Joe Kent Makes Genuine Plea To Trump: "Address The Israeli Issue"

Joe Kent Makes Genuine Plea To Trump: "Address The Israeli Issue"

by Tyler Durden
Monday, Mar 23, 2026 - 07:15 PM


Recently-resigned director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center Joe Kent told antiwar.com editor Scott Horton that a narrow window for de-escalation still exists, but only if Donald Trump is willing to confront what Kent repeatedly described as the core constraint on U.S. strategy: Israel.

“I think he's got to address the Israeli issue first and foremost… and demand and force them to stop going on the offense.”

Kent addressed Trump’s recent public comments urging restraint, specifically that Israel halt strikes on energy infrastructure, but warned that rhetorical pressure alone would prove ineffective. According to Kent, past behavior suggests compliance would be temporary at best.

“If you tell them that they need to stop… they might back off for a week or so, but they're not going to listen to you.”


“Take Away Their Ability”

Kent outlined what he sees as the only viable leverage: withdrawing U.S. defensive support unless Israel shifts fully to a defensive posture.

“You have to take away their ability to do that… we’re not going to support you while you’re on the offense.”

Tying American support to Israeli operational restraint would be a massive structural change in the U.S.-Israel relationship (if actually carried out in practice) as it is something rarely done by past Presidents on both sides of the aisle.

Kent argued that U.S. and Israeli endgames in Iran are no longer aligned. While Washington may seek limited military objectives, he described Israel’s aims as far more expansive, and far more destabilizing.

“The Israelis want full regime change… and have a very high tolerance for chaos.”

He warned that such an outcome would carry severe downstream consequences from increased terrorism threats in the continental U.S. to yet another immigration crisis for Europe to unsustainable oil prices.

“That would be absolutely catastrophic… for the world energy trade.”

A Narrow Window For A Deal

Despite the escalation, Kent believes President Trump can still make a deal and secure a diplomatic off-ramp, signaling that backchannel negotiations could be underway already.

“We already saw… [Bessent] talking about lifting the sanctions on some of the Iranian oil that's already on the water.”

Kent emphasized that “only Donald Trump can do it,” showing there is still optimism for the President he served just days ago and accused of launching a war of choice on behalf of Israel.

“I think we have a lot of potential right now to get that deal.”

The throughline of Kent’s argument is that absent a shift in U.S. policy, the current trajectory is self-reinforcing.

“To let the Israelis continue to… drive the strategic objectives… that is not doing any service for the American people,” he said, adding that if nothing changes “we’re going to continue to be in this cycle.”

The only religions that need defending are non-Muslim faiths

The only religions that need defending are non-Muslim faiths

S Thayaparan
Published: Mar 23, 2026 7:00 AM
Updated: 5:49 PM



“Do not obey in advance. Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. In times like these, individuals think ahead about what a more repressive government will want, and then offer themselves without being asked. A citizen who adapts in this way is teaching power what it can do.”

- Timothy Snyder, On Tyranny: Twenty 

Lessons from the Twentieth Century

COMMENT | There is this old Buddhist shrine on the roadside in a sometimes quiet but often bustling suburb in Petaling Jaya. It has been there for decades. Nobody really knows who built it.

For decades in this racially diverse neighbourhood, the roadside shrine had endured. School children passed by it on their way to and from school. Adults drove past it on their way to work and on the drive back.

There was nothing extraordinary about it; it was just there, and if you noticed, it was well-tended, and there were the usual offerings, but nobody really paid attention to it.

The shrine was part of the scenery. Part of the life of the community.

But the shrine is no more. Or rather, the red structure remains, but it is empty. The porcelain inhabitant who for decades stood guard in the neighbourhood has vanished. No more offerings or lit candles, just a derelict red structure remains.

I was told that people were afraid in the current climate that the shrine would be desecrated. That its immobile guardian within would be defiled. Better safe than sorry, they told me.

It was not as if the road was earmarked for municipal business or construction. Some folks were just worried; in this current climate, you have to be cautious, they said.

So, something which has been there for decades is no more. Soon, the red structure would be removed, and it would be as if it never existed in the first place.


Why ‘defend’ a religion?

I understand the impulse to protect what is sacred. After the supposed land activist, Tamim Dahri Abdul Razak, stepped on a Hindu religious symbol and made a mockery of the state security apparatus, people understood that their religion needed defending.

After the prime minister announced that state governments need to handle illegal temples, people rightly embraced the need to protect and preserve what is sacred to them.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim


For decades, I never understood this pathological need by some to defend their religion.

Truth be told, the concept was alien to me. I defined it as propaganda meant to control and maintain power over the majority.

It was a political tool that the establishment used to maintain order. I never understood how a religion, any religion, needed to be “defended”.

When the prime minister talked of “illegal” structures and “victory” over the demolition of a structure which predated municipal laws, people became rightfully worried about the way they observed their religions.

After all, these structures existed for decades under various permutations of ketuanism (supremacy) and endured.

While there had been flashpoints, there was never an organised, state-enabled attempt to disrupt the racial equilibrium when it came to places of worship, for the most part.

The vandalised Dewi Sri Maha Kaliaman temple in Kampung Tasek Ampang on May 19, 2025


PSM deputy chairperson S Arutchelvan recently wrote a piece which I mostly agree with, and I understand the need to make this a class issue and not a racial one.

The problem with this kind of argument is that it smashes into the reality of race in this country, which is embedded in mainstream politics.

Arutchelvan wrote - in defending urban pioneer settlements, such as the mostly Malay-Muslim communities of Kampung Aman, Kampung Chubadak, Kampung Rimba Jaya, Berembang, and others - that PSM has seen surau and mosques built on untitled land, supported by politicians and residents.

But this is about race and religion, because you have to wonder why on earth, besides corporate interests, would anyone be interested in “illegal temples” if not to demonstrate the superiority of their religion over that which they are attempting to demolish.

And yes, temples and the Hindu community are low-hanging fruit.


Oppression

You have to ask yourself, why now? We have all these extremists either engaging in the destruction of temples or claiming that all this is a legal endeavour.

The fact of the matter is that not one of these temples caused any form of social, economic, or legal dysfunction in this country.

The Sri Poyatha Moorthi temple in Malacca


Hindu temples are in your face. While Christian places of worship are subject to strict rules when it comes to Islamic sensitivities - the cross, for instance, apparently has a debilitating effect on some people - Hindu temples are gaudy architectural provocations for people who believe in the supremacy of their faith.

Legacy temples are also a reminder of how the Indian community built this country. Cities may have grown around temples, and without the Chinese, there would be no cities, as former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad reminds us.

However, this has given rise to strategists who delude themselves into thinking that they come from technical backgrounds, but only demonstrate such expertise by demolishing and stepping on sacred symbols.

