TEL AVIV – Israel was informed of the U.S.-led military strikes in Syria ahead of time, Israeli and American officials confirmed on Saturday morning.

In a joint operation with the UK and France, chemical weapons sites, including a storage facility and a research base, were targeted in the pre-dawn hours, constituting the largest military intervention since the Syrian civil war began. The military assault was a response to the chemical weapons attack on the Syrian town of Douma last week in which 42 people died and many others were left gasping for breath and foaming at the mouth.

Asked how much advance warning Israel had received, an unnamed official told Reuters, “Between 12 and 24 hours, I believe.”

Asked whether Israel was consulted when selecting the targets, the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “Not to my knowledge.”

He added that the strikes were an appropriate response to the “murderous actions” of the Assad regime.

“Last year, President Trump made clear that the use of chemical weapons crosses a red line. Tonight, under American leadership, the United States, France and the United Kingdom enforced that line,” the official said.

“Syria continues to engage in and provide a base for murderous actions, including those of Iran, that put its territory, its forces and its leadership at risk,” the official added.

A spokesperson for the U.S. embassy confirmed that Israel was informed of the action ahead of time.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday said Israel “fully supports” President Donald Trump’s “stand against the use and spread of chemical weapons.”

“This morning, under American leadership, the United States, France and the United Kingdom demonstrated that their commitment to the fight against chemical weapons is not limited to declarations,” he said.

Netanyahu continued, “Trump’s resolve and Israel’s support remain unchanged” since last year when the U.S. conducted strikes in the war-torn country after a sarin gas attack.

“It should be clear to President Assad that his reckless efforts to acquire and use weapons of mass destruction, his wanton disregard for international law and his provision of a forward base for Iran and its proxies endanger Syria,” the prime minister said.

The chemical weapons facilities that were targeted were reported to have been evacuated in recent days. Russia’s defense ministry said there were “no victims.”

Nevertheless, the strikes were designed to set back Syria’s chemical weapons program “for years,” according to a senior Pentagon official, Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie.

After some Israeli lawmakers came out in support of the missile strikes, Netanyahu’s office issued a directive of silence. Channel 10 reported that the order was the result of a comment by Housing Minister Yoav Galant, a member of Netanyahu’s security cabinet, who said that the strikes sent “an important signal to the axis of evil — Iran, Syria and Hezbollah.”

Galant tweeted that “the use of chemical weapons crosses a red line that humanity is no longer willing to accept.”

Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid also hailed the strikes. “Despite the limited nature of the strike, after a period of silence the civilized world sent a clear message to Assad that it won’t remain silent while he murders children,” Lapid said. “The real test now is the coalition’s ability to maintain the military and diplomatic pressure on the dictator from Damascus. Israel will continue to act against the Iranian presence in Syria and won’t take orders from any regional actor when it comes to our vital security interests.”

Trump announced the joint operation on Friday, saying it was a direct response to the toxic gas atttack.

“The evil and despicable attack left mothers and fathers, infants and children thrashing in pain and gasping for air. These are not the actions of a man. They are crimes of a monster instead,” Trump said.

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said the strikes were a “one-time shot” and that there was no additional action planned for the immediate future. Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also confirmed that there were no further strikes in the pipeline.

On Saturday, Trump praised the strikes, which the Pentagon said were “successful.”

“A perfectly executed strike last night. Thank you to France and the United Kingdom for their wisdom and the power of their fine military,” Trump tweeted early Saturday.

“Could not have had a better result. Mission Accomplished!”

In response, Assad vowed the American-led “aggression” will only “make Syria and its people more determined to keep fighting and crushing terrorism in every inch of the country.”

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei described the leaders of the military assault as “criminals.”

TEL AVIV – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday said Israel “fully supports” President Donald Trump’s “stand against the use and spread of chemical weapons” with the U.S.-led airstrikes on Syrian targets carried out earlier that day.

Netanyahu added that “Trump’s resolve and Israel’s support remain unchanged” since last year, when the U.S. conducted strikes in the war-torn country after a sarin gas attack.

“This morning, under American leadership, the United States, France and the United Kingdom demonstrated that their commitment to the fight against chemical weapons is not limited to declarations,” he added.

