This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
The Olympic Games in Paris appear to be on an agenda to return to the games' original pagan roots, where blood ceremonies highlighted the days and allegiances were sworn to various pagan gods.
Just take a look at the videos that feature a blasphemous portrayal of the Last Supper, featuring an obese woman and drag queens, a blue Smurf-type character and a decapitated head – singing no less.
Actually, there was a recent report from ABC.net.au that explained the games, from about 776 B.C., drew naked men to compete in a range of events, where women were not welcome.
The report explained, "Father Richard Pengelley, the former Anglican dean of Perth who represented Australia in water polo at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics, says sport and religion were inseparable for the ancient Greeks."
He said the goal actually was "religious education."
"For example, ancient athletes would swear an oath before competing to follow the rules and compete with honour and respect. It's a tradition that persists at the modern Olympic Games."
"Athletes and priests also made elaborate blood tributes to their gods, including the sacrifice of a hundred oxen at the Great Altar of Zeus at every Games," the report said.
The pagan events were outlawed in 393 A.D. by the Christian Roman Emperor Theodosius, then restarted in the late 19th century, and then actually emphasizing "muscular Christianity," the idea that "Christian ethics could be taught through sport."
The report noted that in the modern games, "blood sacrifices at the altar of Zeus are a thing of the past," at least so far.
But they still do include ancient religious rituals including the lighting of the cauldron and the athletes' oaths.
The report called the modern games a "civil religion."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
There's a Supreme Court precedent in Hill v. Colorado that comes out of that leftist and abortion-promoting state that cuts into the free speech rights of counselors who wish to persuade women not to abort their unborn children.
A case now has developed that allows a coalition of those counselors to ask the justices to reverse that agenda that appears to infringe on constitutionally backed freedoms.
A report from the Thomas More Society explains that pro-life advocates from Coalition Life, the "nation's largest professional sidewalk counseling organization," are requesting the high court's intervention in their case.
The petition for certiorari was filed on behalf of Coalition Life in the organization's fight with the city of Carbondale, Illinois.
Helping in the fight for the pro-life agenda is former U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement.
"For nearly a quarter of a century, sidewalk counselors like those who work with Coalition Life have been forced to live with 'an entirely separate, abridged edition of the First Amendment' when it comes to the kind of peaceful, conversational speech outside an abortion facility in which they wish to engage," Clement explained.
The case developed following 2023 when Carbondale, Illinois, adopted a "bubble zone" law that limits Americans' speech on a particular topic in a particular location.
The restriction applied to public sidewalks outside "hospitals, medical clinics, and healthcare facilities" to include Carbondale's three abortion businesses.
It was modeled on Colorado's earlier censorship scheme in Hill.
That lets governments ban "the peaceful life-affirming speech of pro-life advocates on public sidewalks. Since the Supreme Court's decision in Hill, similar laws aimed at chilling pro-life speech near abortion facilities have proliferated nationwide, especially in abortion-permissive municipalities, and states such as Montana and New Hampshire," the legal team explained.
The counselors sued Carbondale in March 2024, and a federal court opened the path to the Supreme Court by saying it could not rule against the Hill precedent.
The society's lawyers said, "Since the Supreme Court decided Hill in 2000, the case has come under fire for being out of step with the First Amendment and a prime example of the 'abortion distortion' factor in case law. The Supreme Court itself, in its 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, singled out Hill as the leading example of the court's abortion precedents having 'distorted First Amendment doctrines'—suggesting its readiness to revisit the constitutionality of speech-restricting 'bubble zone' laws."
Carbondale has developed an abortion industry because of its proximity to nearby states with abortion restrictions.
"Now that the Supreme Court has returned the abortion debate to the people and their legislators, it is more important than ever to restore the free speech rights of those who advocate for life in the public square," explained Peter Breen, Thomas More Society executive vice president.
"Hill v. Colorado was egregiously wrong on the day it was decided, and it remains a black mark in our law to this day. In the decades since the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Hill, the Court has steadily eroded Hill's shaky foundations in more recent First Amendment cases and, in the majority opinion which overturned Roe v. Wade, sounded the death knell for Hill's distortion of our bedrock First Amendment principles."
