MTQ News

  FOX News: FBI Director Wray warns terror threat to Americans at 'whole other level' amid Hamas-Israel conflict   He says Hamas or other terror groups could exploit conflict to carry out attacks . FBI Director Christopher Wray on Tuesday warned that the threat of a terror attack against Americans has been raised to a "whole other level" due to ongoing conflict in the Middle East.  "The reality is that the terrorism threat has been elevated throughout 2023, but the ongoing war in the Middle East has raised the threat of an attack against Americans in the United States to a whole other level," Wray told lawmakers on the Senate Homeland Security Committee.   Read more ....   WNU Editor : The FBI Director is also warning that antisemitism is on the rise .... FBI director warns of ‘historic’ antisemitism levels (The Hill).  FBI Director Wray Says Threat Of Attacks By Hamas On American Soil Has Risen "To A Whole Other Level"   Hamas attack w...

  WNU Editor: A lot of updates today. Ukraine' army is under a lot of pressure along the front lines in the east. I am impressed that they are still holding on. from War News Updates https://ift.tt/bdpuU5a via IFTTT

🚨What every American should know about Biden's $105B aid package- It leverages the attacks against Israel to send BILLONS more to Ukraine, slows down Israel from getting the help they need in their time of war, does nothing to actually secure our borders, & is DOA in the House. pic.twitter.com/Ytf3V4mhMS — Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) October 28, 2023 Zero Hedge : Bills On Israel, Ukraine 'Dead On Arrival' In Both House And Senate As Shutdown, Funding Battles Gear Up   As the nation celebrates Halloween, the House and Senate are engaged in some spooky late-stage Republic chaos over aid to Israel and Ukraine amid a backdrop of yet another government shutdown looming in two weeks.  * The government will run out of money (again) in roughly two weeks, requiring Congress to act (again).  * According to Democrats and GOP Neocons such as Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham, America needs to send billions of taxpayer funds to both Israel and Ukraine, and wo...

Step 1: " #Hamas enjoys broad civilian support in Gaza. Despite claims that the majority of the public in #Gaza wants peace and is captured by Hamas, data from the last two decades consistently proves the opposite." pic.twitter.com/KPrw5HYU9i — Itay Epshtain (@EpshtainItay) October 25, 2023 The Cradle: Leaked: Israeli plan to ethnically cleanse Gaza   The plan advocates the forced transfer of the population of the Gaza Strip to Sinai permanently, and calls for the international community to be leveraged to assist the move    Israeli culture magazine Mekovit published on 28 October a leaked document issued by Israel’s Ministry of Intelligence recommending the occupation of Gaza and total transfer of its 2.3 million inhabitants to Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.  The document, issued on 13 October, identifies a plan to transfer all residents of the Gaza Strip to North Sinai as the preferred option among three alternatives regarding the future of the Palestinians i...

  BBC: Tank seen on key Gaza road as Israeli forces push deeper into north   Israeli forces have pushed deeper into the northern Gaza Strip, with tanks briefly cutting an evacuation route to the south, Palestinian witnesses say.  One tank was filmed on Salah al-Din Road, sparking speculation it could be part of an advance on Gaza City.  A video showed a car turning around after approaching the tank, which seems to open fire and destroy it.  Later, Israel's military said a soldier being held hostage by Hamas was rescued in an overnight ground operation.  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the freeing of Pte Ori Megidish, who was said to be "doing well", as an "exciting achievement" that expressed Israel's commitment to release the more than 230 other hostages.   Read more ....  Live Updates   Live: Netanyahu rules out ceasefire with Hamas, saying ‘this is a time for war’ -- BBC   Live updates: Israel deepens military a...

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders leading a prayer before hosting an Iftar Ramadan fast-breaking dinner in Qatar with Qatari officials and international diplomats April 13, 2023. (Hamas.ps)   Times of Israel: Far from Gaza hardships, Hamas chief and family enjoy easy life in Qatar   Thanks to Doha’s sponsorship and the wealth he accumulated as Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh and his children today live a life of wealth and privileges denied to other Gazans   Shortly after the start of Hamas’s brutal attack against Israel on October 7, a video began circulating of the terror group’s leader Ismail Haniyeh in his elegant office in the Qatari capital Doha, watching the bloody onslaught unfold on Al Jazeera and “prostrating in gratitude” with a group of other Hamas officials for the killing of over 1,300 Israelis, among them at least 1,000 civilians. For years, Haniyeh has been rebuked by many Palestinians for leading a comfortable life away from the h...

