ISIS Sends Michelle Obama and Family ‘Bloody Valentine’

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By Carmine Sabia. The Islamic State was at it again Tuesday with its “Cyber Caliphate” hacking the Twitter feed of Newsweek magazine and giving a chilling warning to the first family.

The hackers tweeted a message that read “#CyberCaliphate Bloody Valentine’s Day #MichelleObama! We’re watching you, you(r) girls and your husband!”

The hackers also put up the same ISIS logo picture they have used in the past of a jihadi fighter.

They also included the phrase “Je suIS IS,” which means “I am Islamic State” in French, taken from the “Je suisCharlie” phrase used after the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris on Jan. 7. (Read more about the ‘Bloody Valentine’ HERE)

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Obama Opens Door to ‘Limited’ Ground Combat Operations Against ISIS

By Fox News. President Obama on Wednesday opened the door to “limited” ground combat operations against the Islamic State, as he asked Congress to formally authorize military force against the terrorist network.

The president, in a proposed resolution and a letter to Congress, underscored the “grave threat” posed by ISIS.

“If left unchecked, ISIL will pose a threat beyond the Middle East, including to the United States homeland,” Obama said.

Speaking later at the White House, Obama vowed to defeat the terror group. “This is a difficult mission, and it will remain difficult for some time,” Obama said. “But our coalition is on the offensive. ISIL is on the defensive, and ISIL is going to lose.” (Read more from this story HERE)

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Secret Iranian Unit Fueling Mideast Bloodshed With Illicit Arms Shipments

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By Jennifer Griffin. As conflicts and civil wars rage across the Middle East and North Africa, a shadowy covert cell operating under the Iranian government is fueling the bloodshed.

Unit 190, a secret arm of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s Quds Force made up of about two-dozen employees, has for years smuggled arms to these conflict zones.

After an extensive investigation tracing the land, air and sea routes used by the Quds Force to move weapons to Hezbollah, Hamas and now the Houthis in Yemen, Fox News has also learned from western intelligence sources the name of the Iranian man who is a key player in Unit 190: Behnam Shahariyari, born in 1968 in Ardabil, northwest Iran.

According to western intelligence sources, Shahariyari runs a network of straw companies — which skirt sanctions packing RPG’s, night-vision equipment and long-range rockets in powdered milk, cement and spare vehicle parts.

“Very often arms and explosives were placed in trucks underneath legal cargo in order to hide them,” said Michael Eisenstadt, director of Military and Security Studies programs for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. (Read more about the illicit arms shipments HERE)

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Iran Marks 36th Anniversary of Islamic Revolution Amid Nuclear Talks

By Associated Press. Iran is marking the 36th anniversary of its 1979 Islamic Revolution as the country continues negotiations with world powers over its contested nuclear program.

State television aired footage of commemorations in Tehran and elsewhere across the country Wednesday. Some participants chanted “Down with the U.S.” and “Death to Israel.”

On Feb. 11, 1979, followers of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini ousted U.S.-backed Shah Reza Pahlavi. America helped orchestrate the 1953 coup that overthrew Iran’s popularly elected prime minister, Mohammad Mossadegh, which brought Pahlavi to power and set the stage for decades of mistrust between the countries. (Read more from this story HERE)

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Family of US Aid Worker Confirms Her Death at the Hands of ISIS

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Photo Credit: Fox News Kayla Mueller wrote her family a heart-wrenching letter nearly a year ago, possibly from the bowels of a Raqqa, Syria, building that U.S. special forces raided on July 4, 2014, only to learn Mueller – and at least three other hostages who were later killed – had been moved days earlier.

“If you could say I have ‘suffered’ at all throughout this whole experience it is only in knowing how much suffering I have put you all through,” wrote Mueller, a 26-year-old aid worker from Arizona who was kidnapped in Syria by ISIS in August 2013.

“I have a lot of fight left inside of me. I am not breaking down + I will not give in no matter how long it takes,” Mueller said in the newly released letter, believed to have been written in the Spring of 2014. “I know you would want me to remain strong. That is exactly what I am doing. Do not fear for me, continue to pray as will I + by God’s will we will be together soon.”

Mueller’s parents confirmed Tuesday their daughter died while in the hands of the terror group, though they did not say how or when she was killed.