He said, "'Bubble zones,' like the one in Carbondale, are an unconstitutional and overzealous attempt to show favor to abortion businesses, at the expense of the free speech rights of folks who seek to offer information, alternatives, and resources to pregnant women in need. It's time to end, once and for all, the political gamesmanship places like Carbondale play with our free speech rights."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
The stunning move canceled the requirement for offenders to appear before a judge
There's no comment from a Minnesota judge about why he abruptly reversed a local court policy that was allowing domestic violence suspects to be freed from jail on as little as $150 cash bond, but the change followed almost immediately a posting of the get-out-of-jail practice online.
The situation has been profiled in a report at the Minnesota Sun, which noted the details were confirmed by CrimeWatchMpls on social media.
The report said officials in the Hennepin County Court system recently modified a standing order regarding domestic abuse suspects. The old policy required them to be held until they had appeared before a judge, so that orders, like no-contact instructions and such, could be implemented.
But Hennepin County District Court Chief Judge Kerry Meyer changed that.
His new order allowed "suspects arrested on probable cause misdemeanor domestic abuse to be released from custody on cash bail as low as $150 just hours after their arrest and before seeing a judge. Suspects arrested on a probable cause gross misdemeanor domestic abuse charge could post cash bail as low as $1,000 and be released from custody before being brought before a judge, or having no-contact orders issued in either case," according to postings by the crime watch group.
That change was posted for people to see Friday evening.
"Less than 24 hours after the information was posted on Crime Watch's X feed, Chief Judge Meyer issued a new order on Saturday evening rescinding the portion of the June 18 Standing Order that applied to misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor suspects jailed on probable cause domestic abuse," the report explained.
It said Meyer explained, "This Order is intended to revert misdemeanor domestic offenses to the 2019 Standing Order provisions, put gross misdemeanor domestics in that same position, and clarify no contact orders will be issued upon release until future amendment."
The report said that means those who are arrested on suspicion of domestic violence must remain in jail until they appear before a judge who would make decisions regarding limits.
Meyer, in a statement to reporters, said he would have no further comment beyond the order.
CrimeWatchMpls said, "This is a small but significant victory that shows the power of this platform and those of you who took action in contacting the court following our post."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Secret Service chief Kimberly Cheatle has been busy defending her agency, and rejecting calls for her to resign, in the wake of Saturday's attempted assassination that left President Donald Trump injured.
The gunman, 20, now dead, fired at Trump from the roof of a building about 120 yards away.
Cheatle said, during an interview, the building was secured from the "inside" because of its roof, which provided the gunman with a clear line of sight to Trump.
"That building, in particular, has a sloped roof at its highest point," she said in the interview with ABC. "And so there will be a safety factor that will be considered there that we wouldn't want to put somebody up on a sloped roof. And so you know the decision was made to secure the building from the inside."
"That's crap," said former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich at the Republican National Convention Tuesday night.
There are a number of circumstances that undoubtedly will need to be reviewed, including her decision not to send an agent to the roof of a building overlooking a Trump rally because of the slope of that roof, a slope that the gunman apparently had no difficulty traversing.
Other questions arise from a ladder and ammunition the gunman bought just before the shooting, and how he got the ladder up against a building to reach the roof.
There are other concerns, too.
A commentary at the Western Journal, for example, cited her repeated remarks that it was only a “short” time between notification of a potential gunman and the shots, which killed one Trump supporter who was protecting his family and injured two more.
"Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle is a woman who has a lot to explain, and it turns out she's not very good at explaining it," the commentary said.
"Cheatle's record came under scrutiny almost immediately after the attack, with conservative activist Mike Cernovich noting Saturday that her profile on the government's website emphasized diversity and noted that her prior experience, before becoming the 27th director of Secret Service, was senior director of global security at PepsiCo."
Trump credited God's intervention with saving his life, as he was struck in the ear a millisecond after he turned his head. Without that move, he may have been struck directly in the head.
So how was a 20-year-old able to get within firing range of Trump while the Secret Service agents were supposed to be securing the location, and local police were helping.
"Diversity," the commentary charged, "has not managed to save a single person under the Secret Service's protection, at least that we know about, which makes the prominence given to that word just a little bit odd. And the fact that it makes it look like Cheatle was a diversity hire isn't her only issue…"
It pointed out that it was 26 minutes that elapsed after the shooting initially was spotted, and audience members contacted police about a man on the roof of the building, until he fired a barrage at Trump and immediately was shot and killed by officers.
Cheatle said that time period of nearly half an hour is "a very short period of time."
It was WPXI-TV of Pittsburgh that confirmed the gunman was seen by law enforcement nearly half an hour before shots were fired.
