Iran says it fired warning missiles, drones at US warships in Gulf of Oman

Iran says it fired warning missiles, drones at US warships in Gulf of Oman

Times of Israel is liveblogging Friday

Iran’s navy says it fired warning missiles and drones at US warships in the Gulf of Oman, accusing the US Navy of harassing maritime traffic and seizing commercial vessels and oil tankers, Iranian state media reports.

Earlier, the US Indo-Pacific Command said US forces intercepted the sanctioned stateless vessel M/T DAVINA in the Indian Ocean overnight.

The incident comes amid heightened tensions over maritime security around Iran, as Washington enforces sanctions on Iranian oil shipments and Tehran has repeatedly threatened shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz.

Lebanese president: Iran using Lebanon as ‘bargaining chip’ in negotiations with US

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun tells CNN that Iran is using Lebanon as a “bargaining chip” in its negotiations with the United States.

Aoun says in a message to the Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that “it’s not your country, it’s our country.”

Aoun has repeatedly sought to distance Lebanon from regional conflicts and has said decisions concerning the country’s sovereignty and security must be made by the Lebanese state alone.

“Our house is being destroyed. [Iran is] using Lebanon as a bargaining chip in their negotiations with the United States. It is unacceptable,” he says.

Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem asks Trump to guarantee access to holy sites across region

The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, one of the top figures in a communion of over 200 million adherents, asked US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office yesterday to ensure access to holy sites in the region, says the Patriarchate.

“Christian communities in the Middle East have in recent years faced a difficult reality of instability, growing threats and increasing pressure,” said Theopholis III.

“We are seeing ancient communities asking for something very basic: to continue living in safety, to preserve their faith and to maintain freedom of worship.”

In March, at the height of war with Iran, Israel was the target of global anger after police officers kept two top Catholic clergymen from reaching the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem’s Old City to celebrate Palm Sunday Mass.

There has also been a series of incidents in recent years involving harassment of and attacks on Christians, especially in Jerusalem.

“Mr President, as a close friend and as someone who understands the importance of protecting Christian communities and the holy places, preserving freedom of religion and open access to the holy places is not only a religious matter – it is a condition for stability, coexistence and peace across the entire region,” said Theophilos, according to the Patriarchate.

US forces boarded sanctioned vessel in Indian Ocean overnight, Pentagon says

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Flesh-Eating Screwworm Confirmed in Texas Calf, First U.S. Livestock Case in 60 Years Triggers Emergency Quarantine

Flesh-Eating Screwworm Confirmed in Texas Calf, First U.S. Livestock Case in 60 Years Triggers Emergency Quarantine

Cassandra MacDonald

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has confirmed the first case of New World screwworm (NWS) in American livestock in nearly six decades, sparking an immediate nationwide emergency response to protect the multibillion-dollar cattle industry.

The screwworms were found in a 3-week-old calf on a ranch in La Pryor, Zavala County, Texas, roughly 50 miles north of the Mexican border.

Larvae were found infesting the animal’s umbilical area.

The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed the case on Wednesday after samples were tested at the National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins described the situation as one the Trump Administration is treating with “the utmost seriousness.”

Rollins said, “We are treating the confirmed case of New World Screwworm on a Texas cattle ranch with the utmost seriousness and are responding aggressively alongside our state partners, TAHC (Texas Animal Health Commission). USDA’s proactive actions bought us nearly a year to prepare, as models had projected New World Screwworm would reach the United States by the summer of 2025. That preparation allowed us to move immediately when this case was detected.”

New World screwworm is the larval stage of the Cochliomyia hominivorax fly.

Unlike ordinary blowflies that feed only on dead tissue, female screwworm flies lay hundreds of eggs in any open wound, cut, or mucous membrane of warm-blooded animals, including cattle, horses, deer, goats, pets, wildlife, and, in rare cases, humans or birds.

Once the eggs hatch, the larvae use hook-like mouthparts to burrow deep into living flesh, feeding aggressively and causing massive tissue destruction, secondary infections, and extreme pain.

Left untreated, a single infestation can kill a cow in as little as a few weeks.