“It should be clear to President Assad that his reckless efforts to acquire and use weapons of mass destruction, his wanton disregard for international law and his provision of a forward base for Iran and its proxies endanger Syria.”

In a joint operation with the UK and France, chemical weapons sites, including a storage facility and a research base, were targeted in the pre-dawn hours, constituting the largest military intervention since the Syrian civil war began.

The sites were reported to have been evacuated in recent days. Russia’s defense ministry said there were “no victims.”

Nevertheless, the strikes were designed to set back Syria’s chemical weapons program “for years,” according to a senior Pentagon official, Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie.

After some Israeli lawmakers came out in support of the missile strikes, Netanyahu’s office issued a directive of silence. Channel 10 reported that the order was the result of a comment by Housing Minister Yoav Galant, a member of Netanyahu’s security cabinet, who said that the strikes sent “an important signal to the axis of evil — Iran, Syria and Hezbollah.”

Galant tweeted that “the use of chemical weapons crosses a red line that humanity is no longer willing to accept.”

Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid also hailed the strikes. “Despite the limited nature of the strike, after a period of silence the civilized world sent a clear message to Assad that it won’t remain silent while he murders children,” Lapid said. “The real test now is the coalition’s ability to maintain the military and diplomatic pressure on the dictator from Damascus. Israel will continue to act against the Iranian presence in Syria and won’t take orders from any regional actor when it comes to our vital security interests.”

An unnamed senior Israeli official said that the joint military operation was an “appropriate” response to the chemical gas attack on the Syrian town of Douma last week, in which 42 people died and many others were left gasping for breath and foaming at the mouth.

“Last year, President Trump made it clear that using chemical weapons crossed a red line. Tonight, led by the Americans, the U.S., France and Britain acted appropriately,” said a statement from the official.

“Syria continues to carry out murderous actions and to be a base for these and other actions, including by Iran, that puts its territory, forces and leadership in danger,” the statement said.

Israel was notified of the assault ahead of time, Israeli and U.S. officials confirmed on Saturday morning.

Trump announced the joint operation on Friday, saying it was a direct response to the toxic gas attack.

“The evil and despicable attack left mothers and fathers, infants and children thrashing in pain and gasping for air. These are not the actions of a man. They are crimes of a monster instead,” Trump said.

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis called the strikes a “one-time shot” and said there is no additional action planned for the immediate future. Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also confirmed that there were no further strikes in the pipeline.

On Saturday, Trump praised the strikes, which the Pentagon said were “successful.”

“A perfectly executed strike last night. Thank you to France and the United Kingdom for their wisdom and the power of their fine Military,” Trump tweeted early Saturday.

“Could not have had a better result. Mission Accomplished!”

In response, Assad vowed the American-led “aggression” will only “make Syria and its people more determined to keep fighting and crushing terrorism in every inch of the country.”

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei described the leaders of the military assault as “criminals.”

The elderly pensioner who stabbed an armed, career criminal to death during a botched robbery of his home is being forced to sell his house and move, allegedly fearing for his life.

Richard Osborn-Brooks, 78, has been living under police protection since he was targeted more than a week ago.

He killed burglar Henry Vincent, 37, after he and an accomplice broke into his house wielding a screwdriver as a weapon in the early hours of the morning on April 4^th.

Meanwhile, associates of Mr. Vincent, a career criminal known to target pensioners, have said friends and family within the traveller community will be looking to avenge his killing. Vincent was reportedly a member of the traveller community near Hither Green in south-east London, reports The Guardian, and “tensions between Travellers and nearby communities have come to the fore” in the local area after his death.

And, as the pensioner is forced to leave the area of south London he calls home, police have been protecting flowers placed on his street by the robber’s family, which had been repeatedly removed by angry locals.

The equivalence you draw between the elderly home-owner and the intruder, ie that their respective fates are by implication equally tragic, is extremely worrying.

Mounting a shrine on the very property in question is to anyone with a moral compass both wrong and threatening. https://t.co/8UKbBRIZvY

— Peter Whittle AM (@prwhittle) April 12, 2018

Now, a friend of Mr. Osborne-Brooks has anonymously told the Mirror that he and his disabled wife will definitely not be returning to their home in Hither Green.

He said: “They are waiting for the dust to settle before they announce that publicly and put their house on the market. It’s the fact that they could come back and that his wife’s disabled. They could terrorise him. It’s not safe.

