the IDF said surveillance soldiers spotted five Hamas operatives in an area where ground forces were operating, and called in an airstrike, killing all five.War erupted between Israel and Hamas with the terror group’s October 7 massacres, which saw some 3,000 terrorists burst across the border by land, air and sea, killing some 1,200 people and seizing over 240 hostages of all ages — mostly civilians.Vowing to destroy the terror group, Israel launched a wide-scale military campaign in Gaza, which the Hamas-run health ministry has said killed over 24,000 people since. The figure cannot be independently verified, and is believed to include both civilians and Hamas members killed in Gaza, including as a consequence of terror groups’ own rocket misfires. The IDF says it has killed over 9,000 operatives in Gaza, in addition to some 1,000 terrorists inside Israel on October 7.Several hostages freed in a ceasefire deal in late November described being held inside tunnels, which Hamas has dug throughout the Gaza Strip and which Israel says have long been used to smuggle weapons and fighters throughout the enclave.It is believed that 132 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza — not all of them alive — after 105 civilians were released from Hamas captivity during the late November truce. Four hostages were released prior to that, and one was rescued by troops. The bodies of eight hostages have also been recovered and three hostages were mistakenly killed by the military. The Israel Defense Forces has confirmed the deaths of 25 of those still held by Hamas, citing intelligence and findings obtained by troops operating in Gaza.Israel also believes that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is hiding in a tunnel somewhere in Khan Younis.
Trump wins Iowa caucuses as he gears up for rematch with Biden; DeSantis comes second-Vivek Ramaswamy announced he is suspending his presidential campaign-Web Desk Updated: January 16, 2024 10:16 IST | AFP
Former President Donald Trump has won the Iowa caucuses, reaffirming his status as the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination as he seeks a rematch with Democratic President Joe Biden.Securing the widest margin of victory in the history of Iowa Republican caucuses since 1976, Trump marched on to victory with ease. With 40% of the expected vote tallied, Trump had 52.6%, while Ron DeSantis was at second with 20% and Nikki Haley third with 18.7%, according to Edison Research.In a statement, Alex Pfeiffer, a spokesperson for the main super political action committee supporting Trump, said, "The people of Iowa sent a clear message tonight: Donald Trump will be the next Republican nominee for President. It's now time to make him the next President of the United States." Ron DeSantis edges Nikki Haley to win second place behind Donald Trump in the Iowa GOP caucuses. DeSantis had visited all 99 countries in Iowa and was facing a potential rock-bottom scenario that could force him to end his campaign. The numbers also put him far behind Trump and Haley in the more moderate Northeastern state of New Hampshire, where Republicans will choose their nominee eight days from now.Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy announced he is suspending his presidential campaign at his campaign’s watch party in Des Moines, Iowa, on Monday. "I will stick to the truth tonight. The first hard truth and this was hard for me, I gotta admit this, but we've looked at it every which way. And I think it is true that we did not achieve the surprise that we wanted to deliver tonight," he said. "As of this moment, we are going to suspend this presidential campaign," he added.Despite bone-chilling cold and plunging temperature, Iowans gathered at more than 1,600 schools, community centers and other sites for the state's GOP caucus. Earlier polls too indicated that the Iowans were mostly backing Trump. According to an Edison Research entrance poll, only one-third of caucus-goers said Trump would be unfit for president if convicted of a crime. Two-thirds said they did not believe Biden legitimately won the 2020 election, embracing Trump's falsehoods about voter fraud. Trump did not hide his expectations. "I don’t know about the total number of votes because, you know, it is a little cold out there, but not really, and remember, everybody is indoors," Trump said during an interview with Jeff Stein on News/Talk 1540, an eastern Iowa radio station. "So you’re not standing outside. So I think it’s going to be very close to record-setting, maybe even record-setting."
