TYB
Trump backing ‘Chinese peacekeepers’ in Ukraine – FT
30 Aug, 2025 07:49
US President Donald Trump has proposed deploying “Chinese peacekeepers” to Ukraine to monitor a potential ceasefire between Russian and Ukrainian forces, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing people briefed on the discussions.
According to four FT sources, Trump suggested that China station troops in a prospective neutral zone along the 1,300km front line as part of a peace settlement with Russia.
The proposal was reportedly made during a meeting at the White House last week involving European leaders and Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky.
However, a senior Trump administration official dismissed the report as “false,” stressing that there has been no discussion on the matter.
The idea has reportedly met with resistance from EU nations and was previously rejected by Zelensky, who cited what he called Beijing’s failure to prevent the conflict both in 2014 and 2022.
Previous reports claimed that US, Ukrainian, and European officials have discussed the concept of a demilitarized zone patrolled by neutral peacekeepers as the first layer of a peace settlement.
Other reports suggest that another idea is to deploy Western troops for this purpose – which Moscow is vehemently opposed to.
Earlier this month, the Chinese Foreign Ministry denied reports that Beijing had expressed willingness to join a potential international peacekeeping force in Ukraine.
Since the start of the Ukraine conflict, Beijing has positioned itself as a neutral actor, calling on both belligerents to end the hostilities and stressing that it is essential to promote a sustainable political settlement of the Ukraine crisis.
While Russia has indicated in principle that it does not oppose Western security guarantees for Ukraine, it insists that any arrangement be supported by UN Security Council permanent members, including China.
It has stressed that guarantees should not be “one-sided” and aimed at containing Russia.
Moscow has opposed the deployment of NATO troops to Ukraine in any form, arguing that the expansion of the bloc’s military infrastructure towards Russia’s borders was one of the key reasons for the conflict.
https://www.rt.com/news/623702-trump-backing-chinese-peacekeepers-ukraine/
https://www.rt.com/news/623705-comeback-jihad-al-qaeda/
Al-Qaeda strikes back in 2025: They’re not done with us yet
30 Aug, 2025 14:23
Since the Arab Spring swept across the Middle East in 2011, Yemen has rarely left the headlines. Once described as Arabia Felix – the fortunate Arabia – the country has become synonymous with instability, proxy wars, and violent extremism.
While the rise of ISIS briefly dominated the battlefield and the airwaves, its eventual collapse did little to stabilize Yemen. The Islamic State’s pockets of power were eliminated by 2015, yet the group’s demise created no sense of peace.
Instead, it left behind a more enduring threat: Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, an organization that continues to adapt, strike, and recruit even as Yemen sinks further into economic and political disarray.
A network that refuses to die
The persistence of Al-Qaeda in Yemen is not theoretical. Earlier this year the group reminded the world of its survival through a series of attacks that showed both its persistence and its evolution.
On January 8, AQAP claimed responsibility for two drone strikes against UAE-backed fighters in the Al-Buqayrah area of Abyan Governorate, releasing a short video as proof.
Just three months later, in April, it released similar footage of drone strikes on UAE-supported outposts in the Mudiyah district, again underlining its ability to project power in areas thought to be under coalition control.
By June, the group’s leader Saad bin Atef al-Awlaki appeared in a video urging lone-wolf attacks on leaders in Egypt, the Gulf states, and the United States, even naming President Donald Trump and entrepreneur Elon Musk as potential targets – a stark reminder that AQAP remains committed to global jihad, not just local insurgency.
The fall of Mukalla
For Yemenis, AQAP’s capacity for disruption is real. In April 2015, the port city of Mukalla – Yemen’s fifth largest and the capital of Hadramawt province – fell in a matter of days.
For Dr. Omar Bajardana, a researcher on militant groups and head of the Dar Al-Ma’rifa Center for Studies and Research, the fall of his native city remains a turning point.
“Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula was able to seize control of Mukalla and large parts of Hadramawt due to several key factors,” he explains.
”Corruption was widespread in the institutions of civil and military power. The Muslim Brotherhood’s political networks controlled much of the local administration.
Popular anger at the state was already rising, fueled by the Houthi coup in Sanaa. The security forces were largely drawn from outside the governorate and showed little loyalty to the community they were supposed to defend.”
On April 2 of that year, hundreds of Al Qaeda militants stormed the city. They overran army camps and government buildings with little resistance. They freed around 300 prisoners, including senior AQAP members, from the central prison.
They looted an estimated $100 million in cash and gold from the local branch of the central bank. By the end of the week, AQAP had declared itself in control under the banner of the “Sons of Hadramawt,” a calculated effort to cloak its jihadist agenda in the language of local tribal legitimacy.
Rule by fear and order
For residents, the shock was immense. “The fall of Mukalla and the eastern coastal cities to al-Qaeda was a huge shock to me and a pivotal moment in the history of southern Yemen,” says Hamdi Abdel Aziz Al Yafyi, a journalist from Aden who covered the takeover extensively.
