Iran and Houthi terror proxy facing Red Sea threat from pro-US African nation - Paul Tilsley

 

by Paul Tilsley

Sen Ted Cruz advocates for US recognition of Somaliland as a critical counterterrorism ally

 

Iran is said to be ‘deeply threatened’ by the small African breakaway state, Somaliland, because of the potential for U.S., Israeli and Western powers to use its deep water port and airbase.

Such moves would severely disrupt Iran’s plan to use their proxy, Yemen’s Houthi terror group, to attack Red Sea shipping.

Iran has been accused of pressuring the Houthis to renew their strikes on shipping, particularly in the Red Sea’s Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. The waterway has become the main route for oil to ship out of the Middle East to Asia since the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed.

COULD SOMALILAND BASE EMERGE AS US FOOTHOLD AGAINST IRAN, HOUTHIS IN KEY SEA LANES?

A Somaliland military armed vehicle takes part in a parade during the self-declared Independence Day, with celebrations commemorating their 1991 breakaway from Somalia, amid renewed focus on Somaliland's push for global recognition after Israel became the first country to formally recognize the self‑declared Republic of Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state in East Africa, in Hargeisa, the capital of Somalia's breakaway territory of Somaliland, May 18, 2026.  (Reuters/Stringer)

Lisa Daftari, a Middle East and foreign policy expert, told Fox News Digital, "Iran’s regime is deeply threatened by what Somaliland represents in an emerging pro‑Western, potentially pro‑Israel foothold overlooking the Bab el‑Mandeb, that could blunt Tehran’s leverage via the Houthis over Red Sea shipping and Israel."

Daftari, the editor‑in‑chief of The Foreign Desk, said, "that’s why Iran‑backed Houthis are already explicitly threatening to strike any Israeli or Western military presence in Somaliland and warning they could move to choke the Bab el‑Mandeb if the conflict with the U.S. and Israel escalates." 

The White House has said that Iran’s proxies, such as the Houthis, have been weakened. "The United States Military achieved all of the goals laid out for Operation Epic Fury – including weakening Iran’s proxies. Now, Iran is being strangled economically – giving President Trump all the cards as negotiations continue," Anna Kelly, special assistant to the President and White House principal deputy press secretary told Fox News Digital when asked if the U.S. was considering a full-time-basing relationship with Somaliland.

A tanker sits at the Port of Fujairah, as the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran limits marine traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. (REUTERS / Amr Alfiky / File Photo)

Edmund Fitton-Brown, a senior fellow at The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) told Fox News Digital that Somaliland’s recognition of Israel and Israel’s recognition of it last December has clearly irked Iran.

Fitton-Brown, who is a former U.K. ambassador to Yemen — the Houthis home country, said Iran "opposes any recognition of it (Somaliland) primarily because Israel is the first state to recognize it, and Iran will oppose anything that Israel does. Iran is also viscerally opposed to the U.S. and UAE, both of which have pragmatic engagement with Somaliland, short of recognition. Somaliland is a potential base for anti-Houthi enforcement, i.e. a threat to the Iranian Axis of Resistance."

IS TRUMP CONSIDERING BOLD AFRICA PLAY TO PUSH BACK ON CHINA, RUSSIA AND ISLAMIC TERRORISTS?

Pro-Iran protesters brandish billboards depicting the Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei, flags of Yemen and Iran, weapons, and chant slogans as they take part in a rally held to condemn the US-Israel aerial attacks on Iran and killing the Iranian supreme leader and several military officials on March 1, 2026 in Sana'a, Yemen.  (Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images)

The U.S. already has a large base on the Red Sea in Djibouti, but Fitton-Brown says this is increasingly problematical "China is significantly expanding its military and commercial presence in Djibouti. There is a sense that Djibouti is not a reliable ally for the U.S. So Somaliland’s time has probably come."

And Somaliland hopes so. Its Foreign Minister, Abdirahman Dahir Adam, told Fox News Digital "At a time when the Strait of Hormuz is under pressure and threats to the Red Sea are escalating, Somaliland has reiterated its longstanding offer to provide the United States with access along our coast. We have been clear about this in times of peace, and we are equally clear today."

Iranian soldiers take part in an annual military drill in the coast of the Gulf of Oman and near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, in Jask, Iran on December 30, 2022. (Iranian Army / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The Somaliland government is also offering storage space for tomahawk missiles, with a government source saying it’s "a unique way to advance security interests."

Adam added, "U.S. destroyers that expend their missile batteries in the Red Sea require (currently) up to two weeks of travel to be resupplied. Somaliland is ready to play a practical role in helping the U.S. to secure global trade routes."

But Somaliland’s offer of allowing use of its airbase and seaport is not all plain sailing.  Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Kenneth P. Ekman, former AFRICOM/J5 and West Africa coordination element lead, told Fox News Digital "a policy dilemma presents when conducting diplomatic and military relations with Somaliland directly, rather than through the Federal Government of Somalia and the SNA (Somali National Army)."

IRAN'S AFRICA ACTIVITIES POSE 'SIGNIFICANT THREATS TO US NATIONAL SECURITY'

People stand next to the Independence Monument, depicting a hand holding a map of the country, in the city of Hargeisa, Somaliland, on Sept. 19, 2021. (Eduardo Soteras/AFP via Getty Images)

"This same dilemma presents," Ekman continued. "While we (the U.S.) enjoy good access in Djibouti, this access is singular and competes with the Chinese presence.  Additional access to the port of Berbera, located in Somaliland, provides redundancy (backup) and a relationally different partner. Frankly, the U.S. military, along with some of our allies and partners, need port access in Berbera."

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas., chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, is strongly advocating for the U.S. to go all the diplomatic way and recognize Somaliland.

