BREAKING: Massive explosion leaves huge crater in Iraqi military base after suspected Israeli strike

An explosion at a military camp in northern Babil province, Iraq, resulted in the death of a member of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and injuries to eight others, the Iraqi Security Media Cell reported on April 20. local media noted.

The blast occurred shortly after midnight at Kalso Camp, which is located along the international road and hosts units from the army, police, and the Popular Mobilization Forces which are believed to be working in league with Iran’s revolutionary guards. The blast comes 24 hours after several Israeli rockets and drones hit Iranian military positions inside the country.

'At one o'clock after midnight last night, an explosion and fire occurred inside Kalso Camp, leading to the death of a member of the Popular Mobilization Forces and injuries to eight others, including an Iraqi army member,' the Cell stated in a press release.

Civil defence teams in Babil responded swiftly, preventing the fire from spreading and bringing it under control quickly.

What Sheer Chutzpah! German FM Lectures Israel on being Humanitarian! Netanyahu tells Her "We Are Not Nazis"

 A tense conversation between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock erupted yesterday over the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. Baerbock accused Israel of “heading towards famine in Gaza,” prompting Netanyahu to rebuke her claims.

When Baerbock offered to show Netanyahu photos of hungry Gazan children, he responded, “Come and see the pictures of the markets in Gaza, the beaches in Gaza, there’s no famine there.” Netanyahu was referring to recent photos circulating on social media, which show stocked market stalls and Gazans enjoying a day at the beach, following the IDF’s withdrawal from the Strip two weeks ago.

Baerbock countered, “Those photos don’t portray the real situation in Gaza. There is hunger in Gaza.” Netanyahu raised his voice, insisting, “It’s real. It’s reality. It’s not like what the Nazis staged, we’re not like the Nazis who produced fake images of manufactured reality.”

The German foreign minister responded, “Are you saying that our doctors in the field in Gaza aren’t telling the truth? Are you saying that the international media is lying?”

Baerbock’s visit to Israel came in the wake of Iran’s unprecedented attack on Israel last weekend, which prompted Germany to urge Israel to show restraint and avoid escalating tensions in the region.

US Sanctions Fundraiser Entities Like "Mount Henron Fund" for Judea & Samaria Settlers

 

The Biden administration on Friday imposed sanctions on two entities accused of fundraising for Israeli West Bank settlers who have allegedly harassed Palestinians, as well as the founder of an organization whose members allegedly assault Palestinians.

There is also friction between President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose government has reacted angrily to previous sanctions imposed against West Bank settlers.

Included in the Friday sanctions are two entities — Mount Hebron Fund and Shlom Asiraich — accused of raising funds for sanctioned settlers Yinon Levi and David Chai Chasdai.

The fundraising campaigns established by Mount Hebron Fund for Levi and by Shlom Asiraich for Chasdai generated the equivalent of $140,000 and $31,000, respectively, according to U.S. Treasury.

The penalties aim to block them from using the U.S. financial system and bar American citizens from dealing with them.

Additionally, the State Department is designating Ben-Zion Gopstein, the founder and leader of Lehava, an organization whose members have allegedly assaulted Palestinian civilians.

Treasury Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo said the organizations “undermine the peace, security, and stability of the West Bank. We will continue to use our tools to hold those responsible accountable.”

In February, Biden issued an executive order that targets Israeli settlers in the West Bank who have been accused of attacking Palestinians and Israeli peace activists in the occupied territory but has never been proven.

In a First! U.S. to sanction IDF unit for human rights violations in Judea & Samaria

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to within days announce sanctions against the Israel Defense Forces "Netzah Yehuda" battalion for human rights violations in the occupied West Bank, three U.S. sources with knowledge of the issue told Axios.

Why it matters: It would be the first time the U.S. imposed sanctions on an Israeli military unit.

• The sanctions will ban the battalion and its members from receiving any kind of U.S. military assistance or training, the sources said.
• A 1997 law authored by then-Senator Patrick Leahy prohibits U.S. foreign aid and Defense Department training programs from going to foreign security, military and police units credibly alleged to have committed human rights violations.