”Al-Qaeda in southern Yemen is largely a political creation. What I remember is that after seizing control, they used excessive force, restricted citizens’ freedoms and lifestyles, and carried out horrific executions.
They systematically stole from private citizens and public institutions alike,” he added.
Yet, AQAP also sought to govern rather than simply terrorize. It collected port revenues and trade taxes, controlled fuel imports, and launched propaganda campaigns casting itself as a protector of ordinary Yemenis.
Unlike ISIS, which alienated local tribes with indiscriminate brutality, AQAP pursued a softer approach, embedding leaders such as emir Qasim al-Raymi and propagandist Khalid Batarfi into local governance structures.
For nearly a year, Mukalla functioned as its de facto capital, where order came through fear but also through a calculated semblance of stability.
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Liberation and its limits
AQAP’s experiment in governance ended in 2016 when the Saudi-led coalition intervened, with the United Arab Emirates playing the decisive role.
“Without the UAE, Mukalla and the coastal cities would not have returned,” says Al Yafyi. “Security and state institutions came back only because of their efforts. We continue to stand by them in the fight against political Islam.”
Dr. Bajardana also acknowledges Emirati support: “The UAE significantly contributed to rebuilding and shaping military and security institutions, normalizing civilian life, and removing the traces of destruction and fear caused by AQAP,” he says.
At the same time, Saudi Arabia’s role in Hadramawt reflected its broader strategic concerns. Riyadh, which launched its intervention in Yemen in 2015 to contain the Houthis and counter Iranian influence, viewed the province as a vital buffer on its southern frontier.
Unlike the UAE’s emphasis on building local security forces, Saudi Arabia worked through financial aid and tribal networks to reinforce state authority.
While its approach sometimes differed from Abu Dhabi’s, both countries shared the goal of stabilizing Hadramawt and preventing Al-Qaeda from regaining a foothold.
After liberation: New challenges
The liberation of Mukalla was hailed as a decisive victory against AQAP. Yet, the aftermath exposed the depth of Yemen’s institutional fragility.
When AQAP retreated, it left behind gutted state institutions and an emptied treasury. The local branch of the central bank had been stripped of its reserves, depriving the new authorities of the funds needed to rebuild.
“The absence of state institutions and the lack of an operational budget were crippling,” recalls Dr. Bajardana.
The UAE, working with regional and international partners, filled part of the gap, explained the expert. It provided material capabilities, training, and intelligence, enabling local authorities to resume basic services and reestablish security.
For a time, this external backing gave Hadramawt the stability that its own institutions were too weak to provide.
But deeper challenges persisted. Economic deterioration, the collapse of services, and intensifying rivalries between political and tribal components eroded governance. Polarization widened, while extremist networks exploited the disarray.
Still, the expert believes the spread of chaos can be halted if reforms are pursued with urgency. His proposed roadmap includes combating corruption, unifying religious discourse, reforming divided authorities, monitoring places of worship, and drying up sources of extremist support.
He also emphasizes economic and social solutions: investment projects to reduce unemployment and poverty, integration of marginalized groups, infrastructure development, modernizing education, and strengthening counterterrorism capabilities.
Al Yafyi agrees with this approach, adding that defeating AQAP requires more than policing its fighters; it requires confronting its ideology.
”The current effort to eliminate this threat involves intensifying intelligence programs to confront its ideology wherever it is found, starting with mosques, schools, and cultural institutions,” he says.
“I believe it is essential to establish a project to set up a cultural and religious identity for South Yemen – a cultural identity grounded in the tangible and intangible historical heritage of South Yemen, and a religious identity grounded in the moderate Sufi school.”
A regional warning
Yemen’s lingering war with Al-Qaeda is not just a local problem but a regional and international warning.
AQAP’s survival – despite years of airstrikes, raids, and counterinsurgency campaigns – demonstrates how militant organizations thrive when corruption, poverty, and weak governance leave communities vulnerable.
Its shift from conventional warfare in Mukalla to guerrilla tactics, and now to drone warfare and digital propaganda, mirrors the trajectory of jihadist movements elsewhere, from Iraq to Syria to the Sahel.
The group’s 2025 attacks are a reminder that territorial defeat does not equal defeat of ideology.
Unless Yemen and its partners succeed in building accountable institutions, delivering basic services, and creating opportunities for young people, the story of Mukalla may be repeated not only in Hadramawt but in fragile states across the Middle East and beyond, experts warn.
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Russia and China ‘united in our vision’ – Putin
29 Aug, 2025 22:25
President Vladimir Putin has said Russia and China are “united in our vision” of a just, multipolar world order, ahead of his official visit to China for high-level talks at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit and Victory Day celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II.
