For years, the base was the subject of interest because it had an entrance to a large underground tunnel and was likely being used by the IRGC to transfer weapons via Syria to Hezbollah.
Footage from the supposed underground base used by pro-Iran militias, December 20, 2025(photo credit: SOCIAL MEDIA/VIA SECTION 27A OF THE COPYRIGHT ACT)
New video footage in Syria
allegedly shows a secret Iranian base that was established almost seven
years ago near the Iraqi border. The base was abandoned when the Assad
regime fell, and Iranian-backed groups fled to Iraq.
The
base was of interest because it had an entrance to a large underground
tunnel and was likely being used by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary
Guard Corps to transfer weapons via Syria to Hezbollah.
The base also supplies local Iranian-backed
militia groups. The unconfirmed video shows massive underground tunnels
that are large enough for a car to drive through. The desert area
resembles the former base.
In
September 2019, Fox News reported that “Iran has established a new
military base in Syria and has plans to house thousands of troops at the
location, according to multiple Western intelligence sources.” The base
was called the Imam Ali compound.
#Syria: Iranians and their affiliated groups, including the Fatemiyoun Brigade, built an impressive underground network on border with Iraq.
This video shows tunnels large enough to accommodate vehicles.
The
Fox News report noted that “analysts at Image Sat International (ISI)
who reviewed the images say that precision-guided missiles could be
housed at five different newly constructed buildings that are surrounded
by large dirt mounds. The images also show in the northwest part of the
base 10 additional storehouses with less external protection, as well
as new buildings and missile storage structures.”
IRGC commander Hossein Salami tours the new ''missile city'' at an
undisclosed location in Iran, January 11, 2025 (credit: IRGC/WANA (West
Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS)Now, the
social media X/Twitter account Qalaat al Mudiq has posted a video of the
alleged site, around six and a half years after it was first reported.
“Iranians and their affiliated groups, including the Fatemiyoun Brigade,
built an impressive underground network on the border with Iraq,” the
account noted. “This video shows tunnels large enough to accommodate
vehicles.
"This
network served as a key weapons-smuggling route for #IRGC-affiliated
groups and Hezbollah, concealed from aerial surveillance,” Qalaat al
Mudiq added. “Footage from Imam Ali base, near Abukemal, 3–4 km from the
Iraqi border.”
What do we know about the base?
“The
classified Iranian project, called the Imam Ali compound, was approved
by top leadership in Tehran and is being completed by the Iranian
al-Quds Forces. Using a civilian satellite company, Fox News verified
the information and obtained images that show a base being constructed
on the Syria-Iraq border,” Fox News said in September 2019.
Subsequent
images published by Fox News showed Iran was continuing construction on
the base. In December 2019, another report said the base was being used
to store missiles.
A
fourth report, also at Fox News, in May 2020, showed a new satellite
image revealing that the Iranians had built a large tunnel entrance.
“Intelligence analysis conducted by Image Sat International (ISI), a
civilian satellite company, indicates the tunnel is fit to be used for
the storage of vehicles carrying advanced weapons systems.
This
conclusion was drawn from looking at similar tunnels that were dug over
the past nine months on the same complex. One such tunnel, two miles
away, was bombed in March, forcing the Iranians to abruptly stop
construction.”
The
base was largely forgotten after 2020, and it was unclear if more
construction took place. The area near Albukamal, a Syrian border town
with Iraq, was targeted with airstrikes several times. In 2020, Fox News
reported airstrikes on the area.
In
June 2018, an airstrike hit a house used by the Iraqi militia group
Kataib Hezbollah in Albukamal. Kataib Hezbollah is an Iranian-backed
militia based in Iraq. It began operating in Syria to back the Assad
regime and was likely involved in trafficking weapons to Hezbollah in
Lebanon.
The
groups share a similar name and both are backed by the IRGC. Kataib
Hezbollah was run by Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis until his death in a US
airstrike in January 2020. He was killed alongside IRGC Quds Force head
Qasem Soleimani while driving from Baghdad International Airport. No one
took responsibility for the airstrikes targeting the area near the
border in 2018 and 2020.
The
new video of the abandoned site shows a person on a motorcycle emerging
from the large tunnel. It also shows someone driving into the tunnel.
There is nothing at the site, and it appears completely abandoned. It is
not confirmed that this is the actual Imam Ali site.
The site continued beyond just a tunnel. It also had warehouses and other infrastructure designed to support the Iranian presence in Syria and the Iranian-backed militias.
Israel has “somewhat of a veto,” but it “doesn’t mean that the Turks can’t have some role” in the Gaza ceasefire, the U.S. ambassador tells JNS.
Ambassador
to Israel Mike Huckabee during an interview with JNS at the U.S.
embassy in Jerusalem on Dec. 18, 2025. Photo by Jim Hollander.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee
said Thursday that disarming Hamas is “absolutely going to happen” and
that he expects to see other countries in the region join the Abraham
Accords next year.
He spoke as U.S. President’s Donald
Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan is expected to move to its second stage next
month following the president’s anticipated meeting with Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida after Christmas.
“The challenge of getting Hamas disarmed
is not a goal that has been abandoned,” Huckabee told JNS in an
exclusive interview in his Jerusalem embassy office. “The president has
been very clear: They have to disarm and recognize they have no future
in Gaza.”
Ambassador
to Israel Mike Huckabee makes a point during an interview with JNS at
the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem on Dec. 18, 2025. Photo by Jim Hollander.
The U.S. envoy noted that despite Hamas’s
very public refusal to disarm—calling into question how the ceasefire
can move forward—the Trump administration backed by the international
community is determined to see it happen.
“Am I concerned? Of course. … But do I
feel it won’t happen? No. In part because of the consistency of the
president’s message and demand, and in part because all the Arab
partners are holding firm to that same commitment on the peace plan,”
Huckabee said. “No one has backed off on that. Everyone still agrees to
that.”
The ambassador continued, “It is
absolutely going to happen. President Trump said they can do it the easy
way or the hard way. Iran didn’t take him seriously. He told them the
same thing: the easy way or the hard way. They took the hard way.”
