Free Republic

(CNN) -- Intense blasts echoed through the ravaged Syrian city of Homs on Monday after a weekend bloodbath ended in hundreds of deaths there, local activists said. "It is horrible. Especially today, it is horrible," said Abu Omar, a local activist who said the Syrian army was attacking without warning. "Usually they are using mortars. They are now using rockets in the sky. We can see them in the sky."

Qatar: host to the US military, al-Jazeera, the Muslim Brotherhood– and now, the world’s first Taliban embassy– at the behest of the Obama administration. On his Facebook page, Big Peace contributor Walid Phares brought my attention to a report in the Pakistani website The Nation that Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani, the premier of US ally Qatar, is prepared to open an embassy for the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan”– otherwise known as the Taliban. He said, “A solution in Afghanistan requires the participation of the Taliban in a way that must be decided by the Afghans.” *snip* Western diplomats have said...

The US Embassy in Cairo is refusing to assist a detained American journalist according to the journalist's website. The American Embassy in Cairo, in communication with detained American journalist and Bikya Masr Editor-in-Chief Joseph Mayton, reported that they cannot help in retrieving Mayton from Egyptian military detention, citing security and diplomatic concerns.

President Obama plans to maintain a significant number of employees in the US embassy in Baghdad in order to protect US diplomats who could be targeted after the US military departs from Iraq. The President elaborated further on this issue during a joint press conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Monday_ "With respect to the embassy, the actual size of our embassy with respect to diplomats..., there are still some special security needs inside of Iraq

GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich promised Republican Jewish activists on Wednesday that, if elected President, he would move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The Washington Post reported that Gingrich also promised to use U.S. dollars to fund “every dissident group” in Iran and said he would appoint former UN Ambassador John Bolton, a conservative favorite, to head the State Department. Gingrich’s pro-Israel speech was made as part of a gathering of the Republican Jewish Coalition in Washington. All GOP presidential candidates except for Rep. Ron Paul spoke during the gathering and all expressed strong support for the...

Iran's embassy in London has been attacked by a group of anti-revolutionary elements after its closure by the British government. Reports suggest that the residence building of the Iranian ambassador to London has also been targeted.

Imagine what would happen if America barged its way into a developing country, buttered up its homicidal dictator and agreed a back-of-the-envelope deal in which he signed over his nation’s mineral wealth in return for roads, railways and sports stadiums. Everyone would benefit, no? No. The problem is that the infrastructure turns out to be worth a hell of a lot less than the minerals. Fortunately, Washington has had the foresight to top up the dictator’s Swiss bank account. Problem solved! As for the mining operation, the Americans really don’t want to be bothered by minimum wages or trade unions....

LONDON — Britain ordered Iran on Wednesday to remove all its diplomats from the U.K. within 48 hours following attacks on its embassy and a residential compound in Tehran — one of the most significant diplomatic retaliations against Iran since the 1979 U.S. embassy crisis. Foreign Secretary William Hague told the House of Commons that Britain had also withdrawn its entire diplomatic staff from Iran after angry mobs hauled down Union Jack flags, torched a vehicle and tossed looted documents through windows. The rare move to kick out a country's entire diplomatic corps marks a significant souring of ties between...

The UK is to expel all Iranian diplomats following the storming of its embassy in Tehran, Foreign Secretary William Hague has announced. He said he had ordered the immediate closure of the Iranian embassy in London. Tuesday's attack by hundreds of protesters followed Britain's decision to impose further sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme. Iran's parliament had previously voted to reduce diplomatic ties with the UK. Mr Hague said there had been "some degree of regime consent" in the attacks. He said all UK diplomatic staff in Tehran had been evacuated and the embassy closed.

Iranian protesters broke into the British embassy compound in Tehran, tearing down the flag and looting a portrait of The Queen. British officials said they were urgently trying to establish whereabouts of staff and the scope of the threat unleashed by the breach. Iranian hardliners had called for a demonstration against the embassy yesterday after the country adopted a law requiring the regime to throw out the British ambassador. Reports from the scene said that security forces had failed to secure the site as dozens of students stormed the British Embassy, bringing down the union flag and throwing documents from...

ROME, November 8, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In a move that came as a shock to Vatican observers last week, the Irish government abruptly announced the closure of its embassy to the Holy See. While the official word from both the Vatican and the Irish coalition government is that the move was not meant as a diplomatic slight, there is wide agreement among pro-life leaders that the move is a deliberate diplomatic insult and an attempt to move Ireland away from its traditional Catholic roots, which undergird the country’s strong pro-life laws.The government claimed that the decision was made for financial...