In a written interview with Xinhua News Agency published ahead of his trip, the Russian president called the partnership a stabilizing force on the world stage, playing a significant role in shaping global affairs.
“Time and again, our exchanges on critical international issues have shown that Moscow and Beijing share broad common interests and strikingly similar views on fundamental questions,” he said.
“We are united in our vision of building a just, multipolar world order, with a focus on the nations of the Global Majority.”
“As the two leading powers in Eurasia, we cannot remain indifferent to the challenges and threats facing our continent and the wider world,” he added, noting that this remains a “constant focus” of bilateral political dialogue.
He also highlighted Russia’s concept of a “common space of equal and indivisible security in Eurasia,” which he said closely aligns with the Global Security Initiative proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Putin said the visit builds on the success of the Chinese president’s state visit to Moscow in May, which marked the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany.
“President Xi Jinping treats his country’s history with utmost respect…
He is a true leader of a great world power, a man of strong will, endowed with strategic vision and a global outlook, and unwavering in his commitment to national interests,” Putin said, calling him “an example for the entire world of what a respectful and equitable dialogue with foreign partners can and should be today.”
Putin’s official visit to China will take place August 31 to September 3, beginning with the SCO summit in Tianjin, followed by Victory Day events in Beijing.
In the Chinese capital, Putin will hold talks with Xi, first in an expanded format including key ministers and business leaders, and then privately.
The agenda includes regional security, relations with the US, the Ukraine conflict, and upcoming multilateral summits. On the sidelines, Putin is expected to meet with leaders from Iran, India, Türkiye, and others.
https://www.rt.com/news/623696-putin-china-united-vision/
1 killed, 30 injured in Zaporizhzhia as Russia launches large-scale missile, drone attack on Ukrainian cities
Updated: August 30, 2025 3:48 pm
Russia launched a missile and drone attack targeting various Ukrainian regions overnight on Aug. 30, killing at least one person and injuring 30 others, officials reported.
Officials and local media outlets reported explosions in multiple cities across the country, including in Zaporizhzhia, Pavlohrad, Dnipro, Chernihiv, Lutsk, and Cherkasy amid the attack.
Ukraine's Air Force reported that multiple Russian cruise and ballistic missiles had been launched at Ukraine's front-line regions.
A Kyiv Independent journalist on the ground reported hearing multiple explosions in Dnipro around 4:15 a.m. local time amid news of the missile attack.
Russia launched 537 Shahed-type attack drones and decoys against Ukraine overnight, as well as eight Iskander-M or North Korean KN-23 ballistic missiles and 37 cruise missiles, the Air Force reported.
Ukrainian forces intercepted 510 drones, six ballistic missiles, and 32 cruise missiles, while five missiles and 24 drones struck at seven different locations. Fallen debris was also reported at 21 places.
In Zaporizhzhia, Russian missile and drone strikes damaged 40 homes, 14 apartment buildings, and an unspecified number of industrial facilities, regional Governor Ivan Fedorov said.
Preliminary reports indicate that at least one person was killed and another 30 others, including three children, have been injured in the attack, officials reported.
At least eight people have been hospitalized, including a 10-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl, Fedorov added.
Dozens of Russian attack drones have also been reported across multiple regions, including the country's far west.
Ukrzaliznytsia, Ukraine's state railway operator, reported that the overnight attack damaged railway infrastructure in Kyiv Oblast, causing several hours-long delays in train departures.
A second group of Russian ballistic missiles was launched at Ukraine's eastern cities around 5 a.m.
Air raid warnings had been blaring in nearly all regions of Ukraine throughout most of the night amid the incoming aerial targets.
In response to the attack, Poland scrambled fighter jets to protect the country's own airspace around 5 a.m., the country's Air Force said on social media.
"In line with established procedures, the Operational Commander of the Polish Armed Forces has activated all available forces and assets at his disposal," the country's Air Force wrote.
The renewed attack comes just two days after Russia launched a large-scale aerial attack on multiple Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv. The Aug. 28 attack on Ukraine's capital killed 25 civilians and injured 63 people.
As Russia continues to launch attacks at civilian targets in Ukraine, progress on peace talks has increasingly stalled in recent weeks.
Despite efforts by U.S. President Donald Trump to broker peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow, hopes for a meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin continue to fade.
On Aug. 24, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow will not accept Zelensky's signature on legal documents establishing terms for an end to Russia's war.
Zelensky said on Aug. 28 that security guarantees will be "set out on paper next week," and indicated that Kyiv's hopes for guarantees revolve around three pillars — maintaining the strength of Ukraine's military, assurances from NATO allies in case of renewed attacks by Moscow, and the use of frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction.
Despite talks on security guarantees among Coalition of the Willing members, the Kremlin rejected the idea of European peacekeeping troops in Ukraine, saying Moscow has a "negative attitude" to any such deployment.