Sen. Ted Cruz speaks during a roundtable discussion at the U.S. Capitol on March 3, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

He told Fox News Digital in a statement that "Somaliland promises to be a critical counterterrorism ally for the United States, both because of its strong willingness to partner with us and because of its unique location. We should recognize the Republic of Somaliland as an independent state and, in the meantime, significantly boost our counterterrorism cooperation." 

The U.S. though, appears to be making below-the-radar moves. The Commander of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), Gen. Dagvin Anderson, was recently in the country visiting port facilities, with a delegation, in November. This week, a Somaliland government source told Fox News Digital that U.S. military delegations come to the state every two months, with the last visit in the second half of April. 

U.S. Air Force Gen. Dagvin Anderson, commander, U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), meets with President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, president of Somaliland, in Hargeisa, Somaliland, Nov. 26, 2025. The meeting was part of Gen. Anderson’s trip in East Africa to meet with government and defense leaders to strengthen America’s strategic approach to confronting terrorism through mutual engagement, stronger cooperation, and aligned security priorities. (U.S. Army photo by Cpt. Ubon Mendie)

Fitton-Brown told Fox News Digital that, "The U.S. is already using it (Somaliland) for counterterrorism operations. My understanding is that the U.S. doesn’t have a permanent military presence in Somaliland, but actively cooperates with Somaliland's security forces on regional counterterrorism and maritime security issues."

A former senior U.S. defense official agreed that American military specialists have been co-ordinating with Somaliland forces since 2023, when they came together to kill Bilal al-Sudani, reportedly a key facilitator and financier of the ISIS global network.

However, the U.S. aligns publicly with Somalia, from which Somaliland broke away in 1991. 

Somalia airstrikes escalate as U.S. forces partner with Somali authorities against al-Shabaab. (TONY KARUMBA/AFP via Getty Images)

When asked this week about the U.S. military relationship with Somaliland when it comes to counter-terrorism operations in the country, a Pentagon official told Fox News Digital: "The United States maintains its strategic partnership with the Federal Government of Somalia.

"In northern Somalia, AFRICOM, alongside the Federal Government of Somalia and Somali Armed Forces, has conducted airstrikes to degrade ISIS—Somalia's ability to threaten the U.S. Homeland, our forces, and our citizens abroad. In southern Somalia, AFRICOM, also in close coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, has conducted airstrikes to enable partner forces’ ability to degrade al Shabaab. Our strategic approach to countering terrorism in Africa relies on trusted partnerships and collaboration grounded in and through shared security interests."

Daftari added, "Somaliland is offering the United States what the mullahs fear most in this theater, namely an alternative, resilient platform on the African shore that includes an airfield, port, and over‑the‑horizon access that would dilute Houthi leverage and give Washington options that don’t depend on Djibouti or Persian Gulf partners alone." 

Paul Tilsley is a veteran correspondent who has reported from four continents for more than three decades. Based in Johannesburg, South Africa, he can be followed on X @paultilsley.

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/world/iran-houthi-terror-proxy-facing-red-sea-threat-from-pro-us-african-nation

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Trump nears decision on Taiwan arms sale amid conflicting official explanations for delay - Steven Richards

 

by Steven Richards

The president said the arms package was a “negotiating chip” and his Navy secretary said the delay was about military stocks. The confusion over the congressionally-approved arms sale has raised concern among lawmakers.

 

Statements from President Trump, the Pentagon, and the Taiwanese administration are sowing confusion about the stalled arms sale that lawmakers say is a vital component of deterring China.

A source familiar with Trump’s thinking told Just the News that he is expected to make a decision on the arms sale soon. 

The president has balanced the arms sale with the U.S.-China tensions that have eased following a cordial summit in Beijing earlier this month. 

The summit, during which Trump visited Beijing for the first time since his first term, marked a shift in tone following a bruising tariff and trade battle, moving from "competition" toward "strategic stability" – a framework that seems to prioritize trade cooperation and downplays confrontation.

Trump has already approved one arms package to Taiwan, in December. But the second, larger package approved by Congress earlier this year is now stalled. 

Jack Burnham, a China analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Just the News that Taiwan buys arms from the U.S. to deter China, which has ramped up military pressure on the island nation with frequent military exercises in recent years. 

"Taiwan buys weapons for one reason: to deter Beijing, which continues its efforts to coerce Taipei into accepting subjugation," Burnham told Just the News. The communist government of China views the island of Taiwan as a part of its national territory and does not rule out the use of force to bring it under control.  

Previously, U.S. presidents have been careful to detach arms sales to Taiwan from broader diplomatic engagement with the Chinese. In 1982, the Reagan administration gave Taiwan what became known as the Six Assurances, one of which stated that the U.S. “has not agreed to consult with [China] on arms sales to Taiwan.” Successive presidents have adhered to that promise. 

But, Trump, returning last week from his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, described a $14 billion congressional arms package for Taiwan as leverage in negotiations with China, Just the News previously reported. 

"It's a very good negotiating chip for us, frankly. It's a lot of weapons," the president said, linking arms sales to Taiwan with the overall U.S.-China relationship. 

Lawmakers have raised concerns that delays in arms sales to Taiwan could undermine the island’s deterrence of Chinese aggression and lead to a broader war in the region.  

The U.S. must "arm Taiwan so they can defend themselves for deterrence against Chairman Xi," said Rep. Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican and former House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman. Lawmakers are currently moving the PORCUPINE Act through Congress that aims to expedite the transfer of military equipment to Taiwan. 

Pentagon officials have delivered different reasons for the delay in the sale. Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao, testifying before the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee on Thursday, said the administration was pausing the sale for an entirely different reason – to protect U.S. munitions stocks depleted during Operation Epic Fury, the American air and naval campaign against Iran that started Feb. 28 and ended with a fragile ceasefire.  

