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Israel launched waves of heavy airstrikes across Syria on Tuesday, hitting what it said were military targets to prevent abandoned weapons from falling into the hands of rebel fighters. The intensified aerial campaign, carried out in parallel with Israel’s first ground operation in Syrian territory since the 1973 Yom Kippur War, drew international condemnation and added another dangerous variable to the fast-moving situation in Syria, where armed groups are trying to create a new political order after the overthrow of dictator Bashar al-Assad. The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement Tuesday that warplanes had launched 350 strikes on Syrian territory since Sunday, destroying dozens of missiles, an airfield, weapons production sites across five cities, and 15 naval vessels — effectively eliminating the Syrian navy. Images of the aftermath on Syrian television showed sunken boats and smoldering wreckage in the western city of Latakia, the country’s main port and a former stronghold of Assad and his minority Alawite base. Other videos showed scorched buildings, a destroyed aircraft hangar and loud explosions from the heavy bombardment. Israeli officials have characterized the extensive strikes as preemptive in nature, protecting the country from future attack rather than responding to a current threat. They invoked a similar rationale Monday in defending the movement of troops beyond a U.N.-monitored buffer zone in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. “I approved the air force bombing of strategic military capabilities left by the Syrian military so that they will not fall into the hands of the jihadists,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video address Tuesday. Netanyahu said Israel wants relations with the new government in Syria, but he warned the rebels against attacking Israel or allowing Iran or its proxies to regain a foothold in the country. “We will respond with force and exact a heavy price,” he said. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the rebel group that led the lightning offensive — sweeping south from its home base in northern Idlib to the presidential palace in Damascus in under two weeks — has yet to comment on the Israeli strikes. Its members remain largely preoccupied with navigating the transition from a military to a political force, and they are scrambling to address cash and food shortages in the capital and beyond. Elsewhere in the country, other armed groups are still vying for influence, seeking to fill the sudden power vacuum after more than half a century of Assad family rule. “We are continuing to see Israeli movements and bombardments into Syrian territory,” Geir Pedersen, the U.N. special envoy to Syria, said Tuesday. “This needs to stop.” Similar urgings have come from governments across the Middle East, from Baghdad to Riyadh. The Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry accused Israel on Monday of violating international law and “sabotag[ing] Syria’s chances of restoring its security, stability and territorial integrity.” The United States, Israel’s main military and diplomatic backer, described its ally’s military activities as “non-permanent” in nature and taking place under “exigent circumstances.” “We don’t want to see any actor ... move themselves in such a way that makes it harder for the Syrian people to get at legitimate governance,” John Kirby, the U.S. National Security Council spokesman, told reporters Tuesday. Israel has simultaneously taken credit for the fall of Assad — with Netanyahu boasting Monday that he had “reshaped the Middle East” by weakening Iran and its proxies Hamas and Hezbollah — while expressing fears over the shape of the new Syrian state. HTS was formed as an offshoot of al-Qaeda during the country’s civil war but has sought to rebrand as a moderate Islamist organization, vowing to protect religious minorities and restore the country’s standing in the region. Israel’s defense minister, Israel Katz, said the military was aiming to establish a “sterile defense zone” in southern Syria and “prevent the entrenchment and organization of terror.” As Syria’s military largely melted away in the face of the rebel advances, it vacated military bases believed to store significant munitions and gear, including the remnants of Assad’s chemical weapons stockpile. A nerve-gas attack by the Syrian government on a Damascus suburb in 2013 killed nearly 1,500 civilians, including at least 426 children, according to U.S. intelligence. The attack was described by American officials at the time as an “indiscriminate, inconceivable horror.” Under a deal brokered between then-President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin, hundreds of tons of chemical weapons were removed from Syria and destroyed — depleting but not eliminating Assad’s arsenal. By striking the sites now, Israel is acting within a “window of opportunity,” said Yossi Kuperwasser, a former Israeli military official now with the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs. He said the attacks on chemical and other munitions were necessary “to make sure whoever is going to be the next ruler [of Syria] is not going to have state-of-the-art weaponry.” And Israel couldn’t have launched the strikes while Assad was in power, he added: “It would have been considered belligerent activity. Now I think everyone understands.” That understanding does not extend to ordinary Syrians, whose euphoria over Assad’s ouster is now tempered by renewed anxiety over insecurity as explosions rock the capital. “The feeling of fear has now started to go,” Hani Qusebatuy, 27, said Monday as he joined hundreds of people celebrating in Damascus. “Now the only feeling of fear is the Israeli attacks.” The United States has also launched strikes on Syria this week, with the Pentagon saying it hit 75 Islamic State targets Sunday in the central desert. About 900 American troops remain in Syria, a vestige of the forces deployed a decade ago to fight the Islamic State, which sought to establish a “caliphate” spanning parts of Syria and Iraq. Ryan C. Crocker, who served as the U.S. ambassador to Syria, warned during an event at the Middle East Institute on Tuesday that Israel’s military operations in Syria risk “repercussions beyond which the Israelis intend.” Addressing their moves in the Golan, he said any long-term occupation of the area “could add fuel already to a fire.” “So the Israelis, in presumably taking preemptively defensive moves, need to be very careful that they don’t spark a new militancy directed at them,” he saidfortune ox pg 。

‘What the Hell’: Shobhaa De Slams Netflix’s ‘Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairytale’ Documentary, Calls Lady Superstar’s Film ‘Blah’ (Read Post)None

Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Project: Rail Welding Begins On Viaduct In GujaratLebanon's Hezbollah movement are firing heavy rocket barrages at Israel, with Israeli media reporting that a building has been hit near Tel Aviv, after a powerful Israeli air strike killed at least 29 people in Beirut a day earlier. or signup to continue reading Israel also struck Beirut's Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs on Sunday, where intensified bombardment over the last two weeks has coincided with signs of progress in US-led ceasefire talks. Hezbollah, which has previously vowed to respond to attacks on Beirut by targeting Tel Aviv, said it had launched precision missiles at two military sites in Tel Aviv and nearby. Police said there were multiple impact sites in the area of Petah Tikvah, on the eastern side of Tel Aviv, and that several people had minor injuries. Television footage showed an apartment damaged by rocket fire in Petah Tikvah, and video from the medical service MDA showed cars burning. The Israeli military (IDF) said Hezbollah had fired 170 rockets at Israel on Sunday, of which many were intercepted. At least four people had been injured by shrapnel. Video obtained by Reuters showed a projectile exploding as it smashed into the roof of a building in the northern Israeli city of Nahariya. The military warned on social media that it planned to target Hezbollah facilities in southern Beirut before strikes which security sources in Lebanon said demolished two apartment blocks. Afterwards, the IDF said it had hit command centres "deliberately embedded between civilian buildings". On Saturday, it had carried out one of its deadliest and most powerful strikes on the centre of Beirut. Lebanon's health ministry on Sunday raised the death toll from 20 to 29. It said 84 people had been killed in all on Saturday, taking the death toll to 3754 since October 2023. The IDF did not comment on Saturday's strike in the capital or say what it had attacked. Israel went on the offensive against the Iran-backed Hezbollah in September, pounding the south, the Bekaa Valley and Beirut's southern suburbs with air strikes after nearly a year of hostilities ignited by the Gaza war. The Israeli offensive has uprooted more than one million people in Lebanon. Israel says its aim is to secure the return home of tens of thousands of people evacuated from its north due to rocket attacks by Hezbollah, which opened fire in support of Hamas at the start of the Gaza war in October 2023. US mediator Amos Hochstein highlighted progress in negotiations during a visit to Beirut last week, before travelling to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz, and then returning to Washington. European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Sunday said a US ceasefire proposal was awaiting final approval from Israel. "We must pressure the Israeli government and maintain the pressure on Hezbollah to accept the US proposal for a ceasefire," he said in Beirut after meeting Lebanese officials. Israeli media reported that Netanyahu had convened a meeting of his security cabinet for 5pm local time. Diplomacy has focused on restoring a ceasefire based on UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended a 2006 Hezbollah-Israel war. It requires Hezbollah to pull its fighters back around 30 km from the Israeli border, and the Lebanese army to deploy in the buffer zone. The Lebanese army said on Sunday at least one soldier had been killed and 18 more injured in an Israeli strike that caused severe damage at an army centre in Al-Amiriya near the southern city of Tyre. The Israeli military said it regretted and was investigating the incident, and that it was fighting against Hezbollah, not the Lebanese Army. Lebanon's caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, said the attack "represents a direct bloody message rejecting all efforts to reach a ceasefire, strengthen the army's presence in the south, and implement ... 1701". Borrell said the EU was ready to allocate 200 million euros ($A321 million) to support the Lebanese army. Advertisement Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date. We care about the protection of your data. Read our . Advertisement