Huckabee noted that the Oct. 10 ceasefire
has held despite intermittent skirmishes in Gaza, with recruitment
underway of countries to take part in an international security force
for the Strip, and aid supplies reaching the enclave daily.
“We are definitely in a much better place
than we were two months ago,” he said, heaping praise on Trump for
forging the ceasefire agreement. “It’s the first time in two years that
Israelis can go to bed without anticipation of missiles.”
U.S.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is greeted by Mike Huckabee, the U.S.
ambassador to Israel, as he arrives in Tel Aviv, Oct. 23, 2025. Credit:
Freddie Everett/U.S. State Department.
In the interview, Huckabee acknowledged
that Israel has “somewhat of a veto role” regarding the participation of
Turkey in the future international security force, which the U.S.
favors, but said that some role could be found for the Anatolian nation,
in comments that suggested that a compromise was likely.
“We recognize Israel has a right to
say—somewhat of a veto power on certain participation,” he said. “It
doesn’t mean that the Turks can’t have some role.”
Steve Witkoff, the United States envoy to
the Middle East, held talks in Miami later on Friday with senior
officials from Qatar, Egypt and Turkey as efforts continue to advance to
phase 2 of the Gaza ceasefire.
Expansion of the Abraham Accords
The ambassador also told JNS that he
expects additional countries to make peace with Israel next year as part
of the Abraham Accords.
“I’m just an ambassador not a prophet …,
but based on everything I’m seeing and being a part of, I do anticipate
that we will see the expansion of the Abraham Accords [in 2026],”
Huckabee said. “I would not be overwhelmingly surprised if you didn’t
see something that would happen very close to Israel, in Syria,
Lebanon.”
U.S.
President Donald Trump is greeted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu and Israeli President Isaac Herzog after disembarking Air
Force One at Ben Gurion International Airport in Israel, Oct. 13, 2025.
Credit: Daniel Torok/White House.
The ambassador said that the regional
situation was “fragile to be sure,” but that neighboring countries
increasingly understand that there is far more to be gained from
normalization with Israel than to be at odds with the Jewish state.
“President Trump is in a very good place
to help deliver that,” Huckabee said. “I don’t think anybody else could
do that. He has an uncanny ability to do things that everybody said
cannot be done.”
‘Journalism is for the most part dead’
The U.S. envoy said in the interview that
one of his greatest frustrations in an otherwise “dream job” was to
follow the hostile media coverage of Israel during the war.
“There is an enormous level of evil in the
world and a lot of it gets printed on the pages of what once were
respected newspapers and sites,” Huckabee said. “I think for the most
part journalism is dead. What we have now is an international opinion
market.”
Masked
Palestinian gunmen seize control of trucks carrying aid entering the
southern Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom crossing, on Oct. 11, 2025.
Photo by Saeed Mohammed/Flash90.
He cited false claims, including from U.S.
allies such as the U.K, that Israel deliberately prolonged the war and
was starving Gazans as canards that “gullible people soaked in like
poisons.
“It has been so frustrating to watch this from a front-row seat right in the middle of this,” he said.
Huckabee also blasted continuous anonymous
sources and leaks—frequently highlighted in the Israeli press—reporting
tensions between the governments of Israel and the U.S., saying such
reporting is purely agenda-driven.
“If there was some major dustup between
the U.S. or President Trump and the prime minister of Israel, don’t you
think his representative in Israel would be informed of that?” Huckabee
asked. “It’s absurd. Do you really think I am sitting here in the U.S.
embassy … and something of that magnitude is going on and I am oblivious
to it?”
At home in Israel
The 70-year-old Baptist pastor, former
Arkansas governor, television host and two-time Republican presidential
candidate—who bills himself as a Maccabee—visited Israel scores of times
and led thousands of participants on solidarity tours since his first
trip to Israel right out of high school, just before the 1973 Yom Kippur
War.
From his Jerusalem embassy perch, Huckabee lived through the multi-front war for six months after taking up his position
in April (“I haven’t seen this much war since the Baptist Convention in
1982”) and expressed relief and appreciation that the days of scurrying
to the bomb shelter at night have passed (“my wife no longer has her
‘missile clothes’ at the foot of the bed”), even as he voiced concern
that the scourge of violence against Jews around the globe continues
unabated.
U.S.
Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee visits at the Western Wall at the
end of Tisha B’Av, Aug. 3, 2025. Photo by Chaim Goldberg/Flash90.
He blasted the atmosphere of “irrational Jew-hatred” that has spurred a blast of antisemitism, including within his own party.
“I am constantly saying to my fellow
Christians that every enemy that Israel has and the Jewish people has is
ultimately the enemy of the Christian people and of America because our
values systems are based on the same platform,” he said. “There is a
Judeo-Christian underpinning not only to Israel but to the U.S. Without
the heritage of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob there would be no Israel but
there would also be no America.”
Huckabee said that he feels right at home in Israel in “the assignment of a lifetime.
“We went back home to Arkansas for the
first time in November for five-and-a-half days, and it was great to see
the grandkids, friends and neighbors,” he said. “And as we were packing
up getting ready to come back, my wife and I looked and each other and
said it is time to come back home.”
[S]ince Boko Haram's terrorist insurgency began in 2009, jihadist groups have torched and destroyed 19,100 churches, averaging nearly 100 each month. In that time, 125,009 Christians were slaughtered, as well as "60,000 Liberal Muslims... unless urgent action is taken, within the next 50 years Christianity in Nigeria is set to disappear." — International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law, August 10, 2o25, Nigeria.
The assaults resulted in the
beheading of 30 Christians, widespread arson, and the destruction of at
least five churches and 100 homes. Many other Christians — including
women and their daughters — were herded away. — Daily Express, Ocotber 8 2025, Mozambique.
[S]ince Boko Haram's terrorist insurgency began in 2009, jihadist
groups have torched and destroyed 19,100 churches, averaging nearly 100
each month. In that time, 125,009 Christians were slaughtered, as well
as "60,000 Liberal Muslims... unless urgent action is taken, within the
next 50 years Christianity in Nigeria is set to disappear." —
International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law, August
10, 2o25, Nigeria.