They are the problem, but the state makes the victims of their harassment the problem. Their crusade reeks of an inferiority complex made worse by a state which thinks it is defending race and religion.

Not only is this malicious, but it also creates an atmosphere where people with not much power feel powerful. This, in turn, becomes a distraction from the failings of an all-powerful state.

Folks like Tamim and controversial preacher Zamri Vinoth prove this every time Madani does not censure them.

Zamri Vinoth (left) and Tamim Dahri Abdul Razak


Rational Malaysians should keep in mind that the establishment portrays non-Muslims as the ones causing disharmony. This is the narrative that is being reinforced by the powers that be.

This is why it is not only about the destruction of temples but also the obliteration of history. Most importantly, this is about compliance.

Temples are not only symbols of dissent in this climate, but also a reminder of why non-Muslim religions need to be defended.

S THAYAPARAN is Commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy. Fīat jūstitia ruat cælum - “Let justice be done though the heavens fall.”

***

Is Anwar a mufti in 'mufti'?

Singapore study finds green space the size of a basketball court can cool surroundings by up to 5°C

 

Singapore study finds green space the size of a basketball court can cool surroundings by up to 5°C



A Singapore study found that a microforest the size of a basketball court can significantly cool surrounding urban areas. — Reuters pic

Monday, 23 Mar 2026 12:29 PM MYT


SINGAPORE, March 23 — A recent study from Singapore reportedly found that green space the size of a basketball court in Singapore can cool surrounding areas by up to 5°C.

According to a report in The Straits Times, findings by researchers from the National University of Singapore showed that a microforest outside City Square Mall found to lower temperatures within about two metres of its edge compared with nearby built-up surfaces.


“Despite its compact footprint, the microforest at City Square Mall has been surprisingly effective as a green urban sanctuary,” Associate Professor Adrian Loo from NUS’ Centre for Nature-based Climate Solutions was quoted as saying.

The study was reportedly conducted over a year from February 2025, with results presented at a public forum on March 20 at the Singapore Sustainability Academy.


Originally spanning about 260 sq m, the site was expanded to twice its size in January 2026 following the findings.


The project, known as the CDL MicroForest, was reportedly developed by City Developments Limited in collaboration with NUS and supported by the National Parks Board.

Researchers also found the microforest supported greater biodiversity, with increased bird activity and a growing number of species observed over time.


Environmental DNA testing reportedly showed around 70 per cent more species present in the microforest compared with a nearby grass patch, including soil organisms such as millipedes and springtails.

Microforests are dense, small-scale green spaces designed to mimic the layered structure of natural tropical forests using native plants.

The findings come as Singapore looks to strengthen resilience against rising temperatures linked to climate change, with warmer conditions expected later in 2026 due to the return of El Niño.

Researchers and developers said such projects could be expanded across urban areas, offering both cooling benefits for people and habitats for wildlife.

Health minister warns of 40°C danger as heatwave scorches Malaysia, claiming life of child left in car

Health minister warns of 40°C danger as heatwave scorches Malaysia, claiming life of child left in car



MetMalaysia says the temperatures are ranging between 37° and 40° Celsius in Padang, Terap, Kedah on a daily basis now, qualifying as a Level 2 heatwave. — AFP pic

Monday, 23 Mar 2026 11:47 AM MYT


PUTRAJAYA, March 23 — A total of 15 heat-related cases have been reported so far this year, including three cases of heatstroke and one death involving a child left in a vehicle, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.

In a post on his official Facebook page today, he said the current extreme heat requires everyone to be more vigilant, including monitoring early signs of heatstroke such as prolonged dizziness, unusual thirst and a rising body temperature.

“If these signs appear, take immediate preventive measures by seeking shade, drinking plenty of plain water, and cooling the body promptly,” he said.

He also urged the public not to leave children or anyone else unattended in vehicles, even for a minute.


According to him, infants and children, the elderly, chronic patients and individuals active in hot weather are among the groups at higher risk of heatstroke.


The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) has reported that hot weather conditions in Padang Terap, Kedah, have reached Level Two (heatwave), with daily maximum temperatures ranging between 37° and 40° Celsius.

In a statement today, MetMalaysia said 14 areas in peninsular Malaysia are at Level One (alert), including the whole of Perlis as well as Baling, Sik, Pendang, Pokok Sena, Kubang Pasu, Pulau Langkawi, Kuala Muda and Bandar Baharu in Kedah.


The same warning has also been issued for the Northeast District in Penang, Hulu Perak and Kuala Kangsar (Perak), Jerantut (Pahang) and Rembau (Negeri Sembilan).

According to the statement, a heatwave level refers to daily maximum temperatures between 37 and 40°Celsius for at least three consecutive days, while the alert level refers to daily maximum temperatures between 35° and 37° Celsius for at least three consecutive days.

For the latest daily hot weather status, the public can refer to https://www.met.gov.my/iklim/status-cuaca-panas/. — Bernama

Israel to advance ground operations in Lebanon after striking key bridge

Israel to advance ground operations in Lebanon after striking key bridge



Israeli soldiers seen in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel near the Lebanon border on March 22, 2026. — AFP pic

Monday, 23 Mar 2026 10:33 AM MYT


BEIRUT, March 23 — The Israeli military announced yesterday it was expanding its ground campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, warning of a lengthy operation, after Beirut condemned what it called Israel’s flagrant violations of Lebanese sovereignty.

Israeli forces were ordered earlier yesterday to destroy bridges they said were used by the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah to cross the Litani River, and Lebanese official media reported Israeli raids in the south.


An AFP correspondent saw smoke billowing from a bridge that was hit outside the city of Tyre.

“The operation against the Hezbollah terrorist organisation has only begun... This is a prolonged operation,” Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said in a statement.


“We are now preparing to advance the targeted ground operations and strikes according to an organised plan,” he added.


In a separate statement yesterday, military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said the expansion of the ground operation would begin within the coming week.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun had earlier warned the bridge attacks “represent a dangerous escalation and flagrant violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty, and are considered a prelude to a ground invasion.”


Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East war when Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel on March 2 to avenge the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an Israeli-US strike.

Israel’s military said it “struck a crossing over the Litani River that was used by Hezbollah terrorists to manoeuvre from north to south of the Litani River in Lebanon”.

According to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA), three strikes on the bridge near Tyre “caused extensive damage, rendering it unusable”. It later reported a fourth strike occurred.

The NNA said the strikes caused “damage to the electricity networks, in addition to serious damage to shops, orchards and parks adjacent to the bridge”.

Aoun said “targeting bridges over the Litani River... is an attempt to sever the geographical link between the area south of the Litani and the rest of Lebanon’s territory”.

The NNA also reported that Israeli forces were “blowing up a number of houses in the town of Taybeh” near the border with Israel.

Earlier yesterday, Israel said rocket fire from Lebanon killed a civilian, but later announced it was investigating whether “the incident involved fire originating from IDF soldiers”.