The undefeated Vernon Panthers will look to ground some northern birds in the semifinals at the 2024 Tsumura Basketball Invitational Girls High School Basketball tournament in the Fraser Valley. The Panthers will face the Duchess Park Condors of Prince George at 4:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13. Dave Tetreault's crew advanced to the Select 16 semifinals by freezing the South Delta Sun Devils 63-54 in a Thursday quarterfinal. The Sun Devils led 14-1 before the Panthers got going, tying the game at the half, then taking their own 13-point lead late in the third quarter. But South Delta clawed back to pull ahead 54-52, only to see the Panthers end the game on an 11-0 run. Paige Leahy led VSS with 19 points, Chloe Collins added 15, and Adie Janke had 14. Collins and Janke nailed key three-point shots in the final quarter for the Cats. The Panthers will next face the smothering defence of the Condors, who defeated Langley's Walnut Grove Gators 88-27 in their quarterfinal. Duchess Park held the Gators to just 11 first-half points. In the Super 16 bracket, the Kelowna Owls were bounced from the championship side, falling 62-56 to Langley's Brookswood Bobcats. The Owls held Grade 10 phee-nom Jordyn Nohn to just 17 points. Nohr erupted for 52 points in the Bobcats' opening round game. Mavleen Chahal led the Owls with 25 points while Ava Thiessen scored all 12 of her points from the three-point line. On the consolation side, the Okanagan Mission Huskies of Kelowna evened their tournament record at 1-1 with a 56-50 win over the Sa-Hali Sabres of Kamloops. The Huskies face the Semiahmoo Thunderbirds of Surrey at 11:45 a.m. The Owls will take on the Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers of Surrey at 4:30 p.m. For schedule and scores, visit www.langleyeventscentre.com/tbi .Banque Cantonale Vaudoise Cuts Stock Holdings in Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ:FITB)

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Article content Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre lashed out at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a day after two separate protests in Montreal became violent Friday night. Trudeau’s hometown was the sight of demonstrations for a second straight day, organized by the groups Divest for Palestine and the Convergence of Anti-Capitalist Struggles. The city is hosting about 300 delegates from NATO members and partner countries over four days, where the discussion is expected to focus on Ukraine, climate change and the alliance’s future. However, the pro-Palestinian and anti-NATO protesters converged and smashed windows, clashed with police and set two vehicles on fire , reports the Montreal Gazette . One person was seen setting fire to an effigy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Three people were arrested, accused of assaulting and obstructing cops. Trudeau said he condemned the violence in a statement released at noon on Saturday. “What we saw on the streets of Montreal last night was appalling. Acts of antisemitism, intimidation, and violence must be condemned wherever we see them,” he wrote. “The RCMP are in communication with local police. There must be consequences, and rioters held accountable.” On social media, critics of Trudeau — including Poilievre — juxtaposed the Prime Minister, who was captured on video dancing at a Taylor Swift concert in Toronto, with images of the violent and antisemitic behaviour in Montreal. “You act surprised. We are reaping what you sowed,” Poilievre began his response to Trudeau in a lengthy post on X. “This is what happens when a Prime Minister spends nine years pushing toxic woke identity politics, dividing and subdividing people by race, gender, vaccine status, religion, region, age, wealth, etc.” Poilievre continued, pointing out how the Prime Minister continues to drive people apart and “systematically break what used to bring us together, saying Canada is a ‘post-national state’ with ‘no core identity.'” “You erased our veterans and military, the Famous Five and even Terry Fox from our passport to replace them with meaningless squirrels, snowflakes and a drawing of yourself swimming as a boy,” Poilievre added. The Opposition Leader then turned to border security and rampant criminality affecting the country. “You opened the borders to terrorists and lawbreakers and called anyone who questioned it racist,” he wrote. “You send out your MPs to say one thing in a mosque and the opposite in a synagogue, one thing in a mandir and the opposite in a gurdwara. “You have made Canada a playground for foreign interference. You allowed Iran’s IRGC terrorists to legally operate here for four years after they murdered 55 of our citizens in a major unprovoked attack. “You passed laws that release rampant offenders from prison within hours of their 80th arrest. “And what is the result? Assassinations on Canadian soil, firebombings of synagogues, extremist violence against mandirs and gurdwaras, over 100 churches burned or vandalized (with barely any condemnation from you), all for a total 251% more hate crime.” All on Trudeau’s watch, he added, before taking a swipe at the PM for having a good time at the Taylor Swift concert on the same day as the riots. “And, while you were dancing, Montreal was burning,” Poilievre wrote. “We won’t let you divide us anymore. Call an election now,” he demanded. “We will fire you and reclaim our citizenship, our values, our lives, our freedom and, most of all, our country.”Mumbai: While the contest was between the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, which together constitute six major parties, in the Maharashtra assembly polls, independent candidates showed their mettle by standing second in 19 constituencies. The Mahayuti swept the polls to the 288-member assembly, with BJP bagging 132 seats while Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena got 57 and 41 went into the kitty of the NCP. The opposition Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) of Sharad Pawar managed to win just 16, 20 and 10 seats, respectively. In Aheri constituency in Gadchiroli district, independent candidate Raje Ambrish Rao Raje Satyavanrao Atram, who had previously won in 2014 as a BJP candidate and was also a minister in the Devendra Fadnavis government, lost to Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP) Atram Dharamraobaba Bhagwantrao by just 16,814 votes. In Airoli constituency in Navi Mumbai, BJP’s Ganesh Naik defeated independent challenger Vijay Chougule by 91,880 votes. However, Chougule managed to race ahead of the contestant from Shiv Sena (UBT). In Amalner (Jalgaon district), independent candidate Shirish Hiralal Chaudhari finished second to NCP’s Anil Bhaidas Patil. He lost the poll by 33,435 votes. Similarly, in Beed’s Ashti constituency, BJP’s Dhas Suresh Ramchandra won by 77,975 votes, while independent candidate Bhimrao Anandrao Dhonde finished second. The Badnera constituency in Amaravati district saw independent candidate Priti Sanjay Band finish runner-up to Ravi Rana of the Rashtriya Yuva Swabhiman Party. Rana was backed by the BJP in Badnera. In Kalyan East, Mahesh Dashrath Gaikwad, an independent candidate, lost narrowly to BJP’s Sulbha Ganpat Gaikwad by 26,408 votes. Sulbha is the wife of BJP MLA Ganpat Gaikwad, who is in jail after firing at Mahesh Gaikwad inside a police station. In Kannad constituency (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district), independent candidate Jadhav Harshwardhan Raibhan was defeated by his estranged wife Ranjanatai (Sanjana) Harshvardhan Jadhav of Shiv Sena by 18,201 votes. In Raigad’s Karjat constituency, independent candidate Sudhakar Parshuram Ghare finished second to Shiv Sena’s Thorve Mahendra Sadashiv by a margin of 5,694 votes. In Solapur district’s Karmala constituency, NCP’s Narayan (Aba) Govindrao Patil won by 16,085 votes against independent candidate Shinde Sanjaymama Vithalrao, while the in Kolhapur North Shiv Sena’s Rajesh Vinayak Kshirsagar defeated Congress-backed independent candidate Rajesh Bharat Latkar by 29,563 votes. In Solapur’s Madha constituency, independent candidate Ranjit Babanrao Shinde lost to NCP’s Abhijeet Dhananjay Patil by 30,621 votes. Malegaon Outer (Nashik) saw a massive 106,606 vote victory for Shiv Sena’s Dadaji Dagdu Bhuse over independent candidate Pramod Bandukaka Purushottam Bachhav. In Maval constituency (Pune district), NCP’s Sunil Shankarrao Shelke defeated independent candidate Anna Alias Bapu Jaywantrao Bhegade by a margin of 108,565 votes. In Nashik’s Nandgaon constituency, independent candidate Bhujbal Sameer, who rebelled against the NCP, lost by 89,874 votes to Shiv Sena’s Suhas Kande. In Nandurbar constituency, independent candidate Sharad Krishnarao Gavit lost to Congress’ Shirishkumar Surupsing Naik by 1,121 votes. Independent candidate Satyajit Vikramsingh Patankar was defeated by Shiv Sena’s Desai Shambhuraj Shivajirao by 34,824 votes in Satara’s Patan constituency. Similarly, in Nagpur’s Ramtek constituency, Congress-backed independent Rajendra Bhurao Mulak lost by 26,555 votes to Shiv Sena’s Ashish Nandkishore Jaiswal. In Washim district’s Risod constituency, independent candidate Anantrao Vitthalrao Deshmukh finished second to Congress’s Ameet Subhashrao Zanak, who won by 6,136 votes. In Dhule’s Shirpur constituency, independent candidate Dr. Jitendra Yuvraj Thakur was defeated by BJP’s Kashiram Vechan Pawara by a massive margin of 1,45,944 votes. This was the highest margin of victory recorded in these elections. In Shrigonda (Ahilyanagar constituency), independent candidate Rahul Jagtap lost to BJP’s Babanrao Pachpute by 37,156 votes. The poll in Warora (Chandrapur district) was also closely contested, with BJP’s Karan Sanjay Deotale emerging victorious over independent candidate Mukesh Manoj Jiwtode by 15,450 votes. Two independent candidates won in the Maharashtra assembly polls, results of which were declared on Saturday. Sharaddada Sonawane emerged victorious from Junnar seat in Pune district, while Shivaji Shattupa Patil won from Changad in Kolhapur. Incidentally, the outgoing assembly had 13 independent MLAs. A total of 4,136 candidates were in the fray for the November 20 Maharashtra assembly elections, of which 2,086 were independents.

