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[Instagram Reel] What a "surgical strike" looks like - which "Israel" does not care to use

Gotta keep the genocide / ethnic cleansing machine going at top speed.

US State Department to bypass congressional review period to send Israel thousands of munitions, source says - cnn.com

The US State Department transmitted an emergency declaration to lawmakers late Friday night for the sale of thousands of munitions to Israel, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told CNN. The move bypasses the standard 20-day period that congressional committees are typically afforded to review such a sale.

The declaration followed a request by the State Department earlier in the week for Congress to approve the sale of 45,000 shells to Israel for its Merkava tanks. The source added that the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which have oversight over military sales, had been under “pressure” from the State Department to approve the request quickly amid Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.

The committees typically have 20 days to review foreign military sales, allowing lawmakers to raise questions about a transaction and delay it if needed. But late Friday night, the State Department transmitted an emergency declaration to the committees for 13,000 of the tank shells, worth about $106 million, for immediate delivery to Israel, the source said Saturday.

“Effective immediately, the items can be transferred,” the source said. “No further information, details or assurances were provided.”

The administration’s move to transfer some of the munitions comes as the US is under growing domestic and international pressure to support a ceasefire in Gaza, and place conditions on some of the weapons it is providing to Israel.

“As a matter of policy, we do not confirm or comment on proposed defense transfers or sales until they have been formally notified to Congress,” a State Department spokesperson told CNN when asked about the request.

Reuters first reported the initial administration request for 45,000 shells.

The president of Guyana, Irfaan Ali gives an exclusive interview to Globo:

"We expect Brazil to play a leading role, a significant role in ensuring that this region remains... What Guyana wants, Guyana's only ambition is for this region to remain a region of peace and stability, where we can all coexist in harmony," said the Guyanese president.

Ali says he sees Brazil's support for Guyana and classifies the Brazilian government's response to the impasse as "very mature" - on Sunday (3), President Lula (Workers' Party) said he hoped both sides would have "common sense".

"As you know, before the referendum I had a conversation with President Lula. President Lula and the Brazilian government sent a team of envoys to Venezuela to talk to President Maduro. We see the Brazilian government taking measures to secure its territory."

The fact that Brazil has a good relationship with Venezuela is not a cause for concern for Guyana, says the president.

"Brazil has a good relationship with us too and we expect Venezuela to act with principle. We spoke with President Lula and the foreign minister (Mauro Vieira) and they both assured us that Venezuela will be on the right side of the law ... So we have confidence that Brazil will act responsibly, in a way that befits a country that shows maturity and leadership."

'Venezuela is very unpredictable'

Asked about a possible military invasion by the Venezuelans, Irfaan Ali said that "Venezuela is very unpredictable".

The Guyanese president recalled that the plebiscite on the annexation of Guyana's territory took place despite a ban by the International Court of Justice.

"They sent a message to the International Court of Justice that they are not concerned about an international order and the order of the Court. When dealing with a state like that, you have to ensure that you are on the side of caution, you have to ensure that you have all the systems in place for any eventuality, because there is no rationality, there is no rational behavior," argued Irfaan Ali.

Would trump being re-elected actually be good for Palestine vis-à-vis American liberals doing orange man bad discourse enough to convince themselves that his support of i****l is bad and wrong?

https://www.reddit.com/r/MarxistCulture/comments/189xky9/cuban_comrades_in_donbass/

Cubans in donbass

US conducts military drills in Syria after uptick of Resistance ops.

#AlMayadeen's sources revealed that the #UnitedStates "fears ground attacks on its bases and the capture of its personnel," so they are "conducting exercises simulating such attacks."

twitter | nitter

Lula has 'good' conversation with Maduro, but still fears situation with Guyana will 'get out of hand'

The Venezuelan called the Brazilian on Saturday morning and, according to sources, welcomed Brazil's proposal to act as a kind of mediator in the dispute over Essequibo.

The idea is to keep the channel open for the next few days - both with Venezuela and Guyana. The conversation took place around 9am.

Maduro posted a message on Twitter in which he mentioned the possibility of dialog with Guyana.

Injuries reported as Israeli military makes raids across occupied West Bank

At least 18 Palestinians were reported injured in clashes with Israeli forces who raided al-Khader town, west of Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank.

According to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, five of the injured suffered bullet wounds and a sixth was hit in the eye with shrapnel. Two of the injured were reported to be in a critical condition

Israeli forces also carried out night raids in:

• Tulkarem – Israeli forces clashed with residents and injured at least five people, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.
• Sanjar, Hebron – Verified video footage showed clashes between Palestinians and Israeli forces.
• Tiflit, south of Nablus.
• Rummana, west of the Jenin refugee camp.

Raids were also reported to be underway in the occupied West Bank towns of Rujib, Kafr Qaddum and al-Fawwar.

https://twitter.com/AJA_Palestine/status/1732913638522896415

[Translation: Israeli occupation forces are deployed inside the neighbourhoods of the town of Rummana, west of Jenin Camp in the occupied West Bank.]

