KTMB auxiliary police nab man over attempted cable theft along Telok Gadong–Teluk Pulai rail sector

KTMB auxiliary police nab man over attempted cable theft along Telok Gadong–Teluk Pulai rail sector



Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) has detained a foreign man suspected of attempting to steal railway cables near KM 37.478 along the Telok Gadong–Teluk Pulai sector yesterday evening. — Picture courtesy of KTMB

Thursday, 05 Mar 2026 2:25 PM MYT


KUALA LUMPUR, Mar 5 — Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) has detained a foreign man suspected of attempting to steal railway cables near KM 37.478 along the Telok Gadong–Teluk Pulai sector yesterday evening.

The suspect was apprehended at about 6.45pm after two KTMB auxiliary police personnel on patrol in a cable theft hotspot spotted a man behaving suspiciously near the railway tracks.


“KTMB stressed that trespassing and damaging railway property are serious offences under the Railway Act 1991 and the Land Public Transport Act 2010, which provide for strict penalties including fines, imprisonment or both,” the company said in a statement today.

“KTMB said it views any form of trespassing or attempted theft of rail infrastructure seriously, as such acts can compromise train operations and passenger safety.”


KTMB said the suspect attempted to flee when approached but was successfully detained by the auxiliary police officers.


A subsequent inspection found a small bag, a knife and a pair of scissors believed to have been intended for use in the suspected criminal activity.

The suspect and the seized items were later handed over to the Klang Selatan district police headquarters at about 7.20pm for further investigation.


KTMB said the man was believed to be a foreign national and was found without any identification documents.

The railway operator stressed that trespassing and damaging railway property are serious offences under the Railway Act 1991 and the Land Public Transport Act 2010.

KTMB warned that cable theft and related intrusions could disrupt train operations and compromise passenger safety.

The company urged members of the public with information on suspicious activities along railway tracks to report them immediately to the KTMB Auxiliary Police Information Centre at +603-2263 1194, which operates 24 hours.

Amir Hamzah: EPF on track for 60pc of members to meet RM390,000 basic savings level by 2030

Amir Hamzah: EPF on track for 60pc of members to meet RM390,000 basic savings level by 2030



Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan said an estimated 60 per cent of Employees Provident Fund members can potentially reach the basic savings level of around RM390,000 at the age of 60 by 2030. — Bernama pic

Thursday, 05 Mar 2026 1:37 PM MYT


KUALA LUMPUR, March 5 — An estimated 60 per cent of Employees Provident Fund (EPF) members can potentially reach the basic savings level of around RM390,000 at the age of 60 by 2030, said Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan.

He said that 3.1 million or 41.2 per cent of active EPF members in the formal sector, who are Malaysian citizens aged between 18 years and 55 years, had reached the basic savings level by age as of the end of 2025.

“This shows that there are still 4.42 million or 58.8 per cent of formal sector members who are Malaysian citizens who have not reached the minimum savings level targeted to ensure sufficient savings upon retirement,” he said during a question-and-answer session at the Dewan Negara today.

Amir Hamzah was replying to a supplementary question from Senator Datuk Ng Keng Heng regarding the government’s official estimate of the percentage of citizens who are expected not to reach the sufficient minimum savings level by retirement age in the next 10 years to 20 years.

Meanwhile, Amir Hamzah said the government, through the EPF, is committed to ensuring that the erosion of basic savings due to early withdrawals can be controlled by introducing the retirement income adequacy (RIA) benchmark.

He said RIA functions as a guide to the adequacy of retirement savings, helping members assess their savings position before making withdrawal decisions, thus encouraging more prudent long-term financial planning.

“At the same time, several measures to strengthen savings continue to be implemented, including account restructuring, namely the introduction of Flexible Accounts, encouraging voluntary contributions, and more active promotions involving i-Simpan, i-Saraan, and i-Topup.


“EPF is also intensifying its awareness campaign to encourage members not to make full or lump sum withdrawals, which can affect income after retirement, but instead choose the withdrawal option in monthly payments,” he said.

As a note, the number of active employers registered with the EPF increased by 4.2 per cent to 640,391 as of December 2025 from 614,563 in 2024, while the number of formal sector workers also grew by 3.3 per cent to 8.2 million in 2025 from 7.9 million in 2024.

