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Gallant heads to US as Washington weighs in IDF strike on Iran

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Gallant heads to US as Washington weighs in IDF strike on Iran


Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is set to visit Washington on Tuesday as the United States seeks to weigh in on the scope of Israel’s anticipated retaliatory strike against Iran.

“Whoever thinks that a mere attempt to harm us will deter us from taking action, should take a look at [our achievements] in Gaza and Beirut,” Gallant said Sunday, less than a week after Iran attacked Israel with ballistic missiles.

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“We are powerful in both defense and offense, and this will be reflected in the manner of our choosing, at the time and place of our choosing,” he said as he visited the Nevatim Air Force base.

US President Joe Biden has been blunt about his opposition to an Israeli strike that would target either Iran’s oil fields or its nuclear facilities. KAN News reported on Sunday that the US had offered Israel monetary incentives to modify its attack plans.

US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew spoke of the issue at the annual Shabtai Shavit World Summit of the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) at Reichman University on Sunday.

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“What we’ve made clear publicly is that it’s important for this not to escalate [Israeli-Iranian violence] into a regional war.

“The president has made some public comments that suggest the things that we think create the greatest risk of things spiraling.

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“On the other hand, we haven’t said that Israel should just tolerate having 200 ballistic missiles shot at it in a little over an hour, even if it was two hours,” Lew said as he underscored how serious those attacks were.

He cautioned that a decision to destroy Iran’s nuclear program was not a decision to make because Israel has had a successful few weeks in its military exchanges.

Khamenei speaks

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei warned Israel and the US not to respond, in a post he placed on X/Twitter.

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“What our armed forces did was to inflict the minimum punishment on that usurping Zionist regime in response to its appalling crimes. It’s a bloodthirsty regime, a wolf-like regime, and the US’s rabid dog in the region.”

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“The brilliant Operation True Promise 2 of our armed forces was completely legal and legitimate. And if necessary, this will be done again in the future,” he wrote.

In advance of the anniversary of the October 7 massacre, President Issac Herzog gave a rare interview to the Saudi news organization Al Arabiya in which he called on the people of the Middle East to unite in peace and for those who oppose Iran to create a military alliance against it, akin to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

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“We are all the children of Abraham, and I call upon the people of Lebanon, the people of Iran, the people of all of the oppressed nations in the region to rise up and understand that if we move this empire of evil, if we confront it and be tough together, we surely can hope for a better future and create a NATO-like structure in the region that blocks radicalism,” he said.

“Iran is the only country in the world who calls for the eradication of another member state of the United Nations – that’s Israel,” Herzog said.

“I saw the speech of the supreme leader. There was no message of accommodation, of extending a hand or saying, let’s move together, two great historic nations to help change the lives of people in the Middle East. Rather, you see Iran spending billions of dollars of their own citizens’ money on a huge war machine aimed at creating pain and havoc. So either we offer hope for hope, or we go for destruction. Iran offers destruction. We are offering hope,” he stated.

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The United States, France, and Britain have stood behind Israel in its battle against Iran. Their armies, along with those from Israel and Jordan, took to the skies in April and again last week to defend the Jewish state against the direct strikes from Iran.

French President Emmanuel Macron called on Saturday for an arms embargo against Israel with regard to offensive munition used by the IDF in Gaza.

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Macron in a phone conversation Sunday that an arms embargo against Israel as the IDF is fighting Iran and its proxies would only strengthen the Islamic Republic.

“Iran supports all parts of its axis of terrorism. Israel expects its friends to stand behind it and not impose restrictions that will only strengthen the Iranian axis of evil,” the Prime Minister’s Office said as it paraphrased the message Netanyahu delivered to Macron.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot will be in Israel on Monday to stand in solidarity with the country as part of a regional visit he is making this week in light of heightened regional tensions.

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Thieves steal $50,000 worth of clothing from Northeast DC store

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Thieves steal ,000 worth of clothing from Northeast DC store


D.C. police have released video of suspects in a string of smash-and-grabs in Northeast D.C. Police say a group of thieves allegedly stole $50,000 worth of merchandise from high-end clothing store A Ma Maniére on H street in September.

The stunning action caught on camera inside the store led to this reaction from Doris Windham, who plans to open up her own business on the same street in Northeast D.C. next month.

“To hear that those types of things are happening in this area, it’s a little alarming,” she said.

Security cameras inside the store captured the moments the first couple of suspects are seen crawling through a door that police say they smashed with a tool before smashing the interior door with a brick.

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Fast forward in the video and multiple suspects can be seen running to the door with arms filled with clothes.

D.C. police say another burglary happened last month just up the street at a vape shop.

Investigators released a video captured outside the H & Vape store on H Street.

Police say back in october, three suspects broke into the rear door of the business with two crowbars.