. @LeaderMcConnell says "a significant portion" of Ukraine aid from Congress is being spent in states to make weapons. "We're rebuilding our industrial base. The Ukrainians are destroying the army of one of our biggest rivals. I have a hard time finding anything wrong with that." pic.twitter.com/24janX3kbr — Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) October 22, 2023 The Federalist : No Mitch McConnell, Ukraine Aid Is Not ‘Rebuilding Our Industrial Base’   Senate Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell wants to reassure Ukrainian aid skeptics that billions in foreign assistance is being spent on American manufacturers to build weapons at home.  “If you look at the Ukraine assistance,” McConnell said on CBS, “a significant portion of what’s being spent in the United States and 38 different states, replacing the weapons that we send to Ukraine with more modern weapons, so we’re rebuilding our industrial base.”  But a closer examination of the aid for Ukraine r...

  WNU Editor: A lot of updates today. from War News Updates https://ift.tt/gdQHNLy via IFTTT

  Al Jazeera: Palestinians break into Gaza UN aid warehouses as toll tops 8,000   Thousands of people storm food warehouses in Gaza to take flour and basic needs in a mark of growing desperation.  The United Nations relief agency says thousands of Palestinians, desperate due to three weeks of total siege and bombing, broke into several of its warehouses in the Gaza Strip, taking wheat, flour and other basic goods.  “This is a worrying sign that civil order is starting to break down after three weeks of war and a tight siege,” said Thomas White, director of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Gaza.   Read more ....  United Nations Says Civil Order Is Breaking Down In Gaza   Thousands in Gaza storm UN warehouses; a sign of desperation after weeks-long ‘siege’ -- UN News   Gaza residents raid food warehouses as ‘civil order’ disintegrates, UN says -- Politico   Civil order in Gaza 'starting to break dow...

  France 24 : Kosovo, Serbia leaders break off talks despite EU pressure for breakthrough   EU leaders on Thursday failed to convince Kosovo and Serbia to make a breakthrough in the protracted push to normalise ties between the two Balkan neighbours.   Kosovan Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic held separate talks with top EU officials and the leaders of France, Germany and Italy in Brussels. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said a proposal was put on the table to overcome a key stumbling block on establishing an association of municipalities of Serbian majority in the north of Kosovo.  "Unhappily, the parties were not ready to agree on that, without preconditions that were unacceptable to the other party," Borrell said. "We will continue insisting and working in order to get an agreement," he added.  The two Balkan leaders blamed each other for the failure of the talks.   Read more ....   Update : Serbia a...

Warzone: B-21 Raider Has Begun Taxi Tests   The Air Force is hopeful that the B-21 Raider stealth bomber will take to the skies for the first time before the end of the year.  The U.S. Air Force's first pre-production B-21 Raider stealth bomber is now undergoing taxi testing, moving around the sprawling Plant 42 in Palmdale under its own power. This is the latest developmental milestone for the aircraft as it continues to move closer to its first flight, which could come before the end of the year.  "I can confirm the B-21 is conducting ground taxi activities. Rigorous testing is a critical step in the B-21 flight test program," an Air Force spokesperson confirmed to The War Zone today. "Extensive testing evaluates systems, components, and functionalities. This testing allows us to mitigate risks, optimize design, and enhance operational effectiveness."  Read more ....    WNU Editor: The first contracts for production of the B-21 are being drawn u...

Wikipedia  Reuters: US halts exports of most civilian firearms for 90 days   WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. has stopped issuing export licenses for most civilian firearms and ammunition for 90 days for all non-governmental users, the Commerce Department said on Friday, citing national security and foreign policy interests.  The Commerce Department did not provide further details for the pause, which also includes shotguns and optical sights, but said an urgent review will assess the "risk of firearms being diverted to entities or activities that promote regional instability, violate human rights, or fuel criminal activities."   Read more ....   WNU editor: This is unprecedented. The only exceptions to this export ban are Israel and Ukraine.  So why the ban and this hoarding of weapons and ammo?  My gut tells me that with US military stockpiles now at an all time low and supply chain disruptions are  growing. In this environment the US...