An Egyptian military court on Monday handed down six-month suspended jail sentences to 73 people accused of involvement in an attack on the Israeli embassy in September, a military source said. Two other people were acquitted. The September 9-10 attack on the Israeli embassy in Cairo by a crowd angered by Israel's killing of Egyptian policemen on the border forced the evacuation of staff including ambassador Yitzhak Levanon. Three people were killed and more than 1,000 wounded, including 300 policemen, in clashes between protesters and security forces outside the embassy.

Sarajevo. A gunman with an automatic weapon opened fire at the United States embassy in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo on Friday and police rushed to the scene, a Reuters witness said. A Reuters photographer said police were trying to surround the gunman, who was armed with a Kalashnikov rifle. A source close to the embassy said two security guards had been wounded. The U.S. embassy is located in the central business, university and shopping district of the capital.

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — A man opened fire with an automatic weapon outside the U.S. Embassy in Bosnia on Friday, and authorities said he was targeting the building in a terrorist attack. The man injured at least one police officer guarding the embassy before police surrounded him. After a 30-minute standoff, the sound of a single shot echoed and AP Video showed the shooter — brandishing a Kalyshinkov on a street corner outside of the embassy — slump to the ground. Police arrested the wounded man and took him away in an ambulance as pedestrians watched from behind buildings and...

The State Department has bought more than $70,000 worth of books authored by President Obama, sending out copies as Christmas gratuities and stocking “key libraries” around the world with “Dreams from My Father” more than a decade after its release.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A judge will decide whether a Virginia man accused of spying on U.S. citizens for Syria will remain jailed while he awaits trial.

9/21/11 The most senior US military officer has accused Pakistan's spy agency of supporting the Haqqani group in planning and conducting last week's attack on the US embassy in Kabul. "The Haqqani network... acts as a veritable arm of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence Agency," Adm Mike Mullen told a Senate panel. In July he said Pakistan sanctioned the killing of journalist Saleem Shahzad. Pakistan's government called that statement "irresponsible". Pakistani officials have consistently denied links with militant groups. 'Credible intelligence' At least 25 people died during the 20-hour attack on the US embassy, Nato headquarters and police buildings in Kabul on...

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman ordered the early evacuation of Israel's embassy in Jordan on Wednesday, over fears of violent anti-Israel protests similar to those which erupted in Cairo last week.

KABUL — United States ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker said Wednesday that his embassy was hit with six grenades in a Taliban attack, but played down the insurgents' raid as "not a very big deal". The attack launched on Tuesday lasted for 19 hours and left 14 people dead in a barrage of gunfire and suicide blasts targeting the US embassy and the neighbouring headquarters of NATO-led troops in Afghanistan. Crocker said at least six rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) landed in the embassy compound although officials had earlier said that injuries there were limited to three Afghan visa applicants and one...

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Insurgents fired rockets and assault rifles in the direction of the U.S. Embassy, NATO headquarters and other official buildings Tuesday as gunfire and explosions rocked the heart of the Afghan capital. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. The surge of violence was a stark reminder of the instability that continues to plague Afghanistan nearly a decade after the U.S. invasion that ousted the Taliban in the wake of the Sept. 11 terror attacks on the United States. Police said the gunmen were firing from a tall office building that is under construction at Kabul's Abdul...

Zvi Mazel, who served as Israel's ambassador to Cairo between 1996 and 2001, expressed his concerns on Sunday over the events that took place in the Israeli Embassy in Cairo on Friday night. An angry Egyptian mob tore down the security wall that had been built around the embassy, and then proceeded to enter the embassy, where they nearly broke into a room where six Israeli security men were holed up. Egyptian commandos eventually rescued the guards who disguised themselves in keffiyas, Arab head gear, and in Muslim clothes. The guards, along with the Israeli Ambassador to Egypt and other...

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke personally three times during the night to the security guards trapped in the besieged Israeli Embassy, in Cairo with only a metal door separating them from the mob that had destroyed the building's security barrier and managed to climb up to a waiting room. Channel 10 reported that one of those holed up in the building, the chief security officer in the embassy, had asked the prime minister to be sure that if the incident ends badly, his parents are informed in person and not by telephone. "You are an exceptional human being", answered Netanyahu....