"Right now, we're doing a pause in order to make sure we have the munitions we need for Epic Fury – which we have plenty," Cao told lawmakers. "We're just making sure we have everything, but then the foreign military sales will continue when the administration deems necessary."

Despite Cao’s testimony, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has consistently pushed back on the claim that the conflict with Iran has strained U.S. munitions stockpiles. "The munitions issue has been foolishly and unhelpfully overstated," Hegseth told Congress earlier this month. 

“As with all prospective foreign military sales and security assistance matters, the details remain predecisional until finalized by the President. Our Taiwan policy remains unchanged, and the U.S. continues to adhere to long-standing commitment consistent with the Taiwan Relations Act,” Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.

The $14 billion package – which includes advanced air-defense systems and interceptor missiles – was approved by Congress in January. It requires a formal submission from the president before it can proceed.

That package follows a record-breaking $11 billion arms deal that the Trump administration approved in December.  

Taiwan was already carrying a significant backlog of undelivered American military hardware even before the latest pause. By December 2025, outstanding U.S. defense deliveries to Taipei are valued at about $21.5 billion, including for orders of F-16 fighters, Patriot missile systems and other weapons already paid for but not yet shipped.

A source familiar with the deliberations told Just the News that Trump “will make a decision regarding Taiwan arms sales soon.”  

“These sales take years to process and are unrelated to Operation Epic Fury. The United States Military has more than enough munitions, ammo, and stockpiles to serve all of President Trump’s strategic goals and beyond,” the individual said in a statement. 

Taiwan continues to insist that the weapons sale is necessary for deterring China and that, despite the news reports and comments from the administration, no “adjustments” to the transaction have been shared with them. 

Taiwan's presidential spokesperson, Karen Kuo, said the government had seen the reports of a pause but had received no official word from Washington. "[C]urrently there is no information regarding any adjustments the US will make to this arms sale," Kuo said.

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te said that if given the chance to speak with Trump, he would urge him to continue arms sales, calling them essential for peace in the Taiwan Strait. Lai has previously said Taiwan's sovereignty is "non-negotiable."

Trump has suggested that he could speak directly with Taiwan’s president, something a sitting U.S. president has not done since Washington transferred official recognition to Beijing from Taipei in 1979.

A bipartisan group of senators raised concerns about the potential for further delays of the Taiwan arms package and filed a resolution affirming congressional support for defensive arms sales to Taiwan under the Taiwan Relations Act and stating explicitly that the United States had made no agreement to consult China before selling weapons to the island. 

Kentucky GOP Sen. Mitch McConnell, who questioned Cao at Thursday's hearing, called the delay "distressing." 

FDD’s Burnham argued that the economic case for completing the sale is as strong as the strategic one, and explained how the arms transfer is not foreign aid, but something for which Taiwan pays.  

"Taiwan is America's best customer; Taipei has already approved the funds to purchase the proposed American weapons package," he told Just the News. "President Trump should recognize that Taipei is already spending on its own defense, and that its funds will fuel a resurgence in the U.S. defense industrial base."

Beijing, for its part, has long opposed U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and its government wasted no time expressing satisfaction with the pause. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told reporters Friday that "China's firm opposition to US arms sales to China's Taiwan region is consistent, clear and unwavering." 

Steven Richards

Source: https://justthenews.com/government/security/trump-nears-decision-taiwan-arms-sale-amid-conflicting-official-explanations

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Netanyahu orders IDF to expand op against Hezbollah in Lebanon - JNS Staff

 

by JNS Staff

“The IDF is operating with large forces on the ground and seizing dominant terrain,” said the Israeli premier.

 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leads a security assessment at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, May 26, 2026. Photo by Ma’ayan Toaf/GPO.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Tuesday night that he had ordered the Israel Defense Forces to expand ground operations against Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon.

“The IDF is operating with large forces on the ground and seizing dominant terrain. We are fortifying the security zone to protect the communities of the north,” the premier said, according to a readout of remarks delivered at a Security Cabinet meeting.

“Concurrently, we are leading a massive national effort to advance creative and innovative solutions against explosive drones,” Netanyahu continued. “We back and praise our heroic commanders and soldiers. They are deep in the field. We trust you!”

The announcement came hours after Netanyahu convened Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir for a security assessment at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv.

 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, today, at the start of the Security Cabinet meeting:
"As per the directive of myself, the Defense Minister and the IDF Chief of Staff, we are deepening our operation in Lebanon. The IDF is operating with large forces on the ground and seizing… pic.twitter.com/GBLuWgEbyl

— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) May 26, 2026

In a separate statement on Tuesday night, Netanyahu said the IDF had eliminated some 2,500 Hezbollah terrorists since the terror organization joined the war on Iran’s behalf on March 2.

The prime minister noted that since the U.S.-brokered ceasefire with Lebanon took effect on April 17, the military has eliminated 700 Hezbollah operatives in defensive operations, adding that fewer terrorists were killed during the entire Second Lebanon War in 2006.

“Against Hezbollah, we have not stopped fighting for a moment, and more action is yet to come, until the full security of Israel’s citizens is ensured,” said the premier.

מאז מבצע ״שאגת הארי״ חיסלנו כ־2,500 מחבלי חיזבאללה.

בזמן הפסקת האש בלבד חוסלו 700 מחבלי חיזבאללה - יותר מחבלים מאשר חוסלו במלחמת לבנון השנייה כולה.

כוחותינו משלימים את הריסת תשתיות הטרור הסמוכים ליישובינו.

