War

Calling the allegation an act of “psychological warfare”, Tehran officially denied that its Revolutionary Guards’ patrol vessel launched rockets in close proximity to the USS Harry S. Truman and its convoy entering the Persian Gulf. It had been reported that the US aircraft carrier was intimidated after missiles were test fired from an Iranian patrol vessel on Saturday with the U.S. military accusing Iran of “highly provocative” actions.

Violent clashes have erupted in Fallujah between the public and Islamic State militants. Iraqi News reports: A security source in Anbar province said on Wednesday, that violent clashes broke out between the residents of Fallujah and ISIS militants in the city of Fallujah.

Swiss army chief André Blattmann warned, in a Swiss newspaper article on Sunday, the risks of social unrest in Europe are soaring. Recalling the experience of 1939/1945, Blattman fears the increasing aggression in public discourse is an explosively hazardous situation, and advises the Swiss people to arm themselves and warns that the basis for Swiss prosperity is "being called into question."

Israel have admitted that their military have used crop-dusters to destroy hundreds of acres of Palestinian crops for “security operations” reasons.  Palestinian officials say that poisons were sprayed in land inside the Gaza strip which has ended up killing most of the vegetation. Sputniknews.com reports: “For years now, the IDF has unilaterally maintained a lethal ‘no-go zone’ on the Palestinian side of the border with Gaza. Now, it seems, it has also implemented a ‘no-grow zone,’” Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man wrote for +972.

As we discussed at length late last month when we took an in-depth look at the Islamic State propaganda machine, the group makes a concerted effort to portray life in the “caliphate” as entirely different in character from the public’s perception of what life might be like under Sharia law.