Washington — The president of the newly established state of South Sudan told a visiting Israeli delegation that their future embassy in the Jewish state will be built in the disputed city of Jerusalem rather than in the political capital of Tel Aviv, according to a newspaper report. Danny Danon, Israeli member of Likud Party and Parliament member, is currently on a visit to South Sudan capital of Juba where he met with president Salva Kiir. The 'Jerusalem Post' newspaper quoted Kiir as telling the visiting delegation that his country resisted Arab and Palestinian pressure on relations with Israel. "I...

Shots were fired at the Israeli embassy in Cairo during Friday's anti-Israel demonstration, according to Lebanese newspaper a-Safir. The unconfirmed story is quoted by Dalit Halevi of Arutz Sheva's Hebrew-language service. The report names the suspect in the shooting as Muhammad Abu Ria, a doctor by profession. He allegedly fired 22 shots at the embassy and then escaped in a car, with the assistance of the crowd that shielded him. The story is not carried by any other news source and its veracity cannot be determined. Egyptian security forces in large numbers, supported by armored vehicles, protected the embassy from...

Far short of a "million man protest," hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the Israeli Embassy in Cairo on Friday demanding that the ambassador be expelled from the country. It is unknown if more will arrive after Friday afternoon Muslim prayers. The protests came amid tensions following the deaths of three Egyptian security officers apparently shot inadvertantly by IDF troops pursuing the terrorists who carried out last weeks lethal bus-atack near Eilat that left 8 Israelis dead. Egyptian security forces were deployed in the area around the embassy amid fears the potentially large demonstrations could turn violent. In Tehran, hundreds of...

Libyan Embassy in US to reopen under oppositionBy MATTHEW LEE updated 8/2/2011 5:58:10 PM ET WASHINGTON — The State Department has signed off on papers that allow the Libyan Embassy in Washington to reopen under control of the opposition Transitional National Council and give staffers access to roughly $13 million in mission assets that had been frozen. State Department officials said Tuesday that the council's request to reopen the embassy had been reviewed and approved following the Obama administration's decision last month to formally recognize the Benghazi-based group as Libya's legitimate governing authority. Libya's former ambassador to the United States,...

The regime of embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad has recognized the Palestinian Authority as a sovereign state, Reuters reports. The statement added that Syria now regards the Palestine Liberation Organization office in Damascus as the official embassy of the 'Palestinian state.' Assad's recognition comes at a time when mass protests calling for his ouster are being staged and the world questions his legitimacy to rule. Meanwhile, Qatar has suspended diplomatic relations with Syria due to an attack on its own embassy by Assad supporters. The announcement follows the Arab League draft statement last week saying it will submit a motion...

Obama's response to attack on US embassy in Damascus: He's going to file a lawsuit In an earlier post, I reported on attacks on the American and French embassies in Damascus by pro-Assad 'demonstrators.' I now have some updates on that post. The US State Department on Monday formally condemned Syria for failing to protect the US embassy complex in Damascus from a violent assault it said was encouraged by a pro-government Syrian television station. "A television station that is heavily influenced by Syrian authorities encouraged this violent demonstration," a State Department spokesperson said in a statement." So what does...

I’m overstating it a little. Even so, good news for Jewish readers: If you haven’t made any vacation plans this summer, there’s an exciting new option on the table. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia today issued the following statement regarding the false story being circulated on the Internet regarding implications of Saudi Arabian Airlines membership in the Delta Airlines SkyTeam Alliance: “Rumors being circulated via the Internet regarding passenger flight restrictions on Saudi Arabian Airlines are completely false. The Government of Saudi Arabia does not deny visas to U.S. citizens based on their religion.” This has been their official policy...

Somali officials confirmed today that Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, al Qaeda's leader in East Africa and a senior Shabaab commander, was killed at a Somali military checkpoint in Mogadishu earlier this week. Fazul is one of the most wanted terrorists in East Africa for his role in attacks on US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania as well as his role within Shabaab. Somalia's minister of information confirmed Fazul's death, according to The Associated Press. "We've compared the pictures of the body to his old pictures," he said. "They are the same. It is confirmed. He is the man and he is...

U.S.embassy personnel drove to the E-1 area of Maaleh Adumin last week and lied to activists who had erected tents, telling them they were police while taking photographs. Shortly after the vehicles left, police arrived and confiscated the tents, but the American embassy later confirmed that the license plates belonged to American diplomatic personnel. The incident was “espionage,” charged National Union Knesset Member Dr. Michael Ben-Ari, who said he will ask the Knesset to discuss the event. American officials responded that their personnel were carrying out “routine activities” but did not explain why they lied to activists. The area involved...