כוחות גדולים של צה״ל פועלים בעומק השטח, תופסים שטחים שולטים ומבצרים את… pic.twitter.com/uKABYRYKLq

— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) May 26, 2026

Iranian-backed Hezbollah began firing rockets and drones at Israel on March 2, following the targeted killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei during the opening stages of “Operation Roaring Lion” on Feb. 28.

In response, Israel launched a broad aerial campaign against Hezbollah targets and expanded military operations in Southern Lebanon aimed at preventing cross-border attacks on Israeli communities.

Netanyahu on April 26 accused Hezbollah of “essentially disintegrating” the fragile truce, which was extended for another 45 days earlier this month.

“Therefore, as far as we are concerned, what obligates us is the security of Israel, the security of our soldiers, and the security of our communities,” the prime minister said. “We are acting vigorously according to the rules we agreed upon with the United States, and incidentally, with Lebanon as well.”

Air-raid sirens continued to sound in northern Israel on Tuesday night, sending roughly 35,000 residents of 11 border communities scrambling to bomb shelters, as the IDF confirmed that several “suspicious aerial targets” from Lebanon crossed the border in multiple incidents.

The IDF also confirmed that “one projectile that was launched from Lebanon crossed into Israeli territory and fell in an open area.” No injuries were reported in the rocket assault.

As part of ground operations in Southern Lebanon, the IDF struck infrastructure used to launch rockets at the Jewish state, it announced on Tuesday.

“The IDF continues to strike Hezbollah terrorists and infrastructure in Southern Lebanon,” said the military.

צה״ל ממשיך לתקוף תשתיות של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה בדרום לבנון: חוסלו מחבלים שקידמו מתווי טרור נגד כוחותינו והותקפו תשתיות מהן פעלו לשיגור רקטות pic.twitter.com/3sN2DuMA9U

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) May 26, 2026

JNS Staff

Source: https://www.jns.org/news/israel-news/netanyahu-orders-idf-to-expand-op-against-hezbollah-in-lebanon

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US official: Collapse of Lebanon-Israel talks serves Hezbollah - Israel National News

 

by Israel National News

US reportedly asks Israel to avoid strikes in Beirut as official says collapse of Israel-Lebanon talks serves terror group.

 

Hezbollah supporters in Lebanon                                                 Reuters/Marwan Naamani

 

A senior American official told Al Jazeera that talks between Israel and Lebanon are continuing according to the timetables that were set, and warned that the collapse of the talks would serve only the Hezbollah terror organization.

The official also stressed to Al Jazeera that the only path to achieving stable peace is through direct negotiations between the governments of Israel and Lebanon.

The official claimed that Hezbollah chose to continue its attacks against Israel even though it had been given the opportunity to cease fire, and stressed that Israel is acting within its right to self-defense. He also said that the United States views the current situation as a confrontation between Israel and a terrorist organization.

According to him, Hezbollah launched the confrontation in order to preserve its political standing and continues firing in order to perpetuate the "illusion of resistance" and justify its influence.

Meanwhile, Israel informed the United States in advance of its intention to expand operations in Lebanon.

According to a Channel 12 News report, the American message to Israel was to avoid strikes in Beirut and avoid bringing down buildings in the city.

At the same time, a senior Israeli official noted that approval exists for targeted eliminations in Beirut if an operational opportunity arises.

Israel National News

Source: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/427663

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Israel kills Hamas military chief tied to Oct. 7 attack - Joshua Marks

 

by Joshua Marks

Mohammed Odeh had replaced Izz al-Din al-Haddad, who was eliminated earlier this month.

 

 

The Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday eliminated Mohammed Odeh, the new head of Hamas’ military wing and a key figure in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed his elimination on Wednesday, writing in an X post that he was “sent to meet his partners in the depths of hell” and congratulating the IDF and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) “for the brilliant execution” of the operation. This was followed shortly thereafter by a joint IDF and Shin Bet statement also confirming Odeh’s elimination.

מפקד הזרוע הצבאית מספר 4 של ארגון הטרור חמאס בעזה חוסל אתמול ונשלח לפגוש את שותפיו במעמקי הגיהינום.

בשם רה"מ ובשמי, ברכות לצה"ל ולשב"כ על הביצוע המבריק.

התחייבנו לחסל את כל מי שהוביל את טבח ה-7 באוקטובר וכך נעשה: כולם בני מוות בכל מקום.

התחייבנו שהחמאס לא ישלוט אזרחית וצבאית… pic.twitter.com/b5ryB4tHz7

— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) May 27, 2026

"As part of the joint IDF and ISA operation to eliminate the terrorist Mohammed Odeh, terror infrastructure sites in the heart of Gaza City that Odeh used to hideout were struck. This followed months of intelligence monitoring aimed at tracking the movements of Odeh and his operatives. Simultaneously, a nearby apartment belonging to a Hamas terrorist who infiltrated Israel on October 7, and was part of Odeh’s circle of operatives, was struck,” the IDF and Shin Bet said.

The morning confirmations followed a joint statement on Tuesday night with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Katz that Israeli forces carried out a strike in Gaza targeting the terror leader.

In a statement, they said that Odeh had led Hamas’ intelligence unit during the Oct. 7 massacre, and had been appointed about a week earlier to replace Izz al-Din al-Haddad, who was killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza on May 15. He was accused of involvement in killings, abductions and injuries of Israeli civilians and soldiers.

“The IDF and the ISA are commended for the ongoing effort to eliminate our enemies,” the statement read. “We will continue to pursue anyone who took part in the October 7 massacre. Sooner or later, Israel will reach them all.”

Tuesday’s statement from the IDF and Shin Bet also described Odeh as head of Hamas’ intelligence headquarters.