- Al Jazeera

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights, the IACHR, has asked the Peruvian state not to comply with the Constitutional Court's order to release the country's former president, Alberto Fujimori.

The Peruvian state is a signatory to the Court, so its decisions are binding in the country. The Court has already ruled on another occasion that the pardon given to Alberto Fujimori by former Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski was illegal.

Gendering will be banned in Bavaria's schools and administration in the future.
"For Bavaria I can say: With us there will be no mandatory gendering. On the contrary: we will even prohibit gendering in schools and administration," said CSU Prime Minister Markus Söder

German service union negotiated an atrocious contract for employees of federal states (like Bavaria). This is 4 years in a row it went like that. Wage gains are far below inflation.

Lots of second guessing of actually existing socialist states. 🤔

I doubt there will be a war in Guyana, maybe at most some border skirmishes. Venezuela will continue to try to give the people living there aid and such in exchange for public support for their claim.

Brazil has only stated that it refuses to allow Venezuela to use its territory to enter Guyana, although I don't think there is a road from Brazil to Georgetown or maybe I am confusing this with the French-Brazilian border. Colombia doesn't seem to care about the conflict as Petro is busy lobbying the Supreme Court to accept his social reforms.

The US and China said they hope for a peaceful solution, both Maduro and the opposition support the claim so I don't know how the US will react to this tbh. Maybe the US would sanction Venezuela again but that would piss off Colombia and Brazil who have been working to get these out of Venezuela for quite some time now.

what's Trump been up to? I can't even remember the last time we heard anything from him. he seems to realize he's going to win if he just stays under the radar until the election.

Peru: Ex President Castillo Demands to Be Released Immediately

"My constitutional rights, such as the right to freedom and due process, have been violated," he said.

A few days before completing a year in prison, former Peruvian president Pedro Castillo (2021-2022) demanded his freedom and reinstatement as the head of state during a hearing at the Constitutional Court (TC).

"My constitutional rights, such as the right to freedom and due process, have been violated by the Attorney General. Currently, it is public knowledge that she is a leader of an alleged criminal organization planned with high-ranking police officials and certain groups of congressmen to overthrow my government," Castillo said virtually from Barbadillo prison.

"I request that this entire procedure and subsequent actions be nullified. It is clear that there has been an orchestrated effort to overthrow my administration, but constitutional freedom cannot be compromised beyond political interests," he added.

Castillo argued that there was no flagrancy in his actions on Dec. 7, 2022, when he was accused of attempting a self-coup and removed by a Congress controlled by conservatives. He was arrested while heading to the Mexican Embassy in Lima.

His lawyer, Eduardo Pachas, requested the nullification of the 18-month pre-trial detention for the so-called "self-coup," immediate release of Castillo, and the "restoration of the previous state" before his arrest, allowing him to resume the presidency for the 2021-2026 term.

Pachas explained that the motivation behind five habeas corpus petitions addressed the violation of Castillo's freedom. The legal process displayed a "lack of narrative coherence" and insufficient justifications for the flagrancy offense, as the specific type was not detailed.

In addition to the 18-month pre-trial detention order under the coup accusation, the Peruvian Supreme Court has upheld the decision to impose an additional 36 months of pre-trial detention on Castillo for a corruption and influence trafficking case.

I was listening to the latest Chapo episode with Liz from True Anon, and noticed she pronounces Lviv as Lwow or Lvov.

Lula advisor urges Venezuela to avoid force or threats against Guyana (Spanish Only)

Brazil rejects any use of force by Venezuela to occupy Guyana's Essequibo territory and will urge the Caracas government not to threaten its neighbor, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's top foreign policy adviser said on Wednesday.

Celso Amorim, who traveled to Venezuela as Lula's special envoy last month, told Reuters that Brazil opposes "the use of force or its threat."

"I conveyed our very serious concerns," he said of his visit to Caracas ahead of a public referendum on the Essequibo.

"Now there are new facts that are even more worrisome. We will not stop transmitting our concerns especially in relation to the policy of non-use of force," Amorim said.

Venezuelans voted on Sunday in favor of the annexation of the Essequibo in a referendum. The Venezuelan government celebrated the vote despite an International Court of Justice ruling that prohibits Venezuela from taking any action to modify the status quo in the disputed area.

Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, in declarations to Reuters in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday, ruled out the risk of an armed confrontation between Brazil's two neighbors on the northern border.

However, the Brazilian army has reinforced the border region due to growing tensions between Venezuela and Guyana. The Brazilian army is moving armored vehicles and more troops to Boa Vista, the capital of Roraima state, according to the Ministry of Defense.

It is a region of 160,000 square kilometers, more than twice the size of Ireland, mostly dense jungle. Venezuela reactivated its claim to the Essequibo in recent years following the discovery of vast offshore oil and gas reserves.

The Essequibo has been in dispute since the 19th century, when Guyana was a British colony. A Paris-based international tribunal settled the issue in 1899, but Venezuela claims the decision was rigged.

Does anyone have a brief overview of the military strength of Guyana and Venezuela as well as other South American countries like Brazil and Argentina?

