International
The head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard warns: “We will bury Israel in Gaza”
The commander-in-chief of the Revolutionary Guard of Iran, General Hosein Salamí, said on Friday that Israel will be “buried” in Gaza, amid tensions over the death of seven members of that elite military corps last Monday in Damascus.
“The message of the Resistance is that we will bury the Zionist regime (Israel) in Gaza,” the soldier said during a speech on the occasion of the ‘Al Quds Day’ (Jerusalem) in favor of the liberation of Palestine.
The so-called Axis of Resistance is an informal alliance led by Tehran, deeply anti-Israeli and formed by militant organizations such as Hezbollah, the Houthi rebels and the Islamist movement Hamas, among other groups.
“We warn that no action by any enemy against the sacred system of the Islamic Republic will go unanswered,” Salamí said, in an apparent reference to the death of the revolutionary guards in the attack on the consulate in Damascus, of which Tehran has accused Tel Aviv.
The military also assured that “no hegemonic power can strike Iran,” in an apparent allusion to the United States.
Coinciding with the ‘Al Quds Day’ in which hundreds of thousands of Iranians marched through the streets of the country, a funeral ceremony was held in Tehran for the seven revolutionary guards who died the Syrian capital on Monday.
Among the dead in the attack are the head of the Quds Force in Syria and Lebanon, Brigadier General Mohamed Reza Zahedi, and his second, Brigadier General Mohamed Hadi Haj Rahimi.
In addition, five other elite military corps officers and six Syrian citizens died.
This is the worst blow to the elite military corps after the death of Qasem Soleimani, an Iranian general who headed the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guard until he was killed by the United States in 2020 in a bombing in Iraq.
The supreme leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, assured that Israel will pay for the death of the military: “The evil regime will be punished by our brave men. We will make them repent of this crime and other similar ones, with God’s help.”
Faced with calls for Iranian reprisals, Israel is on “maximum alert” and ready for “a variety of scenarios.”
The leader of the Lebanese Shii group Hizbuláh, Hassan Nasrala, warned this Friday that the attack perpetrated this week by Israel against the Iranian consulate in Damascus has marked a “pinding point” and assured that Tehran will respond to the bombing, which left at least 13 dead.
“This incident is a turning point in relation to the last six months. There is a before and after,” said the Shiite clerg during a televised speech on the occasion of Jerusalem Day, an annual event in support of the Palestinian population.
International
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.
During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.
“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.
“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”
Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.
On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.
International
Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition
he Vatican’s post offices and select collector shops began selling special edition stamps this week to mark the period between the death of Pope Francis and the election of his successor.
Known as “Sede Vacante” stamps, they feature an image used on official Vatican documents during the interregnum between popes — two crossed keys without the papal tiara. These stamps went on sale Monday and will remain valid for postal use only until the new pontiff appears at the window overlooking St. Peter’s Square.
Until then, they can be used to send letters, postcards, and parcels. “Once the new pope is elected, the stamps lose their postal validity, but their collectible value rises,” said Francesco Santarossa, who runs a collectors’ shop across from St. Peter’s Square.
The Vatican has issued the stamps in four denominations: €1.25, €1.30, €2.45, and €3.20. Each is inscribed with “Città del Vaticano” and “Sede Vacante MMXXV” — Latin for “Vacant See 2025.”
International
Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may
The conclave, which in the coming weeks must choose the successor to Pope Francis, will strictly follow a precise protocol refined over centuries.
The 135 cardinal electors, all under the age of 80, will cast their votes four times a day — except on the first day — until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority. The result will be announced to the world through the burning of the ballots with a chemical that produces the eagerly awaited white smoke, accompanied by the traditional cry of “Habemus Papam.”
The start date for the conclave could be announced today, as the cardinals are set to hold their fifth meeting since the pope’s passing. Luxembourg Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich suggested it could begin on May 5 or 6, following the traditional nine days of mourning. According to German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the conclave could last only “a few days.”
Although the late Argentine pontiff appointed the majority of the cardinal electors, this does not necessarily ensure the selection of a like-minded successor. Francis’ leadership style differed significantly from that of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, a German theologian who was less fond of large public gatherings. It also marked a contrast with the popular Polish pope, John Paul II.
The Argentine Jesuit’s reformist papacy drew strong criticism from more conservative sectors of the Church, who are hoping for a doctrinally focused shift. His tenure was marked by efforts to combat clerical sexual abuse, elevate the role of women and laypeople, and advocate for the poor and migrants, among other causes.
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition
Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may
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