“He’s got what happened that night on his conscience for the rest of his life now. He’s never going to forget that he’s killed someone.

“He’s not a violent person he’s a really nice run of the mill guy.”

It was also reported this weekend that the family of the slain burglar is planning a £100,000 funeral that will pass by the home of Mr. Osborn-Brooks.

Gun Free UK: 78-Yr-Old Man Arrested After Stabbing Burglar to Death with Screwdriver https://t.co/obVVsy0DQ8

— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) April 4, 2018

A source told the Sun: “They plan to take the procession right past the house. It’s supposed to be a message to locals and the guy who killed him that gypsies are not to be messed with.

“Vincent’s spent his life ripping off the elderly yet his funeral’s designed to make you think he was some kind of gypsy god.

“They’re planning to spend £50,000 just on flowers. There will be limousines and ornate horse-drawn carriages.”

Police continue to hunt one Billy Jeeves, 28, who is thought to have fled the crime scene after Mr. Vincent was killed.

The Met Police released a mugshot of Mr. Jeeves and said he has links to Orpington and Swanley in Kent, and Cambridge.

Police also want to hear from anybody who may have seen his vehicle, a white Vauxhall Astra van in the days and hours before and after the burglary.

Detectives appealing to trace Billy Jeeves, 28 – sought in connection with an aggravated burglary in Hither Green on Wed 4 Apr #Lewisham #Kent https://t.co/yXlJS0jzr3 pic.twitter.com/9x4l5pVeIw

— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) April 9, 2018

A Jewish employee of the Anne Frank House museum was told that he was not allowed to wear his kippa because it would conflict with the organisation’s “independent position” and might “influence” the message of combatting anti-Semitism.

Barry Vingerling, 25, said that he was told not the wear his yarmulke when he turned up for work at the museum dedicated to the life of the Jewish girl Anne Frank who died at a German concentration camp during World War Two, reports the New Israelite Weekly.

Mr. Vingerling did not wear the cap to the interview, but explained to his employers that it was very important for him to wear it when he began the job. He was told that he had to remove the kippa and must make a special request to wear the religious item to work.

For the first six weeks whilst working at the Amsterdam museum, Mr. Vingerling was allowed to wear a baseball cap, with his kippa underneath, whilst he awaited a decision on whether he was allowed to wear it in public during work hours.

“I have been suffering from it for months, but this is a fundamental moral issue for me,” the 25-year-old told the Dutch-language New Israelite Weekly, saying that he wanted to make the expression of his Jewish faith at the museum celebrating the life of the teen Jewish diarist.

Watch: Palestinian Analyst Claims ‘Holocaust a Lie’ Perpetuated by Jews ‘In Collusion with Hitler’https://t.co/A5XsKKyix7

— Aaron Klein (@AaronKleinShow) April 15, 2018

“I made a request in October and discussed it with the manager. Then I found out that the policy was not to show any beliefs in the workplace when you come into contact with the public.

“I was shocked because I was not aware of this. I did not expect it to be an issue. I work in the house of Anne Frank, who had to go into hiding because of her identity. In that same house should I hide my identity?”

Then in November, Mr. Vingerling defied his employers and after turning up to work visibly wearing the kippa; his employer told him that a decision would come soon and that until then he should continue to wear the baseball hat.

After a full six months, the young man was told last week that he was allowed to wear his kippa.

Survey: 66 Percent of Millennials in the U.S. Do Not Know Auschwitz Was Part of the Holocausthttps://t.co/CUGHpZXP3N

— Aaron Klein (@AaronKleinShow) April 12, 2018

Anne Frank Foundation managing director Garance Reus-Deelder told the Daily Mail that the length of the board’s deliberation was to determine whether “a religious expression would interfere with our independent position”.

“The Anne Frank Foundation is an independent organisation without religious ties. Those are directed at combating anti-Semitism. We did not want that, for example, a yarmulke would influence that message,” she added.

Anne Frank died at the Bergen-Belsen Nazi concentration camp in 1945; Sunday, April 15th, marks the 73rd anniversary of the camp’s liberation by British and Canadian forces.

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The top executive of a Southern California private charter airline says the Golden State’s hostile business environment propelled his company’s decision to relocate to Texas.