Bridges

Two Israeli soldiers had previously been killed in southern Lebanon, according to the military.

Lebanon’s health ministry said four people were killed yesterday in two strikes in the south, while authorities have reported 1,029 dead in three weeks of conflict and more than one million displaced.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for at least 60 attacks mainly against Israeli troops and bases in northern Israel and in southern Lebanon, where Israeli soldiers have been carrying out ground incursions.

The group said it targeted troops in the coastal town of Naqura, near the western side of the border with Israel, as the NNA reported “Israeli incursions” and heavy bombing of the area.

The group also reported fighting in the strategic border town of Khiam, where it has been clashing with soldiers for days, as well as Maroun al-Ras, Marwahin and areas across the border in Israel.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had instructed the military “to immediately destroy all the bridges over the Litani River that are used for terrorist activity, in order to prevent Hezbollah terrorists and weapons from moving south”.

The Litani River runs around 30 kilometres (20 miles) north of the Israeli border.

Earlier this week, Israel attacked two bridges spanning the Litani, also alleging they were being used by Hezbollah.

‘Commander’ killed

Katz said the military was also instructed to “accelerate the demolition of Lebanese houses in the contact villages in order to thwart threats to Israeli communities”.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency also reported at least one strike on the Bekaa Valley in the country’s east.

The Israeli military said it killed a fighter on Saturday who was the “commander of the special forces in Hezbollah’s Radwan Force”, referring to the group’s elite unit.

Israel has warned residents of swathes of south Lebanon to evacuate and has said it wants to create a buffer zone to protect residents of northern Israel. — AFP

***

Shameless land robbers, bullies - without wankee support the shailoks are nobodies, just parasites

A war started alone, a crisis shared by all — Abbi Kanthasamy

A war started alone, a crisis shared by all — Abbi Kanthasamy


Sunday, 22 Mar 2026 1:39 PM MYT


MARCH 22 — Watching the world this week has been a bit like watching a drunk man start a bar fight, smash half the furniture, and then loudly complain that nobody is helping him pick up the chairs.

That, in essence, is where we are.


Donald Trump has been having a very public meltdown because several countries declined to send warships to help stabilise the Strait of Hormuz — after he decided to start a war without bothering to consult most of the world first.


Let that sit for a moment.

Three weeks ago the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran.


No consultation with Nato.

No consultation with Asian allies.


No consultation with half the countries whose economies depend on the oil flowing through that narrow stretch of water.

At the time the message from Washington was clear.

We don’t need anyone.

Fast forward three weeks.

The Strait of Hormuz — the artery through which roughly one fifth of the world’s oil flows — is effectively shut.

Mines in the water.

Anti-ship missiles along the coast.

Drone boats buzzing around like angry hornets.

Tankers won’t sail.

Insurance companies won’t insure.

Oil sitting in the Gulf like cars stuck in a traffic jam that stretches across the global economy.

Suddenly the phone calls begin.

Washington starts dialing anyone with a navy.

Japan.

South Korea.

France.

Britain.

Canada.

Australia.

Basically anyone with a boat, a flag, and a willingness to clean up someone else’s mess.

The responses were… restrained.

Germany essentially said:

“You told us you didn’t need us before the war started. Why exactly are you surprised now?”

France said they would happily escort ships after the bombing stops and Iran agrees.

Which in diplomatic language means: don’t hold your breath.

Spain declined.

Poland declined.

Sweden declined.

Several Indo-Pacific allies quietly indicated they were not particularly interested in being dragged into a conflict they had no say in starting.



Donald Trump has been having a very public meltdown because several countries declined to send warships to help stabilise the Strait of Hormuz. — Reuters pic



So what does Trump do?

Does he reflect?

Does he pick up the phone and speak to allies like a grown adult?

Of course not.

He jumps on Truth Social and starts shouting in capital letters that America never needed Nato, never needed allies, and doesn’t need anyone.

Which is roughly the geopolitical equivalent of getting rejected at a party and loudly announcing that you never wanted to attend the party anyway.

The man has the emotional stability of someone flipping a Monopoly board because he landed on someone else’s hotel.

And then there’s the supporting cast.

Take Pete Hegseth — the television warrior who appears on American news channels delivering lectures about strength and patriotism while somehow radiating the intellectual depth of the loud kid in high school who discovered protein powder and never quite made it to the library.

Every conflict apparently looks simple from the safety of a studio chair.

Bomb this.

Strike that.

Show strength.

The kind of thinking that sounds very impressive until someone asks the slightly awkward follow-up question:

What happens next?

Because what happened next is the Strait of Hormuz shutting down.

And when that happens, the consequences don’t stop at the Persian Gulf.

They travel.

They travel to truck drivers in Malaysia.

To factories in Vietnam.

To farmers in India.

To fishermen in Sri Lanka.

Diesel prices rise.

Food prices rise.

Shipping slows.

Currencies wobble.

Central banks panic.

The Global South — which had absolutely no vote in this war — ends up paying the bill anyway.

That is the quiet absurdity of modern geopolitics.

Two powerful countries exchange missiles in the Gulf and suddenly a vegetable seller in Colombo is wondering why cooking oil costs twice as much.

Meanwhile the Strait remains closed.

Tankers wait.

Oil sits in limbo.

And the world economy watches while politicians argue on social media.

Because this isn’t strength.

This is what happens when strategy is replaced by impulse and foreign policy starts to resemble a reality television episode.

Alliances, after all, are built on consultation and trust.

Not on midnight decisions followed by public insults.

When leaders publicly berate the very partners whose cooperation they rely on — Japan, South Korea, Nato members — they quietly weaken the architecture that has kept global trade routes stable for decades.

And somewhere in Beijing, analysts are almost certainly watching this unfold with quiet fascination.

Because nothing erodes alliances faster than a superpower that treats partners like disposable extras in its own drama.

The Strait remains closed.

The oil remains trapped.

And the rest of the world — particularly those of us far from Washington but deeply exposed to its decisions — are left hoping that someone, somewhere, remembers that geopolitics is not a television show.

It is the machinery that keeps food moving, fuel flowing, and economies alive.

Break that machinery carelessly enough…

…and the whole planet starts to feel the vibration.

***

Started by an idiotic imbecile, who was led by his Pinocchio-ish nose by his divine Lord and Master, the Moloch-worshipping Shailoks.

Scenes from ‘Money Heist’? Not quite — just bolder, more sophisticated thieves as authorities race to keep up

Scenes from ‘Money Heist’? Not quite — just bolder, more sophisticated thieves as authorities race to keep up



Reported cable thefts on Klang Valley’s urban rail lines have steadily climbed since 2023, with thieves becoming bolder and more sophisticated. — Picture by Choo Choy May

Monday, 23 Mar 2026 7:00 AM MYT


KUALA LUMPUR, March 23 — Cable thieves are becoming increasingly sophisticated, though not quite reaching Money Heist-levels in targeting rail infrastructure, causing widespread inconvenience for commuters and complicating authorities' efforts to curb a crime fuelled by a global electrification boom.

