Antichrist’s Men storm Baghdad’s Green Zone again

Supporters of Iraqi cleric Sadr storm Baghdad’s Green Zone again

July 30, 2022 at 4:15 a.m.

By Maher Nazih and and Amina Ismail

BAGHDAD (Reuters) -Thousands of supporters of Shi’ite populist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr stormed Baghdad’s fortified government zone and broke into parliament on Saturday for the second time in a week, leaving at least 125 people injured and escalating a political stand-off.

Protesters rallied by Sadr and his Sadrist Movement tore down concrete barriers and entered the Green Zone, which houses government departments and foreign missions, before breaking into parliament.

“We are calling for a government free from corruption … and those are the demands of the people,” one protester, Abu Foad, said among crowds of protesters carrying placards with Sadr’s photograph and national flags.

The scenes followed similar protests on Wednesday, although this time at least 125 people – including demonstrators and police – were wounded, according to a health ministry statement.

Sadr’s supporters threw stones and police fired teargas and stun grenades.

“We Iraqis have endured injustices because of those corrupt people,” said another protester Alaa Hussain, 49.

“I have two unemployed children who graduated from university and I am unemployed. There are no jobs and that is all because of corruption.”

Sadr’s party came first in an October election but he withdrew his 74 lawmakers from parliament after failing to form a government which excluded his Shi’ite rivals, most of whom who are backed by Iran and have heavily-armed paramilitary wings.

U.N. FRETS

His withdrawal ceded dozens of seats to the Coalition Framework, an alliance of Shi’ite parties backed by Iran.

Sadr has since made good on threats to stir up popular unrest if parliament tries to approve a government he does not like, saying it must be free of foreign influence.

Sadr’s supporters chanted against his rivals who are now trying to form a government. Many protested in front of the country’s Supreme Court, which Sadr has accused of meddling to prevent him forming a government.

In response, the Coalition Framework called on Iraqis to protest peacefully “in defence of the state, its legitimacy and its institutions,” a statement read later on Saturday, raising fears of clashes.

The United Nations called for a de-escalation. “Voices of reason and wisdom are critical to prevent further violence,” said its mission in Iraq.

Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi also urged political groups not to escalate unrest. “Let this not devolve into clashes, and keep Iraq secure,” he said in a televised address.

Speaker of Parliament Mohammed al-Halbousi suspended all parliamentary session until further notice, the state news agency reported.

Iraq has been without a president and prime minister for about 10 months because of the deadlock.

Sadr, whom opponents also accuse of corruption, maintains large state power himself because his movement remains involved in running the country. His loyalists have long run some of the allegedly most corrupt and dysfunctional government departments.

Iraqis linked neither to Sadr nor to his opponents say they are caught in the middle of the political gridlock.

While Baghdad earns record income from its vast oil wealth, the country has no budget, frequent power and water cuts, poor education and healthcare, and insufficient job opportunities for the young.

(Reporting by Maher Nazir and Reuters TV in Baghdad and Amina Ismail in Erbil;Additional reporting by John Davison, Thaier Al-Sudani in Baghdad and Yasmine Hussein in Cairo;Writing by John Davison and Amina Ismail;Editing by Helen Popper, Andrew Cawthorne and Christina Fincher)

The Russian Horn Prepares for Nuclear War: Revelation 16

Russian Military Exercises with Non-Strategic Nuclear Weapons

Source: Online Platforms – “Russian Ministry of Defense on Telegram”

On May 21, 2024, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that the first stage of the Russian Armed Forces’ military exercises aiming to simulate the launch of tactical nuclear weapons had begun in the Russian Southern Military District. A video recording of the exercises was published on the Ministry of Defense Telegram-channel. The exercises were initially announced by the Ministry on May 6, in compliance with the order of the Supreme Commander Vladimir Putin. According to the Ministry of Defense Telegram channel, the exercises include using mobile short-range ballistic missile systems “Iskander” and hypersonic air-launched ballistic missiles “Kinzhal.”

Hamas launches rocket from the Outer Court: Revelation

Hamas launches rocket attack towards Tel Aviv

Lipika Pelham,Dan Johnson

A house in Herzliya was damaged in the attack

Hamas says it has launched a “big” rocket attack at the Tel Aviv area in central Israel, several of which were intercepted by air defence systems, according to the Israeli military.

Hours later, Palestinian health and civilian officials said dozens of Palestinians had been killed and injured in an Israeli strike on an area in the southern Gazan city of Rafah, where displaced people were sheltering.

Many of the casualties were living in tents at the Tal al-Sultan camp, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said, adding that the death toll was likely to rise. An official for the Hamas-run media office said 30 people had been killed.

In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed they had carried out an air strike on “a Hamas compound in Rafah,” where “significant Hamas terrorists were operating”. Acknowledging reports of civilian casualties from a fire ignited by the strike, the army said the incident was “under review”. 

The Hamas attack on Tel Aviv – the first time in nearly four months that the group has attacked central Israel – came amid an ongoing Israeli military operation in Rafah, which has continued in defiance of a ruling from the UN’s top court.

The barrage of up to eight rockets highlights the threat Hamas still poses to people across Israel, although there were no reports of injuries.

It also illustrates the challenges the Israeli army faces as it moves further into southern Gaza to oust Hamas from what it calls its “last major stronghold”.

The rocket attack came ahead of further ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, which are expected to resume next week.

The military wing of Hamas, the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, said it was in response to “the massacre of civilians”.

But by briefly destabilising the relative normality the residents of Tel Aviv – the economic centre of Israel – had been enjoying in recent months, Hamas may be trying to show its strength ahead of the talks, or trying to derail them.

Air raid sirens also sounded in cities including Herzliya and Petah Tikva. The IDF said its Iron Dome anti-missile system had intercepted three of the eight projectiles.