“We are heartbroken to share that we’ve received confirmation that Kayla Jean Mueller has lost her life,” Carl and Marsha Mueller, of Prescott, Ariz., said in a statement. “Kayla was a compassionate and devoted humanitarian. She dedicated the whole of her young life to helping those in need of freedom, justice, and peace.” (Read more about the death of the US aid worker HERE)

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Here’s How Obama is Defending His Choice to Not Meet With Netanyahu

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Photo Credit: The BlazeBy Fred Lucas. President Barack Obama said his refusal to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu two weeks before Israel’s elections isn’t personal — he wouldn’t meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel under the same circumstances, either.

“As much as I love Angela, if she was two weeks away from election, she probably would not have received an invitation to the White House, and I suspect she would not have asked for one,” Obama said at a joint news conference with the German leader Monday at the White House. “Some of this just has to do with how we do business. I think it is important for us to maintain these protocols because the U.S.-Israeli relationship is not about a particular party” . . .

“I don’t want to be coy. The prime minister and I have differences around Iran’s sanctions,” Obama said. “I have been very clear and Angela agrees with me and [British Prime Minister] David Cameron agrees with me and the others who are members of the negotiations agree that it does not make sense to sour the negotiations a month or two before they are about to be completed and we should play that out if we can get a deal, we should embrace it. If we cannot get a deal, we will have to make a set of decisions and, as I said to Congress, I will be the first one to work with them to apply even stronger measures against Iran.” (Read more about how Obama is defending his choice to not meet with Netanyahu HERE)

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Despite Recent Criticism, Netanyahu Still Determined to Address U.S. Congress on Iran’s Nuclear Program

By Barak Ravid. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that he is determined to address the U.S. Congress on Iran’s nuclear program. Netanyahu rejected the criticism in the United States and Israel, saying that “while some are busy with protocol or politics, a bad deal with Iran is taking shape.”

Speaking at a Likud election event, Netanyahu added that, as prime minister, it is his duty to do everything in his power to prevent a dangerous deal with Iran. “From the day Israel was established to this day, there have been essential differences between Israel and the U.S., and relations remained sound – this will be the case this time as well,” he said.

“This is not a political issue or a party issue, neither here nor there. This is an existential issue, and I approach it with the fullest responsibility.” (Read more from this story HERE)

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Boko Haram Attacks Again, Attacking Villages and Kidnapping 30

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By Associated Press. Residents say suspected Boko Haram fighters have kidnapped more than 30 people in northern Cameroon after attacking several towns.

Bouba Kaina, resident of where the first attacked took place, confirmed to The Associated Press on Monday that a bus was seized by the insurgents with 20 people aboard.

The bus was then driven toward the border with Nigeria, about 11 miles away . . .

Boko Haram fighters have escalated their attacks outside Nigeria, striking multiple times inside neighboring Cameroon and Niger in recent days. Neighboring countries are planning a military effort to subdue the group blamed for killing 10,000 people over the past year. (Read more about the Boko Haram attacks HERE)

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Nigeria Vows Not to Postpone Another Election, Despite Even More Boko Haram Threats

By Ola Awoniyi, with Aminu Abubakar in Kano. Nigeria insisted it will crush Boko Haram militants and avoid another election postponement, even as violence raged and the Islamists’ leader vowed to defeat a regional force hunting them.

National Security Advisor Sambo Dasuki’s comments came as Boko Haram launched another attack in neighbouring Niger and reports emerged of 20 people kidnapped in Cameroon, with 12 of them executed.

Niger’s parliament voted unanimously on Monday to send troops to join the regional fightback against the extremists, who have seized swathes of northern Nigeria in a conflict that has claimed more than 13,000 lives since 2009.

Dasuki, who at the weekend secured a six-week delay to Nigeria’s presidential elections, vowed that “all known Boko Haram camps will be taken out” by the time of the rescheduled vote. (Read more from this story HERE)

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HSBC Admits it Helped Wealthy Costumers Dodge Taxes

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Photo Credit: The Fiscal Times By Steve Slater and Joshua Franklin. British bank HSBC Holdings Plc admitted failings by its Swiss subsidiary in response to media reports it helped wealthy customers dodge taxes and conceal millions of dollars of assets.

“We acknowledge and are accountable for past compliance and control failures,” HSBC said late on Sunday after news outlets including French newspaper Le Monde and Britain’s The Guardian published allegations about its Swiss private bank.

The Guardian, along with other news outlets, cited documents obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) via Le Monde. HSBC said that its Swiss arm had not been fully integrated into HSBC after its purchase in 1999, allowing “significantly lower” standards of compliance and due diligence to persist.