"It is absolutely clear that Moscow used the time meant for preparing a leaders-level meeting to organize new massive attacks," Zelensky commented on the latest attack.
"The only way to reopen a window of opportunity for diplomacy is through tough measures against all those bankrolling the Russian army and effective sanctions against Moscow itself – banking and energy sanctions."
https://kyivindependent.com/russia-launches-missiles-drones-at-ukrainian-cities-as-prospects-for-peace-continue-to-fade/
https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1961680106717319182
Ukrainian drones strike oil refineries in Russia's Krasnodar Krai, Samara Oblast, commander says
Updated: August 30, 2025 7:58 am
Ukrainian drones struck oil refineries in Russia's Krasnodar Krai and Samara Oblast overnight on Aug. 30, the commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, Robert "Madyar" Brovdi, confirmed.
Earlier in the night, Russian Telegram channels reported explosions were heard by local residents starting 2:30 a.m. local time in Krasnodar Krai, amid reports of drones flying overhead.
Videos posted to social media appear to show a large blazes emanating from a both oil refineries.
The full extent of the damage was not immediately clear.
Brovdi said that the 14th regiment of the Unmanned Systems Forces, in coordination with the Special Operations Forces, struck Krasnodar Oil Refinery and Syzran Oil Refinery in Samara Oblast.
Both refineries have previously been the target of multiple attacks by Kyiv, with the Syzran Oil Refinery previously being struck on Aug. 15.
Kyiv has repeatedly targeted Russian infrastructure in the region since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, particularly taking aim at Russia's fossil fuel infrastructure as part of its strategy to undermine funding for the Kremlin's war chest.
According to Brovdi, both refineries combine for a total volume of 4.1% of Russian oil production. Both refineries produces a wide range of fuels, including aviation fuel, and helps supply the Russian Armed Forces.
Reuters reported that Ukraine struck 10 refineries throughout August, shutting down facilities representing 17% of national processing capacity, or 1.1 million barrels per day.
Both Krasnodar Krai, situated just east of occupied Crimea and separated by the Kerch Strait, and Samara Oblast, located approximately 700km from Ukraine's front line, have become an increasingly frequent target of Ukrainian drone strikes.
https://kyivindependent.com/ukrainian-drones-reportedly-strike-oil-refinery-in-russias-krasnodar-krai/
Secret German drone plants begin work in Ukraine, says Politico
Sat, August 30, 2025 - 13:55
The German company Quantum Systems has launched secret plants in Ukraine to produce Vector reconnaissance drones.
Around 80 drones are manufactured each month, equipped with artificial intelligence and sensors designed to detect artillery, according to Politico.
The German drone manufacturer Quantum Systems has set up a network of covert factories in Ukraine where the Vector reconnaissance drones are being produced.
At a drone testing event held this week in western Ukraine, Alexander Berezhny, managing director of Quantum Systems Ukraine, said that their company is a model example of how this should be done.
"We are certainly a role model on how to do it, and we are all models for both sides, because while everyone starts speaking about joint ventures, the possibility to produce here and there, we have been doing it for years," he emphasized.
Over the three years of full-scale war, the company has opened a number of workshops in different regions of Ukraine while simultaneously developing production in Germany, the US, and Australia.
Currently, about 80 drones are produced per month in Ukraine, compared with roughly 120 in Germany.
The Vector is one of the first drones Ukraine received in 2022.
The new version is equipped with artificial intelligence and a WASP acoustic sensor, which allows it to detect enemy artillery by sound from long distances.
The drones are already undergoing testing in collaboration with the Ukrainian missile and artillery command.
Company representatives say that the war in Ukraine has become the main proving ground for the development of drone technology.
"The whole development in the drone industry is coming right from the Donbas, not from Silicon Valley," said Quantum's business development director, Matthias Lehna.
At the same time, production in Ukraine carries risks, as Russian missiles regularly attempt to strike defense enterprises.
That is why Quantum disperses its facilities across the country and works closely with European factories.
It is worth noting that, as we reported, in 2023 Ukrainian intelligence received over 100 Vector drones under a contract between the Ministry of Defense and the UAV manufacturer Quantum-Systems GmbH.
This year Germany also supplied Ukraine with these drones. At the beginning of the year, Ukraine received an aid package containing 50 Vector units along with spare parts.
https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/secret-german-drone-plants-begin-work-in-1756551194.html
Ukraine-Russia war latest: Politician Andriy Parubiy shot dead in Lviv after Moscow fires missiles and drones at Kyiv
Saturday 30 August 2025 15:02 BST
A prominent Ukrainian politician has been shot dead, officials have said, hours after Russia attacked Kyiv with drones and missiles in an overnight bombardment.
Andriy Parubiy was killed in Lviv, Ukrainian authorities said, after reports of a shooting at around midday local time on Saturday. The attacker fled the scene and a manhunt is now underway.