This positive development contributed to the growth of annual contributions of EPF members who are Malaysian citizens to RM120.0 billion in 2025, 12 per cent higher than RM107.1 billion in 2024. — Bernama

Second Iranian warship nears Sri Lanka after US submarine sinks frigate

Second Iranian warship nears Sri Lanka after US submarine sinks frigate




Healthcare workers carry the bodies of Iranian sailors who died in a US torpedo attack on their frigate IRIS Dena off Sri Lanka’s southern coast, at the mortuary of the Karapitiya hospital in Galle on March 4, 2026. A second Iranian warship was heading towards Sri Lanka’s territorial waters Thursday, a day after a US submarine destroyed an Iranian frigate, killing at least 87 sailors, a minister told parliament. — AFP pic

Thursday, 05 Mar 2026 4:19 PM MYT


GALLE, March 5 — A second Iranian warship was heading towards Sri Lanka’s territorial waters Thursday, a day after a US submarine destroyed an Iranian frigate, killing at least 87 sailors, a minister told parliament.

Media minister Nalinda Jayatissa said the second Iranian warship was just outside Sri Lankan waters, but gave no further details.

Official sources said the vessel was carrying more than 100 crew and feared they too could be targeted the same way a sister vessel was sunk by a US submarine just off Sri Lanka’s southern coast on Wednesday.

The sinking came as the war sparked by a joint US-Israel attack on Iran continued to spread across the Middle East and beyond.

Authorities in the southern port city of Galle, meanwhile, were making preparations Thursday to hand over the remains of 87 Iranian sailors killed in the torpedo attack claimed by the US military.


Officials at the main hospital in Galle said 32 rescued Iranians were still being treated under tight security provided by police and elite commandos.

The Emergency Treatment Unit was off limits to visitors and other patients, with the medical authorities setting up a separate ward for the Iranians.


“Most of them have minor injuries, but there were a few with fractures and burns,” a nurse at the hospital said, without giving her name.

Navy spokesman Buddhika Sampath told AFP that Sri Lankan navy vessels were continuing their search for missing Iranian sailors.

Iran has not yet commented on the sinking.

Sri Lanka has remained neutral and has repeatedly urged dialogue to resolve the conflict in the Middle East. — AFP

***

Didn't the clown say he had destroyed the entire Iranian Navy?

Samsuri rules out Muhyiddin as PN’s choice for PM after Bersatu chief casts doubt on his candidacy

Samsuri rules out Muhyiddin as PN’s choice for PM after Bersatu chief casts doubt on his candidacy



Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar speaks at a press conference in Kuala Terengganu on October 2, 2024. — Bernama pic

Thursday, 05 Mar 2026 4:27 PM MYT


KUALA LUMPUR, March 5 — Perikatan Nasional (PN)chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar has rebuked Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin for saying the former is not necessarily the coalition’s candidate to be prime minister, bluntly declaring the latter is no longer in the running.

Responding to Muhyiddin’s recent remarks that the coalition’s chairmanship does not guaranteed a PM candidacy, Samsuri took to Facebook to shut down any ambiguity regarding the Pagoh MP’s future.


“What is certain is that Muhyiddin is no longer a PM candidate,” said Samsuri, who replaced Muhyiddin as PN chairman on February 22.

The retort follows Muhyiddin’s claim that Bersatu and PAS had not yet formally discussed the PM candidate for the 16th General Election (GE16).


Muhyiddin previously sought to downplay Samsuri’s appointment as coalition chairman, suggesting the top job was still an open question.


Today, Samsuri sought to steer the narrative toward coalition stability, urging component parties to stop the public bickering.

“Whoever the candidate may be, our priority now is to strengthen Perikatan Nasional and solidify national consensus in order to face the election better prepared,” he said.


The tension between the two leaders is indicative of a growing rift between Bersatu and PAS.

While Bersatu had unanimously nominated Muhyiddin as its PM candidate during last September’s general assembly, PAS has increasingly distanced itself from that decision.

***

Good onya Sam, frig Moox2 👍😂😂😂

Israel pushes into Lebanon as Hezbollah vows continued resistance

Israel pushes into Lebanon as Hezbollah vows continued resistance



An Israeli Apache helicopter fires towards Lebanon as it flies above the Israel-Lebanon border, amid escalation between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel, and amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, as seen from northern Israel, March 4, 2026. — Reuters pic

Thursday, 05 Mar 2026 9:21 AM MYT


BEIRUT, March 5 — The leader of the Tehran-backed militant group Hezbollah vowed Wednesday to keep up its fight against Israel, whose forces pushed into several border towns and conducted air strikes around Lebanon for a third day.

Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war on Monday, when Hezbollah attacked Israel in response to the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during US-Israeli strikes over the weekend.


The group stepped up its attacks on Wednesday, saying it targeted Israeli positions as far as Tel Aviv in at least 15 attacks.