Driving the news: On Thursday, ProPublica reported that a special State Department panel that investigated alleged violations of human rights based on the Leahy law recommended months ago that Blinken disqualify multiple Israeli military and police units that operate in the West Bank from receiving U.S. aid.

• At a press conference in Italy on Friday, Blinken was asked about the recommendation and said he had made determinations based on the panel investigation.
• "You can expect to see them in the days ahead," Blinken said.

A U.S. official said Blinken's determination about the Netzah Yehuda unit is based on incidents that occurred before the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel and all took place in the West Bank.

• One source said the several other IDF and police units that were investigated won't be sanctioned after they remedied their behavior.
• The State Department declined to comment.

Zera Shimshon Parshas Mehtzora

 

Cops storm Columbia After University Prez finally tells NYPD to clear campus

 

More than 100 protesters were cuffed and hauled away from Columbia University when NYPD cops in riot gear swarmed the campus Thursday after the president made the bombshell decision to clear a large anti-Israel protest encampment.

At least 108 protesters — including some who had to be carried away — were quickly filed onto waiting NYPD corrections buses. 

A huge crowd of other demonstrators then defiantly swarmed to the police vehicles to temporarily block them from leaving the scene.

In the wake of the busts, officers then set about tearing down dozens of tents and dumping them in the trash.  

“I applaud the cops. They are doing the right thing,” one 20-year-old Columbia student, who didn’t want to be named, told The Post. “We don’t feel safe. We fear for our lives.”

“Remember who started this? Hamas, that terrorist group,” he added. “We pay a lot of money to come here and we should feel safe and protected.”

Columbia President Minouche Shafik announced she “authorized” the NYPD to crack down on the encampment.

Bennett presents: The history of Israel in under three minutes

 

Iran strike intended to signal Israel's abilities

 

Following the conclusion of an aerial strike on Iran, Iran has removed all restrictions on flights at the Imam Khomeini International Airport and Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran, after the flights were suspended due to alleged Israeli attacks in Isfahan.

However, Fly Dubai has cancelled its Friday flights to Tehran.

The strike was carried out in retaliation for Iran's Saturday night launch of 350 drones and missiles towards Israeli territory. A full 99% of the launches were intercepted, only five fell in Israeli territory; only one person, a Bedouin child, was injured.

A spokesperson for the Iranian aviation organization said that the restrictions had also been removed in "several other airports."

Iranian reports also said that Israel's attack was carried out by means of UAVs.

The IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), there has been no damage to any of Iran's nuclear sites: "IAEA can confirm that there is no damage to Iran’s nuclear sites. DG Rafael Grossi continues to call for extreme restraint from everybody and reiterates that nuclear facilities should never be a target in military conflicts. IAEA is monitoring the situation very closely."

An intelligence source told CNN that that initial estimates are that Iran will not respond to the attack on its territory. Despite this, reports in Israel said that the Israel's aerial defense system is at peak readiness.

An Israeli official told the Washington Post that the strike on Iran "was intended to signal to Iran that Israel had the ability to strike inside the country."

The US Embassy warned Friday: "Out of an abundance of caution following reports that Israel conducted a retaliatory strike inside Iran, U.S. government employees and their family members are restricted from personal travel outside the greater Tel Aviv (including Herzliya, Netanya, and Even Yehuda), Jerusalem, and Be’er Sheva areas until further notice. U.S. government personnel are authorized to transit between these three areas for personal travel."

Australia issued a similar warning, with a government site urging citizens to "reconsider" travel to Israel and whether those already in Israel need to remain in the area.

"Reconsider your need to travel to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories overall due to the volatile security situation, including the threat of terrorism, armed conflict and civil unrest," the warning read.

