INTERNACIONAL
Hezbollah grooms children for martyrdom through its scout movement, report claims
Rubio addresses Middle East tensions and Cuba’s future in exclusive interview
Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks in an exclusive interview about escalating Middle East tensions, including the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire and the imperative to dismantle Hezbollah. Rubio also highlights Cuba’s status as a failed state and its national security threats to the United States, advocating for substantial economic reforms to address the country’s energy crisis. He further discusses the Trump administration’s firm stance against Iran’s use of the Strait of Hormuz.
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The U.S.-designated Lebanon-based terrorist movement Hezbollah exploits children from its version of the scout movement to carry out jihadi missions that result in their deaths, according to a recent report on Lebanon’s MTV television network.
The Lebanese network’s report — translated by the Washington, D.C.-based Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) — comes amid U.S.-brokered peace talks between Israel and Beirut.
The report claims that Hezbollah gives child fighters heroes’ funerals and publicly glorifies them before their peers in order to encourage other children to follow in their footsteps. The MTV report said Hezbollah believes that every drop of bloodshed by child soldiers brings victory closer.
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Hezbollah al-Mahdi scouts parade with large portraits of Iran’s late leader Ayatollah Khomeini and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during an event for Jerusalem Day in Nabatiyeh, Lebanon, on Aug. 1, 2013. (Hussein Malla/AP Photo)
It also claimed that Hezbollah uses its scout movements to cultivate an entire generation of obedient children prepared to die, through rhetoric that glorifies death and martyrdom. The MTV report, according to the MEMRI translation, said that «Hezbollah child soldiers have been used since the 1980s by this outlaw armed group. Not just as armed fighters but as Khomeini-loyal scouts.»
The late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, reportedly exploited the use of Iranian children during the country’s 1980-1988 war against Iraq.
Matthew Levitt, a leading scholar on Hezbollah from the Washington Institute, said that «Hezbollah’s recruitment and radicalization of youth through its Mahdi Scouts is long documented,» other experts talking to Fox News Digital concurred.
«Hezbollah has boy scouts, and they have been taught jihad, and it is a well-known thing in Lebanon,» Mideast expert Walid Phares told Fox News Digital.
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The Lebanon expert said they could be termed «children jihadists» who are preparing to become full Hezbollah fighters. Phares said they mostly assign them [the children of Hezbollah fighters] to spying and transporting ammunition. He argued if the scouts are getting funding from a ministry or national boy scouts association in Lebanon, they should be sanctioned if they have the evidence.
Multiple Fox News Digital Emails and phone calls to the World Organization of the Scouting Movement (WOSM) were not immediately returned. The U.S. branch of WOSM referred Fox News Digital to WOSM, which is in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
A Hezbollah expert from the Israel Alma Research and Education Center, Sarit Zehavi, called for action against the exploitation of children by the terror group.
«The only way to bring a change is to designate all of these allegedly civilian activities of Hezbollah and close the movement of its scouts, and enable the Shiites of Lebanon to have a different source of services, whether it is educational, formal or informal, which will be part of the Lebanese state, and not part of Hezbollah. The loyalty will be to the Lebanese state and not to Khomeini and the Islamic Republic.»
She added, «This is only something Lebanon can do with a lot of international pressure, of course, led by the United States.»
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An Israeli diplomat, Tammy Rahamimoff-Honig, posted on X: «Hezbollah sacrifices Lebanese children to further the ambitions of the Iranian regime. This isn’t ‘resistance’. It’s child abuse.»
Lebanon’s Ambassador to the U.S. declined to provide comment for this article.
lebanon, israel, counter terrorism, terrorism, middle east
INTERNACIONAL
Putin using Africa as ‘purse’ for Ukraine war while US faces ‘intelligence black hole’: commander
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The commander of U.S. Africa Command warned lawmakers that Africa has become Russian President Vladimir Putin’s «purse» for fueling the war in Ukraine, as a shrinking American military footprint leaves the U.S. facing an «intelligence black hole» across the continent.
Gen. Dagvin Anderson told the House Armed Services Committee Tuesday that Russia, China and terrorist groups are rapidly expanding their influence in Africa while the U.S. and allied drawdowns have weakened America’s ability to monitor emerging threats.
