Free Republic

Secretary of State Antony Blinken decline Friday to say whether U.S. was warned in advance about the Israeli overnight attack on Iran. "I'm not going to speak to that except to say that the United States has not been involved in any offensive operations," Blinken said at a news conference during a gathering of G7 foreign ministers. "What we're focused on, what the G7 is focused on, and again, it's reflected in our statement, and in our conversation, is our work to de-escalate tensions, to de-escalate from any potential conflicts," Blinken added.

French police on Friday arrested a man who had threatened to blow himself up at Iran's consulate in Paris, but on being searched was found not to be carrying any explosives. A police source told Reuters the man was seen at about 11 a.m. (0900 GMT) entering the consulate, carrying what appeared to be a grenade and explosive vest. Police cordoned off the area. The man later left the consulate and was then arrested, a police source said. The TV channel BFM said he had been carrying replica grenades. A police source said it was the same man who had...

Israel carried out a strike on Iran early Friday in retaliation for a barrage of missiles and drones launched last weekend, an Israeli official said. It was not clear what damage the apparently limited strike caused in central Iran, but the official — who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters — said it was intended to signal to Iran that Israel has the ability to strike inside the country. Secretary of State Antony Blinken declined to comment on whether Washington was warned about the strike, but he emphasized that “the United States has not been...

Israel downplayed reported airstrikes against Iran that appeared to hit targets near that country’s suspected nuclear program on Friday, seeming to cast the operation as proof Israel could reach the sites, rather than a full-scale attack. As Breitbart News noted, there were media reports that Israeli drones, or missiles, had hit targets near Isfahan, Iran — close to the Natanz nuclear facility — as well as targets in Syria and Iraq. Israel’s Army Radio repeated these reports. However, there were no reports of what the damage might have been, and one Israeli lawmaker — national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir...

The United States had implored Israel to think carefully and strategically when weighing a response to the hundreds of missiles and drones Iran launched at Israel overnight Saturday-Sunday. Amid the limited reliable information emerging Friday about Israel’s reported retaliation, insistent official silence in Jerusalem, and the military censor’s requirement that any allegation and detailing of an Israeli retaliatory strike be attributed to overseas media reports, it appeared that the government had indeed taken that advice to heart.

Israel launching strikes into Iran...Messaging in Mainstream Media is that Israel's attack on Iran was 'limited'. No comment from Israel.... Tonight some damage reported no casualties in southwestern Russia's Belgorod City and Region... Ratings agency S and P Global lowering Israel's long-term credit rating... At the United Nations Security Council the US vetoing a resolution calling for admission of the Palestinian Authority as a UN member nation... At a meeting of G7 foreign ministers US Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying China is supporting Russia's ability to fight the War in Ukraine... Meanwhile Ukraine is doing more trade with China......

A massive explosion was reported near Isfahan, Iran today. Isfahan is considered to be the primary location of the Iranian nuclear weapons program. Explosions were also reported in Syria and Iraq on Friday morning. The Iranian media is reporting three major explosions in Isfahan. IRANIAN MEDIA: 3 HUGE EXPLOSIONS WERE HEARD IN ISFAHAN, SOUTH OF TEHRAN JERUSALEM POST: SIMULTANEOUS EXPLOSIONS REPORTED IN IRAN, SYRIA, AND IRAQ ACCORDING TO INITIAL REPORTS — zerohedge (@zerohedge) April 19, 2024 This is not the first time the Isfahan nuclear facility has been targeted. IRANIAN MEDIA: 3 HUGE EXPLOSIONS WERE HEARD IN ISFAHAN, SOUTH OF...

Earlier on Thursday, it was revealed that Joe Biden was trying to appease the Mullahs by negotiating a new nuclear deal. The outline would also guarantee Israel wouldn't carry out retaliatory strikes on Iran after the latter attacked the former with around 300 drones and missiles. The White House is weighing up a new Iran nuclear deal in return for lifting some economic sanctions on Tehran in order to avert a full-scale war in the region, a source close to Biden’s administration told @theipaper.“One view within the administration is that the president… pic.twitter.com/3e7ZTMQwVw— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) April 18, 2024RELATED:...

"Massive explosions have been reported inside Isfahan, the site of Iranian nuclear development facilites. All flights have been diverted away from Iran as another IRGC headquarters meeting has been hit south of Baghdad Iraq. EWS sites have been knocked out in Syria. We will be covering updates live and keeping everyone posted. Ukraine war news will be covered later in stream."