The Toronto Blue Jays have pulled off a trade, bringing in a big-time batter for next season. The team is getting Andrés Giménez from the Cleveland Guardians, . The 26-year-old second baseman has put up strong numbers in his MLB career thus far. Giménez has played five seasons for the Guardians and New York Mets. He has a .261 batting average, 505 hits, 49 home runs, 222 RBIs, 251 runs scored, and has won three Gold Glove awards. He was also an All-Star in 2022 when he was just 23 years old, finishing that season with a career-high 17 home runs and 69 RBIs. The Blue Jays are also getting reliever Nick Sandlin but losing infielder Spencer Horwitz, per . Sandlin is 27 years old and pitched 57.2 innings over 68 games with the Guardians last year. Heading the other way, the 27-year-old Horwitz hit 12 home runs with the Blue Jays in 2024 and batted .265. The Venezuelan Giménez has three straight seasons with a Gold Glove award and at least 60 RBIs. He’ll help solidify the middle of the infield and shore up the defence, as the club was 11th in the American League last year in runs-allowed-per-game. The Blue Jays finished last in the AL East this past season and are looking to improve upon that. The trade for Giménez is their second major addition of the day, as . Giménez is under contract through the 2029 MLB season. His salary will be just over $10.5 million this upcoming year before rising to just over $15.5 million in 2026. It will then jump one last time to over $23 million for the next three seasons. His contract also includes a club option for 2030. The Blue Jays do have Will Wagner, who can play second base, so it’s possible they move Giménez to another infield spot, or the two battle it out for the starting position.

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Mayweather attack footage sickens witness

Topline Luigi Mangione—the 26-year-old suspect in last week’s fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson—will plead not guilty to the charges he faces in Pennsylvania, his defense attorney Tom Dickey told reporters Tuesday, adding he expects Mangione to do the same in response to murder and other charges out of New York. Key Facts Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We’re launching text message alerts so you'll always know the biggest stories shaping the day’s headlines. Text “Alerts” to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here . What We Know About Brian Thompson’s Murder Thompson, 50, was the CEO of the health insurance division of the $550 billion UnitedHealth Group and was in New York City on Wednesday for UnitedHealth Group’s investor meeting. He was shot from behind just before 7 a.m. on Dec. 4 outside of the New York Hilton Midtown—where the meeting was being held—and was hit in the back and right calf, after which the suspect fled the area on foot and on an electric bike. A Minnesota resident, Thompson had served as chief executive since April 2021 and had been with UnitedHealth Group since 2004. A video of the shooting showed the suspect walk out behind Thompson—who did not have a security detail—before firing multiple times. Prior to Mangione’s arrest, police said they believed the shooting was “a brazen targeted attack” and searched New York City before saying they believed the suspect had left the city on a bus. Thompson’s wife, Paulette Thompson, told NBC News “there had been some threats,” but didn’t provide details on what the threats were. Thompson had two sons, one who just graduated from high school and one still in high school. Police had been searching for the gunman by utilizing diving teams in Central Park, flying helicopters, searching through security cameras in the area, maintaining drones and using dogs. They released several photos of the suspected shooter since Wednesday. How Was Luigi Mangione Caught? New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Mangione was recognized in a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and was reported to local police, who then found he had “multiple fraudulent IDs,” a U.S. passport, a firearm and suppressor similar to what was used in the murder and a “handwritten document that speaks to both his motivation and mindset.” Officers reportedly asked Mangione if he was in New York recently, which resulted in him becoming quiet and shaking, according to a description of his arrest. Though his face was largely covered in most pictures law enforcement released, officials credited the images that were circulating of Mangion for him eventually being spotted and taken into custody. Pennsylvania State Police released a new photo Tuesday morning of Mangione eating what appears to be a McDonald’s hash brown with his mask down and wearing a beanie and dark coat. They are asking for help and information about Mangione’s “travel and recent whereabouts in Pennsylvania.” A man named Larry who said he was a regular at the McDonald’s told Fox News his friend recognized Mangione and said he “looks like the shooter from New York,” but Larry thought he was kidding—“but then as it turned out, it was him.” What Has Luigi Mangione Been Charged With? He faces second-degree murder , gun and forgery charges in New York state. In New York, first-degree murder charges are reserved for killings with aggravated circumstances, such as those involving police officers, torture or if someone is hired to kill. Mangione was also initially charged in Pennsylvania with forgery, carrying firearms without a license, tampering with records or identification, possessing instruments of a crime and providing false identification to law enforcement. He was ordered in his arraignment Monday night to be held without bail, and has been placed in a single cell at the “maximum custody level,” Maria Bivens, press secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, told CNN . The New York Times reported Tuesday afternoon that Mangione will be moved from a prison in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, to Blair County Prison, where he will wait for his New York arrest warrant to be executed. When Will Luigi Mangione Appear In Court Next? Mangione appeared in court in Pennsylvania shortly after 1:30 p.m. EST on Tuesday for an extradition hearing and said he would be fighting extradition. He was arraigned on the Pennsylvania charges Monday night, and a preliminary hearing in that state is scheduled for Dec. 23. The court docket says he requested a public defender, and the Associated Press reported Thomas Dickey, a local defense lawyer, represented Mangione at his extradition hearing. What’s Known About Luigi Mangione's Alleged Ghost Gun? A description of Mangione’s arrest notes officers found a 3D-printed pistol and 3D-printed silencer in his backpack. The pistol was loaded with a Glock magazine containing six nine-millimeter full metal jacket rounds. A loose nine-millimeter hollow point round was also found in the backpack. Authorities have said the gun and silencer are consistent with the firearm used in the shooting of Thompson. Have Police Named A Motive? Police have not named a formal motive in the killing of Thompson. Officers found three 9mm rounds at the scene and bullet casings had the words “deny,” “defend” and “depose” on them, which echo a phrase commonly used to criticize tactics insurance companies use to reject claims. At Monday’s press conference, Kenny said the three-page handwritten manifesto found on Mangione when he was arrested is in the possession of the Altoona Police Department, but that “it does seem that he has some ill will toward corporate America.” Kenny also said there were no other “specific threats” to people in the document. Citing an unnamed law enforcement official, the Associated Press reported that in the document mentioned Mangione admitted to working alone, stating: “To the Feds, I’ll keep this short, because I do respect what you do for our country. To save you a lengthy investigation, I state plainly that I wasn’t working with anyone.” The note added, “I do apologize for any strife or traumas but it had to be done. Frankly, these parasites simply had it coming.” Was Luigi Mangione Reported Missing? Mangione’s mother, Kathleen Mangione, reported him missing to the San Francisco police last month. According to the San Francisco Standard, the missing person report was filed on Nov. 18 although it is unclear if Mangione was supposed to be present in the city when his mother filed the report. Although he was born and raised in Maryland, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said he has “ties to San Francisco” and most recently resided in Honolulu. What Do We Know About Luigi Mangione’s Life At Penn? Mangione graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2020 with bachelor's and master's degrees in computer and information science, according to social media accounts appearing to belong to him and the university’s alumni database. The Daily Pennsylvanian—Penn’s student newspaper— reported that Mangione founded the school’s Game Research and Development Environment club and that he was inducted into the Eta Kappa Nu honor society for excellence in electrical and computer engineering before graduating in 2020. A post on an Instagram account seeming to belong to him as well shows him affiliated with the fraternity Phi Kappa Psi. What Do We Know About Luigi Mangione’s Time At The Gilman School? Mangione attended the prestigious, all-boys K-12 Gilman School in Baltimore, Maryland, and graduated in 2016 as the valedictorian. The New York Times reported his valedictorian speech described his class as “coming up with new ideas and challenging the world around it.” Mangione reportedly wrestled and played soccer while he was a student there and was captain of the school’s robotics team. A number of Mangione’s former classmates from the Gilman School told CBS News he was a “nice” kid, and one former classmate told The New York Times Mangione was “a big believer in the power of technology to change the world.” The Gilman School lists its tuition for 2024-25 high school students as $37,690 and describes its mission as working to “unlock the greatness within each boy by educating the entire boy — mind, body, and spirit.” What Do We Know About Luigi Mangione’s Time In Hawaii? In Honolulu, where police said Mangione’s last known address was, he was a member of a co-working space called Hub Coworking Hawaii, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported . Mangione would reportedly come and work at the location with his roommates from a nearby co-living space called Surfbreak. On its website, Surfbreak describes itself as a “co-living and co-working community for digital nomads and remote workers.” Surfbreak founder and CEO R.J. Martin expressed shock about Mangione’s arrest and told the Honolulu Civil Beat , “I loved this guy...In some ways I feel like my members are my kids.” According to the report, other residents of the co-living space described Mangione as a “natural leader” and said he