Anderson warned that Africa has become the «epicenter of global terrorism,» with ISIS leadership now concentrated on the continent and al Qaeda affiliates threatening to seize territory and destabilize governments.
«With a 75% reduction in our regional posture over the past decade, compounded by the drawdown of our allies, we struggle with an intelligence black hole,» Anderson said.
The Kremlin agreed to extend a deal allowing for the global export of Ukrainian grain, but threatened to void it if the nation doesn’t meet Moscow’s demands. (Vladimir Astapkovich, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
The commander of U.S. Africa Command warned lawmakers Tuesday that Africa has become Russian President Vladimir Putin’s «purse» for fueling the war in Ukraine. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
«You cannot surge trust,» he added, arguing that reduced U.S. presence has damaged long-term relationships and crisis response capabilities across the continent.
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Anderson’s testimony painted a picture of adversarial powers and extremist groups exploiting the same instability and governance vacuums across parts of the continent.
«Africa also serves as Putin’s purse, where Russia exploits instability to extract resources, including human lives, to fuel its war machine,» Anderson said.
Russia has framed its growing presence in Africa as a security and anti-terrorism partnership with regional governments, particularly in countries where Western and French forces have withdrawn. Moscow’s Africa Corps, the Kremlin-controlled successor to the Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary organization that expanded Moscow’s influence across Africa through military operations and security partnerships, has increasingly filled security vacuums left after Western and French drawdowns in countries including Mali and Niger.
The Russian embassy in the U.S. could not immediately be reached for comment.
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Lawmakers also pressed Anderson on reports that Russia has recruited African nationals through networks promising jobs and economic opportunities before transporting some recruits to fight in Ukraine.
Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, cited reports that as many as 1,000 Kenyans had been recruited and transported to the front lines in Ukraine through Russian-linked recruitment pipelines.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday said he thinks the war with Ukraine could end soon. (Alexander Nemenov/AFP)
«It is disturbing how many Africans from across the continent are being recruited by Russia to fight in Ukraine,» Anderson said.
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Anderson warned that terrorist organizations are capitalizing on weakened governance and shrinking Western presence across parts of Africa, particularly in the Sahel region.
«Today, the epicenter of global terrorism is in Africa,» Anderson told lawmakers. «ISIS leadership is African. Al Qaeda’s economic engine is in Africa.»
«Both groups share the will and intent to strike our homeland,» he went on.
Members of the al Shabaab Islamist rebel group parade through the streets of Mogadishu, Somalia, on Jan. 1, 2010. Gen. Michael Langley, commander of U.S. Africa Command, warned that terror groups in Africa are increasing their capability to conduct attacks in the U.S. (Feisal Omar/Reuters)
Anderson also warned that al Qaeda affiliates are increasingly capable of controlling territory and disrupting governments in the region.
«The capture of a capital city would provide al Qaeda with all the trappings of a nation state,» he said.
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Anderson also warned that China views Africa as a «second continent,» pointing to Beijing’s growing efforts to secure critical minerals and infrastructure across the region.
He said China is aggressively expanding its influence across Africa through investments tied to critical minerals, infrastructure and transportation networks. Beijing has spent years securing access to cobalt, lithium, copper and rare earth minerals used in advanced defense systems, batteries and other strategic technologies.
al qaeda, ukraine, vladimir putin, africa, terrorism
INTERNACIONAL
Crisis en Bolivia: crece el desabastecimiento y el gobierno moviliza 2500 policías para evitar nuevas protestas
El desabastecimiento de combustible, alimentos y medicinas se agravó este martes en La Paz y en la vecina ciudad de El Alto, donde el gobierno desplegó más de 2500 policías por temor a una nueva ola de protestas anunciada por los líderes sindicales y campesinos.
Decenas de bloqueos en los principales accesos mantienen desde hace dos semanas un virtual cerco a la capital administrativa del país y sus alrededores.
La protesta, impulsada por la Central Obrera Boliviana (COB), campesinos, maestros y sectores afines al expresidente Evo Morales, exige la renuncia del presidente Rodrigo Paz, quien asumió el poder hace apenas seis meses después de 20 años de hegemonía del Movimiento Al Socialismo (MAS).