“Odeh is one of the last senior commanders in Hamas’ military wing who took part in the planning and execution of the October 7 massacre and the management of combat operations against IDF troops,” the IDF and Shin Bet said. “His elimination constitutes a significant blow to the Hamas terrorist organization’s rehabilitation efforts.”

Separately, the Israeli military said earlier Tuesday that troops had dismantled about 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) of terror tunnel routes in the Beit Hanoun area of northern Gaza as part of a months-long engineering operation.

🎯DISMANTLED: ~11km of underground tunnel routes east of the Yellow Line in the Beit Hanoun area in northern Gaza.

The area served as a central Hamas terrorist stronghold. An underground network built beneath residential homes, public institutions & roads, and used by the… pic.twitter.com/5B5IqPJWrj

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) May 26, 2026

The IDF said forces from the Northern Brigade and the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit, operating under the 252nd Division, carried out hundreds of operations to locate and destroy tunnel infrastructure, along with hundreds of above-ground sites used by terrorists. The military described Beit Hanoun as a longstanding Hamas stronghold where tunnels were built beneath homes, public buildings and roads.

During fighting in the area, an additional 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) of tunnels were dismantled and terrorists were killed in engagements with Israeli forces, the IDF said.

Joshua Marks

Source: https://www.jns.org/news/israel-news/israel-kills-hamas-military-chief-tied-to-oct-7-attack

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While Xi and Putin Argue Over Pipeline, U.S. Keeps Chokehold on China's Energy - Gordon G. Chang

 

by Gordon G. Chang

"Russia is running out of capital. Putin does not have the cash to build Power of Siberia 2, and he has not been able to convince the Chinese to pay for it." — Dmitri Alperovitch, to Gatestone Institute, May 22, 2026.

 

• Putin walked away [from his meeting with Xi] with more than 40 agreements, but he did not leave with the prize he has long sought.

• "When you look at all the 'agreements,' they are only memoranda of understanding. In other words, they are merely invitations to talk more." — Dmitri Alperovitch, chairman of Silverado Policy Accelerator and co-author of World on the Brink: How America Can Beat China in the Race for the Twenty-First Century, to Gatestone Institute, May 22, 2026.

• The pipeline is especially important to Russia because it will replace sales to Europe, lost because of its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

• "Russia is running out of capital. Putin does not have the cash to build Power of Siberia 2, and he has not been able to convince the Chinese to pay for it." — Dmitri Alperovitch, to Gatestone Institute, May 22, 2026.

• Let them argue forever if they want. While they do, America continues to have a chokehold over China's imported energy supply.

"Russia is running out of capital. Putin does not have the cash to build Power of Siberia 2, and he has not been able to convince the Chinese to pay for it." -- Dmitri Alperovitch, chairman of Silverado Policy Accelerator and co-author of World on the Brink: How America Can Beat China in the Race for the Twenty-First Century. Pictured: Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People on May 20, 2026 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Maxim Shemetov/Pool/Getty Images)

Vladimir Putin wrapped up his summit in Beijing with Xi Jinping on May 20, the Russian leader's 25th visit to China.

Putin walked away with more than 40 agreements, but he did not leave with the prize he has long sought.

As an initial matter, forget about the pacts that were inked. "When you look at all the 'agreements,' they are only memoranda of understanding," Dmitri Alperovitch, chairman of Silverado Policy Accelerator, said to Gatestone. "In other words, they are merely invitations to talk more."

Russia and China have talked a lot about the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline, some 12 years in fact. Putin traveled to the Chinese capital in May primarily to get the green light for the project, which will transport 1.77 trillion cubic feet of natural gas annually across 1,616 miles from the Yamal Peninsula on the north coast of Siberia through Mongolia and then to Shanghai.

The pipeline is especially important to Russia because it will replace sales to Europe, lost because of its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

On May 20, Moscow announced that Russia and China had reached a "shared understanding of the main parameters." "There is agreement on the route and on how the project will be built," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. "Some details still need to be finalized, but in general such an understanding is already in place."

There is no timetable for the finalization of the deal, Peskov stated.

Reports state that Russia and China continued to haggle over the price of pipeline gas.

That assessment is true, but the negotiations are more complex than that statement implies. "Russia is running out of capital," said Alperovitch, also co-author of World on the Brink: How America Can Beat China in the Race for the Twenty-First Century. "Putin does not have the cash to build Power of Siberia 2, and he has not been able to convince the Chinese to pay for it."

The Chinese think they have Putin over a barrel, but they are overestimating their strength. They need Russian energy as fast as they can get it.

"At the moment, the Chinese are short cargoes, so they have to buy in the spot market," Jonathan Bass, CEO of Louisiana-based Argent LNG, the developer of the largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility in the United States. "The Chinese do not want to buy American energy, but they may have to."

China is the world's largest importer of natural gas and needs more secure sources of supply.

China faces two problems with LNG, however. First, much of China's LNG arrives in vessels passing chokepoints, the Strait of Hormuz and the more important Strait of Malacca.

"The Chinese think the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz is a fluke, so they do not believe the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline is strategically that important," Alperovitch noted.

Pipelines are not invulnerable, of course. According to an estimate of Senator John Kennedy, the Louisiana Republican, Ukraine has hit Russia's energy facilities more than a hundred times this year. Some of those strikes have been deep inside Russian territory.

Nonetheless, Russia's pipelines — the existing Power of Siberia 1 and the proposed new one — are not as vulnerable as ships making long passages at sea.

"China is the world's largest importer of energy," Bass added. "The Chinese need pipeline-supplied molecules because Ukraine can easily hit Russia's warm-water ports and because the U.S. Navy can cut off the seaborne supply of oil and gas anytime it wants."

"The world is getting dicey," Bass said this month. "The seas in a turbulent era may no longer be safe lanes of passage."