One source cited in the commentary said a suspicious man was reported at 5:45 p.m. Shots rang out at 6:11.
The report explained, "26 minutes after the second picture of Crooks was taken by law enforcement and the information called in, shots were fired from the roof of the American Glass Research building. Seconds later, a Secret Service sniper returned fire and killed Crooks."
The commentary also noted that "thankfully" Cheatle said it was an event "that should have never happened."
It's not the first failure on the part of the Secret Service in recent weeks. A woman agent apparently had to be physically restrained, disarmed and handcuffed after she had "an apparent mental health breakdown" while assigned to guard Kamala Harris.
ABC reported Cheatle expressed her opinion that such shootings are “unacceptable.”
And, she said, it "shouldn't happen again."
She also excused her own agency as "local authorities were tasked with securing the building where the alleged shooter fired the shots."
"We sought assistance from our local counterparts for the outer perimeter. There was local police in that building — there was local police in the area that were responsible for the outer perimeter of the building," she said.
She also claimed that the Secret Service "is not political."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
The shockwaves from the attempted assassination of former President Donald J. Trump have not only rippled across the U.S., but into other nations as well, namely America's adversaries like the People's Republic of China.
Trump was shot at during a rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania, Saturday, and sustained an injured ear. One innocent bystander was killed and another rally-goer was critically injured. The would-be assassin, 20-year-old Thomas Crooks, was dispatched by security snipers after firing his AR-15 style weapon into the crowd from a nearby roof.
China’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement Sunday in which it said Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed his sympathies for Trump.
"China is following the shooting incident at the campaign rally of former U.S. President Donald Trump. President Xi Jinping has expressed sympathies to former President Trump." the statement said.
A tense political environment has been blamed for the attempted assassination, and some Chinese political academics agree. Chinese state-owned media the Global Times, interviewed several experts on who or what was really behind the assassination attempt.
Li Haidong, a professor from the China Foreign Affairs University, said the background of the shooter could have three distinct possibilities.
"First, it could be someone from the deep state, an elusive force within the government that does not want to see Trump win. Second, it could be from the far-left extremist forces, who do not want to see Trump, representing the far-right, win the election and thus have taken radical actions. Lastly, it could be an individual extremist without any organizational background, simply a person who is tired of Trump," Li told the Global Times.
"Political violence has been a persistent element in American history. On the other hand, the fact that such malicious incidents still occur at political rallies attended by former president, despite security measures, highlights the ongoing rampant gun violence issue in the U.S. and the seeming 'intractability' of the problem," Diao said, adding, "This kind of revenge politics, manifested through violence, is a clear indicator of this shift."
Former editor-in-chief of the Global Times Hu Xijin – who had previously stated the first presidential debate between Trump and President Biden was "very entertaining" for many Chinese people – stated the assassination attempt will garner a lot of "sympathy" votes for Trump in the coming election.
"It's shocking. Besides, my feeling is that the shot will win #Trump a lot of sympathy, and he seems to be one step closer to returning to the White House," Hu said on X.
Chinese business owners didn't miss a beat when it came to making a profit from what could have been a tragic day in the U.S., quickly selling dozens of t-shirts online minutes after the shooting occurred at the rally. The t-shirts showed Trump with a bloodied face and his fist raised in the air.
Chinese social media platform Weibo has also been blowing up about the attempted assassination, with posts reaching over 450 million views. Some Chinese social media users implied Trump had "designed" the event.
Other Chinese citizens have taken to X to show their support for Trump.
Others criticized the U.S. media for wrongfully identifying the shooter as a Chinese man.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Florida, vows to continue his support for U.S. military members and their families in the wake of a new report that shows an increasing amount of U.S. military weapons are made using Chinese-manufactured components.
In a statement sent to WND, Scott said he knows firsthand the sacrifices veterans, military members, and their families make to keep America safe.
"I'd like to express my sincere gratitude for the selfless service of military members and the families who support them. As a Navy veteran myself, I know firsthand the sacrifices our military members, veterans, and their families make to keep our country safe," Scott said in his statement.
Scott noted during his time as governor of Florida, he worked to champion legislation to make the Sunshine State the most military- and veteran-friendly state in the nation. Now he uses his position in the U.S. Congress to ensure funding is directed where it is needed to keep adversaries at bay.