Ukrainian reports indicated the former parliamentary speaker was shot multiple times by a suspect dressed as a delivery driver and wearing a helmet. Images have shown Mr Parubiy’s body in the street.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky described the attack as “horrendous”.
It came after Russia strikes killed at least one person and injured 24, including three children, in the Zaporizhzhia region, local officials said.
Shortly after the latest attack, Mr Zelensky accused Russia of using the time meant to work towards peace for planning massive missile and drone assaults on Ukraine.
The overnight attack was the second on the capital Kyiv since Vladimir Putin met with Donald Trump in Alaska for peace talks.
There has been little progress made on kickstarting a peace process since that meeting earlier this month.
other updates cont.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ukraine-russia-war-parubiy-putin-zelensky-trump-kyiv-latest-updates-b2817034.html
IDF chief: Activity in Gaza City area to intensify
Aug. 30, 2025
The Israel Defense Forces continues to strike Hamas targets and is enhancing its focus on the Gaza City area, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said on Friday.
“And we will intensify our efforts in the coming weeks,” he added.
The general spoke hours after the military announced that daily humanitarian tactical pauses would no longer apply to the area of Gaza City, which was described as “a dangerous combat zone.”
“The IDF will continue to support humanitarian efforts alongside ongoing maneuvering and offensive operations against terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip in order to protect the State of Israel,” the statement continued.
Later on Friday, the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem announced that IDF troops had retrieved the bodies of two hostages—Ilan Weiss and another, unnamed, individual—whom Palestinian terrorists had kept in the Gaza Strip.
Weiss, 56, was murdered on Oct. 7, 2023, while defending Kibbutz Be’eri. His daughter and wife, Noga and Shiri, were also abducted. They were released in November 2023 as part of a hostage deal.
The name of the other Israeli whose body was retrieved has not yet been cleared for publication. Hamas is believed to be holding 20 living captives and another 28 bodies.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday convened a meeting at the White House to discuss a comprehensive plan for the Gaza Strip following the Israel-Hamas war, according to Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff.
Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu oppose a partial hostages-for-ceasefire deal, instead pursuing an agreement recovering all remaining 48 captives and ending the war.
Netanyahu on Monday described his Security Cabinet’s recent decision to advance the war into Gaza City as “unequivocal.”
“Israel will act with determination and strength in order to return all our hostages and defeat Hamas,” he said, adding that “these missions are intertwined.”
https://www.jns.org/idf-chief-activity-in-gaza-city-area-to-intensify/
Some people blew up something
Houthi Prime Minister Ghalib al-Rahawi killed in IAF Thursday strike, terror group says
Updated: AUGUST 30, 2025 19:04
Houthi Prime Minister Ghalib al-Rahawi and several other ministers were killed in the IAF strike in Sanaa on Thursday, the news agency run by the terror group said on Saturday, citing a statement by the head of the Houthi Supreme Political Council, Mahdi al-Mashat.
The Houthis further announced that several other ministers who were present were seriously and moderately injured in the strike and are receiving medical treatment.
The Houthis' Defense Minister, Mohammad Nasser al-Athifi, said that the terror group is ready to confront Israel's airstrike on Sanaa shortly after their deaths were announced, according to the news agency.
Mashat's statement previously did not make clear whether he was among the casualties.
It remains unclear whether Chief of Staff Mohammad Abd al-Karim al-Ghamari was also killed in the strike.
The IAF attacked a group of top Houthi military officials in Sanaa who were watching the Houthi leader give a nationally televised speech.
Al-Hadath reported that the IAF targeted homes where senior Houthi officials were hiding in Sanaa.
Al-Rahwi became prime minister nearly a year ago, but the de facto leader of the government was his deputy, Mohamed Moftah, who was assigned on Saturday to carry out the prime minister's duties.
Rahwi was seen largely as a figurehead who was not part of the inner circle of the Houthi leadership.
Arab media reported that there were around 10 attacks in Sanaa. KAN, citing Yemeni media, reported that several Houthi government leaders were killed in an attack inside the presidential palace.
IDF strikes in Yemen
Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir monitored the attack from IDF headquarters, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following from a secure "red phone."
The IDF confirmed that it struck targets in Sanna related to Houthi rule and governance.
The attacks come after the IDF shot down two drones earlier on Thursday, launched by the Houthis against Israel.
In addition, the IDF struck the Houthi capital of Sanaa, including ballistic missile sites and electricity sites, on Sunday.
Katz warned after the attacks that "after the strike of darkness, comes the strike on the firstborn. Anyone who raises a hand against Israel – their hand will be severed."
At least two Houthi missile launches in past week
The Houthis, for their part, fired ballistic missiles at Israel on Friday of last week and Wednesday of this week.