“El desabastecimiento se hace cada dia más notorio. Se ven faltantes de verduras, carnes, gasolina y sobre todo en farmacias y hospitales. Los precios aumentaron hasta tres veces. Hay una gran angustia”, dijo a TN el periodista y escritor Robert Brockmann.
Numerosos comerciantes redujeron horarios de atención y varios productos básicos duplican e incluso triplican su costo en centros de abasto, resumió el sitio local Brújula Digital.
Según el reporte, varios puestos permanecieron cerrados y otros sólo vendieron únicamente a sus clientes conocidos. “Productos básicos alcanzaron precios nunca antes vistos”, indicó.
Advierten sobre faltantes de oxígeno y piden “transporte aéreo”
El gobierno abrió el sábado “corredores humanitarios” en las rutas cercanas a La Paz para permitir la llegada de oxígeno.
“Pero el suministro se acaba. Ya se está agotando. Queda oxígeno para 48 horas en las unidades de cuidado intensivo”, dijo Brockmann.
La policía libera una calle de La Paz (Foto: REUTERS/Claudia Morales)
En ese marco, la Cámara de la Industria Farmacéutica Boliviana (Cifabol) reportó “serias dificultades” logísticas para la distribución de medicamentos y oxígeno y pidió al gobierno facilitar el transporte aéreo para evitar el desabastecimiento.
“Hemos solicitado al gobierno nacional que nos facilite el transporte aéreo de los medicamentos, ante el pedido de diversos hospitales y centros de salud públicos-privados que manifiestan un próximo desabastecimiento”, señaló un comunicado.
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La protesta comenzó con una exigencia de aumento salarial y la derogación de la Ley de Reconversión de Tierras que ya fue dejada sin efecto. Sin embargo, derivó en un reclamo de renuncia del presidente Paz.
El lunes se registraron duros enfrentamientos entre manifestantes y policías en los alrededores de la Plaza Murillo, en el centro de La Paz, donde se encuentra la sede de gobierno. Las autoridades reportaron 127 detenidos. Además, hubo saqueos en dependencias públicas y negocios.
La fiscalía general pidió la detención del líder de la COB, Mario Argollo, quien está prófugo. La medida se extendió a otros dirigentes.
Despliegan más de 2500 policías en las calles
Este martes, el gobierno desplegó más de 2500 policías en las calles ante el temor de nuevas protestas anunciadas por los líderes sindicales y campesinos. Sin embargo, voceros oficiales decartaron un estado de sitio.
“Tenemos los reportes de que va a haber nuevamente movilizaciones que van a volver a bajar a la ciudad, pero esta vez vamos a actuar de otra manera“, dijo a radio Panamericana el comandante nacional de la Policía, Mirko Sokol.
Fuentes del gobierno, según el diario El Deber, sostienen que los disturbios respondieron a una acción coordinada con fines desestabilizadores en medio del conflicto político y social que atraviesa el país.
“Una cosa es la protesta pacífica y otra es la violencia. No vamos a permitir que se disfrace esa violencia con demanda social. Esto ya no es una demanda social, ya no es una demanda legítima, es una demanda más política que tiende a debilitar la democracia”, dijo el viceministro de Defensa Social y Sustancias Controladas, Ernesto Justiniano.
El gobierno considera que Evo Morales, refugiado en su bastión del Chapare para escapar de una orden de captura en su contra en un proceso por corrupción de menores, está detrás de las protestas.
En un posteo este martes en X, el expresidente afirmó: “En Bolivia rige un Estado neocolonial, neoliberal y racista que odia y reprime a los pueblos indígena originario campesinos”.
“Los funcionarios y seguidores del presidente Rodrigo Paz, la noche del lunes, pisotearon y quemaron la wiphala, símbolo de los pueblos originarios. Ese hecho es la mayor expresión de odio y racismo que tiene la derecha. Hablan de paz pero son violentos contra los pobres”, indicó.
Además, señaló: “Los llaman salvajes, indios sucios y brutos por defender a la patria y buscar justicia y comida. Nos acusan de terroristas y narcotraficantes porque, como protesta pacífica, marchamos centenares de kilómetros. Los que en 2019 bloquearon, agredieron y escupieron a campesinos; y quemaron instituciones para derrocar un gobierno legítimo, hoy acusan de golpistas al pueblo sublevado”.
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