helped found a book club in the community. Martin and another resident told the outlet that they had suggested the book club should read “Industrial Society and Its Future”—a book written by Unabomber Ted Kaczynski —as “a joke.” What Did Mangione Say About The Unabomber’s Book? A Goodreads account seeming to belong to Mangione gave the book a four-star review in January. The review written by the account—which was made private on Monday—said “It's easy to quickly and thoughtless write this off as the manifesto of a lunatic, in order to avoid facing some of the uncomfortable problems it identifies. But it's simply impossible to ignore how prescient many of his predictions about modern society turned out.” The review also quoted another person’s take about how “violence is necessary to survive.” The New York Times reported Tuesday that Mangione told a writer in England, Gurwinder Bhogal, he disapproved of the Unabomber’s actions, but Bhogal said Mangione “was fascinated by [the Unabomber’s] ideology, and shared his concerns about rampant consumerism gradually eroding our agency and alienating us from ourselves.” Are Mangione’s Social Media Accounts Still Up? Shortly after his arrest, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X and Goodreads accounts that may have belonged to him were discovered. He also appeared to be active on Reddit, writing about back pain issues, Forbes reported . Nearly all social media accounts with reported ties to Mangione had been switched to private or taken down by platforms—with one notable exception. Mangione’s account on X, formerly known as Twitter, was briefly taken down Monday evening, but X owner Elon Musk said it was done “without his knowledge” and he was looking into it. Shortly after, the account was reinstated. Mangione’s X account—which has a cover photo featuring an apparent spinal injury—had more than 300,000 followers as of Tuesday morning. Did Luigi Mangione Have A Youtube Account? A YouTube account with Mangione’s name posted a video Monday that said “If you see this, I’m already under arrest” and had a countdown that ended by hinting at more information or videos to be released Wednesday. YouTube confirmed to Forbes the page was not associated with Mangione, though, saying “the channel’s metadata was updated following widespread reporting of Luigi Mangione’s arrest, including updates made to the channel name and handle.” YouTube added it terminated three other accounts that were linked to Mangione, but said they hadn’t been active in more than seven months. What Do We Know About Mangione’s Health Issues? Mangione’s friends in Hawaii told various news outlets that he was suffering from a serious back problem that caused him significant pain. Mangione left Hawaii to get back surgery last year and then returned to Honolulu to rent an apartment. Surfbreak’s Martin told The New York Times that Mangione said his spine was misaligned and “said his lower vertebrae were almost like a half-inch off, and I think it pinched a nerve.” Martin added that Mangione had confided to him about not being able to date people because of his back problem as “being physically intimate with his back condition wasn’t possible.” Martin told the Times he texted Mangione after his surgery asking how it had gone and got the response “long story” without further details. Although the two had promised to catch up over the phone later, Mangione eventually went “ radio silent. ” An account on Reddit that is believed to have belonged to Mangione was active in the subreddit “r/spondylolisthesis,” where people discussed the condition in which vertebrae in the spine slip out of place. “When my spondy went bad on me last year (23M) it was completely devastating as a young athletic person,” the alleged Mangione account wrote, Forbes reported. What Is Known About The Mangione Family? The Baltimore Banner reported Mangione comes “from a prominent Baltimore family.” According to the Banner, his grandfather was a self-made real estate developer who owned country clubs, nursing homes and a radio station, and that his grandmother was “a supporter of the Greater Baltimore Medical Center” and the Baltimore Opera Company. The Mangione family has owned Hayfields Country Club in Hunt Valley, Maryland—northwest of the city of Baltimore—since 1986, according to the Banner. Who Is Nino Mangione? Luigi Mangione is related to Nino Mangione , a Republican representative in the Maryland House of Delegates, The Baltimore Sun reported Monday. The Sun reported the two are cousins who are friends on social media. Forbes has reached out to Mangione for comment. A statement issued on his social media accounts on behalf of the Mangione family said they could not comment on the news reports. “We only know what we have read in the media. Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest. We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved.” Further ReadingThe legacy of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, one of Nigeria’s most revered political and intellectual figures, continues to shape the nation’s landscape, even decades after his passing. A nationalist, federalist, and visionary, Awolowo played a critical role in Nigeria’s political and constitutional development. His ideals, which centred around unity, democracy, and social justice, have left an indelible mark on the fabric of Nigerian society. Chief Awolowo’s commitment to education, self-reliance, and equitable development laid the groundwork for many of the nation’s institutions. His role in promoting federalism, fighting for the rights of the marginalized, and advocating for inclusive governance resonates in Nigeria’s modern-day political struggles up until today. Many Nigerians, both within and outside of politics, strive to uphold these ideals and carry forward his ideals of cultural renaissance and social justice, advocating for a stronger and more united Nigeria. But beyond the broad scope of these influential figures, one person stands at the forefront of ensuring that Chief Awolowo’s legacy remains alive, relevant, and impactful: Dr. Tokunbo Awolowo Dosumu, the sage’s last-born child. Dr. Tokunbo Awolowo Dosumu, the Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Obafemi Awolowo Foundation, is a steadfast champion of her father’s vision. She has become the driving force in preserving and expanding his legacy, ensuring it continues to influence the national conversation. Her work within the Foundation, alongside her other leadership roles, embodies the ideals her father fought for—integrity, education, good governance, and national development. A former Ambassador to the Netherlands and an active participant in Nigeria’s political discourse, Tokunbo has been an advocate for national development and women’s empowerment. She is carrying her father’s vision forward by playing significant roles in various strategic positions, such as her tenure as the Chairman of the Governing Council of Lagos University Teaching Hospital and as a delegate at the 2014 National Constitutional Conference. In these roles, she advocated for a political restructuring that would ensure a more inclusive and equitable Nigeria, something that mirrors her father’s lifelong efforts to ensure the prosperity and unity of the nation. Tokunbo is a key figure behind the Obafemi Awolowo Prize for Leadership. This biennial award recognizes individuals who demonstrate excellence in leadership and good governance, qualities that Awolowo himself epitomized. Through this award, she continues to spotlight global leaders who reflect the values of her father, ensuring that his ideals remain integral to the nation’s political and social ethos. Her upcoming webinar, “Building a Viable Society in Challenging Times: The Critical Role of Women,” reflects her ongoing mission to empower women and raise their voices in the struggle for national development, while remaining a true Ambassador of her father’s vision. Like the Sage himself, Tokunbo has an unyielding commitment to the progress of Nigeria, its people, and its future. She is the bridge between the ideals of the past and the aspirations of the present, ensuring that the values Chief Obafemi Awolowo fought for continue to thrive in a modern world. Through the Obafemi Awolowo Foundation, she upholds her father’s commitment to nation-building in ways that resonate with the challenges and opportunities of today. As the Chairman of African Newspapers of Nigeria, publishers of the iconic Nigerian Tribune titles, Tokunbo continues to provide a platform for meaningful discourse on governance, leadership, and the future of the nation. The forthcoming webinar, “Building a Viable Society in Challenging Times: The Critical Role of Women,” promises to be a remarkable convergence of influential voices committed to national progress. Hosted by the Obafemi Awolowo Foundation under the visionary leadership of Dr. Tokunbo Awolowo Dosumu, this event continues the legacy of Chief Obafemi Awolowo by fostering meaningful conversations around governance, leadership, and inclusivity. Among the distinguished dignitaries set to participate are the Chairman, The Vice President of Nigeria. His Excellency Kashim Shettima; the Distinguished Guest, Governor of Lagos State. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; and the Keynote Speaker, Her Excellency Dr. Amina Mohammed, whose tireless advocacy for sustainable development and women’s empowerment has earned global recognition. ALSO READ TOP STORIES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE Get real-time news updates from Tribune Online! Follow us on WhatsApp for breaking news, exclusive stories and interviews, and much more. Join our WhatsApp Channel now