Unlike a cinematic heist, these criminals are not after money bags — their real prize is the highly sought-after copper inside power cables running along Klang Valley’s sprawling 207.5km-long mass rapid transit network.

In recent years, these criminals have escalated from stealing low-risk earthing cables to targeting live cables, putting their own lives at risk while creating serious hazards for passengers and disrupting train operations through power outages or signal failures.

“In the past, they used to steal many earthing cables. These cables don’t usually impact operations directly, but without them, you cannot dissipate voltage to the ground when lightning strikes.


“What we have noticed is that since last year, they have already started attacking the power cables that power the trains,” Prasarana Group chief health, safety, security, environment and sustainable development officer Idzqandar Abu Bakar told Malay Mail in a recent interview.


Striking gold with copper

The surge in copper prices — fueled by constrained global supply and rising demand from electrification and data-centre projects — is a primary factor behind the thefts.


Reported cable thefts have steadily climbed since 2023, rising from 29 cases in 2023 to 42 in 2024, and reaching 72 last year — with Prasarana’s losses and damages estimated at RM6.63 million, while reinstatement costs reached RM7.03 million in 2025 alone.

In just the first two months of 2026, 14 incidents have already been recorded, underscoring growing concern, Idzqandar said as Prasarana ramps up both security and manpower to curb the rising thefts despite environmental hazards and resource constraints.



Prasarana Group chief health, safety, security, environment and sustainable development officer Idzqandar Abu Bakar speaking to Malay Mail during an interview recently. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa


He said Prasarana saw a huge spike in January — 10 cases in total for both the MRT Kajang and Putrajaya Line — after thieves altered their modus operandi, exploiting new entry points along the rail lines, including ground breaches, hillside access, low piers and adjacent infrastructures.

Sophisticated and well-prepared

Once inside the rail infrastructure, Idzqandar explained, thieves enter the viaduct system — hollow structural sections beneath elevated tracks — through small openings on the underside of the concrete structure, using these confined spaces to move unseen and remain hidden at all hours.

They would then camp out for two to three days, lying low in hopes of evading security patrols that might have detected signs of trespassing.

"We found mattresses, instant noodles, drinking water and clothing, so we know they have been camping inside (the vertical crawl space between the adjoining pier sections).

"For us, this area is not easily accessible because of the risk of oxygen deprivation in the tight spaces," he said.

"Once you gain access (to the viaducts), you are no longer visible and then they wait for the right opportunity to emerge from the covers before climbing up to the elevated tracks at night.



MRT’s wide, hollow Segmental Box Girder design creates internal spaces within the viaduct that can be accessed through the small square opening if breached, inadvertently facilitating cable theft. — Picture by Raymond Manuel

Idzqandar said security measures such as barbed wire, locks and spikes have done little to deter the thieves, who simply ‘brute force’ their way through the installed barriers with their array of tools.

“We put up anti-climb fences, they cut them. We put barbed wire, they cut that too. Even when we install spikes, they remove them.

“And there are limitations to where we can place barbed wire or razor coils because they could endanger others, especially motorists, in the event of a collision near our tracks,” he said.


Canine counter measures

Since last September, the company has deployed a dedicated K9 unit — 18 dogs in total — trained to flush out concealed tools in undergrowths and detect unauthorised individuals in viaducts during routine sectorial patrols conducted at night, most of which are carried out by its auxiliary police personnel.

The specialised dogs were deployed following 14 reported cable theft incidents in a month, five of which disrupted operations last August.

“We tried, even with a robotic dog as a pilot initiative, but it is not effective because the viaducts have uneven and confined spaces; while the K9s also cannot remain in them long due to dehydration from the heat.



Prasarana has moved to seal off viaduct access points with locked steel mesh to deter trespassing. — Picture by Raymond Manuel


Nevertheless, Idzqandar said additional spotlights and closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems installed in theft-prone areas since last September, along with other mitigation measures, have helped foil several attempted thefts.

Since last November, several permanent roadblocks have been erected at identified hotspot locations to prevent vehicles from collecting stolen cables at trackside access points.

He added that instead of conducting patrols solely on the ground, K9 units are now also deployed along the elevated tracks to carry out security sweeps after trains are taken out of service during non-operational hours.

At times, some auxiliary police officers have had to work in harsh conditions, manning security posts along the extensive rail line at various points, including piers beneath elevated tracks and other remote locations with limited access to amenities.

“It’s a deterrent, but it will not stop them from stealing,” he said, adding that said measures are unsustainable long-term given the combined 116km stretch of the Kajang and Putrajaya MRT lines.


Long-term fixes underway

Idzqandar said Prasarana has held several engagement sessions with key stakeholders including MRT Corp as the asset owner and highway concessionaires, to discuss potential long-term actions.

He also said Prasarana has held similar discussions with federal and state law enforcement authorities like the Royal Malaysia Police to further strengthen preventive measures that has led to several arrests and attempts foiled over the years.



Various cables, from those powering trains to signalling systems, run along the 116km-long MRT Kajang and Putrajaya Lines, disrupting operations when a theft occurs. — Picture by Choo Choy May


These measures include erecting barriers along highways adjacent to MRT infrastructure to make traversal more difficult, sealing off existing viaduct entry points and relocating stray current cables to composite metal hanger systems — upgrades that could take two to three years and cost hundreds of millions in refurbishment.

However, these long-term deterrent measures depend on government funding, and no implementation timeline has been confirmed.

But until then, Idzqandar said Prasarana Malaysia is focused on staying one step ahead of the thieves as they continue to adapt.

Is the world on the brink? WHO sounds alarm as Dimona and Natanz nuclear sites under fire

Is the world on the brink? WHO sounds alarm as Dimona and Natanz nuclear sites under fire




Sunday, 22 Mar 2026 8:17 PM MYT


GENEVA, March 22 — The Middle East war has reached a “perilous stage” with strikes around nuclear sites in Iran and Israel, the World Health Organization warned Sunday, as it called for maximum restraint.

An Iranian ballistic missile ripped open residential buildings and left dozens wounded late Saturday in the southern Israeli town of Dimona.


Dimona hosts what is widely believed to be the Middle East’s only nuclear arsenal, although Israel has never admitted to possessing nuclear weapons, insisting the site is for research.

Iran said the strike was in response to an earlier attack on its nuclear site at Natanz, which hosts underground centrifuges used to enrich uranium for Iran’s disputed nuclear programme, and was damaged in the June 2025 war.


“The war in the Middle East has reached a perilous stage” with the strikes on Natanz and Dimona, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X.