“We are facing aggression... our choice is to confront it until the ultimate sacrifice, and we will not surrender,” Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem declared in his first speech since the latest round of fighting broke out.


“For us this is an existential defence,” he added.


Lebanese authorities announced at least 72 people killed, 437 wounded and 83,000 displaced from their homes since Monday.

The Israeli military told people living south of Lebanon’s Litani river — a large area stretching around 30 kilometres (20 miles) north of the border — to evacuate, warning that the army was “compelled to take military action” against Hezbollah in the area.


On Tuesday, Israel’s military said it was creating a buffer zone inside Lebanon to protect Israeli residents.

Troops from three divisions, including infantry, armoured and engineering units were operating in southern Lebanon, Israel’s army said late Wednesday.

AFP video footage shot on Wednesday showed what appeared to be two Israeli tanks amid residential buildings in Khiam, about six kilometres north of the border.

“Peacekeepers observed today several IDF (military) movements and military activities, including near... Khiam, Beit Lif, Yaroun, Houla, Kfar Kila, Kherbeh and Kfar Shouba,” the UN peacekeeping mission, UNIFIL, said in a statement.

It added that the Israeli movements violate Lebanon’s “sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

Israel said Wednesday that two of its soldiers had been “moderately injured” by anti-tank fire in the south.

Hezbollah said its fighters had engaged Israeli troops in “direct” clashes in Khiam, “inflicting confirmed casualties”.


Hotel strike

Meanwhile, Israel expanded its aerial campaign, striking a hotel in Hazmieh, the first reported Israeli attack on the predominantly Christian area in Beirut’s suburbs, which is near the presidential palace and several foreign embassies.

Some rooms were gutted in the strike, and wounded people received treatment in the lobby, AFP images showed.

People fled through debris carrying suitcases past the Comfort Hotel’s sign, which had fallen broken to the ground. It was not possible to determine who was targeted in the attack.

The upscale district overlooks the capital’s southern suburbs, where Hezbollah holds sway, and which Hazmieh resident Lena had initially thought was the target of the strikes.

“I was wrong,” the 59-year-old woman told AFP. “Just a stone’s throw from my home, a hotel was targeted.”

Several people told AFP they had received recorded phone messages telling them to evacuate.


Southern suburbs targeted

A series of strikes on Wednesday continued to target Beirut’s southern suburbs following an evacuation warning from Israel’s military.

One of the strikes targeted a building near a major hospital, according to an AFP photographer.

AFP footage showed thick plumes of smoke rising above buildings in the densely populated suburb, which some residents fled when the violence erupted on Monday.

In Aramoun and Saadiyat south of Beirut — two towns outside of Hezbollah’s traditional sphere of influence — the health ministry said Israeli strikes killed six people and wounded eight others. It cautioned that this was a “preliminary toll”.

AFP footage from Aramoun showed damaged cars and rescue workers carrying a wounded person on a stretcher.

Strikes also targeted a four-storey building in the city of Baalbek, in Lebanon’s east, far from the border where Hezbollah also has a strong presence.

AFP correspondents saw rescue workers searching through the rubble for survivors.

Israel continued to strike a number of other areas including Tyre, Nabatieh, and other locations in the Baalbek district on Wednesday. — AFP

Why are the US and Israel framing the ongoing conflict as a religious war?

Why are the US and Israel framing the ongoing conflict as a religious war?

US troops reportedly told the war in Iran is intended to bring about biblical end times, Armageddon

The Trump administration and Netanyahu have repeatedly used religious language to describe the attacks in Iran [File: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters]

By Sarah Shamim
Published On 4 Mar 2026

As conflict in the Middle East enters its fifth day on Wednesday, American and Israeli officials are pushing rhetoric suggesting that the campaign against Iran is a religious war.

On Tuesday, Muslim civil rights organisation, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), condemned the Pentagon’s use of this rhetoric, deeming it “dangerous” and “anti-Muslim”.

The United States and Israel began their attack on Iran on Saturday and have continued to carry out strikes on Iran since then. In retaliation, Iran has hit back at targets in Israel, and US military assets in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq and Cyprus.

A US watchdog has reported that US troops have been told the war is intended to “induce the biblical end of times”. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also recently stated that Iran is run by “religious fanatic lunatics”.

What are American and Israeli leaders saying?

US watchdog Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) said it has received emailed complaints that US service members were told the war with Iran is meant to “cause Armageddon”, or the biblical “end times”.

An unnamed noncommissioned officer wrote in an email to MRFF that a commander had urged officers “to tell our troops that this was ‘all part of God’s divine plan’ and he specifically referenced numerous citations out of the Book of Revelation referring to Armageddon and the imminent return of Jesus Christ”.

