Israel says it carried out operation against gunmen attacking Druze fighters in Syria
Syrian government security forces stand guard on their checkpoint at one of Jaramana suburb entrances, after clashes in the area between members of the minority Druze sect and pro-government fighters, in the southern suburb of Jaramana, Damascus, Syria, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
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Toronto Sun
an hour ago
- Toronto Sun
Israeli navy attacks rebel-held Yemeni port city of Hodeida
Published Jun 10, 2025 • 4 minute read This is a locator map for Yemen with its capital, Sanaa. (AP Photo) AP DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Israel's navy attacked docks in Yemen's rebel-held port city of Hodeida on Tuesday, launching its first seaborne assault against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels while warning more could come. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The attack on Hodeida likely damaged facilities that are key to aid shipments to the hungry, war-wracked nation, but also have allegedly been used for weapons smuggling as vessels reportedly bypass United Nations inspectors. Both Israel and the United States have struck ports in the area in the past — including an American attack that killed 74 people in April — but Israel is now acting alone in attacking the rebels as they continue to fire missiles at Israel over its war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned his country's 'long arm in the air and at sea will reach everywhere.' 'We warned the Houthi terror organization that if they continue to fire at Israel they will face a powerful response and enter a naval and air blockade,' he said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. But on Tuesday night, Israel's military said 'a missile launched from Yemen was most likely intercepted' as explosions could be heard in Jerusalem, likely from interceptor fire. The Houthis later claimed firing missiles at Israel and warned future attacks would come from 'different directions,' without elaborating. Israeli attack again targets Hodeida port The Israeli attack struck Hodeida, some 150 km southwest of Yemen's capital, Sanaa, on the Red Sea on Tuesday morning. The Houthis offered no immediate damage assessment and there were no videos immediately released by their al-Masirah satellite news channel. 'It has no effect even on the morale of our people, who take to the streets weekly … in support of Gaza,' wrote Nasruddin Amer, the deputy head of the Houthis' media office. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Israeli military said missile boats carried out the attack. It marked a departure for Israel, which previously relied on airstrikes to target the Houthis. Hodeida is over 1,900 km south of Israel's southern tip, requiring the Israeli military to use aerial refueling to conduct those strikes. RECOMMENDED VIDEO Israel's navy, with over 9,000 sailors, has been mainly deployed in the Mediterranean Sea since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel began the war. 'The strikes were carried out to stop the use of the port for military purposes,' the Israeli military said, without offering a damage assessment from the attack. 'The port is used to transfer weapons and is a further example of the Houthi terrorist regime's cynical exploitation of civilian infrastructure in order to advance terrorist activities.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Already, Israel has destroyed all the aircraft used by Yemen's state carrier, Yemenia, in strikes on Sanaa International Airport. Hodeida key for aid, but weapons smuggling rumors growing Hodeida is the main entry point for food and other humanitarian aid for millions of Yemenis since the war began when the Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014. A Saudi-led coalition backing Yemen's exiled government considered trying to retake Hodeida by force in 2018, but ultimately decided against it as international criticism and worries about the port being destroyed grew. A United Nations mission operates in Hodeida, while another screens ships off Djibouti. However, those inspections appear to be no longer catching all vessels heading into Hodeida. A UN experts report last year wrote about receiving a tip about vessels reaching the Hodeida area to 'unload significant quantities of military materiel.' The Houthis also are believed to use an overland route as well via the Gulf of Aden to smuggle in weapons. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Read More Iran denies directly arming the Houthis, though United Nations experts, western nations and analysts have linked weapons in the rebels' arsenal back to Tehran. The UN mission monitoring shipping into Yemen did not respond to a request for comment. Dorothy Shea, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said in a speech in May that more money needed to go to the UN mission. 'Earlier this month, UNVIM successfully interdicted four shipping containers of illicit materials bound for Houthi-controlled ports,' she said, using an acronym for the UN inspection mission. 'This interdiction clearly demonstrates the effectiveness of this mechanism. We all need to continue supporting its operations.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Houthis have been launching persistent missile and drone attacks against commercial and military ships in the region in what the group's leadership has described as an effort to end Israel's offensive in Gaza. From November 2023 until January, the Houthis targeted more than 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two of them and killing four sailors. That has greatly reduced the flow of trade through the Red Sea corridor, which typically sees $1 trillion of goods move through it annually. The Houthis paused attacks in a self-imposed ceasefire until the U.S. launched a broad assault against the rebels in mid-March. President Donald Trump paused those attacks just before his trip to the Mideast, saying the rebels had 'capitulated' to American demands. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Early Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth wrote on X that U.S. Navy ships had traveled through the Red Sea and its Bab el-Mandeb Strait 'multiple times in recent days' without facing Houthi attacks. 'These transits occurred without challenge and demonstrate the success of both Operation ROUGH RIDER and the President's Peace Through Strength agenda,' Hegseth wrote ahead of facing Congress for the first time since sharing sensitive military details of America's military campaign against the Houthis in a Signal chat. It's unclear how the Houthis will respond now that an attack has come from the sea, rather than the air, from the Israelis. Meanwhile, a wider, decade-long war in Yemen remains stalemated. — Associated Press writers Tia Goldenberg in Tel Aviv, Melanie Lidman in Jerusalem and Fatma Khaled in Cairo contributed to this report. NHL Columnists Toronto Blue Jays Toronto Maple Leafs Editorial Cartoons