A Bill To recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, to relocate to Jerusalem the United States Embassy in Israel, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the `Jerusalem Embassy and Recognition Act of 2011'. SEC. 2. RECOGNITION OF JERUSALEM AS THE CAPITAL OF ISRAEL AND RELOCATION OF THE UNITED STATES EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM. (a) Policy- It is the policy of the United States to recognize Jerusalem as the undivided capital of the State...

SANAA, Yemen – Witnesses say Yemeni army helicopters removed US, other ambassadors from besieged embassy.

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Israel evacuated its embassy staff from the Ivory Coast amid heavy fire between opposing sides in the west African nation's civil war. Acting Ambassador Daniel Saada was injured during the April 8 evacuation in Abidjan, the former capital of and largest city in the Ivory Coast, by a United Nations force. The four staff members had been holed up in the ambassador's residence for several days due to the ongoing civil war. The diplomats were evacuated out of fear that government soldiers would take over the embassy, as had occurred in the Japanese embassy, Haaretz reported. The...

A sensible move is now underway in Congress to remove the option of a presidential 'waiver' from the Jerusalem Embassy Relocation Act.This is something that should have been done years ago.The new Congressional effort is called "Jerusalem Embassy and Recognition Act of 2011".In the original Jerusalem Embassy Relocation Act adapted by Congress in 1995, certain unscrupolis legislators inserted  the "option" of a presidential waiver, whereby the POTUS was given a legal loophole to not impliment legislation that voters urged their Representatives to adapt.A real slap in the face of the democratic process.See previous post, "The Abuse of the National Security Waiver by Presidents".  The text of the new proposed...

0547 – A radiation perspective check. The Italian Embassy in Tokyo carried out a radiation level reading from the Embassy roof on March 16. The radiation levels typically recorded in Rome are three times higher that recorded in Tokyo on Wednesday.

Since the announcement that Hosni Mubarak has stepped down, people have been celebrating across the world. But one group isn't joining the party: Israel's representatives in Cairo. The embassy here has been shut down indefinitely, and the Israeli flag was removed from the building's roof. Israel's diplomats and their families have allegedly been evacuated due to security concerns. Israel has long feared that the fall of the Mubarak could lead to a renunciation of their peace accord with Egypt. The Supreme Council of the Egyptian Armed Forces announced that they will support all current treaties. Following the 6 Day War...

From FOX: DEVELOPING: Loud explosions and gunfire were heard in the Egyptian capital of Cairo Friday, as protesters demanding the removal of President Hosni Mubarak defied a curfew, Al Jazeera reported. Egyptian television reports the ruling party headquarters in Cairo are on fire. From TWITTER: WashingtonPost: Clinton: We urge #Egypt authorities to allow peaceful protest, reverse unprecedented steps it has taken to cut off communications less than 20 seconds ago

<p>Assistant Secretary of State Janice Jacobs told reporters Sunday that she expects it will take several flights over the coming days to handle the number of Americans who want to leave Egypt.</p> <p>Jacobs acknowledged that Internet interruptions in Egypt are making it difficult for Americans there to get information about the evacuations. But she said they have been able to get information from people in the United States who do have access to State Department and embassy websites.</p>

WASHINGTON—As Hu Jintao and his entourage go over the final steps for the General Secretary’s tightly scripted visit on Tuesday, Chinese Student and Scholar Associations (CSSAs) and other front groups of the Chinese Communist Party in the DC area are being mobilized to give him a big welcome. The welcoming groups are a crucial part of the publicity war, courtesy of the Chinese Embassy. Hundreds and possibly thousands of Chinese

Uruguay also expected to recognize independent Palestinian state based on 1967 borders in March; Ecuador also due to open PA embassy. Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said that in the coming weeks, Chile and Paraguay will declare their recognition of an independent Palestinian state based on 1967 borders, Israel Radio reported on Sunday. Al-Maliki said that Chile plans on making its declaration in the coming weeks, and that Chile's president Sebastian Pinera is even due to visit the West Bank in three months. Paraguay is also expected to declare its recognition of Palestine in the coming weeks. Al-Maliki also announced...