Venezuela Expresses to Caricom Will to Negotiate with Guyana

Brazil has offered to mediate in a possible dialogue between the two countries.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil held a meeting on Thursday with the pro tempore president of the Caribbean Community (Caricom), Roosevelt Skerrit, in which he expressed Venezuela's willingness to enter into direct negotiations with Guyana regarding the territorial dispute over the Essequibo.

Gil presented Caricom's representative the results of the consultative referendum in defense of the Essequibo Guyana held on Sunday, December 3. The National Electoral Council (CNE), has said that more than 10,500,000 Venezuelans voted in favor of defending Essequibo.

The Foreign Minister also highlighted the determination of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to adjust to the Geneva Agreement to address the dispute with Guyana through direct negotiations that guarantee regional peace.

In a statement released on his official X account, Gil detailed that the also prime minister of Dominica was informed about "President Nicolás Maduro's determination to address the territorial dispute with Guyana through direct negotiations, in accordance with the Geneva Agreement. In order to guarantee peace in the region, respecting the sovereignty of both countries and without external interference."

It is worth mentioning that in the region, Brazil has offered to mediate in a possible dialogue between Venezuela and Guyana.

For its part, the Guyanese government has shown an apparent change of position following the result of the referendum in Venezuela.

The day before, at Guyana's request, the Venezuelan Foreign Minister spoke with his Guyanese counterpart, and they agreed to keep communication channels open.

The Empire Aims to Deprive Us of Our Land: President Maduro

"The U.S. empire, the remnants of the British empire, and the right-wing aim to deprive us of our land," he denounced.

On Thursday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro denounced that forces opposed to the Bolivarian nation are trying to strip his country of the Guayana Esequiba territory.

"This land was not gifted to us by the U.S. empire. On the contrary, the U.S. empire, the remnants of the British empire, and the right-wing aim to deprive us of our land," he said during an event in which the Great Venezuela Housing Mission handed over the 4.8 millionth house.

Referring to statements made by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Maduro warned that his words reflect "a discourse against Venezuela by supporting the 1899 Arbitral Award, which they imposed with the British empire."

"The U.S. government is biased against Venezuela... They aim to dismember the country into 20 pieces and steal the wealth that belongs to Venezuelan men and women."

The Bolivarian leader also announced that his administration will honor the Guayana Esequiba communities with the construction of 120 houses in San Martin de Turumban, on the edge of the Cuyuni River.

Meanwhile, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez urged Guyana's President Irfaan Ali to desist from his illicit and illegitimate actions, comply with the 1966 Geneva Agreement, and respect the results of the Essequibo referendum held on December 3.

She recalled that Venezuela does not recognize the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice in the resolution of the Essequibo territorial controversy, highlighting that Venezuelan diplomacy's historical stance was unanimously supported by the people in the consultative.

On Thursday, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez rejected the conduct of U.S. military exercises in Guyana.

"This unfortunate provocation by the United States in favor of ExxonMobil's praetorians in Guyana is another step in the wrong direction. We warn that they will not divert us from our future actions for the recovery of the Essequibo," he said.

lmao

US Officials Fear Israel-Gaza Conflict Could Spark Broader War | HuffPost Latest News

One week into the resumed Israeli military campaign in Gaza, U.S. officials and foreign policy experts are increasingly afraid Israel's operation will fuel a broader conflict, drawing in Lebanon and expanding throughout the Middle East, potentially forcing American troops into the fight.

Biden administration officials at multiple government agencies have in recent days expressed concerns that Israel may be seeking American military aid for fighting in Lebanon, two U.S. officials told HuffPost. Such a step would mark a major escalation, almost certainly proving extremely deadly for civilians in both Lebanon and Israel. It could also force a confrontation with Iran, a regional heavyweight that backs the powerful Lebanese militia Hezbollah.

[...]

Israel and Hezbollah last fought a war in 2006. Following Oct. 7, they have had their worst direct fighting since, with Israel conducting artillery and air strikes within Lebanon and Hezbollah targeting Israeli positions almost every day. The clashes have killed about 100 people in Lebanon, including civilians and journalists.

A tweet by the author.

US officials told me they worry Israel is taking arms to attack Lebanon & Israel won't share its plans for the weapons.

Nitter

Venezuela-Guyana, what lead up to that vote - why now? And what will be the likely result? Actual warfare?

What's the context surrounding Esequibo? "Venezuela has reactivated its claim over the 160,000 square km (61,776 square mile) territory around the Esequibo river in recent years, after the discovery of offshore oil and gas. The maritime border between the two countries is also in dispute." (Reuters) Why do they say reactivate, has this long been a region of contention?

I know nothing about this topic, so I'd love to hear from one of you if you do.

Folks, good news - I think I've found the stupidest article I've read all year, so now you have to read it too.

Courtesy of the failing Rolling Stone magazine: All This News Is Making Horny Copypasta Writers Exhausted

What in the sweet beejesus even is this crap. I think I've twisted my head into the "wtf am I reading" meme at least 15 times going through the article.

Hope you enjoy that feeling now as well.