The MRFF is a nonprofit organisation dedicated to upholding religious freedom for US service members.

The officer claimed the commander had told the unit that Trump “has been anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon and mark his return to Earth”.

Israeli and US leaders have also resorted to religious rhetoric in public.

Last month, Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, told conservative US commentator Tucker Carlson during an interview that it would be “fine” if Israel took “essentially the entire Middle East” because it was promised the land in the Bible. However, Huckabee added that Israel was not seeking to do so.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday this week, Rubio said: “Iran is run by lunatics – religious fanatic lunatics. They have an ambition to have nuclear weapons.”

And, the previous day in a Pentagon news briefing, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said: “Crazy regimes like Iran, hell-bent on prophetic Islamic delusions, cannot have nuclear weapons.”

In its statement, CAIR claimed that Hegseth’s words are “an apparent reference to Shia beliefs about religious figures arising near the end times”.

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referenced the Torah, comparing Iran with an ancient biblical enemy, the Amalekites. The “Amalek” are known in Jewish tradition as representing “pure evil”.

“We read in this week’s Torah portion, ‘Remember what Amalek did to you.’ We remember – and we act.”

CAIR said: “We are not surprised to see Benjamin Netanyahu once again using the biblical story of Amalek – which claims that God commanded the Israelites to murder every man, woman, child and animal in a pagan nation that attacked them – to justify Israel’s mass murder of civilians in Iran, just as it did in Gaza.”

The statement added that every American should be “deeply disturbed by the ‘holy war’ rhetoric” being spread by the US military, Hegseth and Netanyahu to justify the war on Iran.

“Mr Hegseth’s derisive comment about ‘Islamist prophetic delusions’, an apparent reference to Shia beliefs about religious figures arising near the end times, was unacceptable. So is US military commanders telling troops that war with Iran is a biblical step towards Armageddon.”

Why are US and Israeli leaders framing the conflict with Iran as a religious war?

By attempting to frame the conflict as a holy war, leaders are using theological beliefs to “justify action, mobilise political opinion, and leverage support”, Jolyon Mitchell, a professor at Durham University in the UK, told Al Jazeera.

“Many on both sides of this conflict believe that they have God on their side. God is enlisted in this conflict, as with many others, to support acts of violence. The demonisation and dehumanisation of the enemy, the ‘other’, will inevitably make building peace after the conflict even harder,” Mitchell said.

“There are several overlapping reasons, and they operate at different levels: domestic mobilisation, civilisational framing, and strategic narrative construction,” Ibrahim Abusharif, an associate professor at Northwestern University in Qatar, told Al Jazeera.

Domestic mobilisation refers to rallying a country’s own people. Leaders can frame conflict as religious and hence morally clear and urgent, rallying public support, he said.

In a video circulating on social media this week, Christian Zionist pastor and televangelist John Hagee is seen delivering a sermon promoting the US assault on Iran. Hagee said that Russia, Turkiye, “what’s left of Iran” and “groups of Islamics” will march into Israel. He said that God will “crush” the “adversaries of Israel”.

“Religious language mobilises domestic constituencies,” Abusharif said, explaining that in the US, this connects deeply with many evangelicals and Christian Zionists, because they already see Middle East wars as part of a religious “end times” story.

“References to the ‘end times’, the Book of Revelation, or biblical enemies are not incidental; they activate a cultural script already present in American political theology.”

Civilisational framing refers to the creation of an “us vs them” dichotomy, casting the conflict as a clash between whole ways of life or faiths, not just a dispute over borders or policy, he added. Hence, statements such as Hegseth’s reference to “prophetic Islamic delusions” simplify the terms of the war in the minds of ordinary people.

“Wars are difficult to justify in technical strategic language,” Abusharif said.

“Casting the conflict as a struggle between ‘civilisation and fanaticism’, or between biblical ‘good and evil’, transforms a complicated regional confrontation into a moral drama that ordinary audiences can easily grasp.”

“Israeli leadership has long used biblical referents as political language. We all are familiar with it. The narratives have become globalised. In Israeli political discourse, this language situates contemporary conflict within a long historical narrative of Jewish survival, and it signals existential stakes,” Abusharif said.

Have US or Israeli leaders made religious references before?

Netanyahu and other Israeli officials have used the term “Amalek” before in reference to Palestinians in Gaza during Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza.

Historically, during wars or military confrontations, US presidents and senior officials have also invoked the Bible or used Christian language.

President George W Bush invoked similar language after the September 11, 2001 attacks.