“Attacks targeting nuclear sites create an escalating threat to public health and environmental safety,” he said.

“I urgently call on all parties to exercise maximum military restraint and avoid any actions that could trigger nuclear incidents. Leaders must prioritise de-escalation and protect civilians.”


Tedros said the International Atomic Energy Agency was looking into the strikes, and “no indications of abnormal or increased off-site radiation levels have been reported”.





The war erupted on February 28 when the United States and Israel began their attacks on Iran, with Tehran in turn striking targets in Israel and Gulf nations.

Lebanon was drawn into the conflict when Iran-backed Hezbollah attacked Israel.

Since the war began, the WHO has provided training to its own staff and to other United Nations personnel across 13 countries to help them respond to public health threats in the event of a nuclear incident, said Tedros. — AFP

Israeli settlers burn buildings in attacks on West Bank villages

FMT:

Israeli settlers burn buildings in attacks on West Bank villages

Since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran, six Palestinians have been shot dead in settler attacks in the West Bank

In the village of Jalud, a medical centre had been torched and Hebrew graffiti daubed on the mosque. (AFP pic)

JALUD: Palestinian residents said Sunday that Israeli settlers torched buildings and cars in attacks on several villages in the occupied West Bank, with Israel’s army condemning “violence of any kind” after the fact.

The reported arson late Saturday came in the midst of a spate of killings of Palestinians by Israeli settlers in the West Bank since the start of the Middle East war.

AFP journalists saw the charred remains of a house and several vehicles in the village of Fandaqumiya, southwest of Jenin.


In the village of Jalud, a medical centre had been torched and Hebrew graffiti daubed on the mosque.

Hassan Al-Zoubi, whose home in Fandaqumiya was destroyed, told AFP that some 200 assailants had come from the nearby settlement of Homesh.


“They set the house on fire right before our eyes using Molotov cocktails, throwing them through the windows,” Zoubi said.

The Palestinian news agency WAFA said several Palestinians were injured in the attacks.

The local Red Crescent said Sunday that ten people had been wounded by settlers in a separate attack in the village of Deir al-Hatab during the day, near Nablus, including one from a live bullet to their foot and six from physical assaults.

The Israeli army said soldiers had been “dispatched to several Palestinian villages… following reports of Israeli civilians committing acts of arson against structures and property, as well as engaging in disturbances in the area”.


“The security forces condemn violence of any kind and will continue to act to maintain the security of residents and public order in the area,” the military said in a statement.

The incidents came after the army said an Israeli civilian died Saturday when a Palestinian vehicle reportedly “hit an Israeli vehicle”.

Israeli police said they were investigating whether the incident was “terror-related”, but there was no confirmation.

‘Settler terror’

Since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran, six Palestinians have been shot dead in settler attacks in the West Bank, according to a tally of data from the Ramallah-based health ministry.

The Palestinian presidency condemned the recent “terrorist attacks carried out by Israeli colonist gangs” in the West Bank.

“These assaults constitute a serious escalation for which the Israeli occupation government bears full responsibility,” it said.

Diplomats from 13 European nations and Canada on Saturday decried “increasing settler terror”, and said the violent attempts to seize Palestinian land “must end”.

Alongside roughly three million Palestinians, more than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements and outposts in the West Bank, which are illegal under international law.

Violence in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, has risen sharply since the Oct 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel triggered the Gaza war.

According to an AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry figures, Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 1,050 Palestinians – many of them militants, but also scores of civilians – in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war.

Official Israeli figures say 45 Israelis, including soldiers and civilians, have also been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations.

***

Israelis are illegally in West Bank - land robbers, thugs, murderers, all sponsored by Wanks

McGlinchey: America Throws Its Service Members Into An Unjust War For Israel

McGlinchey: America Throws Its Service Members Into An Unjust War For Israel

by Tyler Durden
Sunday, Mar 22, 2026 - 02:20 PM


Via Brian McGlinchey at Stark Realities


President Trump’s decision to join Israel in launching a regime-change war on Iran has so far cost the lives of at least 13 American service members. More than 200 have been wounded, dozens seriously enough to require evacuations to military hospitals in Europe and the United States. Among them are individuals who’ve suffered traumatic brain injuries, burns and shrapnel wounds. One was facing potential amputation of an arm or leg.

As much as these service members and their families are victims of Iran’s justified retaliation for a surprise attack perpetrated amid ongoing negotiations, they’re victims of a betrayal perpetrated by their president and the joint chiefs of staff, who cast them into an unconstitutional war of aggression, packaged in lies and initiated to advance the agenda of a foreign government, while undermining the security of their own country.

Of course, US casualties comprise a small subset of the total bloodshed. In executing this unjust war, Americans have collectively inflicted far more death and dismemberment than they’ve endured, teaming up with their Israeli counterparts to kill more than 3,000 Iranians, including some 150 schoolgirls — mostly between age 7 and 12 — whose school was destroyed by Tomahawk cruise missiles at the war’s very start.

Though it should have already been apparent, Operation Epic Fury should make clear that — service members’ good intentions aside — combat waged under the US flag rarely has anything to do with American security. Moreover — and I say this as former Army Reserve enlistee and Regular Army officer — anyone thinking of starting or extending a military career should understand that their government may send them to be killed, maimed or psychologically damaged, and to slaughter foreign innocents, so long as it helps those in power remain in the good graces of the extremists who rule Israel, and their powerful collaborators inside the United States.

The casket of a soldier killed in the US-Israeli war on Iran is carried past President Trump (Mark Schiefelbein/AP via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)


Under international law, a war of aggression is considered a supreme war crime unto itself, and Operation Epic Fury is precisely that. Like so many of America’s wars before it, this one was launched on false premises. Contrary to the US-Israeli narrative…

1. Iran was not developing a nuclear weapon. In 2007, the US intelligence community assessed that Iran halted any effort to develop a nuclear weapon in 2003. Since then, the intelligence community has periodically re-validated that conclusion, most recently in March 2025. Belying Trump’s claim that the United States had only two weeks in which to stop Iran from having a nuclear weapon, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard this week testified that Iran had made “no efforts” to rebuild its enrichment capacity after it was devastated by last summer’s US bombing.

Note that, in 2005, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a fatwa — a formal interpretation of Islamic law — asserting that “the production, stockpiling and use of nuclear weapons are forbidden under Islam and that the Islamic Republic of Iran shall never acquire these weapons.” In the opening act of their latest warfare on Iran, the United States and Israel collaborated to kill him.