  Daily Mail: Trail of destruction left by Israel's night of rage: Hundreds of buildings in Gaza are turned to rubble by airstrike blitz with IDF troops still inside enclave in 'rolling start' to invasion as more tanks line up on border   Gazans who have refused to leave the north of the enclave despite Israel's warnings to do so are living in a state of 'panic, fear and chaos' amid the heaviest bombardments yet since October 7 and a total communications blackout.  Shocking images were leaked out of the Palestinian occupied territory on Saturday as bombardments deprived civilians, journalists and aid agencies of electricity, internet or phone signal.  Israel has deployed ground troops and tanks in Gaza after bombarding 150 'underground targets' said to harbour Hamas terrorists across the north of the region; more vehicles and thousands of troops are gathering in Israeli border towns.   Read more ....  WNU Editor: The Weeb Union has a good anal...

  VOA: Israeli Military Says Troops Conduct Another Gaza Strip Ground Incursion   Latest Developments :  * Israel’s military conducts ground incursion into Gaza for the consecutive second day, followed by a barrage of fresh airstrikes.  * Pentagon says U.S. military launched airstrikes early Friday on two locations in eastern Syria linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.  * Israel says 1,400 people killed since Oct. 7's Hamas attack  * Gaza health officials say move than 7,000 Palestinians killed in Israeli airstikes.  * UNRWA chief, who confirms 57 staff members killed in Gaza since war began, including 15 in one day, announces plan to visit Gaza.  Israel’s military said late Thursday it again carried out a ground operation in the Gaza Strip, where Israeli forces have been conducting airstrikes targeting Hamas militants for nearly three weeks.  The Israel Defense Forces said the raid was brief as its tanks and infantry engage...

  CNBC: U.S. GDP grew at a 4.9% annual pace in the third quarter, better than expected   * Gross domestic product, a measure of all goods and services produced in the U.S., rose at a 4.9% annualized pace in the third quarter, ahead of the 4.7% estimate.  * The sharp increase came due to contributions from consumer spending, increased inventories, exports, residential investment and government spending.  * While the report could give the Fed some impetus to keep policy tight, traders were still pricing in no chance of an interest rate hike when the central bank meets next week. The U.S. economy grew even faster than expected in the third quarter, buoyed by a strong consumer in spite of higher interest rates, ongoing inflation pressures, and a variety of other domestic and global headwinds.  Gross domestic product, a measure of all goods and services produced in the U.S., rose at a seasonally adjusted 4.9% annualized pace in the July-through-September peri...

  Daily Mail: Inside Hamas's underground city: Footage shows how the terrorists excavate tunnels, use them to move weapons, carry out attacks on Israel and smuggle prisoners back to Gaza   * Footage shows the elaborate tunnels Palestinian Islamist fighters are using  * Heavily armed militants can be seen navigating the tunnels  * Missiles, machine guns, ammunition and rocket propelled weapons are visible  Chilling footage has emerged showing the elaborate tunnel systems that Hamas terrorists have been using to move weapons, hostages and stage attacks on Israel.  The footage gives insight into the claustrophobic conditions the Palestinian Islamist fighters have been operating in. It shows militants using metal rods and shovels to dig the tunnels.  Many of them appear to be quite cramped and dark with footage showing the fighters slightly slouching as they move through the tunnels guided by headtorches.   Read more ....   WNU Edit...

  Al Arabiya/Reuters : Qatar court announces death penalty verdict for eight Indians over spying charges   New Delhi said in a statement that it attaches “high importance to this case” and will “take up the verdict with Qatari authorities.”   A Qatar court has announced the death penalty for eight Indians arrested in the country last year, the Indian government said on Thursday, adding it was “deeply shocked” by the verdict.  New Delhi said in a statement that it attaches “high importance to this case” and will “take up the verdict with Qatari authorities.”  Local media has reported that the eight men, who worked with a private company in Qatar, were arrested for spying in August 2022, but Reuters could not independently confirm the charges.   Read more ....  Qatar Sentences 8 Indians To Death On Spying For Israel   Qatar sentences 8 Indians to death, reportedly on charges of spying for Israel -- Times Of Israel   8 navy veteran...

Daily Mail: Two US B-1B strategic bombers are buzzed by Russian Su-27 fighter jet over the Baltic sea in latest aerial flashpoint for two superpowers   * This interception is the latest in a series of aerial standoffs between Russian and NATO aircrafts since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine  Russia's defense ministry scrambled an Su-27 fighter jet to intercept two US B-1B strategic bombers over the Baltic Sea on Tuesday afternoon in an aerial standoff as tensions continue to mount between the two nations in the wake of Putin's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.  The report from the Russian state-run news agency RIA cited a government source in the defense ministry. That source said that the American warplanes 'performed a U-turn' after the Su-27 jet arrived at the scene. Read more ....   Update #1: Russia sends fighter jets as 2 US bombers, drone approach its border (Asia One)   Update #2: Two US B-1B Strategic Bombers Intercepted By Russian Su-27 Fighters O...

