Claire's tests came out fine. Thanks to those who emailed.
"Truth above all, though the heavens may fall!" -- Michael Rivero
Secretary Blinken ended his visit to Israel and left minutes after fighting in Gaza resumed, nixing gushing reports in US media about the trip being “one of the most significant diplomatic moves” to date with an eye toward ending the conflict. Sputnik asked experts to explain why the Israeli tail seems so consistently able to wag the American dog.
Israeli spies are preparing to assassinate Hamas leaders living in Lebanon, Türkiye, and Qatar once the war with the militant group is over in Gaza, officials have told the Wall Street Journal. The operation was reportedly planned more than a month ago, but postponed so that hostage negotiations could take place.
Yemeni Armed Forces have pledged to resume their operations against targets deep inside the 1948 Israeli-occupied territories, noting that they will stop attacks as soon as the Israeli aggression against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip comes to a "complete halt."
Yemen released a statement late on Thursday, hours before a temporary truce between the Hamas resistance movement and the Israeli regime expired on Friday morning.
An escalation in military engagements have been occurring in the Gulf of Aden as several vessels connected with the State of Israel and its supporters are being targeted by the Yemen resistance force of the Ansar Allah. See this.
On November 26, the United States Department of Defense issued a statement saying it had thwarted an attempted seizure of the Central Park, a commercial tanker operating in these waters.
Israel intends to settle score with Qatar for its support to Hamas once the emirate’s mediation role in the hostage exchange is over, says Joshua Zarka, Israeli Foreign Ministry Deputy Director General on Strategic Affairs.
"We will settle score with Qatar, who played its role in everything that is connected to the strengthening of Hamas and its legitimization. We need [Qatar] for the matter of return of the abductees, but, once this process is over, we will come to them for answers," Zarka said on the Israeli army radio.
The UK is sending one of its most lethal warships to the Gulf to deter growing threats to shipping from Iran and Iranian-backed groups in the wake of Israel's war against Hamas.
The deployment of HMS Diamond, a Type 45 destroyer, with the ability to shoot missiles out of the sky, comes after Houthi rebels in Yemen hijacked an Israeli-linked cargo ship in the Red Sea last week and the US military had to rescue another vessel on Sunday.
The Defense Department has ordered an additional aircraft carrier strike group, air defenses, fighter jets and hundreds of troops to the Middle East since the surprise terrorist attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, in an effort to prevent the conflict from spiraling into a regional war.
The problem: Congressional dysfunction means the Pentagon has no money to pay for the buildup.
In the Baltic Sea – home of the twisted wreckage of the Nord Stream pipelines – another pipeline was recently damaged along with telecommunications cables.
Western officials are making escalatory statements and are again floating the idea of closing the “NATO lake” to Russian ships, which would likely be viewed by Moscow as an act of war.
The global financial landscape is witnessing a seismic shift as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) boldly moves away from the US dollar in its oil trade dealings.
This strategic pivot aligns with the broader ambitions of the BRICS economic alliance, of which the UAE is a recent addition.
The changeover, involving the transition to local currencies for oil transactions, marks a significant departure from the long-established dollar dominance in the global oil market.