2. Iran did not stray from the 2015 nuclear deal until Trump did. When Trump withdrew the United States from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran was in full compliance. Among other things, the JCPOA required Iran to eliminate its medium-enriched uranium, slash its cache of low-enriched uranium by 98%, limit future enrichment to 3.67%, agree to even more external monitoring than it was already submitting to, and render its heavy-water reactor worthless by filling it with concrete. After Trump withdrew the United States from the JCPOA in 2018 and reinstated sanctions, Iran waited a year, but then began straying from its own commitments, using elevated enrichment as a lever to push for a new agreement and relief from suffocating sanctions. Iran says the JCPOA permitted it to suspend its commitments after Trump’s withdrawal, citing language governing “material breaches” and “significant non-performance.”

Iran is a member of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, and has long cooperated with international inspections and monitoring required by the NPT. On the other hand, Israel has refused to join the NPT and has some 200 nuclear warheads, a situation that makes every dollar of American aid to Israel illegal under US law.

In 2002, Netanyahu assured Congress that "Saddam is hell-bent on achieving atomic bombs" and "guarantee[d]" that a US invasion of Iraq would have "enormous positive reverberations on the region"

3. Iran wasn’t the problematic negotiation partner. When historians write about the run-up to this latest of American regime-change disasters, they’ll surely emphasize that fact Trump assigned Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to represent the United States in negotiations. While people rightly scoff at their lack of credentials, it’s far more important to appreciate their intimate ties to the Israeli government and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — who has been trying to maneuver the United States into a war with Iran for decades.

As Branko Marcetic writes in an excellent account of the negotiations at Responsible Statecraft,


Witkoff is known as a staunch supporter of Israel. He counts pro-Israel megadonor Miriam Adelson as a “dear friend” and carries a custom pager gifted to him by Netanyahu and senior Mossad officials, in a reference to an operation in which Israel remotely detonated thousands of pagers that allegedly belonged to Hezbollah officials…

Kushner, meanwhile, has been steeped in the pro-Israel community his entire life. He counted Netanyahu as a family friend growing up, with the future Israeli prime minister occasionally borrowing the teenager’s bedroom during visits. Kushner reportedly consulted with Netanyahu officials to pen Trump’s 2016 speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, and he is both friends with hardline pro-Israel figures and has donated money to illegal West Bank settlement-building.

In addition to their glaring conflicts of interest, Witkoff and Kushner refused to bring nuclear experts to their meetings with the Iranians, which reportedly left the Iranians perplexed about how any progress could be made in negotiating such a highly technical subject.

Iran put forward a fresh offer less than 48 hours before being attacked. In the last meeting before bombs dropped, Iran offered concessions that included dilution of its 60%-enriched uranium, a multi-year pause on new enrichment, subsequent enrichment capped at 20%, and expanded IAEA oversight. Sources say UK national security advisor Jonathan Powell, who attended that meeting, was surprised by the strength of the Iranian offer, and saw it as reason to be optimistic about reaching a deal.Steve Witkoff (left) and Jared Cushner at an October 2025 meeting in Israel with Netanyahu (Maayan Toaf/GOP via Times of Israel)


After learning that Witkoff was grossly mischaracterizing Iran’s stance — if not outright lying about it — Oman’s foreign minister, who’d been mediating the discussions, made an urgent trip to Washington to tell the administration and anyone who’d listen that Iran had made substantial concessions, some of which surpassed the provisions of the JCPOA. His mission failed. In the aftermath, a Gulf diplomat bluntly told the Guardian, “We regarded Witkoff and Kushner as Israeli assets that dragged a president into a war he wants to get out of.”

4. Iran’s ballistic missile program wasn’t built for offense. In an example of moving goalposts that would be laughable if the context weren’t so tragic, the Trump administration reopened nuclear negotiations with a new demand — that Iran surrender its conventional ballistic missiles. The White House claimed Iran was building a “conventional shield” that would enable future “nuclear blackmail,” but anyone who’s been paying attention could see the demand sprang from last summer’s 12-Day War, when Iran effectively used cutting-edge ballistic missiles to retaliate against Israeli aggression.

That use is consistent with US intelligence’s characterization of Iran’s military posture as primarily defensive. As the US Defense Intelligence Agency wrote in a 2019 report, “Iran’s conventional military strategy is primarily based on deterrence and the ability to retaliate against an attacker…If deterrence fails, Iran would seek to demonstrate strength and resolve, [and] impose a high cost on its adversary…this strategy is unlikely to change considerably in the near term.”

The demand for Iran’s conventional disarmament and the demand for the scientifically-advanced country to end any nuclear enrichment had something in common: both were made knowing they’d be refused. Here’s how Joe Kent — the former National Counterterrorism Center Director who resigned this week in protest of the war — characterized the enrichment demand in his in-depth, post-resignation interview with Scott Horton:


“I really frankly don’t think the Israelis cared that much about…nuclear enrichment…What I think the Israelis care about is regime change. They wanted to push this war as fast as they could, so they came up with this talking point that zero enrichment was the starting point, knowing that was a non-starter for the Iranians.”

5. Iran hasn’t been waging war on the United States for 47 years. To the contrary, the hostilities have overwhelmingly originated in Washington, and any thorough survey of the history should go back at least 73 years, to 1953. That’s when the United States and United Kingdom orchestrated the ouster of Iran’s democratically-elected prime minister, and the installation of the Shah. The ledger should also include US support of Iraq’s eight-year war on Iran in the 1980s, which included giving artillery targeting intel to Iraq, with the knowledge those targets would be hit with chemical weapons. Then there’s decades of economic blockades, which, mirroring the morality of Al Qaeda, intentionally inflict suffering on civilians with a goal of forcing political change. Last summer brought America’s unprovoked bombing of Iran’s imaginary nuclear weapons program. The ceasefire that ended the so-called 12-Day War turned out to be a mere strategic pause before all-out warfare was initiated by Israel and the United States on Feb 28.

In 2007, a US Humvee burns after the detonation of a roadside IED 60 miles north of Baghdad (AP via Al Jazeera)

A central line in the “47-year war” narrative blames Iran for killing “thousands” of Americans in Iraq, by supposedly directing Shia militias to target Americans, and equipping them with improvised explosive devices (IED). In a concise treatment at his Substack, former Marine officer Matthew Hoh, who led counter-IED efforts in Iraq, dismantled that well-entrenched narrative. His key points:

The great majority of American service members killed in Iraq died at the hands of Sunni resistance groups. Iran provided some support to Shia militias, but Hoh calls out the hypocrisy of US officials saying Iran alone has blood on its hands, pinning no such blame on US-aligned Gulf monarchies that backed Sunni militias in Iraq.


Americans were an occupying force in a country that US forces had devastated and which was beset by civil war, which means both Shia and Sunni militias had their own reasons for using violence against US troops. Hoh notes that the now-decades-old narrative that Iraqis were killing American soldiers and Marines on orders from Iran “not only helped justify a longed-for war with Iran but also bolstered the fiction of the American occupation as a benevolent and liberating one.”