To the United States, Julian Assange may now be Public Enemy Number One. Some American politicians have even called for his execution. But less than a year ago, the founder of WikiLeaks was officially entertained at a US Embassy cocktail party by one of the very diplomats whose secrets he would soon spill to the world. Mr Assange's site had already published dozens of leaks embarrassing to the US, including secret Guantanamo Bay detainee handling manuals and the full emails of Sarah Palin, the 2008 Republican vice-presidential candidate. The US State Department condemned the manuals' publication as "a criminal act."

SANTIAGO: Chile has decided not press charges against a Pakistani student arrested at the US embassy with traces of explosives in his belongings, a prosecutor said, citing a lack of evidence against him. “There is insufficient evidence to proceed in a criminal case against” Saif Ur Rehman Khan, prosecutor Alejandro Pena told AFP. Pena said that after eight months of investigation, authorities would not seek formal charges against the Pakistani student, 29, who arrived in Chile in January to work in a tourism job. “The traces that were found were not enough to have him charged,” added Pena. Khan was...

Statement on Ghailani Verdict “Bad ideas have dangerous consequences. The Obama Administration recklessly insisted on a civilian trial for Ahmed Ghailani, and rolled the dice in a time of war. The Department of Justice says it’s pleased by the verdict. Ask the families of the victims if they’re pleased. And this result isn’t just embarrassing. It’s dangerous. It signals weakness in a time of war. The Ghailani trial was supposed to be a test case for future trials of 9/11 terrorists. We urge the president: End this reckless experiment. Reverse course. Use the military commissions at Guantanamo that Congress has...

U.S. Embassy sponsors Irish Muslim business conference: Imam calls for Sharia Law in all business dealings" SNIPPET: "There would seem to be a Constitutional issue involved here -- isn't the U.S. Government involving itself in promoting a religion via such a seminar? And what a surprise that that religion would turn out to be Islam. "U.S. Embassy sponsors Irish Muslim business conference: Imam calls for Sharia Law in all business dealings," by Patrick Cooper for IrishCentral.com, October 7 (thanks to Sr. Soph): The U.S. Embassy in Dublin has sponsored a seminar on Muslim entrepreneurs and business in Ireland. A main...

"Abu Dujanah Al-Khorasani Brigade Claims Responsibility for Sending Tear Gas Letter to Paris Embassy" Submitted by Cerise Negulici on Thu, 08/05/2010 - 11:58 SNIPPET: "According to a message post, the formerly unidentified Abu Dujanah al-Khorasani Brigade has accepted that it was responsible for sending out a tear gas letter to the embassy, last week. It was reported that the two workers of the embassy, who held the letter, underwent a check-up and were then discharged by the city hospital. The French officials are examining the July 30 episode, Paul Patin said on Wednesday. It was deemed that the letter had...

Published 19:19 17.08.10 According to reports, West Bank Palestinian man barricades himself inside embassy with two hostages, threatens to kill Jews. By Haaretz Service Shots were heard Tuesday night at the Turkish embassy in Tel Aviv, with local media reporting that a Palestinian from the West Bank city of Ramallah had barricaded himself in an office inside the embassy, with two hostages, and was threatening to kill any Jews who entered. Police and emergency medical personnel have arrived at the scene. Traffic along the Yarkon Street, where the embassy resides, has been blocked. However, embassy staff Has barred police and...

THREE EMPLOYEES OF US EMBASSY IN FRANCE BEING TREATED FOR POISONING AFTER OPENING MAIL - POLICE

Indonesian police have reportedly captured the nation's most wanted terrorist suspect in a raid in central java. Earlier reports that Abdullah Sunata was killed in the raid have proved unfounded. Abdullah Sunata is suspected of being a key member of the cell discovered in Aceh earlier this year. He was a veteran of religious conflict in Ambon and Sulawesi and a senior member of the network headed by the late Noordin Mohammad Top. He was previously jailed over his role in the bombing of the Australian Embassy in 2004. And he was arrested along with another man, who'd also been...

Protesters gather in front of the Israeli Embassy before heading to the White HouseBy Eddie Kim in News on May 31, 2010 4:56 PM Protesters led by several organizations gathered in front of the Israeli Embassy near Van Ness this afternoon in response to the deaths of nine pro-Palestinian activists by Israeli naval commandos while seizing control of their ship. The vast majority of the protesters were comprised of members from ANSWER, Code Pink and The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation. Although the embassy appeared to remain closed, a minimal police presence stayed to watch over the picketers....