THINGS THE US GOVERNMENT DOES NOT WANT US TO KNOW......BUT WHY?

Israel ‘very serious about going into Lebanon’ During Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s recent trip to the Middle East, he told an Arab counterpart that it appears Israel is intent on launching an incursion into Lebanon, according to a source familiar with the meeting. “It seems that they [Israel] are very serious about going into Lebanon,” the person said. The Arab official’s response to Blinken, the source added, was that Hezbollah has communicated that they will not stop their strikes on Israel until Israel stops its operations in Gaza. Israeli officials have told the US that one of its main goals in an offensive would be to push Hezbollah back, creating a buffer zone between Israel and Lebanon and allowing the tens of thousands of Israelis who have been forced out of their homes in the north because of the cross-border attacks to return. If war is averted and Hochstein’s plan goes into effect, it would similarly see Hezbollah pull back around six miles, or ten kilometers, away fr...

US concerned Israel’s Iron Dome could be overwhelmed in war with Hezbollah, officials say An Israeli soldier takes up a position in front of a battery of an Iron Dome air defence system near Jerusalem on April 15, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict.   Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images CNN  —  US officials have serious concerns that in the event of a full-blown war between Israel and  Hezbollah , the Iran-backed militant group could overwhelm Israel’s air defenses in the north — including the much-vaunted  Iron Dome  air defense system, three US officials told CNN. The fears, which the US officials said have also been communicated to them by Israel, that the Iron Dome could be vulnerable to Hezbollah’s vast arsenal of missiles and drones are only rising as Israel has increasingly indicated to US officials that it is preparing for a land and air incursion into Lebanon. Israeli officials have told the US they are pl...

Strong Taiwan Quake Kills 9, Injures Hundreds   The earthquake was the most powerful to hit the island in 25 years. Dozens of people remained trapped, and many buildings were damaged, with the worst centered in the city of Hualien. Published April 2, 2024 Updated April 3, 2024 Share full article See photos of the earthquake’s aftermath Hualien, Taiwan  A search-and-rescue team preparing to enter a leaning building after the quake. Lam Yik Fei for The New York Times Hualien, Taiwan  A landslide after the quake. Lam Yik Fei for The New York Times New Taipei City, Taiwan Books flew off shelves as a home shook. @Abalamindo via Storyful Taipei, Taiwan Passengers waiting at a train station as some services were suspended. Chiang Ying-Ying/Associated Press Hualien, Taiwan People are rescued from a building that had partially collapsed. TVBS via Associated Press Hualien, Taiwan Firefighters rescuing trapped residents from a building. CTI News via Reuters Taipei, Taiwan ...