“Not being viewed as an enemy, but being viewed as an asset is so refreshing,” said Alex Wilcox, Chief Executive Officer of JetSuite Inc., who, on Thursday, spoke to the Dallas Business Journal. He described the air carrier’s decision to move to North Texas this summer as a “welcome change.”

He even shared a glaring example of one difference between California and business-friendly Texas. “I tried to start flying out of Santa Monica, California. And they sued me because I was trying to bring a service to the city,” said Wilcox. “When I got to Dallas, literally, people in City Hall were like, ‘How can we help you?’”

The CEO said the company contemplated exiting California “for a couple of years.” JetSuite intends to make the Dallas-Fort Worth area its new home, although officials have not announced a location for their headquarters. Wilcox anticipates 60 employees will move with top brass to the Lone Star State and they will fill 180-200 jobs with Texans. The company’s chief executive said they will recruit qualified individuals for “behind-the-scenes” operational functions, dispatchers, maintenance controllers, “and the people who actually make airlines move.”

He quipped: “There are probably more people in aviation in Dallas than there are people in Newport Beach, in total.”

Previously, Wilcox told Bloomberg other selling points Texas offered included lower costs and a larger aviation infrastructure which exists because of the Dallas-based Southwest Airlines and Fort Worth-based American Airlines.

The boutique charter airline allows travelers to rent a private, small jet. Currently, their daily flights only cover select California cities and Las Vegas, Nevada. JetSuite intends to expand its destinations. The CEO also has high hopes for the other side of their business, JetSuiteX, where individuals can purchase a seat on one of their charter flights to avoid the hassle of larger airports. One-way ticket fares start at $129.

The company plans to grow its consumer reach with a fleet of regional small jets to 100. Wilcox told the Business Journal that JetSuite revenues range between $55 million and $60 million while JetSuiteX accounts for $50 million in earnings.

“In six years I want to take JetSuiteX to a $1 billion in top line revenue,” said Wilcox. He also believes over time JetSuite Inc. will “probably triple or quadruple.”

In 2009, Wilcox co-founded the Irvine, California, based business. Previously, he was a founding executive of JetBlue Airways. In 2016, JetSuite sold an expanded stake of the company to JetBlue, which allowed the private airliner to beef up JetSuiteX.

This week, JetSuite announced it sold a minor stake to Qatar Airways. Federal law limits foreign investments in a U.S. air carrier to 25 percent, noted Bloomberg. The size of this investment has not yet been disclosed, however, it follows the Qatari airline’s failed attempt to acquire 10 percent of American Airlines.

JetSuite’s website says the company is certified by the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO). Recognized independent safety auditors ARG/US ranked them #1 in light jet utilization. They also rated them with highest safety rating achievable in civil aviation.

The airline’s move to Texas highlights the continued exodus of companies from the business-unfriendly California. From 2008 to 2015, an estimated 9,000 companies left California, of which Texas was the top beneficiary of the relocations, During those seven years, California corporations accounted for 15 percent of companies that moved their headquarters or expanded operations into pro-business Texas. In many instances, the state incentivized out-of-state companies to expand into the state with the goal of creating more jobs and economic growth within Texas through the Texas Enterprise Fund.

Likewise, Californians comprise the largest number of the state’s transplants.

Follow Merrill Hope, a member of the original Breitbart Texas team, on Twitter.

 

When does an alleged sexual predator become the victim?

That’s the question that one community is facing after a man supposedly tried to have sex with an underage girl … but it ended up being the girl’s parents who were put in handcuffs.

The incident occurred in British Columbia, Canada. According to CTV News, an adult man allegedly came to a home to meet the 13-year-old minor. That’s when the girl’s mother and stepfather tackled the man and retrained him with zip ties.

“In a video posted to Facebook Live, the girl’s mother can be heard berating the 28-year-old Port Albernie, B.C. man as he lay face down on the floor with his hands bound behind his back,” CTV explained.

“He come to my house to meet my 13-year-old f—ing daughter to f— her. He wanted to be her first,” the mother declared on the smartphone camera footage. “We f—ing tackled him, and Zap strapped him and called the police.”

It might have been an open-and-shut case if that was all there was to the story. Man comes to house, man preys on underage daughter, man gets body-slammed. However, the incident was not that clear-cut.