Judge in Trump Trial Refuses to Halt Trial for Pesach to Accommodate Orthodox Lawyers

 The judge in the criminal trial of President Trump has made a surprising decision, announcing that court will be in session during the Holiday of Passover, including on the days of Yom Tov which are Tuesday and Wednesday of next week, as well as Monday and Tuesday of the following week.

According to CNN, “prosecutor Joshua Steinglass asked Judge Juan Merchan to confirm if he intends the court go straight until 2 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday for Passover. The judge said that is his plan.”

“Trump attorney Todd Blanche said Monday asked that they do not sit on Tuesday because it’s a holiday the entire day.”

“I can appreciate it’s a holiday, the entire day for him. It’s not a court holiday,” Merchan said.

This is an extremely significant decision by Judge Merchan, because two of Trump’s lawyers are Orthodox Jews, and thus will not be able to attend the proceedings. Jews are forbidden  to do any ‘labor’ on the first two and last two days of Passover, including writing and most forms of travel.

The judge announced the scheduling decision near the closing of proceedings on Thursday afternoon.

Although this is not unheard of, it is very common for judges to accommodate the religious needs of both attorneys and litigants. Specifically in this highly unusual and historic trial, when a former president is being accused of felonies, one would have expected Merchan to be as accommodating as possible to the defense team.

There have been unverified rumors that the judge also disqualified religious Jews to be jurors, which some speculated was not due to their religion but to their tendency to be Trump supporters.

Happy Birthday Khamenei ! Israel Sends Him a Birthday Gift an Attack on a Military Base in Isfahan, Iran

 

Israel on Friday morning attacked Iran with a retaliatory strike, as explosions were reported near a military base in Isfahan, central Iran early Friday morning.

The Tasnim news agency reported that nuclear sites in the province of Isfahan are “absolutely safe,” denying foreign media reports about an incident at a nuclear site in Isfahan. ABC News reported, citing a US official, that Israel delivered a missile strike on a “facility in Iran.

Iran’s news agency Mehr reported that the sound of several explosions was heard in Iran’s Isfahan province in the early hours of Friday. The sound of explosions was heard at around 4:00 AM in the northern and eastern regions of Isfahan. According to Mehr, the blasts were the result of the air defense systems firing at an incoming attack.

The Israeli attack fell on the 85th birthday (according to the secular calendar) of Iran’s supreme leader, Seyyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei, answering the age-old question, what to get a man who has everything.

L’havdil, the attack also fell on the 122nd birthday (according to the Hebrew calendar) of the late Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson Ztz’l, who would have been delighted with the news of the attack, but probably wonder why so little and so late.

Also on Friday, according to Mehr, the air defense systems in the Vadi-e-Rahmat region of Tabriz fired at a suspicious flying object.

According to the Fars news agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, three explosions took place near the Isfahan Air Force Base.

Three Iranian officials confirmed to the NY Times that a strike had hit a military air base near the city of Isfahan early on Friday, but did not say which country had mounted the attack.

According to the Pentagon press secretary, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant Thursday afternoon on Iran’s destabilizing actions in the Middle East.

Explosions were reported overnight Friday in southern Iraq. The Iraqi Sabrin News Agency, which is affiliated with Iran, reported increased activity of American aircraft in Iraq’s skies.

According to Arab reports, Israel attacked Syria overnight Friday. The Iranian Al-Alam channel cited a Syrian security official about an Israeli attack in southern Syria between the suburbs of the Daraa district and the suburbs of the al-Sawida district. According to the report, a radar base was attacked. 

One of the channels of the Al-Jazeera network reported the bombings of several sites in southern Syria in the suburbs of the city of Daraa. For the time being, there is no official update in the Syrian state media.