Yemen's Houthis have been attacking Israel with missiles and drones since October 19, 2023, with Israel only starting counterstrikes in July 2024.
None of Israel's attacks to date have succeeded at stopping Houthi missiles and drones, but also no Houthi weapon has killed an Israeli since July 2024.
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-865760
Hamas threatens to kidnap IDF soldiers, warns hostages held in Gaza City combat zones
Updated: AUGUST 30, 2025 11:57
Hamas’s military wing spokesperson, Abu Obeida, declared on Friday that Israeli hostages are being held alongside its fighters in combat zones under the same perilous conditions, as Israel intensifies preparations for a full-scale invasion of Gaza City.
“We will preserve the lives of the captives to the extent that we can,” the terror group said. “They will remain with our fighters in the places of confrontation, exposed to the same risks.”
The IDF’s expansion of operations will increase the chances of capturing IDF soldiers, the Hamas spokesperson warned.
He also threatened that Hamas terrorists are on high alert and will teach the IDF, what he referred to a "harsh lesson."
Hamas added that for every hostage killed as a result of Israeli military action, it would publish the individual’s name, photograph, and proof of death.
The statement comes as the IDF prepares for a Gaza City offensive, having already initiated the initial phases of the operation.
The city has been the focal point of heavy fighting earlier in the war and remains a strategic stronghold for Hamas.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved operational plans for the takeover of Gaza City and directed the resumption of hostage negotiations—on Israel’s terms.
The decision followed weeks of pressure from hostage families and security officials concerned for the hostages' fate.
In parallel, the IDF has mobilized approximately 60,000 reservists in anticipation of what is expected to be one of the largest ground campaigns since the war began in October 2023.
Gaza City has now been designated a combat zone by the IDF, underscoring the intensity of the campaign.
While humanitarian pauses are in effect in parts of central and southern Gaza, they do not apply to the north, and particularly not to Gaza City.
IDF recovers body of Ilan Weiss, second unnamed hostage
On Friday, the IDF and Shin Bet recovered the body of hostage Ilan Weiss, who was abducted from Kibbutz Be’eri during the October 7 massacre.
They also retrieved what appears to be the remains of a second hostage, whose identity is currently being verified through forensic analysis.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-865726
Lebanon: IDF kills commander in Hezbollah’s Radwan Force
Aug. 30, 2025
The Israel Defense Forces on Friday struck and killed Hezbollah terrorist Ahmad Naeem Maatouk, just north of the Litani River in the area of Sir El Gharbiyeh in Southern Lebanon.
Maatouk was a battalion staff commander in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force and was involved in planning and carrying out attacks against Israel during the current war, the IDF said.
“The terrorist’s actions constituted a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon,” according to the military.
Israeli Air Force craft struck several targets of the Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist group, including a rocket launcher, in Southern Lebanon on Thursday.
Three days earlier, the IDF killed a Hezbollah terrorist in the area of Tebnine, east of Tyre in Southern Lebanon. According to the military, the slain operative had been working to rebuild Hezbollah infrastructure in the nearby border town of Beit Lif.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that Israel stands ready to support Lebanon in its efforts to disarm Hezbollah, and to work toward a secure future for both nations.
The premier hailed as a “momentous decision” Beirut’s approval in two Cabinet sessions on Aug. 5 and 7 of a U.S.-backed plan directing the Lebanese Armed Forces to begin disarming Hezbollah and all other non-state actors by the end of 2025.
U.S. envoy Thomas Barrack said on Tuesday that the Lebanese government is expected to present a proposal on Aug. 31 aimed at persuading Iran’s terrorist proxy to disarm without having to resort to force.
He also said that Israel was expected to formulate its own framework for an IDF withdrawal once Lebanon announces its strategy.
Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) recently led a bipartisan delegation to Lebanon during which they called for Hezbollah to be disarmed and for U.S.-Lebanon relations to be strengthened.
“One of the keys to managing that reality is the full disarmament of Hezbollah,” Shaheen, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said on Aug. 26.
“That is why it’s so important to support the bold decisions that the country is making right now, strengthening the Lebanese Armed Forces, who are essential to securing the country’s future and borders, and advancing financial reforms that will put Lebanon’s economy on a more solid ground,” she said. Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) was also part of the trip.
The situation in Lebanon remains volatile following the end of Jerusalem’s truce with Beirut on Feb. 18.
