'Cautious Optimism' in Israel That Beirut Strike Eliminated Hezbollah Head Hassan Nasrallah

Preliminary reports in Israel suggest Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was eliminated Friday in an Israeli airstrike that destroyed the terror group’s central headquarters in downtown Beirut, a game-changing operation that comes as a significant blow to Iran and its proxies.

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'You're gonna die': Chaotic anti-Israel protest leads to multiple arrests as Netanyahu visits NYC



NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. — Thousands of protesters took to the streets in Manhattan to voice their outrage at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visiting the United Nations for the organization's General Assembly, calling for his arrest for Israel's actions in the war against Hamas and Hezbollah.

Tensions have risen in the city in recent days because Israel's military has conducted numerous strikes on Hezbollah's positions in southern Lebanon and the terrorist group's leadership.

Thursday's protests were organized by anti-Israel groups such as the ANSWER Coalition and Within Our Lifetime. Each of their protests saw traffic disruptions with people marching all over Manhattan.

As the evening progressed, the march became more unruly as protesters taunted New York Police Department officers who were monitoring the crowd. At one moment, officers on bicycles were blocked by protesters, forcing them to ride away from the area.

"You're gonna die!" one protester shouted. "All you gonna die in the line of fire!"

Some in the angry crowd did their best to disrupt NYPD operations.

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With multiple scuffles and shoving matches taking place, the NYPD ordered the crowd to get off the road and onto the sidewalk. When a large part of the crowd refused, officers began to make arrests, leading to more fighting. During one of the first arrests, the crowd surrounded the officers, who had to shove people away to make space.

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Toward the end of the protest, some in the angry crowd did their best to disrupt NYPD operations. They began throwing trash and sidewalk items into the road to jam up officers on bicycles and in vehicles.

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NBC New York reports at least 50 people were arrested during the protest.

Within Our Lifetime released a statement accusing the NYPD of inciting a "cop riot" at the behest of Netanyahu.

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Bibi Puts Tehran on Notice in Fiery UN Speech: ‘There is No Place in Iran That the Long Arm of Israel Cannot Reach’

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Tehran that there "is no place in Iran that the long arm of Israel cannot reach," delivering a fiery speech before the United Nations General Assembly as the Jewish state prepares for a ground invasion in Lebanon.

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Israeli Forces, Cut Off From US Intelligence on Hezbollah, Kill Terror Group's Drone Commander in Beirut Strike

Israeli forces killed Hezbollah’s top drone commander on Thursday, according to reports, marking the fourth senior Hezbollah leader to be eliminated by the Jewish state in just over a week. The news came after the Biden-Harris administration announced that it would not provide Israel with intelligence or support for its military campaign in Lebanon.

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Pro-Hamas protesters take down US flags in DC — police deploy pepper spray to stop mob chase: Video



In response to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's scheduled speech before Congress on Wednesday, at least several hundred pro-Hamas activists, many carrying Palestinian flags, gathered around Capitol Hill to protest his address.

Blaze News' Julio Rosas captured videos of the anti-Israel protesters shouting, chasing, and shoving police officers stationed around the Capitol building and Union Station.

'Absolute chaos.'

Video from the demonstration showed some individuals in the mob attempting to pull police officers off of restrained and handcuffed agitators.

"Let them go! Let them go!" the crowd chanted at cops.

U.S. Park Police removed and secured an American flag at Union Station and withdrew from the chaos, Blaze News captured on video. Protesters followed the group of officers, shouting instructions to one another to grab the flag from officers.

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American flags posted outside of Union Station were removed by activists and replaced with Palestinian flags. A statue was defaced by protesters who wrote, "Hamas is coming."

Other photographs and videos showed demonstrators burning American and Israeli flags.

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Metropolitan Police officers deployed pepper spray outside of the Capitol building to break up the melee.

Rosas described the scene as "absolute chaos," writing in a post on X, "The mob continued to chase police officers to try to free protesters who had been arrested at Union Station. Pepper spray was eventually used to push the crowd back."

Rosas reported that law enforcement has detained some of the protesters.

Meanwhile, approximately half of the House and Senate Democrats refused to attend Netanyahu's address before Congress, choosing instead to align themselves with the activists. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and former House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) were among those who boycotted the prime minister's address.

In the chamber, Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) held up a sign reading "Guilty of genocide."

"I will never back down in speaking truth to power," Tlaib stated. "The apartheid government of Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians. Palestinians will not be erased. Solidarity with all those outside of these walls in the streets protesting and exercising their right to dissent."

Ocasio-Cortez called Netanyahu "a war criminal."

Vice President Kamala Harris (D) also did not attend Netanyahu's speech, citing a previously scheduled event. President Joe Biden and Harris will reportedly hold separate meetings with the Israeli prime minister on Thursday. Donald Trump is slated to sit down with Netanyahu on Friday.

Neither Biden nor Harris showed up to greet Netanyahu and his wife when they arrived in Washington, D.C., on Monday.