The charge that Iran killed Americans with IEDs centers on the claim that Iran provided Shia militias with a special type of IED called an explosively formed penetrator (EFP). “Anyone with a simple understanding of explosive principles and a half-decent machine shop can make an EFP,” says Hoh. Given the abundance of explosives and other materials around war-torn Iraq, Hoh says “Shia forces were able to mass-produce EFPs in Iraq. Smuggling in EFPs from Iran was unnecessary.”

6. Iran isn’t the “world’s leading sponsor of terrorism.” If that title were awarded on the merits, top contenders would include Saudi Arabia, the United States and Israel. The US government selectively applies the “state sponsor” label to vilify countries and — more importantly — as the basis for imposing economic sanctions. As we’ve seen in the case of Cuba and others, American secretaries of state have full discretion to slap the “state sponsor of terror” label on and pull it off, with no due process or burden of proof required.

“The US’s list of terrorist organizations is at this point really laughable, because we take groups off willy-nilly based on whether we like them politically or not — not whether they’ve actually engaged in or continue to engage in terrorism,” said Trita Parsi, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft co-founder, in a recent appearance on Judging Freedom. “The Sudanese got off the State Department’s terrorist list by simply agreeing to normalize relations with Israel — nothing else.”

It’s true that Iran has sponsored various groups in the Middle East that seek to thwart US and Israeli hegemony in the region. At times, some of those groups — like Hamas — have used violence against civilians to achieve political ends, which is the honest definition of terrorism. However, US and Israeli condemnation of Iran’s support for such groups is intensely hypocritical, considering the United States and Israel have themselves backed forces that have carried out terrorism. Indeed, if sponsorship of Hamas is damning for Iran, it’s also damning for Israel and Netanyahu, who long fostered the rise of Hamas even after it turned to terror.

Then there’s the regime-change campaign in Syria, which saw the United States and its Gulf allies empowering head-chopping terrorists, and saw Israel patching up al Qaeda members and sending them back into Syria to raise hell. Keep in mind, Iranian-backed Hezbollah and Shia militias were instrumental in beating back ISIS, the monstrous terror entity that sprang from the Syria regime-change campaign carried out for Israel.

The war on Iran isn’t about nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles or state-sponsored terrorism. It’s the continuation of a long-running Israeli program to achieve total dominance over the Middle East by repeatedly shattering surrounding states and territories. Here’s how the University of Chicago’s John Mearsheimer has described it:


“The Israelis want to make sure that their neighbors are weak and that means breaking them apart, if you can, and keeping them broken…The Israelis want Syria to be a fractured state. They want Lebanon to be a fractured state. What do they want in Iran? …What the Israelis want to do is to break Iran apart. They want to make it look like Syria.”

For many in Israel, this strategy isn’t merely about safeguarding the current version of Israel. Rather, it’s a means of achieving an expansionist dream of “Greater Israel.” While interpretations vary, this vision typically goes far beyond annexing the West Bank and Gaza, also taking Egyptian territory east of the Nile, along with all or portions of what is now Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

IDF soldiers in Gaza were seen wearing patches depicting Greater Israel


The US government has aided and abetted this ruthless strategy in a variety of ways, from the arming of Israel, to running covert operations to foment unrest and equip militant groups, to direct use of American military force. The human cost has been incalculable. In the regime-change wars against Iraq and Syria alone, more than a half million people have been killed, and several times more are believed to have died from secondary causes like disease.

Sadly, it seems it’s now Iran’s turn to be shattered in the pursuit of Israeli supremacy. Iran has been Netanyahu’s white whale: After the launch of Operation Epic Fury, Netanyahu gushed that Trump’s collaboration meant Israel was finally doing what Netanyahu had “yearned to do for 40 years.”

Underscoring the cold-blooded and maliciously dishonest nature of the regime-destruction campaign, consider that Israel and the United States have framed their surprise attack on Iran as a virtuous endeavor meant to liberate the Iranian people from theocratic rule. On the day Israel and the United States launched this new war on Iran, Netanyahu called on Iranians to rise up: “Do not sit idly by, very soon the moment will come when you must take to the streets to finish the job and overthrow the totalitarian regime.”

However, at the same time Netayahu was calling for an Iranian uprising, senior Israeli officials were privately telling US diplomats that “the people will get slaughtered” if they act on those exhortations. Of course, any such slaughter would serve the Israeli agenda, since it could be used to propagandize for more vigorous regime-change action, up to and including what is likely Netanyahu’s greatest wish: a US ground invasion.

It’s hard to imagine, but there could be something even worse than committing one’s self to the defense of America, only to be killed or maimed in a campaign to advance the agenda of a foreign government that is far less an ally than a parasite— and that’s killing, wounding and immiserating innocent people for that same government.

Through March 19, more than 3,000 Iranians have been killed by American and Israeli attacks, according to HRANA, an Iran-focused human rights group. Of that total, 1,394 were civilians, including those several dozen schoolgirls killed on day one; 639 deaths have yet to be classified as military or civilian.

Some 150 elementary-age schoolgirls were killed by a US cruise missile strike in the opening salvos of the US-Israeli surprise attack on Iran (Ali Najafi/ AFP and Getty via NBC News)


There have been more than 1,100 Iranian military fatalities. Among those dead Iranian service members are 87 sailors whose lightly-armed ship was sunk by an American torpedo off the coast of Sri Lanka. The ship was not only far away from the war zone, but it was reportedly lightly-armed as it was returning from a largely-ceremonial, multi-national exercise hosted by India in the interest of building international maritime cooperation.

Given they died on the receiving end of an unjust war of aggression, these and other dead members of the Iranian military were likewise innocent victims of America’s war for Israel. Note too that, unlike every American who’s dishing out death from the sky, land or sea, most Iranians in uniform are conscripts, not volunteers.

That said, there’s reason to empathize with volunteer American service members who’ve now been ordered to wage this war. Ahead of their enlistment or commissioning, most are ill-equipped to peel back the patriotic red-white-and-blue veneer and discern the true nature of US military service. In a sense, they’re victims of a grand fraud. Millions of their fellow citizens are oblivious collaborators in that fraud, to the extent they help perpetuate the false assumption that military service is inherently virtuous and invariably serves the American people.

With Marines now steaming toward the Persian Gulf, the 82nd Airborne Division gearing up and Netanyahu cryptically referring to the necessity for a “ground component”, the number of dead, wounded, dismembered and PTSD-inflicted Americans could soar higher. Given the unjust nature of this war, many are certain to face a lifetime dealing with a lesser-known type of wound — moral injury, which is psychological and emotional distress springing from having witnessed, participated in, or failed to prevent acts that go against one’s moral convictions.