On September 16, 2001, Bush said: “This crusade, this war on terrorism, is going to take a while.” The Crusades were a series of religiously framed wars, mainly between the 11th and 13th centuries, in which the papacy fought against Muslim rulers for territory.

The White House later tried to distance Bush from the word “crusade” to clarify that Bush was not waging a war against Muslims.

Abusharif said that the war on Iran is about power and politics, but using religious rhetoric energises supporters and “moralises” the conflict.

“The war itself is not theological. It is geopolitical. But the language surrounding it increasingly draws on sacred imagery and civilisational narratives. That rhetoric can mobilise supporters and frame the conflict in morally absolute terms,” Abusharif said.

“Yet it also carries risks: once a war is cast in sacred language, political compromise becomes harder, expectations become higher, and the global perception of the conflict can shift in ways that complicate diplomacy.”

***

Trump and cohort, as well as the shailok mob, are frigging god's name daily and unscrupulously for their own interests.😡😡😡

PMO confirms Tengku Zafrul is now senior political adviser to the PM

PMO confirms Tengku Zafrul is now senior political adviser to the PM



The Prime Minister’s Office today announced the appointment of Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz as the new Senior Political Advisor to the Prime Minister. — Picture by Firdaus Latif

Wednesday, 04 Mar 2026 6:25 PM MYT


PUTRAJAYA, March 4 – The Prime Minister’s Office today announced the appointment of Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz as the new Senior Political Advisor to the Prime Minister.

According to an official statement, the Prime Minister has given his consent to the appointment which will take effect immediately today.

The tenure of the appointment is for a period of two years.

The position was created to fill the vacancy for the post of senior political secretary to the Prime Minister.

In announcing the appointment, the prime minister expressed his hope that Tengku Zafrul would carry out the trust bestowed upon him with dedication and humility, for the continued prosperity of the nation and the well-being of the people.

Lynas Malaysia licence renewal: “Where has DAP disappeared to?” wonders MCA Youth

Lynas Malaysia licence renewal: “Where has DAP disappeared to?” wonders MCA Youth

By Bernie Yeo
5 hours ago





AN MCA Youth leader has expressed frustration over recent news reports that the operating licence of Lynas Malaysia has been renewed for a further 10 years and questioned DAP’s silence on the matter.

“Ironically, the party that was once the loudest in opposing Lynas now appears to be the most silent when this decision is made while they are part of the ruling government,” said its Pahang chapter’s youth chief Wong Siew Mun.

“In the past, they took to the streets, organised rallies, and portrayed Lynas as a major threat to the environment and public safety. Some even labelled it a ‘nuclear plant’, instilling fear among the public in order to garner political support.

“Today, when the licence is extended under their own administration, that voice has suddenly disappeared. Where are Lim Guan Eng, Nga Kor Ming and Yeo Bee Yin? Why is there no clear stand from the DAP leadership that was once so aggressive on the Lynas issue?”

In a statement on Monday (March 2), Lynas Rare Earths Ltd said the Malaysian Atomic Energy Department has confirmed that the company’s operating licence for Lynas Malaysia has been renewed for a further 10 years, effective March 3, 2026.



The company has since welcomed the extension and thanked the government.

On this matter, Wong said nearly a decade after the change of government, the reality remains unchanged—Lynas continues to operate and its licence has now been extended for another 10 years.

“The question is simple: Is DAP prepared to admit that the fear it once stoked was merely political rhetoric? And when will it apologise to Barisan Nasional and to the rakyat who were misled on the Lynas issue?” she asked.


Not a betrayal

Datuk Chang Lih Kang (Image: Bernama)


On March 2, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Chang Lih Kang was reported as saying that the Lynas licence extension does not amount to a betrayal of Pakatan Harapan’s past promises about Lynas’ operations in Malaysia.

Speaking at a press conference at the Parliament building, he said the licence renewal comes with a strong stand of “no more new PDF (permanent disposal facility)” to be built in Malaysia in the future.

“This is not an act of betrayal. What we have consistently protested against is the continued accumulation of radioactive waste in Malaysia, and we have taken a firm position that there will be no PDF in the future,” Chang stressed.

“The production of WLP (Water Leach Purification) residue will be discontinued after the first five years, up to 2031, so any WLP produced before or during this five-year period must be mandatorily neutralised into waste that is no longer radioactive, or managed under a barium treatment programme.”