The Guardian alleged in its report that the files showed HSBC’s Swiss bank routinely allowed clients to withdraw “bricks” of cash, often in foreign currencies which were of little use in Switzerland. HSBC also marketed schemes which were likely to enable wealthy clients to avoid European taxes and colluded with some to conceal undeclared accounts from domestic tax authorities, the Guardian added. (Read more about how HSBC admits it helped wealthy costumers dodge taxes HERE)

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Claims That HSBC Aided Tax Evaders

By Chad Bray. HSBC found itself under fire again on Monday after news reports over the weekend provided more details about long-running accusations that its Swiss private banking arm helped clients hide billions of dollars in assets from international tax authorities before 2007.

In a report released on Sunday, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, an organization based in Washington, said that secret documents revealed that bank employees had reassured clients that HSBC would not disclose details of their accounts to tax authorities in their home countries and discussed options to avoid paying taxes on those assets. Also contributing to the report were the newspaper Le Monde in France, The Guardian in Britain, the BBC program “Panorama” and CBS News’s “60 Minutes.”

The documents were stolen from HSBC by a former employee in Switzerland in 2007 and were given to the French authorities, who in 2010 shared them with officials in Britain, Spain and the United States, among other nations. Some of those jurisdictions have used the information to seek back taxes and penalties from individuals, and the British bank has paid fines to the United States related to those disclosures. (Read more from this story HERE)

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Reports of Massive Explosion in Ukraine, Likely not Tactical Nuke, but Obama Shaken [+videos]

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Ukraine: Artillery Fire, Not ‘Tactical Nuke’ Attack, Sets Off Large Donetsk Explosion

[Editor’s note: A number of sites, such as Alex Jones’ Info Wars, suggested that the explosion was nuclear, but that seems to be a stretch. Nuclear detonations create significant EMP (electro-magnetic pulse) that would almost certainly have destroyed the electronic cameras recording the events.]

On Sunday night, a series of YouTube videos appear to show a large explosion in Donetsk, Ukraine (several can be watched here). However, it wasn’t a “tactical nuclear weapon,” as some social media users claimed, but just a big blast–reportedly Ukrainian army artillery fire hitting an ammunition depot held by the rebel Donetsk People’s Republic.

Videos that were uploaded Feb. 8 show a massive explosion going off in the distance, with an orange-red fireball lighting up the night sky.

While many details remain unclear, preliminary reports say it was a an artillery attack on a weapons depot owned by the breakaway Donetsk People’s Republic. According to Ukrainian news site TSN.ua, right-wing politician Dmitry Yarosh said the blast killed about “200 terrorists,” destroyed 20 Grad rockets, and trucks filled with ammunition. (Read more from about the reports of a tactical nuke in Ukraine HERE)

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New York Times Warn About Russia “Nuclear Saber Rattling” in Ukraine

By JOHN J. MEARSHEIMERFEB. The possibility that Mr. Putin might end up making nuclear threats may seem remote, but if the goal of arming Ukraine is to drive up the costs of Russian interference and eventually put Moscow in an acute situation, it cannot be ruled out. If Western pressure succeeded and Mr. Putin felt desperate, he would have a powerful incentive to try to rescue the situation by rattling the nuclear saber.

Our understanding of the mechanisms of escalation in crises and war is limited at best, although we know the risks are considerable. Pushing a nuclear-armed Russia into a corner would be playing with fire.

Advocates of arming Ukraine recognize the escalation problem, which is why they stress giving Kiev “defensive,” not “offensive,” weapons. Unfortunately, there is no useful distinction between these categories: All weapons can be used for attacking and defending. The West can be sure, though, that Moscow will not see those American weapons as “defensive,” given that Washington is determined to reverse the status quo in eastern Ukraine.

The only way to solve the Ukraine crisis is diplomatically, not militarily. Germany’s chancellor, Angela Merkel, seems to recognize that fact, as she has said Germany will not ship arms to Kiev. Her problem, however, is that she does not know how to bring the crisis to an end. (Read more from this story HERE)

See also Putin Threatens to Use Nukes in Ukraine

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Matt Drudge Warns that “Obama Knows Something Terrible is Coming”

In a tweet yesterday, Matt Drudge said this about Obama’s Grammy appearance:

Despite Refusing to Meet With Netanyahu, Biden and Kerry Had No Problem Meeting With This Left-Wing Israeli Politician

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US Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry both met informally with Zionist Camp co-leader Isaac Herzog — head of the Labor Party and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s chief rival in the Israeli elections — on the sidelines of a security conference in Munich, Germany on Saturday

Their discussions reportedly revolved around security matters and the Zionist Camp’s defense strategy.