Cent. Arkansas 92, UNC-Asheville 83, 2OTNEW YORK — Eager to preserve President-elect Donald Trump's hush money conviction even as he returns to office, prosecutors suggested various ways forward — including one based on how some courts handle criminal cases when defendants die. In court papers made public Tuesday, the Manhattan district attorney's office proposed an array of options for keeping the historic conviction on the books. The proposals include freezing the case until Trump is out of office, or agreeing that any future sentence wouldn't include jail time. Another idea: closing the case with a notation that acknowledges his conviction but says that he was never sentenced and his appeal wasn't resolved because of presidential immunity. Former President Donald Trump appears in Manhattan criminal court May 30 during jury deliberations in his criminal hush money trial in New York. The last is adopted from what some states do when a criminal defendant dies after being convicted but before appeals are exhausted. It is unclear whether that option is viable under New York law, but prosecutors suggested that Judge Juan M. Merchan could innovate in what's already a unique case. "This remedy would prevent defendant from being burdened during his presidency by an ongoing criminal proceeding," prosecutors wrote. But at the same time, it wouldn't "precipitously discard" the "meaningful fact that defendant was indicted and found guilty by a jury of his peers." Expanding on a position they laid out last month, prosecutors acknowledged that "presidential immunity requires accommodation during a president's time in office," but they were adamant that the conviction should stand. They argued that Trump's impending return to the White House should not upend a jury's finding. Trump wants the case to be thrown out in light of his election. His communications director, Steven Cheung, called prosecutors' filing "a pathetic attempt to salvage the remains of an unconstitutional and politically motivated hoax." Trump has fought for months to reverse his conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records. Prosecutors said he fudged the documents to conceal a $130,000 payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels to suppress her claim that they had sex a decade earlier. Former President Donald Trump returns to the courtroom May 30 at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York. He claims they didn’t and denies wrongdoing. Trump portrays the case as a political attack ginned up by District Attorney Alvin Bragg and other Democrats. Trump's legal team argues that letting the case continue would present unconstitutional "disruptions" to his upcoming presidential term. Trump's attorneys also cited President Joe Biden's recent pardon of his son Hunter Biden, who was convicted of tax and gun charges. Biden complained that his son was unfairly prosecuted for political reasons — and Trump's lawyers say he was, too. Trump's lawyers argued that the possibility of a jail sentence — even if it's after he leaves office — would affect his presidency. Prosecutors suggested Merchan could address that concern by agreeing not to put him behind bars. It's unclear how soon Merchan could decide what to do next with the case. He could grant Trump's request for dismissal, go with one of the suggestions from prosecutors, wait until a federal appeals court rules on Trump's parallel effort to get the case moved out of state court, or choose some other option. Trump, a Republican, takes office Jan. 20. Former President Donald Trump gestures May 31 as he leaves a news conference at Trump Tower in New York. He was scheduled for sentencing late last month. After Trump's Nov. 5 election win, Merchan halted proceedings and indefinitely postponed the former and future president's sentencing so the defense and prosecution could weigh in on the future of the case. Merchan also delayed a decision on Trump's prior bid to dismiss the case on immunity grounds. A dismissal would erase Trump's conviction, sparing him the cloud of a criminal record and possible prison sentence. Trump is the first former president to be convicted of a crime and the first convicted criminal to be elected to the office. The hush money case was the only one of Trump's four criminal indictments to go to trial. Since the election, special counsel Jack Smith ended his two federal cases, which pertained to Trump's efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss and allegations that he hoarded classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate. A separate state election interference case in Fulton County, Georgia, is largely on hold. Trump denies wrongdoing in each case. Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email.EAGLE-EYED fans spotted Ruben Amorim's ice cold reaction to Marcus Rashford's goal against Ipswich Town. The Manchester United forward netted 81 seconds into Amorim's reign as manager . Rashford , 27, tapped home after he was found by Amad Diallo 's cross to give the Red Devils a dream start under their new manager. While the players were overjoyed in celebrations of the goal, Amorim had a different reaction. The manager was caught on camera having a very muted reaction to taking the early lead. And fans have hailed the former Sporting boss' ice-cold demeanour on social media. READ MORE ON MAN UTD One posted: "No celebration from Amorim, so cold." A second commented: "Amorim’s reaction to the goal omg he’s so cold." A third wrote: "Ice cold Amorim." A fourth said: "No reaction from Amorim. My manager is cold as ice." Most read in Football CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS A fifth declared: "Amorim doesn’t celebrate goals - man is too cold!" Another added: "Amorim is so cold, man didn’t even celebrate." Despite the early positivity from Man United the match was not a total dream start. Ipswich town grew into the game and looked the better side after the first 45 minutes. Liam Delap was denied an equaliser by a brilliant save from Andre Onana in the 40th minute. Omari Hutchinson then fired the Tractor Boys level with a curling effort into the top corner after a deflection. The officials were also disrupted during the game as VAR went down due to a fire alarm at Stockley Park . RUBEN AMORIM has ruled out poaching any of his Sporting Lisbon players in the January transfer window. But the Portuguese side's chiefs expect Amorim will come calling in the summer - with his cheque book wide open. Here's are three Sporting starts United could swoop for... but they won't come cheap: VIKTOR GYOKERES Age: 26 Position: Striker Cost: £84million Swede has shone since joining Sporting last summer from Coventry — catching the eye of all Europe’s top clubs. Hit 43 goals in 50 games last season and boasts 18 strikes already this term. GONCALO INACIO Age: 23 Position: Defender Cost: £50million Ball-playing centre-back was handed his debut by Amorim and has since become a key figure in Sporting’s recent title successes. Can also slot in at left-back if required and has 12 caps for Portugal. MORTEN HJULMAND Age: 25 Position: Midfield Cost: £40million Dane is one of the top holding midfielders in Portugal — and made skipper by Amorim. He could be the man to replace Casemiro.

Potter's House founder T.D. Jakes has ‘slight health incident' during service

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Joel Embiid sounded off after details from the 76ers’ lengthy team meeting Monday night — including that teammate Tyrese Maxey called out the 2023 NBA Most Valuable Player for tardiness — surfaced through multiple reports citing anonymous sources, saying “whoever leaked that is a real piece of [expletive].” “We talked about a lot of things [during the meeting],” Embiid said Wednesday after the Sixers’ 117-111 loss to the Grizzlies. “I don’t want to get into the details, but that whole thing [with Maxey] probably took 30 seconds. But then again, it’s Joel Embiid, so we’ve got to make everything blown out of proportion. “It’s whatever. I’ll take it all. I’m the reason for everything, so I’ll take the blame for everything.” Embiid’s answer was triggered by a question about why his relationship with Maxey — which has developed into a well-known close friendship during their four-plus seasons as teammates — is strong enough to have those difficult, candid conversations. For Wednesday’s game in Memphis, Embiid and Maxey were situated in the same corner of the visitors’ locker room, and spent the bulk of the postgame period open to the media chatting with no noticeable tension. Even in the immediate aftermath of Monday’s meeting, which followed the Sixers’ loss at the Miami Heat, Embiid walked over to Maxey for a quick talk during the period when reporters were present. “That’s the relationship we have — nothing malicious,” Embiid said. “I like when people are telling me what I’m not doing good, what I need to do better. Even though that part [the tardiness] maybe happened once or twice, when I wasn’t playing. ... “So I need to be better. I need to be perfect. I need to be on point, which I’m going to do. Which I’ve always done.” It was the second time in recent weeks that Embiid publicly expressed his displeasure about coverage of him or the Sixers, who on Wednesday dropped to 2-12 during a dreadful start to a season that opened with championship aspirations. After not holding a media session for more than a month while dealing with a knee condition stemming from meniscus surgery last February, Embiid said “I’ve done way too much for this [expletive] city” in firing back at outside criticism for missing the start of the season. Following a Nov. 2 game home game against the Grizzlies, Embiid shoved a Philadelphia Inquirer columnist during a locker-room altercation, which resulted in a three-game suspension by the NBA. “It’s kind of annoying having to deal with the same things over and over and over,” Embiid said Wednesday. “It’s been like that my whole career. All I try to do is focus on basketball, and trying to make the best living for my family, on and off the court. “But it’s unbelievable. It just feels like negativity keeps following us, which I don’t understand why. But it is a shame, but it doesn’t change the fact that we’ve still all got to be better.” Embiid’s comments Wednesday occurred after his best game of the season, as he finished with 35 points and 11 rebounds in 35 minutes. It was supposed to be the Sixers’ first game that their three All-Stars — Embiid, Maxey, and newcomer Paul George — played together, but George left early in the third quarter after hyperextending his left knee. “We talked about a bunch of stuff [in the meeting],” Embiid said. “At times, we executed what we talked about, and at times, we didn’t. Right now, we don’t have a lot of margin for error, so we need to be perfect in everything we do on both ends of the floor.” ©2024 The Philadelphia Inquirer. Visit inquirer.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