"Fighting for our heroes continues to be my top priority as a U.S. senator and a member of the Armed Services Committee. Every year I work with my colleagues to pass a National Defense Authorization Act which will authorize the appropriate amount of defense spending to not only deter our enemies and defeat them if necessary but also, importantly, to continue to increase the pay for all members of the armed forces and improve the quality of life for our military families," Scott said.
Scott added that the men and women of the armed forces are America's greatest asset, and vowed to serve and protect the nation's families.
"Our military provides for the safety of our country and protects our national security, and I'll never stop fighting for the funding to support them. I will never lose sight of one of the most important roles I have as a senator: to protect and serve the families of our nation. And that starts with supporting America's greatest asset — the men and women of our armed forces." Scott said.
According to a report from Govini, China’s manufacturing of military weapons components, namely semiconductors, has increased from 12,000 manufacturers to almost 45,000 manufacturers between 2005 and 2023. This puts the U.S. military in a precarious position if China decides to declare war, or simply stop the supply chain to the U.S. together.
Despite President Joe Biden claiming during a news conference Thursday that manufacturing in the U.S. is at "peak growth," the data within the Govini report shows China is outpacing the U.S. on building naval warships, and other weapons systems.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
JERUSALEM – Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said his organization's attack on Israel will cease if Hamas and Israel conclude a ceasefire agreement.
The statement came as both Israeli and Hamas negotiators headed to Doha, Qatar, to try and thrash out a deal to draw a close to nine months of fighting.
Nasrallah boasted the almost daily attacks since Oct. 8 have achieved their aim, namely to "exhaust the enemy materially, financially and mentally."
He was speaking at a memorial service for slain official Mohammed Nasser, whom Israel eliminated in a strike in Lebanon last week. The terrorist leader claimed Israel had been sufficiently distracted from its war with Hamas in Gaza because of the rocket fire across the Lebanon-Israel border.
"We made them understand that if they want it to stop, they must stop the aggression in Gaza," he added.
He said, "Hamas is negotiating on behalf of the entire Axis of Resistance. If there was a breakthrough in the Doha talks, which "results in a ceasefire in Gaza," Hezbollah will also "cease its attacks on Israel without any discussion or negotiation."
If the negotiations did not result in a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hamas, Nasrallah warned Hezbollah was ready for and did not fear a war, and pointed to the ever-larger salvos of rockets and drones the group has fired at Israel as evidence.
Meanwhile, senior Hamas official Hossam Badran claimed Israel is "intensifying" its military operations in the Gaza Strip in an attempt to pressure the terror group into a deal. He argued it would fail, and would have the opposite effect of the one intended. Ironically, the threat came on a day when the IDF said it had wrapped up its operations in the eastern Shejaiya neighborhood of Gaza City. Although Israel's military did also warn it would re-enter the area if Hamas – as could be expected – filled the vacuum the withdrawing soldiers would leave. The IDF claimed to have eliminated some 150 terrorists in its operational sweep.
Long-stalled diplomatic efforts have clicked into a higher gear over the last week or so – and certainly the families of the hostages assess a deal for the return of their loved ones could be on the table. Badran's statement highlights the mixed messaging emanating from Hamas.
While he argued only a complete ceasefire and a total withdrawal of Israeli troops would be acceptable, especially due to the "continuation of massacres," on Sunday, another Hamas official on condition of anonymity told Agence France-Presse the group was ready to discuss a hostage deal even without a "complete" ceasefire.
Any ceasefire, or course, would not be lasting, since according to Hamas' own charter: "The Day of Judgment will not come about until Moslems fight Jews and kill them. Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it."
IDF activity in Lebanon, Syria
Talk of a halt to fighting between Israel and the enemies surrounding it was definitely not on the agenda Wednesday. In southern Lebanon around 9:30 p.m. local time, several Hezbollah operatives were spotted entering a building in Tayr Harfa. A drone belonging to the 228th "Alon" Brigade identified the terrorists, and a short time later a fighter jet struck the target.
Earlier on Wednesday, IDF tanks and artillery shelled Syrian army military infrastructure after they were spotted in a demilitarized zone, which formed part of the 1974 ceasefire agreement concluding the Yom Kippur War.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
JERUSALEM – Lebanese-based Iranian Shi'ite proxy terrorist group Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets at Israel's Golan Heights Tuesday night – killing a married couple with a direct hit on their car – following the IDF's alleged elimination earlier in the day of an operative on the Beirut-Damascus highway in Syria.