"Since the law regarding night clubs and entertainment places
passed in 2000, human trafficking and sexual slavery have been practiced
with the approval of the state (including the police and other state
institutions). Women and girls below the age of 18 are trafficked,
abused as sex slaves and their passports are seized by the state [in
charge of the Turkish-occupied territory in Cyprus]. The victims are
sold in catalogs like property, like animals." — Derya Dogus, Turkish
Cypriot politician, X.com, September 28, 2025, Cyprus.
The family reported the rape to police, who "collected evidence,
and the medical report confirmed the assault.... Despite this, Haroon
[the Muslim rapist] secured pre-arrest bail, leaving the family
vulnerable to threats." — British Asian Christian Association, October
16, 2025, Pakistan.
The Muslims spray-painted "F**k Israel" and posted
pro-Palestinian/Hamas stickers on the church. The Muslim
Brotherhood-linked organization CAIR demanded that the charges be
dropped against the three Muslims, because "graffiti is the language of
the unheard," and because vandalizing a church was a First Amendment
right. — The Post Millennial, October 5, 2025, United States.
[A] 49-year-old blind Christian, Nadeem Masih, was arrested after
a Muslim accused him of insulting Islam's prophet, a charge punishable
by death under Section 295-C of Pakistan's blasphemy laws. Masih, who
earned a meager living providing a weighing scale for merchants, had
long faced harassment from local Muslims.... In jail, Masih was beaten
and coerced into admitting a false charge. — Morning Star News, October
31, 2025, Pakistan.
"We were simply holding a [Christian] burial service. It was
meant to be a quiet, respectful moment to honor the departed. Instead,
it ended with arrests. One of the women with us was told to pay nearly a
thousand dollars or stay in prison." — Persecution.org, October 20,
2025, Sudan.
"A battle over church assets started several years ago, with the
government favoring Muslim business interests taking over assets owned
by ... churches in Khartoum and in other states of Sudan." — Morning
Star News, October 29, 2025, Sudan.
On Oct. 8, the Islamic State Mozambique Province (ISMP)
terror group launched a series of savage attacks targeting Christian
communities in the Cabo Delgado and Nampula provinces of Mozambique. The
assaults resulted in the beheading of 30 Christians, widespread arson,
and the destruction of at least five churches and 100 homes. Pictured:
One of the 30 houses burnt down on March 6, 2024, during an attack by
ISMP on the village of Pulo, in Cabo Delgado province, photographed on
March 26, 2024. (Photo by Juan Luis Rod/AFP via Getty Images)
The following are among the abuses and murders inflicted on Christians by Muslims throughout the month of October 2025.
The Muslim Slaughter of Christians
Mozambique: On Oct. 8, the Islamic State Mozambique Province (ISMP) terror group launched a series of savage attacks
targeting Christian communities in Cabo Delgado and Nampula provinces.
The assaults resulted in the beheading of 30 Christians, widespread
arson, and the destruction of at least five churches and 100 homes. Many
other Christians—including women and their daughters—were herded away.
The Muslim terrorists later boasted of their handiwork by releasing
photos of themselves beheading and shooting civilians at close range.
Democratic Republic of Congo: On Oct. 4, Allied Democratic Forces, an Islamic terror group allied to ISIS, slaughtered
three Christians in Ituri Province. Three days later, on Oct. 7, the
same terror group launched attacks on Christian villages, slaughtering
another five Christians. A local witness recounted:
"They woke up early that morning, hoping to provide for
their families. Then the rebels came out of nowhere and brutally ended
their lives. Gunshots, screaming, and people running in every direction —
it was horrifying... We call on the security services to act without
delay... The population is tired and broken. We cannot continue to live
in fear in our own villages."
Nigeria: According to an Oct. 2 report,
Boko Haram launched a deadly night raid on the Christian community in
Adamawa state. The Islamic terrorists massacred four Christians, injured
many others, and destroyed homes, shops, and torched a local church.
Hundreds of Christians were displaced. This attack followed a similar
raid in July. Cyrus Ezra, a local resident, said, "Nobody wants to stay
behind to witness this kind of incident again."
On Oct. 14, armed Fulani militias launched coordinated attacks on Christian villages in Plateau State, murdering at least 13 and injuring dozens.
On Oct. 2, Pastor James Audu Issa was found dead after being
kidnapped on August 28. His Muslim Fulani captors had initially demanded
100 million naira ($62,500 USD). According to Peter, a local:
"The distraught family members of the pastor and the
Ekati community were able to negotiate the sum down to 5 million naira
[$3,125], which they paid in an effort to secure the pastor's freedom.
After collecting the 5 million naira, the bandits exhibited extreme
cruelty by demanding an additional 45 million naira [$28,125].
Tragically, before any further negotiation could take place, Rev. James
Audu Issa was killed by the Fulani bandits."
"This harmless pastor has been cut down, one among many, leaving his
wife, children, extended family, church and friends in agony," said
another Christian leader. Another local added that this slaying is part
of "many targeted attacks on Christians and their pastors."
Finally, a report
by the International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law
(Intersociety) highlights the staggering depths of anti-Christian
violence in the west African nation. According to it, since Boko Haram's
terrorist insurgency began in 2009, jihadist groups have torched and
destroyed 19,100 churches, averaging nearly 100 each month. In that
time, 125,009 Christians were slaughtered, as well as "60,000 Liberal
Muslims."
In the first 220 days of 2025 alone, 7,087 Christians were massacred,
averaging 32 deaths a day, or four every three hours. More than 1,100
Christian communities, stretched over 20,000 square miles, were sacked
and taken over. Over 600 clerics — 250 Catholic priests and 350
Protestant pastors — were targeted for abduction, and many were killed.
Intersociety warns that, unless urgent action is taken, within the next
50 years Christianity in Nigeria is set to disappear.