NoneCaley Thistle’s Remi Savage reveals how administration has brought the club’s players closer togetherIsrael said Tuesday it had bombed more than 350 military sites in Syria during the previous 48 hours, targeting “most of the strategic weapons stockpiles” in the country. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the wave of airstrikes in neighboring Syria was necessary to keep the weapons from being used against Israel following the Syrian government’s stunning collapse . Israel also acknowledged its troops were pushing into a border buffer zone inside Syria, which was established after the 1973 Mideast war. However, Israel denied its forces were advancing Tuesday toward the Syrian capital of Damascus. Life in the capital was slowly returning to normal after jihadi-led Syrian insurgents ousted President Bashar Assad over the weekend. People celebrated for a third day in a main square, and shops and banks reopened. The United States said Tuesday it would recognize and support a new Syrian government that renounces terrorism, destroys chemical weapons stocks and protects the rights of minorities and women. Syria's nearly 14-year civil war killed nearly half a million people and displaced half of the country’s prewar population of 23 million, becoming a proxy battlefield for regional and international powers. Here's the Latest: BEIRUT — Insurgents who overthrew the Syrian government now say they have wrested control of the eastern city of Deir el-Zour after intense battles with a Kurdish-led, U.S.-backed force. Syria’s rebel military command announced Tuesday evening that they had completely captured the city of Deir el-Zour. A member of the jihadi group Hayat al-Tahrir, which leads the insurgent alliance, said in a recorded video that the group would soon conduct a thorough sweep of the city’s neighborhoods to secure the area, adding that the strategic nearby town of Boukamal has also fallen to opposition forces. “We will advance toward Raqqa and Hasakah and other areas in eastern Syria,” the HTS fighters said. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces had only held the city for a few days. The SDF said it deployed to Deir el-Zour and west of the Euphrates River on Friday, replacing Syrian government forces. At the time, the SDF said its fighters were not in control of the Boukamal border crossing with Iraq. Earlier Tuesday, the top U.S. military commander for the Middle East was in eastern Syria for meetings with the SDF. It wasn’t clear if he met with SDF leader Mazloum Abdi. BEIRUT — Syria’s transitional government will made up of members from the rebel-led administration that ruled an insurgent stronghold in the country's northwest, the new prime minister said Tuesday, who called the task “a great challenge.” The caretaker Syrian government, which will oversee the country’s affairs until March, held its first meeting Tuesday since overthrowing former President Bashar Assad. It was attended by the departing Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi Jalali and other ministers along with new Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir. He had led the so-called “salvation government” in areas controlled by rebel groups — led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS — that have taken control of much of the country. “We were tasked by the general command with managing the affairs of the Syrian government during a transitional period,” Bashir said in a statement following the meeting in Damascus. He added that he hopes ministers in the former Syrian government will assist the new government during this transitional period. “The caretaker government was formed from a number of ministers of the revolutionary government, which is the Syrian Salvation Government, and this government is a temporary caretaker government that will last until March 2025, until the constitutional issues are resolved,” Bashir said. The insurgent alliance is led by a former senior al-Qaida militant , Abu Mohammed al-Golani, who cut ties with the extremist group years ago and has promised representative government and religious tolerance. SAYDNAYA, Syria — Tens of thousands came to Saydnaya Prison from all over Syria after the fall of former President Bashar Assad to search for their loved ones. The place so notorious for its horrors was long known as “the slaughterhouse.” For the past two days, all have been looking for signs of loved ones who disappeared years or even decades ago into the secretive, sprawling prison just outside Damascus. But hope gave way to despair Monday. People opened the heavy iron doors lining the hallways to find cells inside empty. With sledgehammers, shovels and drills, men pounded holes in floors and walls, looking for what they believed were secret dungeons, or chasing sounds they thought they heard from underground. They found nothing. Insurgents freed dozens of people from the Saydnaya military prison on Sunday when Damascus fell. Since then, almost no one has been found. “Where is everyone? Where are everyone’s children? Where are they?” said Ghada Assad, breaking down in tears. An estimated 150,000 people were detained or went missing in Syria since 2011 — and tens of thousands of them are believed to have gone through Saydnaya. WASHINGTON — The top U.S. military commander for the Middle East was on the ground in Syria on Tuesday, meeting with a Kurish-led, U.S.-allied force at several bases in the country's east, U.S. Central Command said. Army Gen. Erik Kurilla visited with U.S. military commanders and troops as well as the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. It wasn’t clear if he met with SDF leader Mazloum Abdi, and U.S. Central Command did not respond to a request for details about his visit or with whom he met. U.S. officials said they did not know what his message to the SDF was. The U.S has about 900 troops in Syria, including forces working with Kurdish allies in the northeast to prevent any resurgence of the Islamic State group. In a press release, Central Command said Kurilla received an “assessment of force protection measures, the rapidly evolving situation, and ongoing efforts to prevent ISIS from exploiting the current situation.” Kurilla then went on to Iraq where he met with leaders in Baghdad. UNITED NATIONS – The United Nations says it still getting reports about the looting of warehouses with humanitarian aid in a number of areas in Syria, including around the capital Damascus. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters Tuesday that U.N. agencies and their partners are working to identify the extent of looting at the warehouses, including those of U.N. agencies and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. Dujarric said U.N. aid officials report that “the humanitarian situation remains volatile across Syria, with reports of people continuing to be displaced.” Humanitarian officials reported that 25 trucks carrying U.N. aid crossed from Turkey to northwest Syria, which the situation is now relatively calm, the U.N. spokesman said. All 11 receptions opened in Idlib in the northwest to host newly displaced families were empty as of Monday, Dujarric said. In the northeast, he said, authorities report that as of Tuesday 100,000 people have been displaced due to fighting in Tal Rifaat and other parts of Aleppo governorate. Dujarric said the U.N.’s partners report that “reception centers in Tabqa and Raqqa have reached full capacity, and more than 200 sites – including municipal buildings, schools, mosques, and stadiums – are being used to accommodate newly displaced people.” BEIRUT — The Lebanese army said Tuesday that “unidentified gunmen” crossed the border from Syria into eastern Lebanon's Bekaa province and approached a Lebanese border post. In a statement, the army said the gunmen fired into the air and seized equipment from an evacuated Syrian army post in the outskirts of Kfar Fouq, near Rashaya al-Wadi, in the western part of Bekaa province. Lebanese army personnel responded with warning shots, forcing the group to retreat back into Syrian territory. The Lebanese army did not report any injuries or provide further details about the identity of the gunmen. WASHINGTON — Yemen’s Houthi rebels launched multiple drones and a missile at three commercial ships being escorted in the Gulf of Aden by U.S. Navy ships, a U.S. official said Tuesday. There was no damage and no injuries. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations, said U.S. Navy destroyers, and Navy helicopter and a French Air Force aircraft shot down four of the drones and the missile. The three U.S. affiliated flagged ships were sailing east toward Djibouti. The Iran-backed Houthis have targeted shipping through the key waterway for more than a year, attacks they say are meant to force an end to Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. JERUSALEM — Israel’s military said it bombed more than 350 sites in Syria during the previous 48 hours, targeting “most of the strategic weapons stockpiles” in the country. There is concern that, with the sudden collapse of the Syrian government, weapons stockpiles could be seized by jihadi militants. Warplanes hit what Israel said were Syrian air defense systems, military airfields, missile depots, and dozens of weapons production sites in the cities of Damascus, Homs, Tartus, Latakia, and Palmyra, the Israeli army statement said. In naval operations overnight Monday, Israeli missile ships struck two Syrian navy facilities simultaneously — Al-Bayda port and Latakia port — where the army said 15 Syrian naval vessels were docked. Israeli did not specify how many Syrian naval vessels were hit. The private security firm Ambrey said it had seen evidence that at least six Soviet-era Syrian navy missile ships were hit. Israeli officials said earlier that Israel also targeted alleged chemical weapons sites. JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed Tuesday that his country’s military launched a wave of airstrikes across Syria to destroy the toppled government’s leftover “military capabilities,” and said Israel wants relations with the new government emerging Syria. Hours after Israeli warplanes pounded Syria, Netanyahu said Israeli doesn’t want to meddle in Syria’s internal affairs, but would take necessary steps to protect Israel's security and prevent jihadi militants from seizing the Syrian army assets. He warned that if the new Syrian government “allows Iran to re-establish itself in Syria or allows the transfer of Iranian weapons or any other weapons to Hezbollah, or attacks us -- we will respond forcefully and we will exact a heavy price from it.” He spoke in a video statement recorded at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, after his first day of testimony in his corruption trial. DAMASCUS, Syria — In Umayyad Square in Damascus, Syrians celebrated the fall of President Bashar Assad for the third day on Tuesday despite Israeli airstrikes across the country. Insurgents who recently took control of the capital city tried to impose a new rule banning the celebratory gunfire. There were a few violators, and much less deafening gunfire. Protesters climbed the square's central monument to wave the Syrian revolutionary flag. On the ground, crowds chanted: “Out with Bashar! Out with Bashar!” Assad fled to Russia over the weekend after a lightning rebel offensive toppled his brutal police state. Demonstrators from different provinces marched in the square in groups, celebrating Assad's fall. Men on motorcycles and horses paraded into the square. One woman from Idlib province shouted that the Israeli strikes ruined the joy of ousting Assad. “Why are you striking us? We just deposed a tyrant,” she said. “Give us peace. Leave us alone,” said Ahmed Jreida, 22, a dentist student, when asked about the Israeli airstrikes. Hamzeh Hamada, 22, said this was the first time he had gone out to a demonstration. “We want the country to get better, to live in dignity and be like other countries that respect citizens’ rights and where there are no bribes,” he said. “We have suffered a lot from bribes. ... We had to bribe people for very minor things; things that should be our right.” Abdul-Jalil Diab was taking a stroll with his brothers in another square in western