World
Newly found Assyrian camp supports epic biblical account, expert says
A recent discovery in Israel may corroborate an epic biblical account of an angel of the Lord wiping out 185,000 Assyrian soldiers, an independent scholar claims.
Stephen Compton, an independent scholar specializing in Near Eastern archaeology, utilized a modern mapping technique to find the discovery of, what he believes, are ancient Assyrian military camps, from circa 700 B.C.
The discovery, which is also detailed in Assyrian texts, Greek histories and the Hebrew Bible, could verify the biblical account of 2 Kings 19:35; Isaiah 37: 36-38 and 2 Chronicles, 32:21.
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And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred fourscore and five thousand; and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
Stone panels from the walls of the Assyrian Emperor Sennacherib’s palace show his military camp. The 24 guard towers along the camp’s perimeter wall, each with three windows visible, indicate a substantial fortification. (Steve Compton)
The scholar detailed his finds in the journal Near Eastern Archaeology and shared with Fox News Digital the historical significance.
“One of the important cities that he conquered, which is mentioned in the Bible as well as in Assyrian documents, is Lachish,” he said. “And on the wall of Sennacherib’s palace he had a relief depicting, in stone carving, the conquest of the city of Lachish, and then after one side his military camp. And his military camp was a large oval. This image from the wall of his palace is now on the wall of the British Museum. But it’s never been found.”
Matching the landscape to the relief in Assyrian King Sennacherib’s palace and using early aerial photographs of Lachish prior to modern development, Compton created a virtual map to pinpoint the site of the military camp.
Bottom: The entire scene from Sennacherib’s palace wall as drawn by its excavator, Austen Henry Layard, in 1849. Top: The same landscape as photographed from a plane in 1945, prior to modern alterations to the landscape. Correlating the two indicated a likely location for the ruins of Sennacherib’s camp. (Steve Compton)
The earliest aerial photograph of Jerusalem, lower left, with an oval fortification visible on a hill in the upper right. From the collection of the Library of Congress. (Steve Compton)
The oval shape of Assyrian King Sennacherib’s military camp helped narrow down Compton’s research.
“We knew it was an oval. What I did was I took the image of the relief and match it up with recognizable features in the landscape with the actual landscape and overlayed the two,” he said. “I used earlier photographs of the landscape from World War II, right before major changes were made.”
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“And it was a match,” he said.
Compton said the military camp’s location, position, dates and name fit into the historical context of Sennacherib’s invasion camp.
The site of Sennacherib’s Jerusalem camp, now known as Ammunition Hill. (Steve Compton)
Ruined walls are visible today at the site of Sennacherib’s Lachish camp. (Steve Compton)
Compton shared that he hopes an archaeological excavation team will investigate the site to provide additional information.
“I think it’s exciting to have found the spot, and I hope that we’ll soon see archaeological excavations there that can give us more information about the site,” he said.
World
Family demands answers in death of young Black man in Mississippi
World
Gunfire shatters Toronto Latin street festival, leaving at least 2 dead and multiple wounded
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The Toronto Police Service is investigating after gunfire broke out Saturday night at a large Latin street festival in Midtown Toronto, leaving at least two people dead and four others wounded.
Police said they received reports of a shooting at St. Clair Avenue West and Arlington Avenue at 8:12 p.m. local time and discovered an active shooter situation.
First responders found six people suffering from gunshot wounds, officials said. Two of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene.
Police respond to an active shooter at the Salsa on St. Clair event in Toronto, Saturday, July 11, 2026. (Keito Newman/The Canadian Press via AP)
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It is unclear what led to the shooting, and authorities said suspect(s) are still “outstanding.” No arrests have been made as of Saturday evening, police said.
Toronto Police Deputy Chief Frank Barredo said during a news conference there seemed to be an “exchange of gunfire” between two individuals targeting each other.
“This is a very chaotic scene,” he said. “I think we had something in the neighborhood of 13,000 people participating in this festival.”
Police initially described the incident as an active shooter situation before later determining that was not the case.
Police officers stand guard at the site of a deadly shooting at a salsa-themed street festival in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, July 11, 2026. (REUTERS/Cole Burston)
“There was some concern of an active shooter. That turned out not to be the case,” Barredo said.
Barredo said authorities were managing three separate crime scenes connected to the shooting. Two firearms have been recovered, he added.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was “horrified” by the shooting.
“My prayers are with the families grieving their loved ones, those who are in critical condition, and everyone who has been affected by this horrific event,” he said in a statement.
“My thanks to the police officers and other first responders whose courage and fast action prevented further tragedy,” he continued. “Police have my full support as they work to apprehend the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
Paramedics respond to an active shooter at the Salsa on St. Clair event in Toronto, Saturday. (Keito Newman/The Canadian Press via AP)
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Following the shooting, the Toronto Transit Commission suspended train stops at the nearby St. Clair West station on Line 1 Yonge-University due to what officials described as a “security incident.”
Regular transit service has since resumed.
Authorities urged the public to avoid the area and follow all directives from police at the scene.
The TD Salsa on St. Clair Festival, Toronto’s biggest Latin culture celebration, was celebrating its 22nd annual event in Toronto’s Hillcrest Village.
Emergency Task Force vehicles and police officers are seen on the site of a shooting in Toronto on Saturday. (Jorge UZON / AFP via Getty Images)
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The Toronto Police Service told Fox News Digital no further information is available.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
World
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, architect of modern Qatar
Published On 12 Jul 2026
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the former emir of Qatar who transformed the small Gulf state into one of the world’s wealthiest and most influential nations through its vast natural gas wealth and an ambitious programme of political, economic and social reforms, has died. He was 74.
A charismatic figure with a friendly demeanor, the father Emir assumed the reins of power in 1995. Regarded as the architect of modern Qatar, he embarked on forging development and reform plans and education programs.
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During his reign, Qatar’s GDP increased more than twenty-fourfold, while production from the North Field turned the country into the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas by 2006. After four years, the small nation’s LNG production capacity reached 77 million tons per annum, according to government’s figure.
His tenure also saw the establishment of the Qatar Foundation, the launch of Al Jazeera News Channel in 1996, the promulgation of Qatar’s first permanent constitution in 2004 and the introduction of municipal elections in which women were granted the right to vote and stand as candidates. Under his leadership, the Gulf nation also adopted the Qatar National Vision 2030 and secured the right to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Born in Doha in January 1952, Sheikh Hamad graduated from the British Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst before becoming commander of Qatar’s armed forces. He became heir apparent and defence minister in 1977, assumed power as emir on June 27, 1995, and handed over leadership to his son, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, on June 25, 2013.
“The future lies ahead of you, the children of this homeland, as you usher into a new era where young leadership hoists the banner,” Sheikh Hamad said as he announced his abdication and the carefully crafted transition to his son, the British-educated crown prince Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who was then 33.
The peaceful, voluntary transfer of power was rare in a region where such change usually results from death or overthrow.
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