Second, LNG is delivered, Bass notes, through an "intricate global supply chain including many suppliers, port facilities, and shipping routes."

The Power of Siberia 2 pipeline, on the other hand, involves only two other parties, the Russian Federation and a tame Mongolia, which will be happy to passively collect hundreds of millions of dollars in transit fees.

Xi Jinping appears supremely confident that Russia will ultimately agree to his terms, but the Chinese have time constraints of their own.

After the Xi-Putin summit, the bickering over the price of gas that will flow through Power of Siberia 2 will continue.

Let them argue forever if they want. While they do, America continues to have a chokehold over China's imported energy supply.

• Follow Gordon G. Chang on X (formerly Twitter) 

Gordon G. Chang is the author of Plan Red: China's Project to Destroy America, a Gatestone Institute distinguished senior fellow, and a member of its Advisory Board.

Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22544/russia-china-gas-pipeline

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Joe Biden sues DOJ to stop release of audio recordings connected to special counsel probe - Misty Severi

 

by Misty Severi

The lawsuit comes ahead of the department's planned June 15 release of the materials ​to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee and the conservative Heritage ​Foundation, which requested the information under the Freedom of Information Act.

 

Former President Joe Biden sued the Justice Department Tuesday to block the release of recordings and transcripts from interviews he gave to a ghostwriter for his 2017 memoir, which were included in a special counsel probe regarding his handling of classified materials after he served as vice president.

The lawsuit comes ahead of the department's planned June 15 release of the materials ​to the House Judiciary Committee and the conservative Heritage ​Foundation, which requested the information under the Freedom of Information Act, per Reuters.

The Heritage Foundation requested the material after they were used in then-Special Counsel Robert Hur’s 2023 investigation into Biden’s handling of ​classified documents, for which Hur ultimately declined to bring charges.

Hur determined Biden's memory lapses would make it hard to prove he acted willfully.

The lawsuit, which is related to private conversations the former president had with his biographer in 2016 and 2017, asks ⁠the Washington, D.C., court to declare the committee’s request pretextual and invalid, and permanently bar the release of the records.

The recordings were part of Biden's 2017 memoir in which he detailed his decision to pursue the ​presidency while ⁠his eldest son Beau fought brain cancer. 

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage. 

Source: https://justthenews.com/government/courts-law/joe-biden-sues-doj-stop-release-audio-recordings-connected-special-counsel

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California gubernatorial hopeful Becerra has deep ties to migrant NGOs, Mexican government - Seamus Bruner and Price Sukhia

 

by Seamus Bruner and Price Sukhia

The relationships with Becerra are both personal and political. His daughter Clarissa interned at UnidosUS in 2012.

 

California gubernatorial candidate and former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra's relationship with the Mexican government doesn't run through one nonprofit. It runs through many.

Newly detailed investigative reporting from the Government Accountability Institute tracks Becerra's long-standing, documented relationships with several of the most politically powerful migrant nonprofits in the country, including those with deep, operational ties to the Mexican government.

UnidosUS: Decades of Alignment

UnidosUS, formerly the National Council of La Raza and one of the largest Latino advocacy organizations in America, has been a Becerra ally for decades. GAI notes the group was created as a militant liberation movement in the 1960s.

By 2024, Mexican government officials were explicitly citing the need to engage UnidosUS to mobilize "citizen participation and collective action" inside the United States.

The relationship with Becerra is both personal and political. His daughter Clarissa interned at UnidosUS in 2012. The organization sponsored and paid for a $600 trip for Becerra to attend their Philadelphia conference in 2005.

When Becerra was nominated to lead HHS in 2020, UnidosUS supported his nomination and shepherded him throughout his Senate confirmation process. He has repeatedly spoken at their events.

In Arizona, a UnidosUS director participated in a January 2025 meeting hosted at the Phoenix Mexican Consulate. The event featured a who’s who of top Mexican officials and was centered on how Mexico could help counter the immigration policies of the incoming Trump administration.

UnidosUS's work on civic engagement, political advocacy, and get-out-the-vote efforts frequently intersects with Mexico's U.S. agenda, as seen in partnerships with groups like Mi Familia Vota and Unidos's own Civics for All program.

Becerra calls CHIRLA "My Family"

CHIRLA, a group that Becerra describes as part of his “family,” is another nonprofit whose influence looms large over the gubernatorial hopeful. CHIRLA has been a close ally of Becerra’s since 2015. Last April, the group issued its official endorsement, vowing to "work hard to get him elected" because of his support for immigrants. 

CHIRLA's ties to Mexico span more than two decades. In 1995 Mexico gave CHIRLA computers to track hate crimes. Since then, the two have worked closely on various events, including workshops for illegal migrants hosted at consular offices. CHIRLA's CEO even received the Mexican Government's prestigious Ohtli Award in 2015.

In addition to providing services for migrants, CHIRLA mobilizes anti-ICE rallies and deploys legal observers at ICE operations. The group also conducts voter outreach initiatives.  

During the 2024 election, CHIRLA placed a Mobile Voting Center in a Los Angeles migrant hub, notably, right near the Mexican Consulate.

All the while, they have collected millions in taxpayer money. 

Public records show that CHIRLA's government grant revenue was nearly $34 million in 2022. The group was awarded nearly $1 million in grants for citizenship and naturalization services during the Biden presidency.

Last summer, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) launched a House Judiciary investigation of CHIRLA on suspicion that the group was using taxpayer funding to support protests in Los Angeles. More than $100,000 in federal funding was clawed back before the probe officially opened.

CARECEN: The Earmark and the Consul General

Becerra has also kept a close working relationship with CARECEN-LA, another nonprofit with deep ties to the Mexican government. He has held press conferences at CARECEN offices, spoken at their events, and sponsored a $100,000 congressional earmark directly benefiting the organization in 2009.