Pakistan: On Oct. 5, Pastor Zafar Bhatti died
of cardiac arrest—just two days after his release from prison. Bhatti,
62, had been wrongly imprisoned for 13 years under Pakistan's blasphemy
laws, after a Muslim cleric accused him of texting disrespectful
messages about Muhammad. The pastor was initially sentenced to life
imprisonment in 2017, and then was given the death penalty in 2022,
before the Lahore High Court overturned his conviction on October 2.
Bhatti, during his imprisonment, had suffered severe heart problems.
Previously, he had experienced multiple minor heart attacks and severe
complications, prompting legal appeals for his release on medical
grounds.
Muslim Rape and Abduction of Christian Women
Cyprus: According
to Turkish Cypriot politician Derya Dogus, sex slavery has been
widespread in the Turkish-occupied portion of the otherwise Christian,
Greek island of Cyprus for the past 25 years:
"Since the law regarding night clubs and entertainment
places passed in 2000, human trafficking and sexual slavery have been
practiced with the approval of the state (including the police and other
state institutions). Women and girls below the age of 18 are
trafficked, abused as sex slaves and their passports are seized by the
state [in charge of the Turkish-occupied territory in Cyprus]. The
victims are sold in catalogs like property, like animals."
Pakistan: According to an Oct. 16 report,
Kinza Bibi, a 14-year-old Christian girl, "was brutally raped by her
Muslim neighbour, Muhammad Haroon. Kinza is now suffering from severe
post-traumatic stress and has been relocated to a safer place, while her
attacker remains free on pre-arrest bail." On the day of the rape, the
girl was home alone, taking care of her 9-month-old baby sister, as the
rest of her family were out. According to the report:
"Taking advantage of her isolation, Muhammad Haroon
entered the house through the roof, dragged Kinza into the front room,
and raped her despite her desperate pleas to be let go. When Rukhsana
[her mother] returned home half an hour later, she found Kinza crying on
the bed."
"I felt as if the sky had fallen on me," the mother later recalled.
"I started weeping with my daughter while holding her in my arms." The
family reported the rape to police, who "collected evidence, and the
medical report confirmed the assault."
"Despite this, Haroon secured pre-arrest bail, leaving
the family vulnerable to threats. Kinza's mother reported that Haroon's
brothers, Basharat Ali and Ali, verbally abused her and threatened to
kill the family if they did not drop the case. Rukhsana has filed a
complaint with the District Police Officer, Hafizabad regarding these
threats."
Nigeria: According to an Oct. 3 report, Muslim gunmen abducted a pastor's wife
and another female church member. Pastor Samuel Nasamu had stepped out
briefly when his wife, Patience, called him — but, as he recounted, "All
I could hear was her voice of prayer." The attackers had tried to break
down the door "with a hammer," then opened fire, forcing Patience to
unlock it in fear. She and a church member were seized as they attempted
to flee, leaving behind only the couple's three-month-old baby.
The kidnappers later demanded 50 million naira ($34,000 USD) ransom
for their release. During the phone call, Patience could be heard crying, "My baby ... my baby. Who will help me out of this pain? Somebody, please, rescue me from this forest."
A relative added that "the condition in which they [the women] are being kept is unbearable."
Muslim Attacks on Christian Churches
United States: On Oct. 3, three Muslims were charged with vandalizing
Uncommon Church, in Euless, Texas, reportedly because it displayed an
Israeli flag after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks. The Muslims
spray-painted "F**k Israel" and posted pro-Palestinian/Hamas stickers on
the church. The Muslim Brotherhood-linked organization CAIR demanded
that the charges be dropped against the three Muslims, claiming that "graffiti is the language of the unheard," and because vandalizing the church was their "First Amendment right."
According to one report,
"The case highlights a pattern in Texas where Christians, churches,
Jews, synagogues and pro-Israel Americans have been targeted with
unprovoked violence by Muslims."
Separately, on Oct. 2, a 27-year-old man was arrested for initiating a bomb scare
at St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church in Kendall, Florida, during Sunday
Liturgy. He walked in claiming that he had a bomb in his backpack—which
emitted a loud ticking noise — and later, terrifying congregants during
the service, started crying "Allahu akbar."
Syria: On Oct. 3, Christian cemeteries in Suwayda were diabolically desecrated. Published images (here) show smashed coffins, exhumed graves, and corpses hurled on the floor. Father Tony Boutros lamented: "What lesson is there in disturbing the dead? They are already gone... where would you drive them?"
The Greek (Rûm) Catholic Diocese of Bosra, Hauran, and Jabal al-Arab denounced the act:
"This shameful act is not only a flagrant violation of
the sanctity of the dead; it is also an assault on the human and
religious values embodied in these cemeteries, which hold the remains of
generations of the region's Christian community."
Indonesia: On Oct. 14, hundreds of Muslims protested
the construction of a church. Opposition came from community leaders,
local clerics, and the Indonesian Ulema Council. "We will mount a
large-scale demonstration to cancel the construction if the government
ignores our opposition," said one leader of the protest movement.
Another added: "We, representing the clerics ... oppose the construction of the church."
The report adds,
"All church construction processes in Indonesia consistently face
problems from Muslim extremist groups," and quotes an anonymous
political observer, saying, "Church construction never proceeds without
disruption."
Azerbaijan: Authorities denied
Peace Church in Sumgait official registration and blocked its legal
ability to hold worship gatherings. Although the constitution of the
Muslim nation guarantees religious freedom, laws require approval from
the state, with penalties for unapproved activity. "Our meetings were
always held openly and transparently," the pastor said
after authorities accused his church of "secret meetings." Peace Church
is one of at least five Protestant congregations still awaiting
registration, some for more than two years.
"We are being restricted from exercising our constitutional right to worship peacefully," the church stated.
Historically, some churches have waited decades for approval, such as a
Baptist church in Aliabad, which received permission to meet only after
25 years.
Muslim Attacks on Christian Apostates and Blasphemers
Uganda: On Oct. 13, a Muslim man savagely attacked
his family for embracing Christianity and later demolished the church
they attended. One day earlier, on Sunday, 41-year-old Kulusumu and her
children, ages 12 and 9, attended a service at an evangelical church.
Afterward, her husband, 44-year-old Soicha, called her repeatedly.