The couple, named Noa and Nir Barnes, both 46 from Kibbutz Ortal, were driving on Route 91 – a relatively short stretch of road connecting the Jordan Valley and the Golan Heights – and are survived by their three children, aged 13, 16, and 18.
The number of Israeli civilians killed in the ongoing rocket and missile fire over the Lebanese border and into northern Israel has now risen to 12. An additional 16 IDF troops have been killed in the skirmishes since Oct. 8, when Hezbollah started firing rockets, missiles, and drones into Israel.
While many communities and kibbutzim have been evacuated in the north, the area in which the Baranes' were killed has not. This has drawn the ire of local politicians according to Ynet, which reported Katzrin Mayor Yehuda Dua telling political leaders his region is at war. Katzrin, known as the unofficial capital of the Golan, has a population of about 7,000.
"I looked the decision-makers in the eyes and told them I came there to demand compensation for businesses lost and returned home to the horrors of sirens and interceptions in the ongoing war," he said.
"This is our reality, our routine, and the government is being negligent in the face of this brutal enemy. The only option to beat terror is by force."
The rockets have caused brush fires, which have decimated hundreds of acres of grassland, as well as destroyed buildings, and caused untold damage to wildlife.
In response, the IDF attacked several sites late Tuesday and overnight Wednesday. It released footage of a missile from an IAF jet striking Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon's Qabrikha, from which an estimated 30 rockets were launched.
Hezbollah releases drone footage of military sites in northern Israel
Earlier Tuesday, Hezbollah released previously unseen drone footage of several highly sensitive military sites in northern Israel, as it ramps up its propaganda campaign against the Jewish state.
The almost 10-minute-long video is the second part of drone footage the Iranian-backed militia group has released. The first one was published last month.
The video opened with a map highlighting Mount Dov, the Golan Heights, Nahariya, Safed, Haifa, and Afula.
It showed what Hezbollah described as military intelligence bases, strategic electronic intelligence stations, and facilities capable of conducting electronic attacks, which Hezbollah dubs the "eyes of the state," according to Ynet.
This version differed from the earlier one in that it exclusively highlights military sites, including military outposts, buses reportedly carrying troops, Iron Dome batteries, as well as concentrations of tanks. The terrorist group also claimed it had located a base, which the IDF's vaunted Military Intelligence Unit 8200 purportedly uses.
Hezbollah claimed an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) entered Israeli airspace, captured the footage, and returned to Lebanon undetected. Israel has not commented on the claim.
If Hezbollah's contention is true, it suggests – like on Oct. 7 – that sometimes low-tech solutions to supposedly high-tech problems can work in terrorist groups' favor.
Following the video's release, Hezbollah media relations officer Muhammad Afif said it sent "a clear message to the enemy and its army," the Times of Israel reported.
"The importance stems from demonstrating our technical and technological capabilities in the field of surveillance and obtaining necessary information we need in times of war," he added.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A new report from the Heritage Foundation shows the addition of Finland and Sweden into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is a win for the U.S. and will provide a strategic advantage.
The report states both Finland and Sweden have "demonstrated significant capacity and will as NATO members by investing in their militaries and by providing substantial amounts of aid to Ukraine," further noting the membership enhances the alliance and adds critical assets – Finland provides substantial reserve forces, while Sweden has a robust defense industry.
NATO has a 2% defense budget GDP guideline for its members. Both countries have exceeded this and are now participating in NATO military exercises, according to the report.
"Finland demonstrates a steadfast commitment to enhancing its defense capabilities by substantially increasing its defense budget. Finland's fiscal year 2024 defense budget increased by $6.6 billion, constituting 2.3 percent of its gross domestic product.
"This exceeds NATO's 2 percent of GDP investment guideline, an indicator of political resolve to contribute to NATO's common defense," the report states.
The report points out Finland gains significant strength from manpower, despite its relatively small population of 5.5 million people. It has one of the largest fully mobilized armies in NATO with 280,000 troops.
Finland's army, navy, and air force are also heavily equipped with tanks, heavy and light rocket launchers, anti-aircraft weapons, command vessels, minesweepers, jets, and long-range surveillance radars.
Sweden has an extensive domestic defense industry and submarines, and Sweden's Air Force is the largest in Scandinavia and one of the largest in Europe.
"Like Finland, Sweden demonstrates a steadfast commitment to enhancing its defense capabilities by substantially increasing its defense budget. Sweden's FY 2024 defense budget increased by $2.44 billion, constituting 2.1 percent of its GDP. This budget is double that of its FY 2020 defense budget," the report states.