The deal that took effect on Nov. 27, 2024, ended more than a year of war, after Hezbollah began attacking the Jewish state the day after the Hamas-led massacre in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Although the IDF has withdrawn most of its ground forces, it still controls five strategic positions in Southern Lebanon. Israeli officials have stated that the troops will remain in these positions until the Lebanese army can maintain security there.
https://www.jns.org/lebanon-idf-kills-commander-in-hezbollahs-radwan-force/
Evidence grows that 3I/Atlas is a Spacecraft & UFO Whistleblowers Intimidated
August 30, 2025
Exopolitics Today – Week in Review
00:00:00 – Topics
00:01:34 – More evidence that federalization of Washington DC metro police involves cleaning out underground Satanic networks. https://x.com/MichaelSalla/status/1959636652650836125
00:09:31 – Some ET humor to start your week. Redneck Stargate – We’re Redneck SG-1! https://x.com/MichaelSalla/status/1959937881453076794
00:10:47 – Escape from the Cabal, AI & God Matrix into an organic 5D Earth: George Kavassilas Interview: https://x.com/MichaelSalla/status/1959940240962891875
00:17:45 – Michael Sharp examines the pressure and intimidation on witnesses, researchers, and scientists with first-hand information on classified UFO programs. https://x.com/MichaelSalla/status/1959949285623021713
00:20:13 – Book depicts an object such as 3I/Atlas turning towards Earth, triggering an attempted coup by the Deep State in likely case of predictive programming. https://x.com/MichaelSalla/status/1960155520481816610
00:24:22 – Deep State tracking whistleblowers to compromise such networks, while White Hats/positive ETs track and identify Deep State performing such actions. https://x.com/MichaelSalla/status/1960156846838227134
00:27:46 – Double blind remote viewing session on 3I/Atlas shows it is a large object moving through our solar system that is being guided at a distance. https://x.com/MichaelSalla/status/1960302951991218230
00:34:16 – Rear Adm Tim Gallaudet explains Non-Disclosure Agreements concerning classified programs which describe jail time for the unauthorized release of program secrets. https://x.com/MichaelSalla/status/1960311822763835888
00:42:30 – Recognizing the difference between personality cults and true teachers in the UFO movement: https://x.com/MichaelSalla/status/1960680798589243415
00:46:24 – Building a “Starfleet” for a Star Trek future that is the optimal future for the US Space Force. https://x.com/MichaelSalla/status/1960699824652566972
00:49:18 – JP Update #49 – Meeting a Nordic Interdimensional Angel https://x.com/MichaelSalla/status/1961026048075726910
00:55:07 – The JWST is deliberately showing low-resolution images of 3I/Atlas to hide the truth of what it is. https://x.com/MichaelSalla/status/1961028091582566891
00:57:54 – The US House of Representatives now also has a proposed amendment to the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act that includes the UAP Disclosure Act. https://x.com/MichaelSalla/status/1961247229517193487
01:00:22 – Over 8000 metallic orb sightings from Dec 2022 to June 2025, many near military bases. https://x.com/MichaelSalla/status/1961250078779478221
01:02:31 – Evidence grows that 3I/Atlas is a spacecraft rather than a natural comet based on the discovery of a technosignature. https://x.com/MichaelSalla/status/1961386525620363569
01:05:13 – Earth’s Liberation from the Deep State & Joining the Galactic Federation – New Webinar https://www.crowdcast.io/c/earthliberationfromdeepstate
https://exopolitics.org/evidence-grows-that-3i-atlas-is-a-spacecraft-ufo-whistleblowers-intimidated/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbnIE6n4wS0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGWdZQzoZrM (JP Update #49 – Meeting a Nordic Interdimensional Angel Aug 28, 2025)
<Book depicts an object such as 3I/Atlas turning towards Earth, triggering an attempted coup by the Deep State in likely case of predictive programming
Dr. John Brandenburg
@PhdBrandenburg
3I/ATLAS is not a comet. Comets are “dirty snowballs” of ices, and silicate dusts, usually dominated by water ice, but also more volatile ices like CO, which vaporize beyond Jupiter.
2I/Borisov displayed this, Oumuamua did not, 3I/Atlas is now emulating the latter. Be Alert!
12:11 AM · Aug 6, 2025
https://x.com/PhdBrandenburg/status/1960116758033117362 (←- X is acting funky for me, can someone please grab this post?)
https://x.com/PhdBrandenburg/status/1952990830291239012
Detection of an Anti-Solar Tail for 3I/ATLAS
August 30, 2025
On August 27, 2025, deep imaging of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS by the Gemini South 8.2-meter telescope — aided by the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS), revealed a weak tail with a teardrop shape in the anti-Sun direction (reported here).
At that time, 3I/ATLAS was at a distance from Earth of 2.59 times the Earth-Sun separation. The Gemini South Observatory is located on a mountain called Cerro Pachón in the Chilean Andes.
The images were taken in the u (upper left), g (upper right), r (lower left) and i (lower right) spectral bands, centered on wavelengths of 0.365, 0.467, 0.616 and 0.747 micrometers, respectively.
They show clear evidence for a teardrop shaped tail in the anti-Sun direction behind 3I/ATLAS. The observed tail is about 30 arcseconds, or equivalently 56,000 kilometers long, pointing towards the South East.