Chang further stressed that the licence under the Atomic Energy Licensing Act 1984 (Act 304), which has been renewed from March 3, 2026 to March 2, 2036, is subject to stricter terms and a comprehensive review after the first five years. ‒ March 4, 2026

Trump went to war with Iran because of Israel

 

Mondoweiss

orSntdepos0lhig0h19u80fct69uatig90c379ht01aatc567c5gh5u0c9lh ·

The heresy of Walt and Mearsheimer's Israel lobby theory was the claim that Israel and its supporters pushed the U.S. into war. Marco Rubio has now confirmed this analysis when he admitted that Trump went to war with Iran because of Israel.

Cartoon by Carlos Latuff.

US distances itself from Israeli strike that killed Iran’s leader

US distances itself from Israeli strike that killed Iran’s leader


4 Mar 2026 • 9:51 AM MYT



The Sun Daily
For the latest news and features from Malaysia and the rest of the world.



Pentagon official says Israel, not the US, was responsible for the strike that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, clarifying Washington’s military objectives.


WASHINGTON: The Pentagon’s top policy official distanced the United States from the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, stating it was an Israeli operation.

Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Elbridge Colby said the strike that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior leaders was not part of the American military campaign.

“Those are Israeli operations,” Colby said when pressed by lawmakers.

His restrained tone contrasted with President Donald Trump’s triumphant framing of the conflict since strikes began.

Trump said in a social media post that Khamenei was “unable to avoid our Intelligence and Highly Sophisticated Tracking Systems”.

The president added that, “working closely with Israel, there was not a thing he, or the other leaders that have been killed along with him, could do.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested the US role was reactive after learning Israel was preparing to strike.

Colby sought to narrow the publicly stated scope of US objectives in the region.

“The objectives of the military campaign… are focused on addressing the ability of the Islamic Republic to project military power against us, our bases, our forces, et cetera, as well as our allies and partners in the region and beyond,” he said.

He described primary targets as Iran’s missile firepower and production capacity, plus elements of its navy.

Those goals were “scoped and reasonable objectives that can be attained,” Colby argued.

Pressed on how the killing of Iran’s top leader fit with US objectives, Colby reiterated he was “talking about the goals of the American military campaign”.

He maintained the leadership strikes were separate Israeli actions.

While Trump has urged Iranians to seize an “unprecedented opportunity” for change, Colby said the US campaign focuses on degrading military capabilities, not explicitly on regime change.

***

Iranians take very very very NASTY revenge - those who killed the 160 schoolgirls will be in for it, just like the USS Vincennes, a U.S. Navy guided missile cruiser, shooting down Iran Air Flight 655 over the Persian Gulf on July 3, 1988 - that evil act resulted in the deaths of all 290 passengers and crew on board. So the Iranians replied with the Lockerbie bombing, and used a Libyan as a patsy - the Yanks were happy to mis-blame the Libyan and frigg Gaddafi, an easier scapegoat to bully than the Persians.

Don't frigg around with those Persians

US submarine sinks Iranian warship off Sri Lanka killing at least 80 and leaving dozens more injured

US submarine sinks Iranian warship off Sri Lanka killing at least 80 and leaving dozens more injured


5 Mar 2026 • 12:06 AM MYT


The Independent
The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

A US military submarine has launched a strike on an Iranian warship off Sri Lanka’s coast, killing more than 80 people and leaving dozens more injured.

US defence secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that America had torpedoed the vessel in international waters during a press conference on the war against Iran on Wednesday.

“The Iranian navy rests at the bottom of the Persian Gulf,” he said, as he showed footage of Tuesday night’s attack in the Indian Ocean on what he called the Islamic Republic's “prize ship”.

He claimed it marked the first time an enemy vessel had been sunk by a torpedo since the Second World War.

kt remarks: Google tells us:

On May 2, 1982, during the Falklands War, the Royal Navy nuclear-powered submarine HMS Conqueror sank the Argentine cruiser ARA General Belgrano outside the Total Exclusion Zone. Two torpedoes struck the vessel, causing it to sink in under 30 minutes, resulting in 323 deaths.

Sri Lanka's navy said on Wednesday it recovered 87 bodies and rescued 32 people, after initial reports suggested more than 100 people were missing following the strike.

Sri Lanka's foreign minister Vijitha Herath told parliament that its navy received information that the Iranian frigate Iris Dena, with 180 people on board, was in distress and sinking. The island nation sent ships and air force planes on a rescue mission, he said.

Navy spokesman Commander Buddhika Sampath said by the time navy ships reached the location, there was no sign of the ship and “there were only some oil patches and life rafts. We found people floating on the water.”

He said the 32 people rescued were admitted to a hospital in the seaside town of Galle on Sri Lanka's southern coast, while the bodies recovered were being brought to land.

Security personnel were seen standing guard in front of the National Hospital Galle, while ambulances drove into Sri Lanka's southern naval headquarters in the city.