Finland and Sweden as members of NATO also present two distinct strategic advantages for the U.S. – the ability to dominate the Baltic Sea, while contributing to the defense of Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania; and the extensive border Finland shares with Russia, which presents a challenge to the Kremlin because of Finland's large military reserves.
Finland shares an 830-mile border with Russia, adjacent to the Kola Peninsula, a critical region known to be home to Russia's Northern Fleet, which includes attack submarines, ballistic missile submarines, and other surface ships.
The report notes Finland and Sweden's proximity to Russian naval forces in the Baltic will pose a significant threat to Russia, and will likely force Russia to move in more conventional military assets into the region it previously considered secure.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
JERUSALEM – The Israel Defense Forces announced the results of a military probe into the defense of Kibbutz Be'eri following the initial Hamas onslaught on Oct. 7 were presented to IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi.
Details of the review – which Maj. Gen. Mickey Edelstein, a former commander of the Gaza Division carried out – include the recording of a highly contentious event, namely the incident where at least two IDF tank shells were fired at Pessi Cohen's house.
An unknown number of terrorists had overrun the property, and it was assessed there were at least 14 hostages held there. The presentation to the chief of staff is reported to have lasted several hours as it was highly detailed.
Many units were involved in the largely officially uncoordinated attempts to push back the marauding invaders. In the chaos, Brig. Gen. Barak Hiram, the commander of the IDF's 99th Division who had been tapped to be the next head of the Gaza Division, ordered a tank to fire on Cohen's house.
Critics of both Hiram and the IDF have claimed this action was part of the controversial "Hannibal Directive," also known as the "Hannibal Protocol or Procedure." Broadly it states in a situation such as Oct. 7, it is better neither IDF soldiers nor civilians should be allowed to be taken alive into captivity in Gaza.
Officially, the IDF mothballed the directive in 2016, although some claim the exigencies of the Hamas onslaught against Israel meant in extremis it was reanimated, including the incident of Brig. Gen. Hiram's decision to fire on a residential home.
It is still not known exactly how many hostages died because of the tank fire – there was at least one fatality caused by shrapnel from a tank shell – but the whole area was subject to a fierce and prolonged gun battle involving Hamas terrorists and IDF troops.
The probe is expected to provide a large number of details of the incident at Pessi Cohen's house.
For now, Hiram's promotion as commander of the Gaza Division has been frozen. And even this move is seen as somewhat contentious. He is alleged to have given orders which required those under his command to make the very difficult decision to fire on a house that contained their countrymen – and whose condition could not have been known.
He is also credited with helping to take control of an entirely chaotic scene in southern Israel in the first hours and days of Hamas' massacre – when other commanders had either already fallen in battle or had fled. It is unclear what his future will be, for sure nothing will be decided until at least the findings of the probe have been presented to the surviving members of the southern kibbutzim and families of the slain at a special presentation at a Dead Sea hotel on Thursday.
The Be'eri probe is far from the only one; there are some 40 others in the pipeline, which are investigating the actions in the south, and which will be published on a rolling basis throughout July and August. A separate investigation into Oct. 6, which will include specific warnings about the likelihood of a Hamas attack, and the action or inaction that followed – and why – will be released in August.
Will there be a state inquiry?
Despite the dozens of up-and-running military probes that are due to be published over the coming weeks, there is still no word on whether there will be an official state inquiry into the events of Oct 7. It seems extraordinary, but Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has opposed the establishment of such an inquiry – presumably fearful of what the results would mean for his political survival.
Israel's record on state inquiries might be imperfect – one thinks specifically of the Agranat Commission – which convened in November 1973 and delivered its findings in April 1974 – in the wake of the October 1973 Yom Kippur War. It largely fudged the issue – particularly about then-premier Golda Meir's culpability – although it did effectively mark the end of her political career. Netanyahu is petrified that another wide-ranging inquiry will find his leadership similarly lacking and bring down the curtain on his 30 or so years in the political spotlight.
In contrast to Netanyahu, former prime minister Benny Gantz, who recently left Israel's war cabinet, called for a state commission into the intelligence and army failures of Oct. 7, back in May. Another senior defense establishment figure Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) director Ronen Bar said in 2023, "Despite a series of actions we carried out, unfortunately, we were unable to generate a sufficient warning that would allow the attack to be thwarted. As the one who heads the organization," Bar said, "the responsibility for this is mine. There will be time for investigations. Now we are fighting."