The meetings were not formally scheduled, and no photographs were immediately issued.

Herzog also met with the EU’s Foreign Affairs Chief Federica Mogherini and German FM Frank-Walter Steinmeier on the sidelines of the conference.

The Biden-Kerry meetings with Herzog came a day after Biden’s office said the vice president would be abroad and would not attend a contentious speech on Iran Netanyahu is set to deliver to Congress on March 3. Netanyahu’s planned address has infuriated the Obama administration, which accused the Israeli leader of breaching protocol as the visit was not coordinated with the White House. Both Kerry and President Barack Obama said last month that they would not meet with Netanyahu during the visit, citing its proximity to the March 17 elections. (Read more about Joe Biden and John Kerry meeting with the Israeli politician HERE)

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Bosnian Immigrants in US Charged with Aiding ISIS-Linked Syrian Extremists

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Photo Credit: The Blaze By Oliver Darcy. Six Bosnian immigrants have been charged with aiding extremists in Syria thought to be connected to the Islamic State, a federal indictment unsealed Friday revealed.

“Today’s charges and arrests underscore our resolve to identify, thwart, and hold accountable individuals within the United States who seek to provide material support to terrorists and terrorist organizations operating in Syria and Iraq,” Assistant Attorney General John P. Carlin said in a statement . . .

Charged in the indictment are Ramiz Zijad Hodzic, 40, his wife Sedina Unkic Hodzic, 35, and Armin Harcevic, 37, all of St. Louis County, Missouri; Nihad Rosic, 26, of Utica, New York; Mediha Medy Salkicevic, 34 of Schiller Park, Illinois; and Jasminka Ramic, 42, of Rockford, Illinois.

The individuals are charged with conspiring to provide material support and resources to terrorists and providing material support to terrorists. Hodzic and Rosic are also charged with conspiring to kill and maim persons in a foreign country. (Read more about the people aiding Syrian extremists HERE)

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CIA Investigating ISIS Claims That Jordanian Air Strike Killed U.S. Aid Worker

By Fox News. U.S. intelligence officials are investigating a claim by ISIS that its sole known remaining American hostage, an aid worker held for nearly a year and a half, has been killed, and the terrorist group’s claim that her death came in a Jordanian airstrike, sources told Fox News.

Kayla Mueller, 26, whose identity had previously not been revealed at the request of the U.S. government and her family as the Pentagon worked to secure her, is believed to be the last American hostage the terrorist army is holding, since the beheading of Peter Kassig, a 26-year-old American aid worker, killed in November. In its statement, ISIS also claimed Mueller was the only person killed in the airstrike, claiming none of its fighters injured or killed.

“We are obviously deeply concerned by these reports,” said National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan. “We have not at this time seen any evidence that corroborates ISIL’s claim.”

Late Friday night, the Mueller family released a statement saying “we are still hopeful that Kayla is alive.” Addressing those who held Kayla, her family said,”We have sent you a private message and ask that you respond to us privately. We know that you have read our previous communications.” (Read more from this story HERE)

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After Pilot’s Burning, Jordan’s King Steps Up Fight Against ISIS, Orders More Bombings

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Photo Credit: BBC By BBC. Jordan says its warplanes have carried out their first air strikes on Islamic State (IS) targets since the militants released a video showing the killing of a captured Jordanian pilot.

On their way back, the planes flew over the village of pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh.

Their flight coincided with a visit to the village by Jordanian King Abdullah II, who was meeting the pilot’s family.

The king has vowed to the step up the fight against IS. Jordan is part of a US-led coalition bombing the militants.

Lt Kasasbeh was captured by the militants last year after his F-16 fighter jet crashed in Syria. IS this week released a video showing the pilot being burned alive in a cage, sparking calls for revenge in Jordan. (Read more about the king’s fight against ISIS HERE)

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ISIS Crucifying, Burying Children Alive

By Reuters. Islamic State militants are selling abducted Iraqi children at markets as sex slaves, and killing other youth, including by crucifixion or burying them alive, a United Nations watchdog said on Wednesday.

Iraqi boys aged under 18 are increasingly being used by the militant group as suicide bombers, bomb makers, informants or human shields to protect facilities against U.S.-led air strikes, the U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child said.

“We are really deeply concerned at torture and murder of those children, especially those belonging to minorities, but not only from minorities,” committee expert Renate Winter told a news briefing. “The scope of the problem is huge.”

Children from the Yazidi sect or Christian communities, but also Shi’ites and Sunnis, have been victims, she said. (Read more from this story HERE)

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