"My husband started quarrelling and insulting me that I
was becoming a disgrace to the family and misleading the children in
joining a religion which is contrary to Islamic religion... Fear came to
me for risking the lives of my children and my own life."
The pastor arranged for her to stay at a Christian woman's home, and
advised her to stay indoors until another safe place could be arranged.
The following day, the Muslim husband suddenly appeared. According to
one of the children:
"He then became very wild and pulled our mother outside
the house and started beating her and shouting in a loud voice saying,
'You are disobeying and denouncing the religion of Allah, and you ought
to die.'"
When the beaten woman's son tried to intervene:
"My husband hit my son with the walking stick several
times, and he soon fell down screaming and wailing in great pain – he
fractured the right arm... While my son was on the ground, my husband
started beating up me and my daughter. Thank God, neighbors arrived, and
my husband fled away."
The family was hospitalized for three days. While they were still in
care, the husband gathered a Muslim mob and, on Oct. 15, demolished the
church.
"An Iranian court upheld the prison sentences for five
Christian converts on Sept. 17. Each of the five believers will spend
more than eight years in jail for activities related to their faith in
Christ.
"Middle East Concern reported
that 'the charges, under Articles 500, 500bis and 514 of the Islamic
Penal Code, related to their participation in Christian training courses
in Turkey, attendance at house-church meetings, participation in online
meetings, and other online activities.'
"Mohabat News cited
'advertising and propaganda activities contrary to the Islamic
law...[and] propaganda against the regime' among the official charges
levied against the Christ followers. An additional charge of 'insulting
the leadership' was also reportedly added for one of the individuals....
"In Iran, it is illegal for Muslims to convert to Christianity.
Additionally, Bibles written in Farsi, Iran's national language, are
prohibited.
"According to the U.S. Department of State, '[Iranian] law prohibits
Muslims from changing or renouncing their religious beliefs. The only
recognized conversions are from other religions to Islam. Under the law,
a child born to a Muslim father is Muslim.'
"In Iran, it is illegal for Muslims to convert to Christianity.
Additionally, Bibles written in Farsi, Iran's national language, are
prohibited. According to the U.S. Department of State, '[Iranian] law prohibits
Muslims from changing or renouncing their religious beliefs. The only
recognized conversions are from other religions to Islam. Under the law,
a child born to a Muslim father is Muslim.'
"The persecution of Christians in Iran, particularly those who have converted to the faith, has plagued the nation for decades."
Pakistan: According to an Oct. 31 report,
a 49-year-old blind Christian, Nadeem Masih, was arrested after a
Muslim accused him of insulting Islam's prophet, a charge punishable by
death under Section 295-C of Pakistan's blasphemy laws. Masih, who
earned a meager living providing a weighing scale for merchants, had
long faced harassment from local Muslims. Masih's 80-year-old mother,
Martha Yousaf, said:
"Sometimes kindhearted visitors would also give him more
money due to his disability, but the park's Muslim workers used to steal
it from his pocket. Some, including [Waqas] Mazhar, had taken loans
from him but refused to return the money despite repeated requests....
"When Masih protested against their harassment [on the day of the
arrest], Mazhar and another man manhandled him and forced him to sit on a
motorcycle and took him to the Model Town Police Station."
In jail, Masih was beaten and coerced into admitting a false charge. The mother added:
"Every time I meet him, my heart bleeds and cries when he
tells me how badly he is being treated, especially when he's taken for
court appearances."
Naeem Yousaf, of the National Commission for Justice and Peace, underscored the injustice:
"Already burdened by poverty, blindness and social
cruelty, he is now suffering even more behind the bars of a jail cell, a
victim of injustice and human indifference."
After pointing to a number of discrepancies in the police report, the lawyer representing Masih said:
"It is very unfortunate that a blind person was subjected
to such inhumane treatment by the police. We hope senior officials will
take notice and act."
Afghanistan: According to an Oct. 10 report,
Christians, mostly first-generation converts from Islam, face
life-threatening danger under the Taliban's sharia courts, which
consider converts apostates who risk execution if discovered:
"As the Taliban deepens its control and international
attention wanes, many Afghans — especially those from minority faiths —
face an uncertain and perilous future, caught between repression at home
and dwindling options abroad."
Generic Muslim Abuse of Christians
Pakistan: According to an Oct. 2 report,
Christian pastor Kamran Naz was targeted for but survived an
assassination attempt in Islamabad. Traveling with his elderly mother to
conduct Sunday worship, he was ambushed by two armed Muslim men on a
motorcycle. One shot him in the right leg, while a second bullet "aimed
at the pastor's head" narrowly missed. According to the report:
"Unfortunately, such attacks are not isolated events.
Pastors and Christian leaders in Pakistan have often been subjected to
intimidation, harassment, and violence because of their faith and
community work. Despite these recurring threats, the Christian community
has repeatedly shown resilience, holding firmly to their faith and
continuing their worship."
Iraq: According to an Oct. 2 report,
Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako revealed that Mosul's Christian population
had collapsed from more than 50,000 Christians to fewer than 70
Christian families. He said
"religious extremism and systematic discrimination" -- in the guise of
ISIS, al-Qaeda, militia violence, and the Personal Status Law, "a law
based on Islamic law," allowing the Islamization of minors -- have
devastated Iraq's Christians.
"Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See's
secretary for relations with states, addressed the United Nations
General Assembly in New York, warning that Christians face intensifying
persecution worldwide and accusing the international community of
'turning a blind eye.' He declared, 'The data show that Christians are
the most persecuted religious group worldwide, and yet the international
community seems to be turning a blind eye to their plight,' adding that
believers suffer 'physical violence, imprisonment, forced displacement,
and martyrdom.'"
India: St. Rita's Public School in Palluruthy, run by the Latin Catholic Church, was forced to close
for two days after a hijab-related dispute escalated into threats and
disruption. The conflict began when a Muslim student arrived wearing a
hijab, which the school's dress code expressly forbids. Her father,
joined by six other Muslims, demanded she be allowed to wear it,
creating a "provocative and threatening" situation on campus, according
to Principal Sr. Heleena Alby, who filed a police complaint. She further
cited
"mental stress caused by the situation" and staff absenteeism in
announcing the Monday-Tuesday closure, urging parents to respect the
Christian school's dress and discipline code.