Wow! Colombia President's Hearing Takeaways

🚨 MUST WATCH 🚨@Columbia is working overtime to cover up its rampant antisemitism, hiring lawyers and PR consultants to help avoid accountability, but has done NOTHING to combat Jewish hate and protect students on campus. @MorningsMaria pic.twitter.com/o42mlify0c

— Rep. Elise Stefanik (@RepStefanik) April 17, 2024

Congresswoman @RepLisaMcClain eviscerates @Columbia president Shafik, forcing her to reluctantly admit that mobs shouting from the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free or Long live the Intifada is antisemitic."That is a great answer to a question I didn't ask...Yes or no, why… pic.twitter.com/QNLzKfELE3

— Canary Mission (@canarymission) April 17, 2024

More after break

Woman Whose Husband is Missing Hopes They Never Find Him but Fakes it On Camera

 

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Read the Captions! Read Every Word! As Gazan Terrorists Says "no Regrets" During Interrogation

 

Read the captions. Read every word.

He interrogates Palestinian terrorists. He says they have no regret.pic.twitter.com/Cf7ynzipjs

— Marina Medvin 🇺🇸 (@MarinaMedvin) April 17, 2024

Shocking New Footage of Innocent Gazans on October 7

 

Shocking new footage emerges showing dozens of Palestinian CIVILIANS and Hamas terrorists kidnapping an Israeli father.

Yarden Bibas appears drenched in his own blood after being severely beaten by the savage mob as they film the kidnapping on their smart phones.

The father… pic.twitter.com/NvQvPISrrE

— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) April 17, 2024

Chabad in Pomona Burns Down

 

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Blame Barack Obama for Iran’s attacks on Israel and their bloody global price

 

If a belligerent state launched 186 explosive drones, 36 cruise missiles and 110 surface-to-surface missiles from three fronts against civilian targets within the United States, would Joe Biden call it a “win”?

Would the president tell us the best thing we can do now is show “restraint”?

What if that same terror state’s proxy armies had recently helped murder, rape and kidnap more than 1,000 American men, women and children?

What if this terror state were trying to obtain nuclear weapons so it could continue to agitate without any consequences?

This is what Joe Biden and the Barack Obama acolytes, Iranian dupes and Israel antagonists he’s surrounded himself with demand of the Jewish state.

And by “Iranian dupes,” I don’t only mean the Jake Sullivans and Antony Blinkens of the world, who worked to elevate the mullahs over Sunni allies and the Israelis, or even a Hamas-bestie like Rob Malley or Israel-hater like Maher Bitar.

I mean assets of the Islamic Republic who promised the Iranian government to help out in any way possible.

Their worldview is a cancer that’s metastasized within the Democratic Party.

To these people, Israel will always be the villain.

Brazilian woman wheels a dead guy into bank to co-sign a loan for her: ‘Uncle, are you listening?

In a mind-boggling scene straight out of “Weekend at Bernie’s,” a Brazilian woman reportedly wheeled the corpse of an elderly man into a Rio de Janeiro bank Tuesday to try to get him to co-sign on a loan.

The bank customer, identified as Erika de Souza Vieira Nunes, was captured on video standing next to the deceased seated in a chair and seemingly holding up his drooping head.

The wild footage, which was first aired by TV Globo, Brazil’s largest broadcaster, captured Nunes talking to the dead man, whom she addressed as her “uncle,” and asking him to sign financial documents that would allow her to take out a $3,400 loan.

“Uncle, are you listening? You need to sign [the loan contract]. If you don’t sign, there’s no way, because I can’t sign for you,” Nunes says in the video, while thrusting a pen between his limp fingers and instructing him to hold it “hard.”

“Sign so you don’t give me any more headaches, I can’t take it anymore,” she adds.

When a bank worker tries to point out that the man’s color looks off and he appears “not well,” Nunes dismisses his concerns.

“He is like that. He doesn’t say anything,” Nunes says. “Uncle, do you want to go to the [hospital] again?”

Unnerved bank staffers quickly called the police, who arrived and arrested Nunes.

It was later determined that the decedent, identified as 68-year-old Paulo Roberto Braga, had been dead for several hours prior to his trip to the bank.

“She tried to pretend to get him to sign the loan. He already entered the bank dead,” Police Chief Fábio Luiz told TV Globo. “The main thing is to continue the investigation to identify other family members, and find out more about this loan.