Toronto Sun
3 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
At least 7 killed in attacks outside police stations in southwestern Colombia
Published Jun 10, 2025 • 1 minute read A bus that exploded next to a police station sits on a road in Villa Rica, Cauca Valley, Colombia, Tuesday, June 10, 2025. Photo by Santiago Saldarriaga / AP Photo BOGOTA — Seven people, including two police officers, were killed in Colombia on Tuesday, as rebel groups detonated bombs near police stations in the city of Cali and the neighbouring Cauca province, Colombia's National Police said in a statement. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Military and police spokespeople blamed the attacks on the FARC-EMC, a group led by former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia who broke away from the group after it signed a peace deal with the government in 2016. Authorities said the rebels placed bombs in cars and motorcycles that were parked near police stations, while also waging some attacks with gunfire and grenades. Colombia's police said there were a total of 24 attacks on Tuesday in Cali and the surrounding provinces of Cauca and Valle del Cauca, in which 28 people were also injured, including 19 civilians. Read More This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The attacks on the police stations came just days after Miguel Uribe, a conservative presidential candidate, was shot during a rally in Bogota. Authorities say they are investigating who was behind the attack on Uribe, who is in a critical condition in hospital in Bogota. Colombia's government has struggled to contain violence in urban and rural areas as several rebel groups try to take over territory abandoned by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia following its peace deal with the government. Peace talks between the FARC-EMC faction and the government broke down last year after a series of attacks on Indigenous communities. The government is holding talks with another faction of the group that is led by commander Luis Alberto Alban, known also as Marcos Calarca. RECOMMENDED VIDEO NHL Toronto Blue Jays Columnists Toronto Maple Leafs Columnists
Toronto Sun
a day ago
- Toronto Sun
‘Orgasmic meditation' wellness company leaders convicted in forced labour trial
Published Jun 09, 2025 • 3 minute read Nicole Daedone, centre, founder and former CEO of OneTaste, departs Brooklyn federal court on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, in New York City. Photo by Jeenah Moon / AP Photo NEW YORK — The leaders of a sex-focused women's wellness company that promoted 'orgasmic meditation' have been convicted of federal forced labour charges. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account A Brooklyn, N.Y., jury on Monday found Nicole Daedone, founder of OneTaste Inc., and Rachel Cherwitz, the California-based company's former sales director, guilty after deliberating for less than two days following a five-week trial. The two each face up to 20 years in prison when sentenced later. Prosecutors had argued the two women ran a years-long scheme that groomed adherents — many of them victims of sexual trauma — to do their bidding. They said Daedone, 57, of New York, and Cherwitz, 44, of California, used economic, sexual and psychological abuse, intimidation and indoctrination to force OneTaste members into sexual acts they found uncomfortable or repulsive, such as having sex with prospective investors or clients. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The two told followers the questionable acts were necessary to obtain 'freedom' and 'enlightenment' and demonstrate their commitment to the organization's principles. Prosecutors said OneTaste leaders also didn't pay promised earnings to the members-turned-workers and even forced some of them to take out new credit cards to continue taking the company's courses. Read More Assistant U.S. Attorney Nina Gupta, in her closing statement last week, said the defendants 'built a business on the backs' of victims who 'gave everything' to them, including 'their money, their time, their bodies, their dignity, and ultimately their sanity. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'The jury's verdict has unmasked Daedone and Cherwitz for who they truly are: Grifters who preyed on vulnerable victims by making empty promises of sexual empowerment and wellness only to manipulate them into performing labour and services for the defendants' benefit,' said Joseph Nocella, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. Daedone's defence team cast her as a 'ceiling-shattering feminist entrepreneur' who created a unique business around women's sexuality and empowerment. Cherwitz's lawyer, Celia Cohen, argued that the witnesses who testified weren't forced to do anything. When they didn't like the organization anymore or wanted to try other things, she said, they simply left. 'No matter what you think about OneTaste and what they were doing, they chose it. They knew what it was about,' she said in her closing statement last week. 'The fact they are regretting the actions that they took when they were younger is not evidence of a crime.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Lawyers for the defendants said their clients maintain their innocence and intend to appeal. 'We are deeply disappointed in today's verdict,' the lawyers said in a statement Monday. 'This case raised numerous novel and complex legal issues that will require review by the Second Circuit.' Daedone co-founded OneTaste in San Francisco in 2004 as a sort of self-help commune that viewed female orgasms as key to sexual and psychological wellness and interpersonal connection. A centrepiece was 'orgasmic meditation,' or 'OM,' which was carried out by men manually stimulating women in a group setting. The company enjoyed glowing media coverage in the 2010s and quickly opened outposts from Los Angeles to London. Portrayed as a cutting-edge enterprise that prioritized women's sexual pleasure, it generated revenue by providing courses, coaching, OM events, and other sexual practices for a fee. Daedone sold her stake in the company in 2017 for $12 million — a year before OneTaste's marketing and labour practices came under scrutiny. The company's current owners, who have rebranded it the Institute of OM Foundation, have said its work has been misconstrued and the charges against its former executives were unjustified. They maintain sexual consent has always been a cornerstone of the organization. The company didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Toronto Blue Jays Olympics Columnists Canada Ontario