The parasite does not infest meat, fruits, vegetables, or processed food products, so the nation’s commercial food supply remains safe under USDA inspection protocols.

The USDA has activated its pre-prepared New World Screwworm Response Playbook.

The Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) has established an infested zone covering parts of Zavala and Uvalde counties. All warm-blooded animals in the zone are under quarantine and cannot move without prior authorization from TAHC.

Additionally, millions of sterilized male flies that mate with wild females, producing non-viable eggs and crashing the population, are being released in the area.

No additional cases have been detected as of Thursday.

Hezbollah’s Refusal To Stop Launching Rockets And Drones Could Set Off Explosive Chain Of Events

Hezbollah’s Refusal To Stop Launching Rockets And Drones Could Set Off  Explosive Chain Of Events

 Michael Snyder

We are far closer to an apocalyptic scenario in the Middle East than most people realize. Hezbollah has been sending vast numbers of rockets and drones into Israel in recent months. As a result, Israeli leaders have decided that it is necessary for the IDF to push even deeper into Lebanese territory, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is even threatening to unleash massive airstrikes on southern Beirut if the endless barrage of rockets and drones does not stop. If Netanyahu gives the green light for airstrikes on southern Beirut, the Iranians have already told us that they are going to hit Israel really hard. Needless to say, that could potentially spark all-out war in the Middle East.

It would really help if Hezbollah would simply agree to stop sending rockets and drones into Israeli territory.

Over the past 3 months, approximately 2,500 rockets have been fired at Israel…

Since March 2, Hezbollah has fired some 5,500 rockets at IDF troops operating in the south of the country, as well as around 2,500 at Israel, according to the military. There were at least 75 rocket impact sites in Israel.

In addition, Hezbollah launched around 300 drones, of which 25 struck Israel, according to the IDF.

The IDF believes Hezbollah still possesses thousands of short-range rockets, along with hundreds of longer-range projectiles. The IDF has said that Hezbollah is launching most of its attacks from deeper within southern Lebanon, north of the Litani River, and not from areas close to the border.

Let’s put this into perspective.

If someone fired 2,500 rockets at U.S. cities over a three month period, they would get bombed into oblivion.

There is no way that we would ever put up with that.

The governments of Israel and Lebanon would both like to see the fighting end. They just agreed to a comprehensive ceasefire plan, but Hezbollah has completely rejected it…

Hezbollah on Thursday rejected a ceasefire plan agreed by the Lebanese and Israeli governments in US-mediated talks, as the terror group kept up rocket and drone attacks targeting troops and northern Israel, and the IDF continued to strike in southern Lebanon.

The night before, Jerusalem and Beirut agreed on a ceasefire contingent on Hezbollah halting attacks, and planned for the Lebanese army to deploy to “pilot” zones in southern Lebanon free from both Hezbollah operatives and IDF troops.

But the terror group’s chief, Naim Qassem, rejected the deal as “surrender.” Qassem said that his group would keep bombarding northern Israel as long as strikes continue in Lebanon. Qassem also urged the Lebanese government to quit the “farce” of direct talks with Israel.

Of course Israeli forces are not going to be pulled out of southern Lebanon as long as rockets and drones are raining down on Israeli communities.

So it looks like we have an unsolvable problem on our hands.

Israeli troops now control a very large portion of southern Lebanon, but Hezbollah forces have effectively fought back “using drones that are controlled through thin fiber-optic cables to evade electronic jamming”…

The relentless drone attacks by Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group, have exposed cracks in Israel’s defenses, shocking its public and forcing a rushed search for solutions by its military and political leaderships.

They have sown fear among Israeli ground troops in Lebanon and challenged Israel’s longstanding air superiority in Lebanese skies. The drones have also revealed a shortcoming in Israel’s strategy to seize territory in southern Lebanon, build a buffer zone and displace Hezbollah militants beyond the range of antitank missiles that have plagued tens of thousands of civilians living in northern Israel.

The drone onslaught, however, was no surprise: As early as 2024, military officers warned that Hezbollah would likely start using drones that are controlled through thin fiber-optic cables to evade electronic jamming, according to three Israeli officials who insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to speak with the media. Fiber-optic drones have also become commonplace on the battlefield in Ukraine.