The organization has spent years partnering with Mexico on citizenship workshops and immigration classes with Consuls General. In August 2014, Becerra spoke at CARECEN about asylum policy. Days later, Mexico's Consul General appeared at the same organization for a workshop.

Taken together, the reporting highlights Becerra’s position at the center of Mexico's U.S. infrastructure and California's most powerful migrant NGO networks. His political alliances align consistently with Mexico's U.S. agenda. How well — if at all — that meshes with any gubernatorial responsibilities he may owe California's residents remains to be seen. 

Seamus Bruner and Price Sukhia

Source: https://justthenews.com/world/becerras-network-three-powerful-migrant-ngos-deep-ties-mexican-government

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The Empire Strikes Back: Calif. lawmakers, Kansas judge block efforts to help gender-confused kids - Greg Piper

 

by Greg Piper

Oregon "gender affirming care" providers settle before trial on detransitioner's malpractice claims, after jury awarded $2 million to New York detransitioner. Kansas judge belittles expert witness that helped save Alabama's similar ban.

 

The so-called gender-affirming care industry is in retreat across much of the U.S., as courts uphold bans on medicalized gender transitions for minors and shield counselors from compelled affirmation of gender confusion, while red states remove barriers to older detransitioners suing their providers and facilitate the medical mitigation of their regretted procedures.

The lucrative field of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgical interventions, a routine next step for children whose gender confusion is affirmed via social transitions such as using opposite-sex pronouns, is also facing potentially crippling jury awards, as evidenced by a $2 million medical malpractice payout in New York for detransitioner Fox Varian.

Practitioners got mixed signals in recent weeks on their prospects going forward, with gender-affirming providers in Oregon coming to terms with an adult detransitioner before trial, a Kansas judge blocking the state's ban on medicalized gender transitions for minors and the California Senate putting a target on therapists who help children resolve their gender confusion. 

Camille Kiefel announced she had resolved her nearly four-year-old malpractice suit against her mental-health providers, whose allegedly rushed and fraudulent evaluation before recommending her for a double mastectomy closely resembles Varian's successful allegations. Kiefel, who founded Detrans Help, told Just the News the terms are confidential.

An Oregon court resurrected the lawsuit in late 2023 after it inadvertently lapsed due to a paperwork mix-up when Kiefel's lawyer had to withdraw due to a fatal cancer diagnosis. Kiefel's parallel lawsuit against the clinic and surgeon who performed the breast removal, filed two years ago, was dismissed on the grounds that the statute of limitations had expired.

It's the first settlement reached "at the 11th hour before a jury trial" and would have been the first trial over a medicalized gender transition undertaken as an adult, according to gender medicine journalist Ben Ryan, who broke the news. 

"It’s difficult because now I’m the most mentally healthy and most mentally stable I’ve been in my entire life, but I now no longer have my breasts," Kiefel told Fox News. 

Thrilled that Camille Kiefel won a settlement against therapists who rushed her into life-altering surgeries.

These procedures destroy young lives, and my Chloe Cole Act would ban the chemical and surgical mutilation of children and give victims justice.https://t.co/dXDFAqRzR3

— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) May 23, 2026

Ryan said he has tracked 27 detransitioner lawsuits in the U.S. since 2022, many of which foundered over statutes of limitation, including detransitioner Kaya Clementine Breen's suit against Children's Hospital Los Angeles pediatrician Johanna Olson-Kennedy. Breen is appealing last fall's dismissal.

Olson-Kennedy is known for admitting to hiding the results of her taxpayer-funded study that failed to find mental health improvements in children who underwent gender-affirming care. 

Freedom of Information Act productions to another gender medicine journalist, Jesse Singal, revealed that the National Institutes of Health backed down on requiring Olson-Kennedy to use a control group in the trial after she protested that withholding puberty blockers was unethical, despite the point of her study being to test how blockers affect mental health.

The North Carolina Court of Appeals is considering whether to reinstate detransitioner Prisha Mosley's malpractice lawsuit against her providers, which a lower court dismissed for exceeding the statute of limitations despite the Legislature having extended the statute to 10 years.

Judge belittles expert witness that saved Alabama's similar ban 

Douglas County District Judge Carl Folsom, a short-lister for the Kansas Supreme Court, temporarily blocked the state's ban on medicalized gender transitions for children, passed by the GOP-led legislature over Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly's veto.

He said pseudonymous minors Lily Loe and Ryan Roe, and their parents, are likely to prevail on their claim that SB 63 violates the "right to personal autonomy" in the Kansas Constitution and a "parent’s fundamental right to make medical decisions for their children."

Folsom conflated sex with gender identity and sex stereotypes with gender dysphoria, respectively, just three pages into the 117-page opinion. Loe was "assigned male at birth" but "her gender identity is female," as confirmed by Loe's desire for "dolls, make-up, and traditionally feminine toys" at 18 months old, Folsom wrote.

The judge found the plaintiffs' expert witnesses "credible and reliable," saying they testified that gender-affirming care is "only provided after a rigorous informed-consent process that requires initial and ongoing informed consent from parents and assent from the adolescent." 

One of them is University of California San Francisco child psychiatrist Jack Turban, whose study purporting to discredit "rapid-onset gender dysphoria" — a social-contagion explanation for adolescent gender confusion — has been challenged on methodological grounds. Gender medicine journalist Singal wrote a lengthy critique of Turban's study at the time.

Folsom also credited the state's Gender Pathways Services Clinic, which provides the care the plaintiffs use, with following Endocrine Society guidelines. 