Indonesia: On Oct. 10, a job advertisement
by the Tarakan Regency Ministry of Religious Affairs Office in North
Kalimantan Province specified that applicants for custodial and office
security positions must be Muslims able to recite the Koran. Michael
Jama, chairman of a local Christian Student Movement, responded by
citing the ad as proof of discriminatory government policy:
"How can maintaining office security or cleaning the
office require specific religious qualifications? The Tarakan City
Ministry of Religious Affairs Office does not belong only to Muslims,
but to all Tarakan residents from various religious backgrounds."
Others cited the incident as reflective of other discriminatory policies:
"The Islamic traditional boarding school has no building
permit, and its structure doesn't meet the building standards –
collapsed, killing 67 students – and will be rebuilt with the state
budget, while a church establishment without a building permit will
drive its pastor to prison."
Sudan: According to an Oct 20 report,
Christians in Khartoum are living under increasing fear of arbitrary
attacks by the authorities — most recently, arrests for holding a
Christian funeral service. In an interview, Pastor Peter Perpeny spoke
candidly about the growing intimidation and the chilling effect on
worship in the capital:
"We were simply holding a burial service. It was meant to
be a quiet, respectful moment to honor the departed. Instead, it ended
with arrests. One of the women with us was told to pay nearly a thousand
dollars or stay in prison. That is not justice.... People are afraid to
leave their houses. They know they could be picked up at any time, not
for anything they have done, but because of who they are. Church used to
be a safe place. Now, even gathering to pray feels like a risk. This
fear has completely changed how we live."
Separately, on Oct. 28, police arrested
a Christian pastor, Daud Fudul Kachu, after pressure from a Muslim
businessman seeking to seize church property. Church members reported
that officers initially feigned understanding when Pastor Daud requested
to speak with the church attorney, but additional police forced him
into a vehicle and jailed him overnight. "They [police officers] told
us, 'The law is above your religion,'" a church member recalled. Police
further demanded Daud sign a document relinquishing his objection to the
property seizure, which he refused. The report adds:
"Pastor [Daud] Kachu, who has led the church for 30
years, was initially denied bail but police later released him after
intervention by the church attorney.... Officers were reportedly seeking
to question church council members named by the Muslim businessman. A
battle over church assets started several years ago, with the government
favoring Muslim business interests taking over assets owned by...
churches in Khartoum and in other states of Sudan."
Egypt: On Oct. 22, Bola Adel Naguib Attia, an 18-year-old Christian student, was arrested and, according to a Coptic Solidarity report,
subjected to severe violations of his legal and constitutional rights.
After disappearing for over ten days, Bola appeared before the Supreme
State Security Prosecution on November 2, facing charges including
joining an illegal organization, disturbing public peace, misusing
social media, and contempt of religion. He told the prosecution that he
had been tortured during the first three days of detention and it was
visibly obvious that he was suffering "extreme exhaustion and visible
fear," but his statements were not recorded. The report adds:
"Bola is suffering from harsh and inhumane detention
conditions in prison, without regard to the fact that he is a
secondary-school student — a situation that endangers both his
educational future and his psychological well-being.... We affirm that
what Bola is being subjected to constitutes a serious violation of the
legal and constitutional guarantees afforded to every Egyptian citizen,
as well as of the provisions of international conventions to which Egypt
is a signatory."
While not all, or even most, Muslims are involved, persecution of
Christians by extremists is growing. The report posits that such
persecution is not random but rather systematic, and takes place
irrespective of language, ethnicity, or location. It includes incidents
that take place during, or are reported on, any given month.
(TPUSA) AmericaFest this week, with conservative personalities like Ben
Shapiro and Tucker Carlson engaging in a war of words during their time
on stage.
Shapiro, co-founder of The Daily
Wire, took the stage at AmericaFest on Thursday, where he launched into a
blistering condemnation of Carlson and others he described as
charlatans and grifters who "traffic in conspiracism and dishonesty."
One
of the main criticisms Shapiro levied against Carlson was his
platforming of individuals like White nationalist Nick Fuentes, among
others.
Ben Shapiro speaking at AmericaFest 2025 Dec. 18, 2025.(Screenshot/TPUSA)
He
asserted that hosts are "indeed responsible for the guests they choose
and the questions they ask those guests" and tore into Carlson's
interview with Fuentes, someone he noted late TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk opposed.
"There
is a reason that Charlie Kirk despised Nick Fuentes and, indeed, even
chided Dinesh D'Souza for debating him. He knew that Nick Fuentes is an
evil troll and that building him up is an act of moral imbecility. And
that is precisely what Tucker Carlson did," he contended, adding that
Carlson "ought to take responsibility" for doing so.
Approximately
an hour after Shapiro delivered his speech, Carlson took the stage and
seemed to mock Shapiro's attempt to "deplatform and denounce" people who
disagree with him.
"I just got here, and I feel like I missed
the first part of the program. Hope I didn't miss anything meaningful.
But I just want to say I don't think I did," Carlson quipped. "No, I'm
just kidding. I watched it. I laughed."
He
added that he "laughed that kind of bitter sardonic laugh that emerges
from you and, like, upside-down world arrives. When your dog starts
doing your taxes, and you're like, 'Wait, it's not supposed to work this
way.'"
While
he didn't mention Shapiro by name, Carlson seemed to take multiple jabs
at Shapiro's speech, saying it was "hilarious" to hear "calls for,
like, deplatforming and denouncing people at a Charlie Kirk event."
"Charlie
stood firm in his often-stated and deeply held belief that people
should be able to debate, and if you have something valid to say, if
you're telling the truth, you ought to be able to explain it calmly and
in detail to people who don't agree with you, and that you shouldn't
immediately resort to, ‘Shut up racist,’" he railed.
Carlson also spent some of his time on stage defending himself against Shapiro's allegations of antisemitism.