The coma is about 10 arcseconds or equivalently 18,800 kilometers wide, significantly more extended than its compact appearance in images of 3I/ATLAS from early July 2025.
Data collected on August 6, 2025 by the Webb Telescope (accessible here) confirmed the existence of a carbon dioxide (CO2) gas plume around 3I/ATLAS with an order of magnitude lower levels of water (H2O) and carbon monoxide (CO), as reported earlier by the SPHEREx space observatory team (here).
SPHEREx mapped the CO2 plume out to 348,000 kilometers around 3I/ATLAS.
The inferred mass loss rates from 3I/ATLAS are 130 kilograms per second for CO2, 6.6 kilograms per second for H2O and 14 kilograms per second of CO.
The H2O mass loss rate is only 5% of the CO2 output, unlike expectations from a water-rich comet.
It therefore comes as no surprise that the plume of gas around 3I/ATLAS is shaped by the solar wind and the solar radiation pressure to a teardrop configuration.
Before my morning jog at sunrise, I calculated today that the outer edge of the CO2 plume observed by SPHEREx, is bounded by the distance where the ram-pressure of the solar wind equals the ram-pressure of the CO2 outflow.
As of now, it is unclear whether the scattering of sunlight in the glow and tail around 3I/ATLAS is from dust particles or icy fragments made of CO2, CO and H2O that broke off the surface of the nucleus.
Early data from NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), taken on May 7 to June 2, 2025 (accessible here), suggests that 3I/ATLAS may have been active with a surrounding glow of scattered sunlight already at a much larger heliocentric distance of 6 times the Earth-Sun separation.
At that distance, the warming of water ice by sunlight is insufficient to trigger cometary activity.
The flux detected by the SPHEREx space observatory at a wavelength of 1 micrometer from 3I/ATLAS on August 8–12, 2025 suggests a huge nucleus or alternatively a compact scattering cloud, with a diameter of 46 kilometers (as reported here).
If made of solid material, this size implies that the mass of 3I/ATLAS is a million times larger than that of the previous interstellar comet 2I/Borisov.
This huge gap in mass is surprising since we should have discovered numerous objects of the size of 2I/Borisov before discovering a 46-kilometer interstellar object.
Moreover, as I noted when 3I/ATLAS was discovered (in a paper accessible here), the amount of rocky material per unit volume in interstellar space is much too small than the value needed to deliver into the inner Solar system one giant rock of this size over the decade-long survey conducted by the ATLAS telescope.
In another puzzling tidbit, the trajectory of 3I/ATLAS is anomalously aligned with the ecliptic plane of the planets around the Sun (as discussed here).
Recent spectroscopic data from the Very Large Telescope in Chile (accessible here), reported the surprising detection of cyanide and nickel without iron in the plume of gas around 3I/ATLAS with steeply increasing rates as the object approaches the Sun.
Nickel without iron is a signature of industrial production of nickel alloys. Natural comets generically show iron and nickel simultaneously, as both elements are produced simultaneously in supernova explosions.
All this anomalous data raises once again the fundamental questions: what is the nature and origin of 3I/ATLAS?
As 3I/ATLAS will approach perihelion on October 29, 2025, its surface will get warmer and its enhanced outgassing will encounter stronger radiation and wind pressures from the Sun.
As is well known from interrogation tactics, a high stress environment elicits confessions. For that reason, 3I/ATLAS might reveal its nature and origin in the coming months.
https://avi-loeb.medium.com/detection-of-an-anti-solar-tail-for-3i-atlas-0b80eb529ead
NASA altered 3I/Atlas images obtained by the James Webb telescope. Unforgivable 🛸🇺🇸
Aug 29, 2025
A new controversy is shaking the scientific world: experts claim that NASA altered the original images of the interstellar object 3I/Atlas obtained by the James Webb Telescope. What are they trying to hide? Why alter such sensitive information?
In this episode of Interstellar, Jaime Maussan explains the importance of this revelation and why many consider this act unforgivable. The truth about 3I/Atlas could change everything. 🌌
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLOVZ–jJf0
Was a UFO spotted on our live show last night?
Updated: Aug 29, 2025 / 04:11 PM CDT
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — That’s a question a viewer pondered and submitted to the newsroom this morning.
You can watch the video clip above from our 9 p.m. KOZL-TV broadcast and judge for yourself: what is the small, speedy green light that swiftly zooms across the screen?
Many seasoned professionals in the Ozarks First newsroom believe the answer is anything other than otherworldly.
“It’s very often on a nightly basis that we see bugs fly across the tower cameras,” said Madison Bryan, Ozarks First Executive Producer, after viewing the clip.
Ozarks First producer Autumn Garett also viewed the clip and said, “It’s got to be one of the bugs.”
https://www.ozarksfirst.com/news/mysterious-light-springfield-mo/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOvzdj8jjEo
>The Deep State's last card?
YUM