These drones have been a major headache for the IDF, because at this point Israel does not have any way to defend against them

What we are witnessing is a major showdown between Israel and Hezbollah.

And if Hezbollah continues to pummel northern Israel with rockets and drones, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pledging that very powerful airstrikes on southern Beirut will be unleashed…

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the agreement. But he said strikes on Beirut would go ahead “if Hezbollah does not stop attacking our cities and civilians”, and that Israeli forces would still operate in south Lebanon.

Do you remember what happened to Gaza City?

The same thing could soon happen to southern Beirut.

If Israeli jets start flattening southern Beirut, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says that it will mean all-out war…

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Wednesday that Israeli attacks on Beirut would lead to a return to all-out war, linking the fate of that conflict with the future of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire.

Araghchi didn’t stop there.

During that same interview, he ominously warned that Iranian forces “are ready to strike Israel if it attacks Beirut”…

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned on Wednesday that any attack on Lebanese capital Beirut would trigger a “full-scale resumption” of the Middle East war, as Israel pressed its attacks in southern Lebanon.

“Any attack on Beirut will have grave consequences and will lead to a full-scale resumption of the war,” the Tasnim news agency quoted Araghchi as telling Lebanon’s Al Mayadeen TV.

“Our armed forces are ready to strike Israel if it attacks Beirut.”

If Iranian missiles are fired at Israeli cities, the U.S. would likely feel compelled to intervene and the Israelis would respond with overwhelming force.

And once missiles are flying back and forth again, just about anything could happen.

The IAEA is warning us that the probability that the Iranians are pursuing nuclear weapons is higher now than when the war began…

The risk that Iran is covertly pursuing nuclear weapons is higher today than before the US and Israel launched their first military attacks on the Islamic Republic a year ago, according to western officials who cited new data circulated by the United Nations atomic watchdog.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has warned member countries about new nuclear proliferation dangers posed by Iran’s large inventory of near-bomb-grade uranium, according to a restricted document seen by Bloomberg. Before the June 2025 air assault that began a 12-day-war, that material was subject to weekly IAEA inspection to ensure it wasn’t diverted for weapons. That’s no longer the case.

The IAEA’s report underscores how the US-Israeli war on Iran has created new nuclear dilemmas that didn’t previously exist, according to two senior diplomats familiar with the report, who asked not to be identified discussing sensitive data. The longer the material remains outside of IAEA safeguards, the higher the risks grow that the material could be diverted for non-peaceful uses, they said.

Of course there are others that believe that Iran already possesses nuclear weapons and is prepared to conduct a demonstration.

We have entered such a dangerous time, but there is no turning back now.

Hezbollah is not going to stop launching rockets and drones at Israel, and Israel is going to keep escalating matters in an attempt to stop the bombardment.

Once the airstrikes on southern Beirut start, the Iranians will have an important decision to make.

Israel holds off on Lebanon ceasefire after Hezbollah torpedoes US efforts

Israel holds off on Lebanon ceasefire after Hezbollah torpedoes US efforts

Itamar Eichner

Ministers voiced opposition Thursday to a proposed ceasefire with Lebanon during a meeting of the security cabinet, but no vote was held after Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem rejected the U.S.-backed proposal.

The ceasefire framework was announced by the United States following Israeli-Lebanese talks in Washington. One of its central provisions called for Hezbollah to halt its attacks and withdraw from the area south of the Litani River.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told ministers that Israel was still waiting for Hezbollah to formally accept the proposal.

“At the moment there is no agreement,” Netanyahu said, according to participants in the meeting. “Hezbollah opposes it, and therefore I am not bringing it for a decision. If it agrees, I will bring it for your approval.”

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir attended only the opening portion of the meeting and spoke little, according to officials familiar with the discussion.

During the session, ministers were informed of the death of Capt. Eitan Shmuel Lamberg, an Armored Corps officer killed in southern Lebanon. The announcement strengthened opposition among some ministers to pursuing a ceasefire.