Dr Anil Jasinghe, a top health ministry official, said one of those rescued is in critical condition, seven are receiving emergency treatment and others are being treated for minor injuries.

The Iris Dena – one of Iran's newest warships – is a Moudge-class frigate that patrols in deep water for the Iranian navy. It is armed with heavy guns, surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship missiles and torpedoes, and also carries one helicopter.

The frigate was the centrepiece of a two-ship international tour in 2023 that included port calls in countries including South Africa and Brazil, and was accompanied by the support ship Iris Makran, a converted oil tanker.

The US Treasury Department included both ships on a sanctions designation in February 2023 along with eight executives of an Iranian drone manufacturer that supplied the weapons to Russia for use against civilian targets in Ukraine.

At least 17 Iranian naval vessels have been sunk during the ongoing war, said US Admiral Brad Cooper, who leads the American military's Central Command.

“We are also sinking the Iranian navy – the entire navy,” he said in a video message.

He continued: “Thus far we've destroyed 17 Iranian ships, including the most operational Iranian submarine that now has a hole in its side.

“For decades, the Iranian regime has harassed international shipping,” he added. “Today there's not a single Iranian ship underway in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, or Gulf of Oman, and we will not stop.”

The sinking of the Iris Dena comes on the fifth day of the US and Israel’s war with Iran, as countries across the Middle East get dragged into the conflict, amid fears of a protracted all-out regional war, with US president Donald Trump suggesting fighting could last a month or longer.

During the Pentagon news briefing on Wednesday, Hegseth warned that US attacks on Iran will continue for as long as necessary and will punch Iran while it is down.

He said: “Our air defences and that of our allies have plenty of runway. We can sustain this fight easily for as long as we need to...

“This was never meant to be a fair fight, and it’s not a fair fight. We are punching them while they’re down, and that’s exactly how it should be.”

Speaking of the six members of the US military who have been killed in the conflict, he vowed to “avenge” their deaths.

And asked by the BBC about the attack on a girls’ primary school in southern Iran, which killed more than 160 people including scores of pupils, he said the US is investigating the incident.

Explosions sounded in Tehran on Wednesday, with more than 1,000 people reportedly killed in Iran so far, while Israel's military said its air defences had been activated to intercept incoming Iranian missiles and explosions were heard around Jerusalem.

Blasts were also reported in Lebanon, where Israel said it is retaliating against Hezbollah militants. Thick columns of smoke rose above Beirut as renewed Israeli strikes reduced large buildings in the Haret Hreik to piles of rubble.

In the latest escalation in the expanding conflict, Nato air defences shot down an Iranian ballistic missile heading towards Turkish airspace, Ankara said. The missile was shot down over the eastern Mediterranean Sea. No casualties or injuries were reported in the incident, which prompted the first action from Nato forces so far.

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Ramasamy rues cops powerless to dampen deep state forces-backed Zamri Vinoth’s ‘kuil haram’ crusade

Ramasamy rues cops powerless to dampen deep state forces-backed Zamri Vinoth’s ‘kuil haram’ crusade

By Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy
4 hours ago





WHY is Zamri Vinoth, the Hindu convert to Islam with over 800 police reports against him, seemingly defiant in his calls for the demolition of “illegal” Hindu temples in the country?


Lately, Zamri has called for the demolition of the Hindu shrine in front of the entrance to the Bukit Mertajam hospital in mainland Penang.


Why were Zamri and members of the vigilante Gerakan Anti-Rumah Anutan Haram (GARAH) group given VIP treatment after the police foiled the protests in front of SOGO Kuala Lumpur during the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi?

Recall that the police sought to balance the arrests of the Malay-Muslim vigilante group by arresting two leaders of Urimai in Selangor and chairman of the Dengkil Hindu temple.




What were the crimes of these individuals rather than the attempt by the police to give a public impression of their impartiality?

Now, Zamri – in his zeal to show that he is more Islamic than the original Muslims – seems to think and operate on the assumption that rewards await him politically and religiously by undertaking his demolition crusade to rid the country of “illegal” Hindu temples.

‘Cops powerless to act’

Frankly speaking, there seems to be immunity for Zamri and his gang of vigilantes from the actions of the authorities, including the police.

He is so emboldened that he is preparing the grounds for the demolition of the over-100-year-old Hindu shrine in Bukit Mertajam.

The authorities, especially the police, seem to be closing one eye to the intended atrocities of Zamri.

Dia yang nak lakukan jenayah, dia kata org lain penjenayah.
Nak roboh kuil depan Hospital BMkah, bro? Zamri Vinoth?