"Antisemitism is immoral. In my religion, it is immoral to hate people for how they were born. Period," Carlson asserted.
After
Shapiro's speech highlighted the infighting taking place within the
MAGA movement, Carlson denied its existence, maintaining the coalition
built by President Donald Trump is still holding together.
"The
Trump coalition, and the supposed civil war going on within that group,
I don’t think it’s real," he told the audience. "I think it’s fake. I
think it’s totally fake."
The following day, conservative
commentator Megyn Kelly took the stage for a conversation with TPUSA
contributor Jack Posobiec, and she tore into Shapiro for acting as a
gatekeeper of the conservative movement.
Megyn Kelly speaks during an American Comeback Tour stop hosted by Turning Point USA in Blacksburg, Va., Sept. 24, 2025. (Alex Wroblewski/AFP)
"[Shapiro]
thinks he's in a position to decide who must say what to whom and
when," Kelly said. "So, I don't think we are friends anymore. I've been a
very good friend to Ben."
During
his speech the day before, Shapiro noted that, despite their recent
disagreements, Kelly was still "a person I consider a friend."
Kelly
recalled inviting the Daily Wire co-founder to speak during her "Megyn
Kelly Live" tour last month, noting that their "mix-up" stemmed from
Carlson, not disagreements over Israel.
"He just recently came on
my tour, as did you, and I gave him the most kind introduction I could
possibly give him because I know that he's losing subscribers — a lot.
And, so, I tried to do something nice for him by giving him a long
10-minute intro and personally vouching for him. And we mixed it up on
Israel out on stage," she recounted.
"It wasn't Israel because
we're on the same place on Israel. We mixed it up over whether Tucker
Carlson should be excommunicated from the conservative movement, which I
do not believe."
Ben
Shapiro takes part in the panel, Future of news: How creators and
influencers are reshaping journalism, at the Reuters NEXT conference in
New York City Dec. 3, 2025. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters)
According
to Kelly, the two hugged and said goodbye after Shapiro's appearance on
her tour and even shared a "nice text exchange a couple of days later,
saying our friendship was important to us."
"And
the next thing I saw was him attacking me on stage last night as a
coward," she told Posobiec. "That's not friendship. And I think that's
fine with me."
Vivek Ramaswamy,
who is running for Ohio's Republican gubernatorial nomination, took aim
at what he called pockets of the "online right" during his address
Friday night at AmericaFest that fixated on heritage and lineage rather
than American ideals. He specifically called out Fuentes as unwelcome in
the conservative movement.
"I think the idea of a heritage
American is about as loony as anything the woke left has actually put
up," he said. "There is no American who is more American than somebody
else. … It is binary. Either you're an American or you're not."
This emerging fracture within the conservative movement was touched upon by Erika Kirk at the outset of the event.
Erika
Kirk, widow of late right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk, speaks
at Turning Point's annual AmericaFest conference in Phoenix, Ariz., Dec.
18, 2025(Olivier Touron/AFP via Getty Images)
She
recalled her husband being a "peacemaker" and a "coalition builder" and
that, after his assassination in September, "we saw infighting. We've
seen fractures. We've seen bridges being burned that shouldn't be burnt.
We saw a lot on full display.
"And what I knew as a wife — and
I'm the same exact way as him — If you are trying to put up fight or
flight mode, we're always fight mode. We don't retreat," she added.
Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet did not immediately return Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Australian PM Albanese was booed by the crowd on arrival, and later when the speaker mentioned his name during the memorial.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
was booed by sections of the crowd at a Bondi Beach vigil on Sunday
night as thousands gathered to honor the survivors and the 15 people
killed in the December 14 terror attack during a Hanukkah celebration.
Australia
marked a national Day of Reflection one week after the attack, with
mourners observing a minute’s silence at 6:47 p.m. local time, the
reported moment the shooting began, and candlelight events held across
the country.
ABC
News reported that some attendees booed as Albanese arrived at Bondi,
and that boos erupted again when he was acknowledged during the opening
address by David Ossip, president of the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies.
When NSW Labor Premier Chris Minns is applauded and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is booed by the same crowd, it exposes a leadership failure: this isn’t about politics, but a personal reckoning over inaction on antisemitism.
The crowd, by contrast, cheered at the mention of New South Wales Premier Chris Minns and applauded former prime minister John Howard upon his arrival, according to The Guardian.
Tens
of thousands, including Albanese and other leaders, attended the
memorial that was guarded by a heavy police presence, including snipers
on rooftops and police boats in the waters.
A
police sniper is seen on a roof as he secures the area during the
memorial held for the victims of a shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney on
December 21, 2025. (credit: SAEED KHAN/AFP via Getty Images)Albanese
was booed by the crowd on arrival, and later when the speaker mentioned
his name during the memorial. He sat on the front row wearing a kippah,
the traditional Jewish cap.
Albanese,
under pressure from critics who say his center-left government has not
done enough to curb a surge in antisemitism since the start of the war
in Gaza, was not scheduled to speak at the event.
The
government has said it has consistently denounced antisemitism over the
last two years and passed legislation to criminalize hate speech. It
expelled the Iranian ambassador earlier this year after accusing Tehran
of directing two antisemitic arson attacks.
"We
have lost our innocence....last week took our innocence," David Ossip,
the president of the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies said in a
speech to start the proceedings at Bondi.
"Like
the grass here at Bondi was stained with blood, so, too, has our nation
been stained. We have landed up in a dark place. But friends, Hanukkah
teaches us that light can illuminate even the bleakest of places. A
single act of courage, a single flame of hope, can give us direction and
point the path forward."
Also
present at the memorial was the father of Ahmed al Ahmed, hailed as the
'Bondi Hero' for wrestling a gun from one of the attackers.
Heavy security coverage
Security
at the event was heavy, with ABC reporting crowd screening at entry
points and police snipers positioned on rooftops overlooking the vigil.
Reuters
also reported an increased police presence, including officers carrying
long-arm firearms, as authorities urged Australians to light a candle
in remembrance.
Ossip
used his remarks to back calls for a royal commission that would extend
beyond the state level, arguing that the inquiry should include the
Commonwealth, ABC reported.