The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden reinstated oil and gas sanctions on Venezuela on Thursday, a recognition that lifting the sanctions did nothing to entice the socialist regime to host a free and fair election. The Biden administration lifted some of the strictest U.S. sanctions on dictator Nicolás Maduro’s regime last year as part of a dialogue in which Maduro agreed to host a presidential election sometime in 2014. The deal collapsed rapidly; Maduro scrapped it in October and launched a new wave of violence against anti-socialist dissidents, likely bankrolled by new oil profits. The Biden sanctions relief lasted...

Iran could review its “nuclear doctrine” following Israeli threats to strike the country, a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander said on Thursday, as the world braces for an Israeli response to Tehran’s unprecedented April 13 drone and missile attack on it. Tehran has always insisted its nuclear program was strictly for peaceful purposes, a claim Israel and much of the Western world doubt.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told regime media on Thursday that Tehran “told the Americans in messages clearly” that the rogue terrorist regime would bomb Israel this weekend. “We told the Americans in messages clearly that the decision taken by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council headed by the president to punish the Zionist regime [Israel] was definite and final” the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) quoted Amir-Abdollahian as saying, “and after the punitive action (Operation True Promise), approximately at 2:30 am on Sunday of this week, we sent another message to the United States through diplomatic channels mentioning that we...

Beijing, now Moscow.… Who else is hiding in broadband gateways?The US government today said it disrupted a botnet that Russia's GRU military intelligence unit used for phishing expeditions, spying, credential harvesting, and data theft against American and foreign governments and other strategic targets. This latest court-authorized takedown happened in January, and involved neutralizing "well over a thousand" home and small business routers that had been infected with the Moobot malware, which is a Mirai variant, according to FBI Director Christopher Wray, speaking at the Munich Cyber Security Conference on Thursday. Moobot can be used to remote-control compromised devices and launch...

In joint statement, the Permanent Representatives of 48 countries at the UN condemn Iran’s drone and missile attack on Israel: It could have caused significant damage and loss of life.) 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...

This is the most dangerous moment that we have seen in the Middle East in modern times. As you will see below, Israel has decided to hit Iran. There is still debate about whether it should be a devastating blow or a more limited strike. But in either case, the Iranians are pledging to retaliate. In fact, the Iranians are promising to respond to any attack with overwhelming force. Needless to say, that would certainly provoke another response from Israel. The cycle would continue until someone finally decides that enough is enough. But what if neither side backs down and...

Numerous foreign policy experts are urging Israel to deliver a “disproportionate” military response to Iran’s attacks over the weekend and are warning that time is winding down to deal with the Islamic Republic before it becomes a nuclear state. Part of what is driving the concern from foreign policy and military experts is that Iran has strengthened its relationship with Russia and may soon acquire more advanced military hardware from the Russians that will make it much harder for the U.S., Israel, and Arab allies in the region to counter Iranian threats. The Washington Post reported on Monday night that...

The attack of Iran on Israel on April 13, 2024 was unprecedented. We know that Iran has sponsored terrorism for a long time, working with proxy groups like the Houthis, Hezbollah, and, of course, Hamas on that horrific attack on the Jewish homeland on October 7th—where 1,200 people were butchered and murdered. It is unbelievable. And there are still so many being held as hostages. But when Iran directly attacked Israel, that is literally without precedent and it has Bible prophecy significance. Now, we had this solar eclipse recently and some people thought that that was a sign of the...

On the eve of the October 7 massacres, National Security Advisor bragged in an essay that his Mideast portfolio was “quieter than it has been for decades”. Now we are on the verge of a multifront Middle East war. How did Joe Biden inherit a decades-long regional calm and turn it into a precursor to a gargantuan war? [1] Talk loudly and carry a twig. Issue hollow Obama-like “redlines” or serial Biden threats to aggressive enemies like the vapid “Don’t!” Witness a U.S. President who works a 3-day week, struggles to read a teleprompter, and shouts more at conservative Americans...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left no doubt in a statement on Wednesday, regarding what his Jewish country might do should current tensions with Iran escalate further. "Israel will do whatever it needs to defend itself," Netanyahu said in a statement. The comment came after separate meetings with British Foreign Secretary David Cameron and Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock in Israel on Wednesday, where the ministers discussed actions Israel could pursue to retaliate for Iran’s unprecedented, direct attack on Israel over the weekend. "They have all sorts of suggestions and advice. I appreciate that. But I want to be clear:...

Reagan promoted missile defense and Biden opposed it in the Senate. But it's what is defending IsraelIran fired more than 320 warheads at Israel on Saturday. The explosives were carried by about 170 propeller-driven drones of the kind Iran has sold Russia for use against Ukraine, more than 30 cruise missiles, and more than 120 ballistic missiles — mostly fired from Iranian territory at least 1,100 miles away to the east with a few launched from more distant Houthi-controlled Yemen to the south. The attack failed to deliver any meaningful damage, though a 10-year-old girl was injured, as 99% of...