Olson-Kennedy had invoked the society's guidelines to dissuade NIH from making her use a control group in her puberty blocker study, but Singal argued the guidelines are missing "many of the guardrails that seek to attenuate the role of human bias in guideline development" and are not backed by "quality evidence."

Folsom belittled Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach's expert witnesses including sexologist James Cantor, whose unsealed expert report in Alabama's successful defense of its similar ban revealed that the Biden administration pressured the World Professional Association for Transgender Health to ditch recommended age minimums for various forms of care.

Olson-Kennedy had also leaned on WPATH guidelines to compel NIH to relent.

"The Court does not credit the testimony of Dr. Cantor as to the actual or potential effects of puberty blockers or hormone therapies because he lacks the qualifications to offer his opinions and failed to support them," Folsom wrote. "His opinions are supported only by cherry-picked information, conjecture, and research taken out of context."

Kobach blasted the judge for creating "a new right of parents to obtain otherwise-illegal treatments for their children," the Kansas Reflector reported.

The California Senate passed legislation last week to drastically extend the statute of limitations for suing providers of so-called conversion therapy, using the template for "childhood sexual assault."

The Senate just passed my legislation to make it easier for people to sue mental health providers for malpractice if they performing conversion therapy (aka psychological torture) on them. I introduced this bill (SB 934) when it became clear the Supreme Court would put youth…

— Senator Scott Wiener (@Scott_Wiener) May 19, 2026

SB 934 defines "sexual orientation or gender identity change efforts" as licensed mental health providers' practices that "seek to direct a patient toward a predetermined sexual orientation or gender identity outcome," including efforts to either discourage or promote "any particular gender identity or gender expression." 

It does not appear to exempt talk therapy of the sort the Supreme Court said Colorado could not punish in this year's Chiles precedent, or to exempt patient-directed efforts to mitigate unwanted gender confusion.

Clients can seek damages against their providers within 22 years of turning 18 if the plaintiff was a minor when the therapy took place, within 10 years if the plaintiff was an adult at the time, or within five years of discovering "that psychological injury or illness occurring after the conduct was caused by sexual orientation or gender identity change efforts."

California state Democratic Sen. Scott Weiner said he introduced the bill "when it became clear the Supreme Court would put youth conversion therapy bans, like California’s, in legal jeopardy." The state pioneered such bans in 2012.

Since the high court has ruled that "this psychological torture is subject to the First Amendment — a radical & horrific ruling — California must step up to protect people from this malpractice," Wiener wrote. "Fortunately, the Supreme Court ruling made clear that it did not apply to malpractice claims. So malpractice it is."

Greg Piper

Source: https://justthenews.com/government/state-houses/empire-strikes-back-calif-lawmakers-kansas-judge-block-efforts-help-gender

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NY legislators add ‘buffer zone,’ twice size of one Mamdani vetoed, around Jewish schools into state budget proposal - Jessica Russak Hoffman

 

by Jessica Russak Hoffman

“I’ve never seen a budget bill not pass once it was on the floor,” a spokesman for state senator Sam Sutton told JNS.

 

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul makes a budget announcement in Albany, May 7, 2026. Credit: Mike Groll/Office of Gov. Kathy Hochul.

New York lawmakers rolled a proposal for a 50-foot “buffer zone” around Jewish day schools and community centers into the state budget on Tuesday.

Sam Sutton, a Democratic state senator who is Jewish, stated that “after the horrific incident outside Park East Synagogue, I became the first legislator to introduce this proposal.”

“Today, buffer zone protections were included in the final state budget,” he said.

Noam Abrahams, Sutton’s communications director, told JNS that the proposal was included in the budget bill that’s being discussed in session.

“Although that means it hasn’t technically passed both houses yet, I’ve never seen a budget bill not pass once it was on the floor,” Abrahams told JNS.

Mark Treyger, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, said that Jewish organizations and partners had turned “pain into purpose and ultimately policy to ensure safety reaches all faiths and communities across New York.”

Members of the state Assembly said that the buffer zone is particularly important after Zohran Mamdani, mayor of New York City, vetoed a buffer zone around educational institutions which passed the New York City Council without a veto-proof majority. The council passed a bill, which calls on the New York City Police Department to come up with a plan to protect houses of worship, with a veto-proof majority.

“Over the last three years, Jewish communities across New York have faced a deeply troubling rise in antisemitism, harassment and violence,” state legislators said in a press release. “From attacks outside synagogues and community institutions to the intimidation of students on college campuses, too many New Yorkers no longer feel secure in the very places that should offer refuge and belonging.”

When an initial proposal for a 25-foot buffer zone “restricting protest at houses of worship” was introduced several months ago, “many of us in the Assembly immediately felt it did not go far enough,” the representatives wrote. “We in the Assembly recognized that a narrow 25-foot boundary simply could not match the magnitude of this crisis.”

They added that the “state intervention became undeniably urgent following the New York City mayor’s veto of the City Council’s school safety perimeter transparency and reporting bill,” they stated. “That municipal failure left many Jewish New Yorkers deeply disappointed and exposed. If the city of New York cannot find it within themselves to take the necessary steps to protect our children, the state of New York must and will step in and act. We refuse to let local executive vetoes dictate the safety of our children, and we came together to fight for a state-level bill with real teeth.”

The Assembly members said that the “final legislation successfully secured in the New York state budget represents a massive legislative achievement.”

In addition to creating 50-foot perimeters, the new law also “creates a misdemeanor for individuals who demonstrate and harass within the 50-foot zone,” the lawmakers said.

Jessica Russak Hoffman is a writer in Seattle.

Source: https://www.jns.org/news/u-s-news/ny-legislators-add-buffer-zone-twice-size-of-one-mamdani-vetoed-around-jewish-schools-into-state-budget-proposal

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