Importantly, the suffering that springs from this war of aggression isn’t confined to the United States, Israel, Iran and Gulf states hosting US bases. People around the world are already coping with growing scarcity and increasing cost of oil and gas. Asian countries are particularly vulnerable, and they’re already taking measures like rationing fuel, cutting workweeks, urging more people to work from home and closing hotels hit by diminished air travel — all this after less than three weeks of the Strait of Hormuz being closed to most traffic.

There’s much more to this Pandora’s box of harms. For example, the world’s supply of medicine is in growing jeopardy. “Nearly half of U.S. generic prescriptions originate in India, which relies on the Strait of Hormuz for the arrival of key inputs in drug manufacturing,” explains CNBC. The Gulf also supplies about half the world’s urea — a fertilizer component — and the price US corn farmers are paying for fertilizer has jumped upwards of 70%. That presages higher food costs all over the world, with malnourishment and starvation a distinct risk in some parts of the globe.

Clearly, if the war continues and the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, it’s certain to result in a global health catastrophe, a devastating economic depression, surging crime and social unrest. America’s standing will be profoundly and irreparably damaged in a world united in outrage over a US president’s lawless decision to launch this demented war of choice in service to Israel. American citizens are likely to suffer terrorist acts inspired by this latest savagery inflicted on a Muslim country.

And it will have all started with weapons fired by American service members…

…service members who swore to defend the Constitution, but were given unconstitutional orders to wage war without congressional authorization

…service members who joined the military to defend America, but became attack dogs for a foreign country that saps America’s wealth, depletes America’s arsenal, undermines America’s security and standing, exerts alarming influence on America’s institutions, and inspires terrorism against Americans back home

…service members who should now recognize a stark reality — that they are cogs in a machine that repeatedly inflicts death, dismemberment, disease and destitution on countless innocents in service to the expansionist State of Israel.

Tamim likens Urimai to Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers amid temple row

Tamim likens Urimai to Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers amid temple row


Published: Mar 22, 2026 11:41 AM
Updated: 2:59 PM



Self-styled land activist Tamim Dahri Abdul Razak has compared United for the Rights of Malaysians Party (Urimai) to Sri Lanka’s Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Tamim, who is sought by authorities over the desecration of a sacred Hindu symbol, made the comparison while sarcastically expressing pity for Urimai secretary Satees Muniandy, but did not elaborate on his comment.

In a post on Threads yesterday, Tamim said “Ingat semua, Urimai = LTTE”, and attached a screenshot of comments responding to Satees’ Hari Raya Aidilfitri greeting.

The screenshot showed one commenter rejecting Satees’ greeting, telling him to handle the issue of “illegal” temples while saying that Tamim and independent preacher Zamri Vinoth do not disturb legitimate temples.

Another commenter warned others to be careful as “Tamil wayang (theatre) is (on)”.

Urimai secretary Satees Muniandy


On Friday, Gerakan Rakyat Anti Haram (Garah) interim chief Haniff Khatri Abdulla said his group was painted in a bad light due to the actions of “immature and irresponsible third parties”.

However, he neither named the other parties involved nor addressed the actions of controversial individuals linked to the movement, such as Tamim.


Controversial activism

Tamim was supposed to be charged in Langkawi on Tuesday for stepping on a holy Hindu trident, or soolam, but prosecutors sought a postponement to allow them to bring him to court as he had fled the country.

On Thursday, Tamim agreed to surrender himself to the police on the condition that authorities demolish a list of allegedly “illegal” Hindu temples.

He made his statement on the Threads account for “Tanah Malaya”, an activist group he founded that actively collects and shares information about temples allegedly built without permission in Malaysia.

He previously courted controversy after he began demolishing the Sri Utchimalai Hindu temple in Rawang Perdana.

The Sri Utchimalai Hindu temple in Rawang Perdana


On March 6, PKR secretary-general Fuziah Salleh said that Tamim’s application had been received and that several procedures would need to be observed before it could be accepted.

But in a Facebook post on March 8, Tamim admitted that his publicly announced bid to join PKR was nothing more than a prank.

The next day, PKR said it was considering legal action against Tamim over the bogus membership application.

Free Malaysia Today reported PKR deputy secretary-general Aidi Amin Yazid as saying the party takes every membership application seriously and expects applicants to share its values.

 

Iran says will hit region’s energy sites if US, Israel target power plants

Iran’s parliament speaker warns country could ‘irreversibly destroy’ vital infrastructure across the region after Trump threatens to attack power plants if Strait of Hormuz is not opened.

By Al Jazeera Staff, AFP, AP and Reuters

Published On 22 Mar 202622 Mar 2026

Iran has threatened to hit energy sites in the Middle East after United States President Donald Trump threatened to attack its power plants if Tehran does not open the Strait of Hormuz.

Critical ⁠infrastructure ⁠and energy facilities in the region could ⁠be “irreversibly destroyed” should Iranian power plants be ⁠targeted, Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said in comments posted on ‌X on Sunday.

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“Immediately after power plants and infrastructure in our country are targeted, vital infrastructure as well as energy and oil infrastructure across the entire region will be considered legitimate targets and will be irreversibly destroyed,” Ghalibaf posted.

Ghalibaf’s comments came after Trump on Saturday said the US will “obliterate” Iran’s power plants if it doesn’t open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours.

Qalibaf ⁠said regional infrastructure would ⁠become “legitimate targets” should ⁠Iran’s facilities be hit, and that its retaliation would increase ‌the price of oil “for a ‌long time”.

Earlier, a spokesman for the Iranian armed forces had said there would be retaliatory attacks on all US-linked energy and desalination facilities in the region if Iran’s power plants are hit.

Iran, which has effectively blockaded the Strait of Hormuz since the US and Israel attacked the country on February 28, says the key waterway is already open – except to the US and its allies.

The strait remains open to all shipping except vessels linked to “Iran’s enemies”, Iran’s representative to the International Maritime Organization was quoted as saying in Iranian media reports published on Sunday.

The closure of the strait, a narrow choke point that carries around a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies, has caused the worst oil crisis since the 1970s.

Iran has also retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, along with Jordan, Iraq, and several Gulf countries, which it says are targeting “US military assets”, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting global markets and aviation.

But the latest developments signal the war in the Middle East, now in its fourth week, could be moving in a dangerous new direction.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday called on world leaders to join the US-Israel war on Iran.

Speaking from the site of the Iranian attack in the southern Israeli city of Arad, he claimed some countries were already moving in that direction, as he urged broader international involvement.

Netanyahu accused Iran of targeting civilians and claimed it had the capability to strike long-range targets deep into Europe.

Meanwhile, a Turkish diplomatic source told the Reuters news agency that Turkish ⁠Foreign ⁠Minister Hakan Fidan held separate calls with Iranian Foreign ⁠Minister Abbas Araqchi, ⁠Egyptian Foreign ⁠Minister Badr Abdelatty, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja ‌Kallas, and US officials to discuss steps to end ⁠the war.