Damascus. He said he came back from Jordan the day Damascus fell. He was there studying German to prepare to move to Germany and said he is now reconsidering his plans. He was ecstatic, saying words can’t describe how he feels. “We are happy to get rid of the corrupt regime that was based on bribes. The whole country feels better. Everyone is happy and celebrating,” Abdul-Jalil Diab said. QAMISHLI, Syria — Residents of northeast Syria in the area around Qamishli airport said Tuesday they heard explosions overnight after an airstrike hit trucks loaded with rockets and ammunition that were heading to a military base in Tartab. “We don’t know the story. It was only in the morning when we realized they are trucks loaded with ammunition, leftovers of the former army, the regime,” said Ibrahim al-Thalaj, who lives near the base. He said residents assumed that the strikes were Israeli. Israel has carried out a heavy wave of airstrikes across Syria targeting military infrastructure after Syrian insurgents toppled the government of Bashar Assad. However, Turkish security officials said Tuesday that the strike in Qamishli was carried out by Turkey, targeting weapons and ammunition that were abandoned by the Syrian army and seized by Syrian Kurdish militants. The explosions lasted for over 20 minutes after the strike, and many houses in the surrounding area were damaged as a result, residents of the area said. “We just felt a strike hitting. It hit the first one (truck) and we saw the other trucks retreating back, and from there rockets and shells started flying over,” said Hamid al-Asaad, an eyewitness from Qub al-Zeki village in Qamishli. “We were sitting when these explosions started to hit the house,” said Mahmoud Hamza of Tartab. “It was hitting randomly and we didn’t know where it was coming from. ... Once we got out of our house, a rocket hit the house.” There were no details released by the local Kurdish administration regarding the explosions, but members of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces blocked the road to the base. BRUSSELS — The European Union’s top diplomat is concerned that Syria might violently fall apart like neighboring Iraq, or Libya and Afghanistan if its territorial integrity and the rights of minorities are not protected. “The transition will present huge challenges in Syria and in the region,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told European lawmakers on Tuesday during a special hearing. “There are legitimate concerns about the risks of sectarian violence, extremist resurgence and the governance vacuum, all of which must be averted. We must avoid a repeat of the horrific scenarios of Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan,” she said. “The rights of all Syrians, including those of many minority groups, must be protected,” she said. “It is crucial to preserve the territorial integrity of Syria, and to respect its independence, its sovereignty, as well as the state institutions.” Kallas also said the collapse of the government has shown that Assad’s backers in Russia and Iran “could neither afford to do it any longer, nor had any interest of being present in the aftermath.” “They are weakened, distracted and overstretched in other theaters in the broader Middle East, but also in Ukraine,” she said. ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s intelligence agency, MIT, has attacked a convoy of trucks that was allegedly carrying missiles, heavy weapons and ammunition that were abandoned by the Syrian government and reportedly seized by Syrian Kurdish militias, Turkish security officials said Tuesday. The officials said 12 trucks, two tanks and two ammunition depots were “destroyed” in aerial strikes in the city of Qamishli, near the border with Turkey in northeast Syria. The officials provided the information on condition of anonymity in line with Turkish regulations. They did not say when the attack occurred. The officials said the intelligence agency detected that weapons left by the Syrian government forces were being moved to warehouses belonging to the Syrian Kurdish People’s Defense Units, or YPG. Turkey views the group as a terrorist organization because of its links to the banned Kurdish militants that have led a decadeslong insurgency in Turkey. According to the officials, he group was allegedly planning to use the equipment and supplies against Turkish security forces. By Suzan Fraser WASHINGTON — The White House is signaling its approval of Israel’s strikes against Syrian military and alleged chemical weapons targets and the seizure of a buffer zone in the Syrian Golan Heights after the fall of the Assad government. “These are exigent operations to eliminate what they believe are imminent threats to their national security,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday, saying the U.S. would leave it up to the Israelis to discuss details of their operations. “They have as always the right to defend themselves,” Kirby said. He declined to detail and U.S. intelligence cooperation with the Israelis that went into the strikes. Kirby said the White House was reasserting its support of the 1974 Golan Heights disengagement agreement, but didn’t criticize the Israeli seizure of the demilitarized zone. Israel has a long history of seizing territory during wars with its neighbors and occupying it indefinitely , citing security concerns. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it in a move not recognized internationally, except by the United States. WASHINGTON — The Biden administration says it will recognize and support a new Syrian government that renounces terrorism, destroys chemical weapons stocks and protects the rights of minorities and women. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement Tuesday that the U.S. would work with groups in Syria and regional partners to ensure that the transition from President Bashar Assad’s deposed government runs smoothly. He was not specific about which groups the U.S. would work with. Blinken says Syrians should decide their future and that other countries should “support an inclusive and transparent process” and not interfere. “The United States will recognize and fully support a future Syria government that results from this process,” he said. “We stand prepared to lend all appropriate support to all of Syria’s diverse communities and constituencies.” DAMASCUS, Syria — Jihad Mustafa Shibani was taking his new motorcycle for a spin with a friend around the house of the deposed Syrian president in western Damascus on Tuesday. Shibani was released from prison a week before the capital Damascus fell, after he served two years on charges of buying his motorcycle using foreign currency on accusations he was dealing in dollars. He was tortured for 15 days and and given a quick trial where he was sentenced for two years, he said. He was released the day Aleppo fell to the insurgents. “Everything was banned in Syria. The (Assad loyalists) only could use it,” Shibani said. He said he has never been to this neighborhood, because it was taken over by Assad, his family and supporters. “For 50 years, my family’s house is near here, and we don’t know anything about it. ... The Syrian people had been oppressed, you can’t imagine.” Shibani said he has no fear of the rebel newcomers who have taken control of the country. “We are not afraid. There can be no one more unjust than Bashar. Impossible.” BEIRUT — Lebanon’s prime minister is in contact with security and judicial officials to follow up on reports that senior members of President Bashar Assad’s government have fled to Lebanon. Najib Mikati’s office quoted him as saying that Lebanon abides by international laws regarding people who cross its borders. Rami Abdurrahman of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said that several top security officials have entered Lebanon over the past two days. Abdurrahman added that Syria’s former intelligence chief Ali Mamlouk, who is wanted in Lebanon over two bombings in 2012 in the northern city of Tripoli that killed dozens, was allegedly brought to Lebanon by the Hezbollah militant group and was staying in a southern suburb of Beirut where the group has deep support. Lebanon’s Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi, whose ministry is in charge of border crossings, told reporters Tuesday that no person who is wanted in Lebanon entered the country through legal border crossings. There are dozens of illegal border crossings between Lebanon and Syria where people are usually smuggled in and out of Lebanon, but it was not possible to independently confirm whether Mamlouk had entered Lebanon. GENEVA — The United Nations says humanitarian operations in two major areas in northwestern Syria have resumed, deploying food, medical supplies, fuel and other needed services and supplies. Spokesman Jens Laerke of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that some health facilities were “overwhelmed” – in part due to staff shortages – and many border crossings have been closed, disrupting supply chains. OCHA said humanitarian operations in some parts of northwestern Syria were put on hold in the early days of the recent escalation, and resumed on Monday. “As of yesterday, all humanitarian organizations in Idlib and northern Aleppo have resumed operations,” Laerke told reporters at a U.N. briefing in Geneva. He said the three border crossings from Turkey used by the U.N. to deliver assistance into Syria remain open and “we are providing assistance in the northwest, including to those who have been newly displaced.” Even before the latest escalation, which led President Bashar Assad to flee the country, nearly 17 million people in Syria needed humanitarian assistance. More than 1 million have been displaced across Idlib, Aleppo, Hama and Homs since the escalation. JERUSALEM — Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday that Israel's military destroyed Syria’s fleet overnight and intends to establish a demilitarized zone “in southern Syria” to prevent attacks on Israel. He also issued a warning to Syria’s rebels, saying that “whoever follows Assad’s path will end up like Assad — we will not allow an extremist Islamic terrorist entity to act against Israel across its border while putting its citizens at risk.” Speaking at a naval base in Haifa, Katz said the Israeli navy “operated last night to destroy the Syrian fleet and with great success.” Video showing the smoking wreckage of what appeared to be small Syrian naval ships in the port at Latakia was broadcast by Saudi-owned television station Al-Hadath on Tuesday. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has closely tracked the conflict since the civil war erupted in 2011, said Israel targeted Syrian warships, military warehouses and an air-defense facility on the coast. Katz added that he had instructed the army to establish a “defense zone free of weapons and terrorist threats in southern Syria, without a permanent Israeli presence, in order to prevent terrorism in Syria from taking root and organizing.” It was unclear if the demilitarized zone would reach beyond the buffer zone that Israel has taken over in the border area. Israel has a long history of seizing territory during wars with its neighbors and occupying it indefinitely , citing security concerns. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it in a move not recognized internationally, except by the United States. DAMASCUS, Syria — Members of the Syrian government under ousted President Bashar Assad will gradually transfer power to a new transitional cabinet headed by Mohammed al-Bashir. The departing government met with al-Bashir for the first time since Assad fled Damascus over the weekend. Al-Bashir had previously led the “salvation government” running the rebel stronghold in northwest Syria. Al-Bashir told reporters after the meeting that the ministers discussed transferring the portfolios to the interim government during the transitional period until the beginning of March. He said that in the coming days the new government will decide on each ministry. DAMASCUS, Syria — Banks and shops are reopening in Damascus after the chaos and confusion of the first two days following the ouster of President Bashar Assad. Sadi Ahmad, manager of Syria Gulf Bank, said life is returning to normal. A customer who came to withdraw money from an ATM was surprised to see it functioning. At the historic Hamadiyeh market, fighters who seized power were still standing guard but shops had reopened — even an ice cream stand. Resident Maysoun Al-Qurabi said she was initially “against what happened,” referring to the insurgency, but changed her mind after seeing footage of rebels releasing inmates from the notorious Saydnaya prison. “People are at ease and secure now,” she said. “Before, people were hungry and scared.” DAMASCUS, Syria — Minority Christians in Syria have been living in a state of uneasy anticipation since insurgents headed by the Islamic militant group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham took control after ousting President Bashar Assad. Mazen Kalash, a resident of Bab Touma, a Christian neighborhood in Damascus, said he wants to know the plans of the new government that will be formed by the rebels. “The important thing is to feel safe, bring order, law and respect to the citizens,” he said. “We need to be able to work whatever we want and do whatever we want without any interference from anyone.” The insurgents have so far attempted to reassure minorities that they will be protected. Large numbers of Syrian Christians, who made up 10% of the population, fled after the civil war erupted in 2011. Many of those who stayed supported Assad out of fear they might be targeted by Islamist insurgents. TEL AVIV, Israel — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashed out at media during testimony at his corruption trial, which involves media moguls. “There has never been such a biased media in any democracy ... as there is in Israel,” Netanyahu told the court, describing his testy relationship with the press. He is accused of exchanging regulatory favors with media bosses for more positive coverage of himself and his family. He has denied wrongdoing. GENEVA — The U.N. envoy for Syria says armed groups that drove out President Bashar Assad have “been sending good messages” about national unity and inclusiveness but acknowledges that a Security Council resolution still counts the leading one as a terrorist group. With Syria’s future and stability still very much in flux since Assad’s departure over the weekend, Geir Pedersen suggested that the international community needs to help the country get through this turbulent moment. “We are still in what I would call a very fluid period. Things are not settled,” Pedersen told reporters at U.N. offices in Geneva on Tuesday. “There is a real opportunity for change, but this opportunity needs to be grasped by the Syrians themselves and supported by the U.N. and the international community.” Referring to Israeli military strikes in Syria, Pedersen said it was “extremely important that we now don’t see any action from any international country that destroys the possibility for this transformation in Syria to take place.” The insurgents are led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, which grew out of an al-Qaida-affiliate called the Nusra Front that the Security Council listed as a terror group in a 2015 resolution. “This is obviously a complicating factor for all of us,” Pedersen said. “But we also have to be honest, we have to look at the facts and to see what has happened during the last nine years.” “The reality so far is that the HTS and also the other armed groups have been sending good messages to the Syrian people,” he said. “They have been sending messages of unity, of inclusiveness, and frankly speaking, also, we have seen in (the captured cities of) Aleppo and in Hama ... reassuring things on the ground." Ahmad al-Sharaa, previously known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the leader of the insurgency and the founder of both groups Nusra and HTS, cut ties with al-Qaida in 2016 and says he is committed to pluralism and religious tolerance. ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey has “strongly” condemned Israel’s advance into Syrian territory, saying it was in violation of a 1974 agreement on a buffer zone inside Syria. “We strongly condemn Israel’s violation of the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement, its entry into the separation zone between Israel and Syria, and its advance into Syrian territory,” Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The ministry accused Israel of “displaying a mentality of an occupier” at a time when the possibility of peace and stability had emerged in Syria. The statement also reiterated Turkey’s support to Syria’s “sovereignty, political unity, and territorial integrity.” Israeli troops on Sunday entered the buffer zone that had been established after the 1973 Mideast war and the military said it would deploy in “several other places necessary for (Israel’s’) defense.” TEL AVIV, Israel — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he works 17 to 18 hours a day and that he is engulfed in meetings, especially during the past year that Israel has been fighting wars. Netanyahu was testifying in his long-running corruption trial. He has denied charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases. “If only I could steal away five minutes to enjoy some time with my wife,” he told the court Tuesday. TEL AVIV, Israel — An Israeli military official says troops plan to seize a buffer zone inside Syria as well as “a few more points that have strategic meaning.” The official spoke Tuesday on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. The official dismissed reports of a larger Israeli invasion as “rumors.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israeli forces were moving to control a roughly 400-square-kilometer (155-square-mile) demilitarized buffer zone in Syrian territory. The buffer zone between Syria and the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights was created by the U.N. after the 1973 Mideast war. Following the overthrow of President Bashar Assad, Israel sent troops into the buffer zone. It said the move was temporary and was aimed at preventing attacks. It said the 1974 agreement establishing the zone had collapsed and that Syrian troops had withdrawn from their positions. Israel has also carried out airstrikes across Syria in recent days targeting what it says are suspected chemical weapons and long-range rockets. Egypt and Saudi Arabia have condemned Israel’s incursion, accusing it of exploiting the disarray in Syria and violating international law. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it in a move not recognized by the international community, except for the United States. The rest of the world views the strategic plateau as occupied Syrian territory. — By Joseph Krauss DAMASCUS, Syria — Israel’s air force has carried out hundreds of airstrikes in different parts of Syria as its ground forces move north of the Golan Heights along the border with Lebanon, according to an opposition war monitor. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Tuesday that since the fall of President Bashar Assad’s government, Israel’s air force has carried out more than 300 airstrikes against research centers, arms depots and military infrastructure across Syria, as well as a naval base along the Mediterranean coast. Associated Press journalists in Damascus witnessed intense airstrikes on the city and its suburbs overnight into Tuesday morning. Photographs posted online by activists showed destroyed missile launchers, helicopters and warplanes. Meanwhile, Israeli troops marched along the border with Lebanon and now control a long stretch on the Syrian side facing Lebanon’s Rashaya region, according to the war monitor's head, Rami Abdurrahman, and the Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen TV, which has reporters in Syria. Israeli troops are now about 25 kilometers (15 miles) southwest of Damascus, according to the monitor. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Saudi Arabia has condemned Israel’s incursion into a buffer zone in Syria and a wave of Israeli airstrikes launched after the overthrow of President Bashar Assad. The Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement Tuesday that “the assaults carried out by the Israeli occupation government, including the seizure of the buffer zone in the Golan Heights, and the targeting of Syrian territory confirm Israel’s continued violation of the principles of international law and its determination to sabotage Syria’s chances of restoring its security, stability and territorial integrity.” Israel sent troops into a buffer zone inside Syria that had been established after the 1973 Mideast war. It said the move was temporary and was taken to prevent any cross-border attacks after Syrian troops withdrew. Israel has also carried out heavy airstrikes that it says are aimed at preventing suspected chemical weapons and long-range rockets from falling into the hands of extremists. Saudi Arabia has been in talks with the United States in recent years over normalizing relations with Israel in exchange for a U.S. defense pact, American assistance in establishing a civilian nuclear program and a pathway to the establishment of a Palestinian state. But the kingdom has also repeatedly condemned Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip, where it is at war with the Hamas militant group. Last month, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and day-to-day ruler Mohammed bin Salman accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza , allegations Israel adamantly rejects.Analytic Partners Recognized as a Leader in Inaugural Gartner® Magic QuadrantTM for Marketing Mix Modeling Solutions