Former FBI agent and Navy SEAL Jonathan Gilliam says Trump should name a “Justice Czar” to coordinate both prosecutions and policy fixes. "This would be a slam dunk case for any US Attorney," he said.
A retired FBI agent who assembled
major crime cases for years says Attorney General Pam Bondi has a “slam
dunk” conspiracy case to prosecute former federal agents and prosecutors
for election meddling for relentlessly pursuing Donald Trump for
political purposes while protecting prominent Democrats like Hillary
Clinton in the face of damning evidence.
Jonathan Gilliam, a retired FBI agent and Navy SEAL, told the Just the News, No Noise television
show that Trump should name a “Justice Czar” to coordinate both
prosecutions and policy fixes after documents turned over to Congress by
Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel showed that FBI agents were
repeatedly thwarted from pursuing corruption allegations against Clinton
and her family foundation.
The agents were overruled when they told prosecutors there was no probable cause to raid Trump’s home in Florida.
Creating and falsifying evidence, ex-agent says
“It's the same cast of characters every time.” Gilliam said. “We had a
tremendous amount of evidence that they were trying to create evidence
and falsify evidence to go after Trump. Now we see that they're trying
to stop investigations and get rid of real evidence for the purpose of
protecting the Clintons.
“I think this really does lead to bigger charges such as conspiracy
to overthrow an election, I would say, potentially treason, if you could
put that in there, but definitely sedition,” he added.
Gilliam suggested the Justice Department treat the key players
accused of weaponizing law enforcement and intelligence powers just like
a drug cartel or mafia family.
“This is a group of people that continue to come up in one case of
building cases against Trump, falsifying information. But now it shows
that the same people were conspiring to do a second overall crime, or
second conspiracy to protect the political candidate that they agree
with,” he said.
“I mean, honestly, if this was a mafia case, and we had this
clear-cut of an example of a group of people committing two or more
crimes for the furtherance of their political group or their enterprise.
This would be a slam dunk case for any US Attorney. So I think this is
something that they should look at,” Gilliam continued.
“This is years of individuals working their way up and getting
together or being pulled up and put together so that they could conspire
to stop one individual from becoming president and push the other
person forward,” he added.
Dhillon: Enough evidence to pursue conspiracy charges
Gilliam’s comments came the same week that Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon told the Just the News, No Noise
television show that she believes there’s enough evidence to pursue a
conspiracy case alleging the federal agents and state prosecutors
conspired to infringe the civil liberties of Trump and his MAGA
followers.
Gilliam suggested such a case would be massive in scope and
complicated in mission, and it would be best served by having a central
quarterback.
“We need real investigators under a justice czar to look at these people and criminally investigate and charge them,” he said.
A friend of Israeli national Gefen Bitton, who was shot three times by the Bondi Beach shooters, said that he was "currently in the ICU, after multiple surgeries, and has a long way to go."
Israeli national Gefen Bitton, who ran towards the Bondi Beach shooters to try and stop them, has been hospitalized and is in a coma, the Sydney Morning Herald reported on Saturday.
Bitton was seriously wounded while trying to assist and stop the attackers.
The man in his 30s works as a garage door installer. Although he had
initially managed to escape the danger, he chose to return to the scene
upon realising what was happening.
"Not a mere bystander, but an absolute hero who deserves recognition,” his friend Cay Barr said, as per the Morning Herald.
“He is currently in the ICU, after multiple surgeries, and has a long
way to go. We are praying that in the next few days, he will be stable
enough to wake up.”
Social
media footage shows Bitton approaching one of the attackers with
another man, appearing to distract the gunman in an effort to protect
others.
AHMED
AL AHMED, the hero of Bondi Beach, at the hospital being given a check
by Zachery Dereniowski. (credit: Screenshot/Instagram)Bitton
was shot three times by the attacker, who was armed with a hunting
rifle. The second man, Syrian national Ahmed al-Ahmed, received
widespread praise for his actions and was awarded a cheque for
approximately 2.5 million Australian dollars. He was also injured during
the incident.
Israeli citizen who tried to stop Bondi attackers in coma
Australian
media reported that Bitton has undergone complex surgeries and remains
in the intensive care unit. His condition is described as serious but
stable, and he is suffering from significant internal wounds. Friends
and relatives say he does not see himself as a hero, having acted purely
on instinct.
Bitton had gone to Bondi Beach to celebrate Hanukkah with a friend after a long day of hiking. When the shooting began, Bitton and his friend ran away.
Within
seconds, Bitton had vanished. Another friend later received a call from
Bitton’s sister in Israel: “My brother just called. He said he was shot
twice, and then the line disconnected.”
From
that point, relatives and friends searched for any sign of him. With no
information on his whereabouts or condition, they combed Bondi. They
later went from hospital to hospital until he was located at St
Vincent’s Hospital, already undergoing surgery for multiple gunshot
wounds.
Bitton’s
father, who flew in from Israel, joined the effort to reconstruct the
sequence of events. Using the Find My Phone app, they determined
Bitton’s last recorded location was nearer the site of the shooting than
the area where he had been sitting.
A
breakthrough came when friends analysing footage from the scene
recognised the man in the red shirt beside Ahmed al-Ahmed. Bitton’s
clothing was recalled by the friend who had been with him earlier, and
his father confirmed the identification. Bitton had fled but then ran
back toward the attacker to help. When Ahmed al-Ahmed bravely jumped at
the gunman, Bitton was beside him. He was shot, fell, and was shot
again.
“It was a moment of extreme courage,” one acquaintance said. “He thought only about the people around him.”
Although
public interest in Bitton has grown, he has remained quiet. His family
and friends have asked that his privacy be respected while he recovers,
and that the focus remain on his treatment.
“Gefen’s put his own life at risk with his selfless actions,” the family’s statement read, as reported by the Herald. "Gefen – an unarmed Israeli civilian, living in peace in Australia
– made a decision most of us couldn’t even think of. He ran into the
face of danger like only a hero does, guided by the values on which he
was educated and raised. A true hero that deserves recognition.”