CTV News reported that the girl’s parents took matters into their own hands and set a “trap” for the suspected predator, despite the fact that police had told them not to.

“The mother claims she asked police to investigate the man six weeks ago, when she discovered explicit messages sent to her daughter’s Instagram account. She said police told her to block the man and forget it,” the Canadian news station explained.

“Frustrated by the response, she set up the meeting. The mother said she asked police to be present during the ambush, but claims authorities would not help,” CTV continued.

Despite the couple’s claim that authorities did nothing about the situation, a spokesperson for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police stated that they did, in fact, open a child luring investigation last month.

“The police had directed her not to take matters into her own hands,” insisted RCMP Cpl. Amelia Hayden. “We still do have an active and ongoing investigation on the matter.”

Officers pointed out that the couple’s actions compromised the ongoing investigation and put more people in danger.

“It hasn’t resolved one issue. It’s caused another, and put people in danger,” Cpl. Hayden said.

RELATED: London Mayor’s Office Threatens Death for Children Carrying Knives

“This is ridiculous,” said the stepfather, who also stated that the alleged predator was already an acquaintance of the family.

“Shouldn’t a guy be able to protect his own family in his house?”

The parents are facing charges of assault causing bodily harm and forcible confinement, while the man they “lured” to the house was not charged.

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Corey Lewandowski may no longer work for Donald Trump, but the president’s first campaign manager is staying in the spotlight as a prominent surrogate for the president, this time over the Syria airstrikes — and he’s hitting Barack Obama hard.

In an appearance Saturday on “Fox & Friends,” Lewandowski said the crisis in Syria wouldn’t be in place if the Obama administration had enforced its “red line” policy on the Syrian regime.

The former campaign manager also praised the president for a decisive move against the Assad regime.

“I think the American people wake up today, I think people around the world wake up and thank the United States, Great Britain and France for standing up to a brutal dictator who was killing his own people with chemical weapons, and they are thankful that the American people and this president is not the previous administration,” Lewandowski said.

“And we have now seen, on two separate occasions, that the United States is responding when a brutal dictator decides to kill his own people, there are repercussions,” he added. “What we have seen is that we are the greatest military in the world. The precision with which we acted last night and early this morning shows exactly why we are the greatest superpower on the Earth.”

Lewandowski said partnering with the United Kingdom and France for the military response “was a very important process for us to demonstrate to the world we are in this together.”

Lewandowski also struck out at liberals who were decrying the strike as dangerous in what they said was a lack of a cohesive strategy on Syria.

“The liberals can discuss this all they want,” Lewandowski said. “The reason we’re in this situation with Assad is because Barack Obama drew a line in the sand which meant nothing.

“There were no teeth behind it,” he said of Obama’s uol. “The chemical weapons, which were supposed to be a red line in the previous administration, meant nothing. And we’re here today, and people lost their lives in Syria, because the previous administration did nothing to prevent it from happening.”

Lewandowski’s remarks seemed to be intended for prominent Democrats who criticized the strike.

“President Trump’s decision to launch airstrikes against the Syrian government without Congress’s approval is illegal and — absent a broader strategy — it’s reckless,” Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, Hillary Clinton’s running mate, said of the action.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi also said that “one night of airstrikes is not a substitute for a clear, comprehensive Syria strategy.”

RELATED: Watch: Panic on Zuck’s Face When Sen. Asks About Facebook Helping Obama

Somewhat surprisingly, nobody in the party of the donkey seemed to complain about the Obama administration’s lack of a comprehensive Syria strategy or made note of the fact that just last week, Defense Secretary James Mattis pretty much laid out before Congress what the comprehensive strategy was.

“We are not going to engage in the civil war itself,” Mattis said. “Now, you can look back to a year ago when we did fire missiles into Syria unrelated to ISIS, and that was, of course, the use of chemical weapons. And some things are simply inexcusable, beyond the pale, and in the worst interest of not just the chemical weapons convention, but of civilization itself.”

That seems to be a pretty decent sketch of a “clear, comprehensive Syria strategy” without revealing specific strategic points. That’s also something we didn’t typically get under the Obama administration, when “red lines” were drawn and then ignored when they were crossed.

America needed to respond to the atrocities committed by Bashar al-Assad — and thankfully, we now have an administration willing to do so.

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