Israelis take cover during rocket fire near Herzliya

Most of them landed in open areas, but photos published by Israeli media appeared to show minor damage from shrapnel to a home in Herzliya, where an elderly women lived with her caretaker. Police said two people suffered light injuries.

And in Kfar Saba, north of Tel Aviv, a rocket fell on a field, creating a large crater.

Later on Sunday, sirens also rang out in several border villages in the south adjacent to Gaza, including some where residents have returned to live since the Hamas attack on 7 October.

Hamas did not confirm the rockets were launched from Rafah, where fighting has been reported near the Kuwaiti Hospital.

Despite intense international concern, Israel began its offensive in the southern Gaza city about three weeks ago, vowing to destroy what it said were the last Hamas battalions present there.

But the latest rocket attacks are a reminder of Hamas’s military capabilities after seven months of an offensive Israel said aimed to eliminate the group.

War cabinet minister Benny Gantz said the rocket launches showed the need for the military to push ahead with its assault.

The UN says more than 800,000 Palestinians have fled Rafah, a city on Gaza’s southern edge. About 1.5 million had been sheltering there from the fighting elsewhere in Gaza.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said the area which was hit by the IDF air strike had been designated for displaced people. 

But aid groups say that nowhere in Gaza is safe for the territory’s estimated two million civilians. They say some Israeli strikes have hit civilians in areas previously designated by the IDF as “humanitarian zones”.

Israel’s military campaign in Gaza began after gunmen from Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October, killing about 1,200 people and taking 252 others back to Gaza as hostages.

Nearly 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war since then, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.

New World War 3 threats: Revelation 16

Putin Ally Issues ‘World War’ Threat to NATO Member

Kate Plummer

Published May 26, 2024 at 9:36 AM EDTUpdated May 26, 2024 at 1:42 PM EDT

A Vladimir Putin ally has warned America and Poland that using weapons against Russian targets could result in a world war.

There have been rising tensions between Russia and NATO member Poland since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Earlier this month, Andrzej Szejna, Poland’s deputy minister of foreign affairs, said that his country could be left exposed to Russian attacks after Warsaw said it could host NATO nuclear weapons on its territory.

Earlier this week, it was reported by Ukrainian news outlet Ukrinform that Poland was weighing the decision of downing Russian missiles. Warsaw has said Russian missiles fired at western Ukraine have entered its airspace numerous times, but Moscow has said this was accidental.

Putin has said that Moscow has “no interest” in fighting with members of NATO.

The United Russia Party Leader Dmitry Medvedev on December 4,2021, in Moscow. The former president said that if America hit Russian targets it would start a “world war.” Photo by Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images

On Saturday, Poland’s Foreign Minister, Radoslaw Sikorski, told The Guardian that the U.S. has told Russia that if it uses nuclear weapons there will be an American response

Writing on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev responded to this interview and said that if Americans destroyed Moscow positions in Ukraine, it would start a “world war.”

Medvedev, the deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia and a close Putin ally wrote: “The Polish counterpart of a weird, outlandish creature called [Secretary of State Antony] Blinken, with a much more sonorous surname Sikorski, apparently, has decided to scare his own masters. He has stated: ‘The Americans have told the Russians that if you explode a nuke, even if it doesn’t kill anybody, we will hit all your targets [positions] in Ukraine with conventional weapons, we’ll destroy all of them.'”

He said that he doubted the U.S. had made that commitment and said that if they did, it could lead to war.

“First, the Yankees so far haven’t said anything exactly like that because they are more cautious than the Polacks,” he continued. “Second, Americans hitting our targets means starting a world war, and a foreign minister, even of a country like Poland, should understand that. And third, considering that yet another Polack, [President Andrzej] Duda, has recently announced the wish to deploy TNW [thermonuclear weapons] in Poland, Warsaw won’t be left out, and will surely get its share of radioactive ash. Is it what you really want?

“The Polish are resentful; have been like that for over 400 years…”

Newsweek contacted Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the NATO press office by email outside of business hours to comment on this story.

Alarm on Pakistani Horn’s nuclear arsenal

A scene from the protest

Free Balochistan Movement raises alarm on Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal

Last Updated: May 26, 2024, 06:39:07 PM IST

The Free Balochistan Movement (Germany chapter) staged a demonstration in Dortmund, Germany, on May 25, aiming to draw attention to the consequences of Pakistan’s nuclear tests in Balochistan on May 28, 1998.

The protest sought to raise awareness about the dangers posed by Pakistan‘s nuclear arsenal.
Protesters distributed German-language pamphlets and voiced grievances against ongoing human rights violations by Pakistan and Iran in Balochistan. Banners and placards were displayed to inform the German public about the impact of Pakistan’s nuclear activities in Balochistan, which have caused environmental degradation and health issues such as cancer and birth defects.

They detailed how farming and animal husbandry in the regions of Chagai and Gurdu have endured significant damage. The protesters accused Pakistan of storing nuclear assets in Balochistan’s cities including Khuzdar and Somiand called for international intervention to address the situation.

They warned that Pakistan’s possession of nuclear weapons poses a threat to regional and global peace, particularly in light of its history of making nuclear threats.

Abdul Wajid Baloch, the organizer of FBM Germany Branch, urged responsible nations to support efforts to disarm Pakistan, citing concerns about the country’s economic instability and the risk of nuclear weapons falling into the hands of extremists.

FBM activists appealed to international organizations dedicated to nuclear disarmament to assist in removing Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal from Balochistan.

Speakers at the protest included Abdul Wajid Baloch, Ubaid Zahri Baloch, Faris Baloch, Bibagr Baloch, Naveed Baloch, and Rojad, a human rights activist from Kurdistan. (ANI)