  Reuters: Russia Unconcerned by China Increasing Nuclear Arsenal Capabilities, Says Kremlin   MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Wednesday it was not concerned by China increasing the capabilities of its nuclear arsenal, stressing Moscow's "advanced strategic partnership" with Beijing and China's sovereign right to ensure its own security.  China has launched its first nuclear-powered guided missile submarines, according to the Pentagon's latest report on China's military, giving it land and sea attack options that were once the sole province of U.S. and Russian vessels.  Read more ....   WNU Editor: The Kremlin was responding to these reports .... Pentagon Report Says China’s Nuclear Arsenal On Track To Double By 2030 (October 21, 2023).   Update: China has responded to the Pentagon's report on its growing nuclear arsenal (see video below).  from War News Updates https://ift.tt/FMr6mkO via IFTTT

Guided-missile cruiser USS Vicksburg in a dry dock in Norfolk in June 2021. US Navy/MCS3 Brandon Roberson   Insider: China's massive navy is only getting bigger, and the US is looking overseas for help keeping its warships in action   * For years, the US Navy has struggled to complete repairs of its ships on time.  * Protracted delays heighten concerns about maintaining US naval presence in the Western Pacific.  * To reduce workload at domestic shipyards and keep ships at sea, the US is looking for help overseas.  The rapid expansion of China's navy has heightened concerns about the availability of the US Navy's fleet, driving Washington to look abroad for help repairing warships that might otherwise face long delays at home.  China has the world's largest navy, with more than 370 ships and submarines in service in 2022, according to the Pentagon latest report on the Chinese military.  Officials and experts say the US Navy's battleforce of r...

Bloomberg: Finland Says Hong Kong-Flagged Ship Anchor Breached Pipeline   Finnish authorities raised a ship anchor on Tuesday from the seafloor in the area where an underwater gas pipeline was damaged earlier this month, saying a Hong Kong-flagged vessel appears to have caused the incident.  The National Bureau of Investigation displayed pictures at a news conference of what it said was a 6-ton anchor that appears to be missing one of its arms, potentially belonging to the Hong Kong-flagged vessel “Newnew Polar Bear.”  An investigation is proceeding into whether the damage was intentional, officials told reporters in Vantaa, just outside of Helsinki.  Read more ....  Update #1 : Finland Says Gas Pipeline Likely Broken by Ship Dragging Anchor (Reuters)  Update #2 : Finland Finds Anchor That Likely Damaged Gas Pipeline (AFP)  WNU Editor : Sweden is making a different claim on one of its damaged cables .... The damage to a Baltic undersea cable...

Biden sent US military officials to advise Israel on Gaza war, White Hou... https://t.co/r1b8divdju via @YouTube — War News Updates (@WarNewsUpdates) October 24, 2023 Axios: Scoop: Marine Corps 3-star general advising Israeli military on Gaza ground operation   The Biden administration recently sent a Marine three-star general and several other U.S. military officers to Israel to help advise the Israeli military's leadership in its operation in Gaza, according to two U.S. officials and two Israeli officials briefed on the issue.   Why it matters: The move reflects the Biden administration's deep involvement in the war in Gaza and how much visibility it has in Israel's military planning.  Behind the scenes: The Marine Corps officers sent include Lt. Gen. James Glynn, according to a senior Israeli official. Glynn previously headed the Marines' special operations and was involved in the operations against ISIS in Iraq.  Read more ....  U.S. Marine Co...

  UN News: Israel-Palestine: Gaza death toll passes 5,000 with no ceasefire in sight   The number of people killed in Gaza has exceeded 5,000 according to latest reports from de facto authorities there, amid intensifying Israeli airstrikes in response to Hamas attacks, while humanitarians repeated urgent calls for a ceasefire and more aid convoys.  Echoing that message, UN health agency (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus issued a new appeal on Monday for “sustained safe passage” for medical essentials and fuel to keep health facilities open.  “Lives depend on these decisions,” he insisted on social platform X. Latest media reports citing the Gaza Ministry of Health indicate that the number of people killed in Gaza since 7 October has risen to 5,087. Women and children have made up more than 62 per cent of the fatalities, while more than 15,273 people have been injured.  Read more ....   WNU editor: The bombing and death toll is escalating .......