Once inside, the group is seen on video walking behind the counter before leaving with their hands filled with vape products.

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“So to come and do that somewhere where we’re trying to build up, it’s just not cool,” Windham said.

Investigators say anyone with information about either burglary is asked to contact police.



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Washington Spirit outlast Gotham FC in penalty kicks to advance to NWSL final

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Washington Spirit outlast Gotham FC in penalty kicks to advance to NWSL final


A trio of saves by goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury halted the defending NWSL champion in its tracks, as the Washington Spirit outlasted Gotham FC in a game that went the distance. The Spirit converted its first three attempts in alternating order with Kingsbury’s saves to end the shootout sequence with the fewest rounds necessary.

Washington returns to the NWSL championship for the first time since it won the title in 2021, where it’ll face the winner of Sunday’s other semifinal between the Orlando Pride and the KC Current.

“I just wanted to do whatever I could to help the team win,” Kingsbury told the CBS broadcast after the game. “We’ve been practicing for these, and just to grind out those 120 minutes, I knew they would come through and make them (the penalties). I just did my part.”

It was a result that frankly flips the game on its head from where things stood as it reached second-half stoppage time. At that point, Gotham was carrying a narrow 1-0 lead, earned shortly after halftime. Some nimble interplay between Yazmeen Ryan and Rose Lavelle led to a Ryan cross that fell inch-perfectly to Esther González’s forehead. The Spanish striker’s header lobbed back across Kingsbury’s goal, putting her in an awkward position and making her unable to stop it from falling into her net.

However, Washington pushed hard to bring things level. The Spirit outshot Gotham 9-2 following González’s opener until the end of regulation, keeping the defending champion on their heels as Gotham coach Juan Carlos Amorós replaced attacking-minded players with defensive alternatives in hopes of icing the game.

Ultimately, Hal Hershfelt was up for the big moment.

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The budding USWNT star and Spirit midfielder rose up after a Makenna Morris free kick to tower over Gotham’s zonal marking scheme and power the ball past Ann-Katrin Berger. The majority of the 19,365 fans in attendance met her goal with a near-deafening cry of cathartic jubilation. After another Hershfelt header fell atop Berger’s goal in the 96th minute, it was clear that this game would require extra time.

Now playing without its ideal complement of attackers, Gotham seemed content to attempt counterattacks and keep its shape in hopes of reaching the penalty shootout. Bruninha made that task more difficult in the 101st minute, being sent off after earning a second yellow card to the delight of the crowd following a challenge on Trinity Rodman.

Once the shootout arrived, the 20 minutes of shorthanded soccer appeared to catch up with Gotham. So, too, did the voracity of the support behind Washington; while home crowds are often referred to as a 12th player for soccer teams, that advantage proved to be even more palpable against a Gotham side playing with 10.

“I think it’s more just the confidence and having the fans behind me,” Kingsbury said. “I was really trying to get them into it, because I knew that would give us a great advantage, for their penalty takers coming up and trying to make one in front of that wall of fans. Like, I would be scared.”

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The game continues an impressive stretch by the Spirit in the wake of Croix Bethune’s season-ending meniscus tear. Before her knee injury, Bethune was playing at a level that didn’t just land her on Emma Hayes’ squad for the Olympics but had her in pole position for rookie of the year and the NWSL Best XI. Without Bethune (and U.S. international Andi Sullivan, who suffered a torn ACL in October), Washington has leaned into a deep pool of capable if unproven box-to-box midfielders, arguably led by Hershfelt — herself a rookie, as well.

Washington also underwent a coordinated midseason coaching change, as Jonatan Giráldez joined the club in June following the end of FC Barcelona’s season. He inherited a side that was already operating near the top of the NWSL table under interim Adrián González, and to his credit, he kept them whirring at a high level without missing a beat.

To reach the final after missing the playoffs altogether in 2022 and 2023 is no small feat, and Saturday’s test shows Washington will be a tough opponent in the final no matter who advances from the other game. Ultimately, their return to the championship largely has Kingsbury, Hershfelt and a packed Audi Field to thank.

Required reading

(Photo: Amber Searls / USA Today)





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The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree stopped in Iowa on it’s journey to D.C.

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The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree stopped in Iowa on it’s journey to D.C.


ALTOONA, Iowa (KCCI) – The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree visited the Hawkeye State on it’s trek east to Washington D.C, KCCI reported.

The tree was available for viewing at Altoona’s Bass Pro Shop.

The tree was originally harvested in Alaska and reached the lower 48 states about a week and a half ago. It’s stopped at other places in addition to Altoona on the 4,000 mile journey.

Children in Alaska contributed to the tree.

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For the last 54 years one of the 154 national forests in the country have provided a tree to the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol for the holidays.



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