Cops said they will look into the circumstances of Braga’s death and will try to determine whether Nunes is actually his niece, and whether other relatives were involved in the alleged attempt to commit bank fraud.

Nunes could face charges of theft through fraud, or embezzlement, and abuse of corpse.

Brazilian woman takes uncle's corpse to a bank and tries to take a loan on his name pic.twitter.com/FV70dlWzkf

— Restricted Vids (@RestrictedVids) April 17, 2024

These are the Vicious Antisemite Professors of Columbia University

 

Left to right: Massad, Dabashi, Franke, Abdou,Ahmed

As Columbia University’s president insisted Wednesday that the Ivy League school was doing all it could to crackdown on rising antisemitism, the campus remains filled with a slew of professors who have a history of spewing controversial remarks.

Ranging from a politics professor who declared that the Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel was “awesome” to another who boasted “Yes, I’m with Hamas,” Columbia President Minouche Shafik was forced to address some of her faculty’s remarks as she was grilled by lawmakers in Washington DC.

At least three faculty members — Joseph Massad, Mohamed Abdou and Katherine Franke — were mentioned specifically by name during the congressional hearing. Others, though, have also been ripped over their history of remarks.

Here’s are Columbia’s most controversial professors and their incendiary remarks:

Joseph Massad:

48 countries condemn Iranian attack on Israel

 

The Permanent Representatives of 48 countries at the United Nations on Wednesday issued a joint statement condemning Iran’s drone and missile attack on Israel.

“We unequivocally condemn the April 13 attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran and its militant partners on the State of Israel, which involved launching several hundred ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and attack drones against multiple targets, and note this large-scale attack could have caused significant damage and loss of life,” the statement said.

“We further condemn the fact that the weapons launched at Israel violated the airspace of several regional states, putting at risk the lives of innocent people in those countries, and appeared to traverse airspace near holy sites in Jerusalem,” it added.

“We welcome the efforts to avert a further immediate escalation of violence in the region, following the successful coordinated efforts to defend against Iran’s attack.”

“We condemn Iran’s unlawful seizure of a Portuguese flagged commercial ship near the Strait of Hormuz on April 13 and call on Iran to release the ship and its international crew immediately.”

“We note that Iran’s escalatory attack is the latest in a pattern of dangerous and destabilizing actions by Iran and its militant partners that pose a grave threat to international peace and security,” the envoys said.

They called “on all regional parties to take steps to avert further escalation of the situation and demand that all Council resolutions be fully implemented. We will strengthen our diplomatic cooperation to work toward resolving all tensions in the region.”

The statement was signed by the envoys of the United States, Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Portugal, the Republic of Korea, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.

FBI Director Chris Wray predicts Iranian terrorism on US soil

 

The State Department has adhered to the diplomatic option toward Iran, rewarding the Ayatollahs with a financial and diplomatic bonanza, waiving and softening economic sanctions. However, FBI Director Chris Wray has concluded that Iran and its Islamic terrorist proxies are set to hit the US mainland. Iran is leveraging its cooperation with US criminal organizations and with Latin American drug cartels in the areas of terrorism, drug trafficking, human trafficking and money laundering.

Addressing cadets at the West Point US Military Academy, Wray stated: “The ongoing war in the Middle East has raised the threat of an attack against Americans inside the US to a whole another level…. Although we cannot discount the possibility of another coordinated 9/11-style attack by a foreign terrorist organization, our most immediate concern has been that individuals or small groups will draw twisted inspiration from the events in the Middle East to carry out attacks here at home….”

In his testimony at the House Committee on Homeland Security, Director Wray stated: “As the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism, the Iranians [who collaborate with all Latin American drug cartels] have directly, or by hiring criminals, mounted assassination attempts against dissidents and high ranking current and former US officials, including right here on American soil…. Hezbollah, Iran’s primary strategic partner, has tried to seed operatives, establish infrastructure and engage in spying here domestically… planning future operations in the US….