Washington Post : Ukrainian spies with deep ties to CIA wage shadow war against Russia   KYIV — The cluttered car carrying a mother and her 12-year-old daughter seemed barely worth the attention of Russian security officials as it approached a border checkpoint.  But the least conspicuous piece of luggage — a crate for a cat — was part of an elaborate, lethal plot. Ukrainian operatives had installed a hidden compartment in the pet carrier, according to security officials with knowledge of the operation, and used it to conceal components of a bomb.  Four weeks later, the device detonated just outside Moscow in an SUV being driven by the daughter of a Russian nationalist who had urged his country to “kill, kill, kill” Ukrainians, an explosion signaling that the heart of Russia would not be spared the carnage of war.  Read more ....  Update #1: Ukraine’s CIA-Trained Intelligence Operators Assassinated Dozens of Russians, Collaborators – WaPo (Moscow T...

The 44th Naval Escort Task Force of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China has recently been deployed to the Middle East. This move comes amid escalating tensions in the region, particularly around Israel. Chinese leader Xi Jinping has called for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian crisis. Read full news at this link... Zibo Type 052D-class destroyer from Chinese Navy (Picture source: Baidu) Read more... from World Defence News https://ift.tt/n79Fhjx via IFTTT

On October 20, 2023, images of the Cuban BTR-100 8x8 combat reconnaissance vehicle surfaced on Russian social media platforms, shedding light on an unconventional armored vehicle that combines the chassis of the Soviet-era BTR-60 armored personnel carrier (APC) with the turret of a T-55 tank. The concept of the BTR-100, also designated as BTR-60-100, which traces its origins back to the late 1990s, emerged when the Cuban Army sought to explore the idea of a "wheeled tank" or a reconnaissance vehicle equipped with a potent 90-105 mm cannon, similar to the Italian Centauro B1 or the French AMX-10RC. Read full defense news at this link... The Cuban BTR-100 reconnaissance vehicle is based on the same concept as the French AMX-10 RC and the Italian B1 Centauro. (Picture source: Russian social media) Read more from World Defence News https://ift.tt/j2N8pmJ via IFTTT

  Washington Post: China’s nuclear arsenal on track to double by 2030, Pentagon reports   China has developed an arsenal of more than 500 operational nuclear warheads and is set to double that number by the end of the decade, exceeding previous Pentagon estimates, according to a Defense Department report.  The figures, released in an unclassified public report to Congress on Thursday, are part of a broad assessment of China’s military goals and developments in the past year, and highlight the rapid advances in Beijing’s multi-decade plan to build a nuclear weapons arsenal that rivals that of the United States.   Read more ....   WNU Editor: China has responded to this US report .... China says US Pentagon report on nuclear warheads distorts facts (Reuters).  The unclassified public report to Congress on China's nuclear ambitions is here ( link here )  Pentagon Report Says China’s Nuclear Arsenal On Track To Double By 2030   China is...

🚨 Colliding crises rattle U.S.: Former SecDef Bob Gates tells @Axios we face the MOST CRISES since World War II @JimVandeHei & I report that inside the White House, this was the heaviest week since @JoeBiden took office 1,003 days ago 👇 Top 5 to watch: https://t.co/KWu9dFZELN — Mike Allen (@mikeallen) October 20, 2023 Axios: Behind the Curtain: Rattled U.S. government fears wars could spread   This is a new column by Axios CEO Jim VandeHei and co-founder Mike Allen, based on regular conversations with White House and congressional leaders, CEOs, and top technologists.   Never before have we talked to so many top government officials who, in private, are so worried about so many overseas conflicts at once.   Why it matters: We don't like to sound dire. But to sound a siren of clinical, clear-eyed realism: U.S. officials say this confluence of crises poses epic concern and historic danger.   Behind the scenes: Officials tell us that inside the W...

On October 20, 2023, the German Ministry of Defense announced the delivery of an additional three Gepard anti-aircraft defense vehicles to Ukraine. This brings the total number of such systems provided by Germany to Ukraine to 49, coming from both the German armed forces and the nation's defense industry. Read full Defense News at this link ... In total, Ukraine has now received from Germany 49 Gepard self-propelled anti-aicraft gun vehicles. (Picture source Ukraine MoD) Read More from World Defence News https://ift.tt/IMoSCLf via IFTTT