Key initial victory within Trump’s reach as GOP faithful set to vote in Iowa caucuses-Former US president enters race way ahead in polls despite legal woes, as Republican rivals Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis compete for spot as top alternative-By Steve Peoples, Thomas Beaumont and HANNAH FINGERHUT Today, 11:07 am-JAN 15,24
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Voting is set to begin Monday night in icy Iowa as former US president Donald Trump eyes a victory that would send a resounding message that neither life-threatening cold nor life-changing legal trouble can slow his march toward the Republican Party’s 2024 nomination.The Iowa caucuses, which are the opening contest in the months-long Republican presidential primary process, begin at 8 p.m. EST. Caucus participants will gather inside more than 1,500 schools, churches, and community centers to debate their options, in some cases for hours, before casting secret ballots.While Trump projects confidence, his onetime chief rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, is fighting for his political survival in a make-or-break race for second place. Former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, the only woman in the race, stands in DeSantis’s way. The two have competed aggressively in recent weeks to emerge as the clear alternative to the former president, who has alienated many Americans and could end up being a convicted felon by year’s end.“I absolutely love a lot of the things (Trump) did, but his personality is just kind of getting in his way,” said Hans Rudin, a 49-year-old community college adviser from Council Bluffs, Iowa. He said he supported Trump in the past two elections, but will caucus for DeSantis on Monday.Polls suggest Trump enters the day with a massive lead in Iowa as Haley and DeSantis duel for a distant second. Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson are also on the ballot, as is former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who suspended his campaign last week.With the coldest temperatures in caucus history expected and dangerous travel conditions in virtually every corner of the rural state, the campaigns are bracing for a low-turnout contest that will test the strength of their support and their organizational muscle. The final result will serve as a powerful signal for the rest of the nomination fight to determine who will face Democratic US President Joe Biden in the November general election.After Iowa, the Republican primary shifts to New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina over the coming weeks before moving into the rest of the country this spring. The ultimate nominee won’t be confirmed until the party’s national convention in July, but with big wins in the opening contests, Trump will be difficult to stop.Trump’s political strength heading into the Iowa caucuses, which come 426 days after he launched his 2024 campaign, tells a remarkable story of a Republican Party unwilling or unable to move on from him. He lost to Biden in 2020 after fueling near-constant chaos while in the White House, culminating with his supporters carrying out a deadly attack on the US Capitol. In total, he faces 91 felony charges across four criminal cases, including two indictments for his efforts to overturn the election and a third indictment for keeping classified documents in his Florida home.In recent weeks, Trump has increasingly echoed authoritarian leaders and framed his campaign as one of retribution. He has spoken openly about using the power of government to pursue his political enemies. He has repeatedly harnessed rhetoric once used by Adolf Hitler to argue that immigrants entering the US illegally are “poisoning the blood of our country. And he recently shared a word cloud last week to his social media account highlighting words like “revenge,” “power” and “dictatorship.”Republican voters have been undeterred.“Trump is a Christian. He’s trustworthy. He believes in America. And he believes in freedom,” said 71-year-old Kathy DeAngelo, a retired hospital administrative employee waiting in subzero weather to see Trump on Sunday. “He’s the only one.”The final Des Moines Register/NBC News poll before the caucuses found Trump maintaining a formidable lead, supported by nearly half of likely caucusgoers, compared with 20% for Haley and 16% for DeSantis. Haley, the former UN ambassador and South Carolina governor, and DeSantis, the Florida governor, remain locked in a close battle for second. Trump is also viewed more favorably than the other top contenders by likely caucusgoers, at 69% compared with 58% for DeSantis and just 48% for Haley.On the eve of the caucuses, Trump predicted he would set a modern-day record for an Iowa Republican caucus with a margin of victory exceeding the nearly 13 percentage points that Bob Dole earned in 1988. He also sought to downplay expectations that he would earn as much as 50% of the total vote.Whether he hits that number or not, his critics note that roughly half of the state’s Republican voters will likely vote for someone not named Trump.“Somebody won by 12 points and that was like a record. Well, we should do that,” Trump said Sunday during an appearance at a Des Moines hotel. “If we don’t do that, let ’em criticize us, right? But let’s see if we can get to 50%.”“Brave the weather and go out and save America,” he later added.The temperature in parts of Iowa on Monday could dip as low as negative 14 degrees Fahrenheit (negative 26 degrees Celsius) while snow drifts from Friday’s blizzard still make travel hazardous across the rural state where unpaved roads are common.Forecasters warned that “dangerously cold wind chills” as low as 45 degrees below zero Fahrenheit were possible through noon Tuesday. The conditions, according to the National Weather Service, could lead to “frostbite and hypothermia in a matter of minutes if not properly dressed for the conditions.”Over the weekend, signs positioned on key roadways warned motorists in large flashing orange letters: “TRAVEL NOT ADVISED.”And the winter weather, intimidating even for Iowa, will make an already unrepresentative process even less representative.Many elderly Iowans, who are the backbone of the caucus, are wondering how they will make it to their sites. And only a tiny portion of the participants will be voters of color, given Iowa’s overwhelmingly white population, a fact that helped convince Democrats to shift their opening primary contest to South Carolina this year.Iowa’s caucuses are also playing out on Martin Luther King Day, which is a federal holiday.Last month, some presidential campaigns were expecting close to 200,000 Republican voters to participate in the caucus. On the eve of the contest, many now wonder whether the 2024 turnout will exceed the 118,411 Republicans who showed up in 2012.Still, each of the campaigns is claiming a powerful get-out-the-vote operation that will ensure their supporters show up.Haley rallied a room packed with Iowans and out-of-state volunteers on Sunday in Ames, drawing frequent cheers from the pink necklace and boa-clad “Women for Nikki.”The 51-year-old former South Carolina governor repeated her frequent call for GOP voters to elect her as a “new generational leader that leaves the negativity and the baggage behind and focuses on the solutions of the future.”Nearly 200 miles away in Dubuque, DeSantis dismissed questions about his position in the polls as he courted voters.“I like being underestimated. I like being the underdog,” the Florida governor said. “I think that that’s better.”Meanwhile, not all voters were excited about their options.Jake Hutzell, 28, hasn’t participated in a caucus before, and he isn’t sure that he will on Monday, either. He follows politics, but he said he’s part of a generation that’s skeptical any of it makes a difference.“There’s never been anyone I feel strongly about,” the Dubuque resident said. “If I’m going to throw my name behind who I think should be the president, I would like to very feel very strongly about it.”