#PDRM
#KDN...

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I am more inclined to think that Zamri is so emboldened to act because he has the clandestine backing of deep state forces in the country.

Without the support of these forces, I seriously doubt that Zamri can do what he is doing now.

Steeped in extremist ideologies of race and religion, these deep state forces could be behind the vigilantes who are taking the law into their own hands. Even the police appear powerless to act against these deep state forces.

Unlike the cowardly act of demolishing the temple in Rawang, demolishing the shrine in Bukit Mertajam is not going to be a straightforward matter.

Unless the police take concerted action to rein in Zamri and his gang of extremists, there is going to be serious trouble in the country. By the way, where is the chameleon Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on this matter? – March 4, 2026



Former DAP stalwart and Penang deputy chief minister II Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy is chairman of the United Rights of Malaysian Party (Urimai) interim council.

 

Military Watch:

Footage Shows Moments Iranian Fattah-2 Hypersonic Glide Vehicle Strikes Fortified Israeli Command Centre: High Level Casualties Reported

Middle East , Missile and Space

Military Watch Magazine Editorial Staff

March-3rd-2026

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Hypersonic Glide Vehicle and Fattah-2 Strike on Israel

Footage from Israel has shown the moments when an Iranian hypersonic glide vehicle impacted a fortified Israel Defence Forces command centre, reportedly causing the deaths of seven senior officers and multiple additional casualties. The trajectory and speed of the impact closely resembles that of the Russian Oreshnik ballistic missile seen in use against targets in Ukraine in January, which also integrates hypersonic glide vehicles, supporting Iranian reports that such vehicles have been used for strikes against Israel. Although Iran in June 2025 reported the use of the older baseline Fattah ballistic missile against Israeli targets, which local sources referred to as a “hypersonic missile,” this missile used an advanced manoeuvring reentry vehicle, rather than a genuine hypersonic glide vehicle. The Fattah-2, by contrast, was first reported used in the current conflict after the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, and is the first and only Iranian missile type known to integrate a hypersonic glide vehicle. 

Model of Fattah-2 Missile with Hypersonic Glide Vehicle

Although U.S. and Israeli missile defences are under strain from strikes by older types of Iranian ballistic missiles, with the number of interceptors remaining highly limited, the use of hypersonic missiles, and to lesser extents missiles with manoeuvring reentry vehicles or multiple warheads, have posed particularly significant challenges. Hypersonic glide vehicles can manoeuvre in both course and pitch, carrying out lateral manoeuvres several thousand kilometres above the Armstrong Limit, which combined with their extreme speeds makes them nearly impossible for existing air defence systems to intercept. The use of the Fattah-2 to strike very high value Israeli command infrastructure not only demonstrates the high levels of precision achieved, which is particularly difficult for such high speed weapons, but also an ability to gather intelligence within Israel. 

Images Allegedly Showing Fattah-2 Ballistic Missile Launches From Iran

The first launch of the Fattah in the current conflict was reported on February 28, followed by the first reported launch of the Fattah-2 on March 1, with footage from Israel indicating that at least three successful Fattah-2 strikes have been launched. Iran’s development of ballistic missiles with hypersonic glide vehicles has been singled out as a particular threat by Israeli sources. Vice President of the leading Israeli missile defence system developer Rafael Advanced Defence Systems, Yuval Baseski, in August 2025 highlighted that this had forced the firm and the Israel Defence Forces to rethink their approach to missile defence. “Hypersonic missiles open a new era in air defence,” he observed, warning that traditional approaches to missile defence could not be relied on against them. “Every air defence system today is based on flying faster than the target. But this principle does not apply to hypersonic missiles. To intercept an object moving at Mach 10, one would need a defence moving at Mach 30, which is impossible in the atmosphere due to friction,” he stated. 

Surface-to-Air Missile Launch From THAAD Ballistic Missile System - The U.S. Army Has Deployed a THAAD Battery to Israel

Drawing an analogy  to basketball, Baseski observed: “One interceptor missile tracking one hypersonic missile is like defending LeBron James with a single player. You may keep chasing him, but you won’t stop him from scoring.” He instead suggested a “zone defence” model, under which multiple interceptors covered defined areas and engaged threats as they approached. As Israel has yet to show signs of being able to implement this approach, which even if financed would take several years and likely cost tens of billions of dollars, it is likely that Iran’s Fattah-2 arsenal will continue to be able to penetrate Israeli defences with impunity. This has placed more pressure on Israeli and U.S. forces to quickly gain greater dominance over Iranian airspace to destroy ballistic missile launchers on the ground before they are able to fire.