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Biden admin snubs Netanyahu's arrival while Democrats prepare to boycott speech



Neither President Joe Biden nor Vice President Kamala Harris greeted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife as they arrived in Washington, D.C., on Monday.

Netanyahu's arrival marks his first visit to Washington in nearly four years. He is scheduled to give a speech before Congress on Wednesday outlining Israel's strategy to address the growing threat from the Iranian regime, which launched a direct attack in April, according to the Jerusalem Post.

'Democrats have a SERIOUS anti-Semitism problem.'

Harris has declined to attend Netanyahu's address to Congress, citing a previously scheduled event, CNN reported. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and more than 30 other Democratic lawmakers are planning to boycott Netanyahu's speech.

"Speaker Pelosi will not be attending today's Joint Meeting of Congress. This morning, she will join a Members meeting with Israeli citizens whose families have suffered in the wake of the October 7th Hamas terror attack and kidnappings," a spokesperson for Pelosi stated.

United States Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) slammed fellow lawmakers for boycotting the speech and turning their backs on Israel.

"Kamala Harris & the Democrats have a SERIOUS anti-Semitism problem," Donalds wrote on X. "They cheer-on pro-Hamas agitators. They no-show Netanyahu's arrival. They refuse to attend his speech. They hide their meetings for optics. They take American Jews for granted."

According to the Times of Israel, Biden was previously slated to meet with Netanyahu on Tuesday, but the meeting was pushed back because the president was reportedly quarantining in Delaware after testing positive for COVID-19. The news outlet reported that the meeting was rescheduled for Thursday.

Netanyahu is expected to have a separate meeting with Harris the same day, the Times of Israel reported. Additionally, it noted that Trump plans to sit down with Netanyahu on Friday at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

Trump confirmed the Friday meeting in a post on social media that included a letter from Mahmoud Abbas, the president of Palestine. Abbas' correspondence condemned the recent assassination attempt againstTrump.

In his post, Trump wrote, "Looking forward to seeing Bibi Netanyahu on Friday, and even more forward to achieving Peace in the Middle East!"

Meanwhile, thousands of pro-Hamas protesters are expected to gather at Capitol Hill to protest the prime minister's visit and push Congress to pull funding from Israel.

A pro-Hamas organization posted a video on Wednesday claiming to have released maggots and other insects at the hotel where the Israeli delegation is staying, the New York Post reported.

"BON APPETIT!! MAGGOTS RELEASED ON THE CRIMINAL ZIONIST'S WAR TABLE! Palestine protestors manufactured chaos at the Watergate Hotel last night so that Netanyahu, Israeli Mossad agents, and the Secret Service had no peace as they continue to terrorize our people," Palestinian Youth Movement wrote on X.

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AOC calls Netanyahu 'a war criminal,' says he shouldn't have been invited to deliver an address to joint meeting of Congress



Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "a war criminal" and said he should not have been invited to deliver remarks before a joint meeting of Congress.

"This man should not be addressing Congress. He is a war criminal. And he certainly has no regard for US law, which is explicitly designed to prevent US weapons from facilitating human rights abuses. His invitation should be revoked. It should’ve never been sent in the 1st place," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.

The congresswoman made the comments while retweeting a video in which Netanyahu said that he had told Secretary of State Antony Blinken that it is "inconceivable that in the past few months the administration has been withholding weapons and ammunitions to Israel."

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the administration does "not know what he's talking about" and that only one munitions shipment was paused.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) invited Netanyahu to give a speech before a joint meeting of Congress. The Israeli leader is scheduled to deliver the remarks on July 24.

GOP Rep. Anthony D'Esposito of New York responded to Ocasio-Cortez's post by tweeting, "Please send your tickets for his speech to 1508 Longworth HOB. There's thousands of #NY04 residents who’d love to hear from the duly-elected representative of a diverse, democratic, American ally."

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Israel's Netanyahu slated to address joint meeting of Congress on July 24



Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to deliver remarks before a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress on July 24.

Bipartisan congressional figures — including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell — signed onto a message inviting Netanyahu to speak.

'Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal.'

"I am very moved to have the privilege of representing Israel before both Houses of Congress and to present the truth about our just war against those who seek to destroy us to the representatives of the American people and the entire world," Netanyahu noted.

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In a statement, Schumer declared, "I have clear and profound disagreements with the Prime Minister, which I have voiced both privately and publicly and will continue to do so. But because America's relationship with Israel is ironclad and transcends one person or prime minister I joined the request for him to speak."

Left-wing independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont has noted that he will not attend Netanyahu's speech.

"Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal. He should not be invited to address a joint meeting of Congress. I certainly will not attend," Sanders said in a statement. "Israel, of course, had the right to defend itself against the horrific Hamas terrorist attack of October 7th, but it did not, and does not, have the right to go to war against the entire Palestinian people."

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Biden’s ‘Iran First’ Policy Undermines America’s Interests And Allies

The White House wants Israel to effectively surrender by ending the war in Gaza and ceding control over it to a bloc of U.S.-favored, often Hamas-sympathetic forces.