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The leader of the Islamic State group blew himself up along with members of his family as American forces raided his Syria hideout Thursday, the U.S. said — the second time in three years the United States has taken out a leader of the violent group that has been struggling for resurgence with deadly attacks in the region.

President Joe Biden announced the overnight raid by American special operations forces, which U.S. officials called a “significant blow” to the radical militant organization.

The IS group at the height of its power controlled more than 40,000 square miles stretching from Syria to Iraq and ruled over 8 million people. Its attacks in the region included a major assault last month to seize a prison in northeast Syria holding at least 3,000 IS detainees.

The raid targeted Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, who took over as head of the group on Oct. 31, 2019, just days after leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi died during a U.S. raid. Al-Qurayshi, unlike his predecessor, was far from a household name, a secretive man who presided over a far diminished version of the group and didn’t appear in public.

Biden said al-Qurayshi died as al-Baghdadi did, by exploding a bomb that killed himself and members of his family, including women and children, as U.S. forces approached.

Read More @ AP News HERE

Assessment: It is estimated some 374 IS militants, and 120 Syrian soldiers and prison workers died during the ten-day siege, where IS was initially able to seize control of the prison. It has since been recaptured by the Syrian authorities …

U.S. Special Forces operators were involved in an action that resulted in the deaths of 13 people, including women and children, during an airborne counterterrorism raid in northwestern Syria across the early hours of Thursday morning.

Four children, two women and seven men were reportedly killed during the two-hour exchange which reportedly left behind blood-stained walls and “scattered” body parts.

“ And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. Daniel 11:40

This has left the media speculating as to whether the attack was aimed at Al-Queda or at the Islamic State, AP reports.

Civilian eyewitnesses described helicopters arriving in the region around 1:10 am, and for forty-five minutes a translator advised any women to surrender or leave the area. Reportedly the U.S. troops were met with silence before a firefight began upon their landing and dismounting from the aircraft – it is unclear who fired first.

U.S. troops were also forced to blow up one of their own helicopters in a controlled explosion during the operation after it experienced a mechanical failure.

This would have been to prevent it falling into terrorist hands, as happened when U.S. forces left up to 167 aircraft, including 33 Black Hawk helicopters for the Taliban to commandeer after President Joe Biden’s disastrous withdrawal in August 2021.

The press secretary for the Department of Defense, John Kirby, in a statement said the mission was “successful” and that there were “no U.S. casualties”. Kirby declined at this stage to give any further information, and did not confirm the body count.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights suggested the target would have had to have been of significance as otherwise the U.S. would not have landed the helicopters and soldiers would not have disembarked.

The raid is the largest U.S. raid of this type since 2019 when President Donald Trump authorised the targeting and killing of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Read More @ Breitbart HERE

Assessment: France hosts the largest Jewish population in Europe estimated to number 480,000–550,000. French polling company IFOP estimated in 2016 that French Muslims number between 3 and 4 million …

An extensive survey conducted by the American Jewish Committee about the experiences of French Jews has found that nearly three quarters of the community has experienced antisemitic acts.

The survey studied France’s Jewish, Muslim and general populations, revealing the “extent of unabated antisemitism threatening the country’s Jewish population,” which is the largest in Europe.

The study found that 85 percent of French Jews feel that antisemitism is a widespread problem in France, with 73 percent saying that it has been increasing in the last decade.

“then they shall know that I am the Lord their God, who sent them into captivity among the nations, but also brought them back to their land, and left none of them captive any longer.” Ezekiel 39:28

(Jewish Graves Desecrated in Historic French Cemetery)

But only 64 percent of France’s general population thinks that antisemitism is widespread and increasing.

Nearly three quarters (74 percent) of French Jews said they had been victims of antisemitic acts at some point. The attacks include derogatory remarks (68 percent), threats on social media (28 percent), verbal threats (24 percent), and physical violence (20 percent).

Nearly 40 percent said that they felt threatened for being Jewish, with 35 percent saying that they avoid wearing clothes or dress that is identifiably Jewish. Over 40 percent also avoided placing mezuzahs or other Jewish symbols outside their homes.

Read More @ Arutz Sheva HERE

On Tuesday evening, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced that Israel will be fast-tracking the development of a laser defense system that will be used to defend against attacks from Gaza and Hezbollah. The lasers, using an autonomous detection and tracking system, will superheat drones and rockets which the developers claim will catch on fire within a few seconds. The system will supplement the Iron Dome that operates against short-range projectiles with the lasers concentrating on smaller projectiles.

The Defense Ministry said the laser uses a “highly advanced optical targeting system, with tracking capabilities and artificial intelligence” to locate a target “at highly precise levels of accuracy.”

Israel also uses David’s Sling and Arrow systems against long-range ballistic missiles.

At the morning watch, Hashem looked down upon the Egyptian army from a pillar of fire and cloud, and threw the Egyptian army into panic. Exodus 14:24 (The Israel Bible^TM)

“Within a year already the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) will bring into action a laser-based interception system, first experimentally, and later operationally, first in the south, then in other places,” he said in a speech at Tel Aviv University’s Institute for National Security Studies. “And this will enable us, as the years advance, to surround Israel with a wall of lasers which will protect us from missiles, rockets, UAVs and other threats.”

The new laser-based system will drastically reduce the cost of defending against the frequent rocket attacks that target Israeli cities. The Iron Dome systems deployed around Israel to protect its cities cost $50 million per battery and $100,000–150,000 per interception. Hamas fires low-tech missiles that are inexpensive and inaccurate.

Last May, over 4,600 projectiles were fired at Israeli cities from Gaza. The Lebanese Hezbollah terror group is believed to maintain an arsenal of some 130,000 rockets, missiles intended to wipe out Israeli cities.

“The equation will be overturned – they will invest much, and we little,” Bennett said. “If we can intercept a missile or rocket with an electrical pulse that costs a few dollars, we will essentially neutralize the ring of fire that Iran has set up … This new generation of air defense can also serve our friends in the region, who are also exposed to grave threats from Iran and its proxies.”

Read More @ Israel 365 HERE