Energy Minister Eli Cohen argued that Israel should respond forcefully to such attacks. “We need to tell ourselves the truth,” Cohen said. “For incidents like these, we need to hit them hard.”

Minister Ze’ev Elkin said Hezbollah’s rejection of the proposal demonstrated that the group was not interested in a ceasefire. “The other side does not want a ceasefire,” Elkin said. “We can wait a little longer, but we must respond.”

Settlement and National Missions Minister Orit Strock called for changing the security reality along the border. “We need to move in that direction,” she said.

Negev, Galilee and National Resilience Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf also opposed the proposal, saying time was not working in Israel’s favor.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir urged Netanyahu to press for a tougher military response. “Go to the United States, take children from Kiryat Shmona and Metula with you,” Ben-Gvir told Netanyahu, according to participants. “Tell Trump: We love you, but we must strike Hezbollah’s vulnerable points in Beirut’s Dahieh district, and even if there is escalation, a ground maneuver is necessary. Our soldiers are more important.”

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, however, suggested that securing a ceasefire under the current circumstances would constitute a major achievement.

The debate came after Qassem publicly rejected the ceasefire understandings announced by Washington.

In a speech Thursday, the Hezbollah leader condemned the proposed agreement, which would require the group to stop its attacks and withdraw north of the Litani River. “The result of the direct negotiations, which are humiliating and disgraceful, is rejected by broad segments of the Lebanese people,” Qassem said.

He added that Hezbollah would not agree to any ceasefire while Israeli forces remain inside Lebanon. “The Washington declaration conditions the basic principles that America and Israel want as part of a project to subjugate Lebanon,” he said.

Shortly after Qassem’s speech, air raid alerts warning of a hostile aircraft infiltration sounded across several communities in western Galilee.

A drone later detonated near the northern border town of Shlomi, about 20 minutes after Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz had left the community following a meeting with local leaders. No injuries were immediately reported.

The Rise Of The Machines

The AI Wars: A Society Divided By The Rise Of The Machines

 PNW STAFF

For decades, the idea of a "Terminator" future existed primarily in science fiction. Humanity would build intelligent machines, those machines would eventually surpass us, and society would fracture between those who embraced the technology and those who resisted it.

What once seemed like Hollywood fantasy is beginning to look disturbingly familiar.

No, killer robots are not marching through our streets. Yet a different kind of conflict is already emerging--one that pits technology enthusiasts, AI developers, and corporate interests against growing numbers of citizens who view artificial intelligence as an existential threat to their jobs, their communities, their privacy, and perhaps even their future.

Federal law enforcement agencies are paying close attention.

According to recently disclosed intelligence assessments, the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and regional fusion centers are increasingly monitoring what they classify as "anti-tech violent extremism." Internal reports warn that opposition to AI, data centers, automation, and major technology projects could evolve into civil unrest and potentially violent activity over the next several years.

A New York Intelligence and Counterterrorism Bureau assessment issued a stark warning, suggesting that rapid AI development could create social instability capable of fueling large-scale protests and unrest in major cities.

Think about that for a moment.

Government agencies are no longer merely studying the dangers of artificial intelligence itself. They are now studying the dangers posed by people who oppose artificial intelligence.

That alone should tell us how rapidly this technological revolution is accelerating.

The reason isn't difficult to understand.

Millions of workers are watching AI systems perform tasks that were once considered uniquely human. Writers, graphic designers, programmers, legal researchers, customer service agents, translators, accountants, and even medical professionals are seeing AI steadily move into areas once believed safe from automation.

Historically, technological revolutions created new jobs as they eliminated old ones.

The concern today is different.

Artificial intelligence is not simply replacing muscle. It is replacing mental labor.

Entire professions may be disrupted simultaneously.

When families begin losing careers they spent decades building, resentment grows. When communities feel excluded from decisions affecting their future, opposition hardens. When people feel powerless, some become desperate.

History shows that technological upheaval often generates backlash.

The Industrial Revolution sparked riots. Workers destroyed machinery they believed threatened their livelihoods. The Luddites became famous for attacking textile equipment they saw as enemies of ordinary laborers.

Today, many observers see echoes of that period emerging once again.

Only this time, the machines are vastly more powerful.

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