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Video title: UNUSUAL MEMES COMPILATION V251 Content creator ( Youtuber ) :UnusualVideos Official YT video:

"It is the number one." Former Wales captain Sam Warburton loved playing England. The rivalry provided the Welshman with some of his highest highs, but also some of the lowest lows. It is a game that always has so much on the line. From historic wins to championship deciders and World Cup crunch matches, the fixture has produced plenty of iconic moments. Warburton, who retired in 2018, joined the Rugby Union Daily podcast to reflect on his battles with England. 2012: Wales secure rare Twickenham win Scott Williams scored a late runway try to snatch victory at Twickenham for Wales Wales have only won twice at Twickenham in the Six Nations. One of those came in February 2012, when a 23-year-old Warburton had redemption in his mind just months after being red-carded in a narrow World Cup semi-final defeat by France. "Twickenham was an amazing stadium as the Welsh would travel down and it was a phenomenal atmosphere," he tells Rugby Union Daily. "Outside the Principality, it was my favourite place to play. "Walking through the crowd is quite daunting if you're young. I just got sent off four months before at the World Cup and got recognised a lot more for that. "As I got to the door, there was a little fire escape and some England fan shouted: 'Warburton it was a red card.' That was massive motivation for me. That one little moment." Warburton produced a man-of-the-match performance in a 19-12 victory including an iconic try-saving tackle on Manu Tuilagi. "It was my first win at Twickenham and not many of the lads, as a young team, had won there," he says. "When you played at Twickenham, you got a different energy from the boys on the field." 2013: Wales deny England to clinch championship England were on a roll in 2013, and one game away from a Grand Slam as they headed to Cardiff. But Wales had recovered from an opening-weekend defeat by Ireland to retain in the hunt for the title, needing to win by seven points. "There must have been 15 people deep on either side of the bus," Warburton remembers. "The pavement on each side was like parting the red sea to get the bus up to the stadium. "The whole street continued to be flooded with fans until the Prince of Wales pub. I literally could not believe what I was seeing. This was like the whole of Wales coming to Cardiff." Warren Gatland's side were 9-3 up at half-time, before two quickfire tries from Alex Cuthbert helped secured a 30-3 victory. "All that drama and emotion - it only happens as England are coming to town," says Warburton. "You will never get that playing Ireland, France, Scotland or New Zealand." Two years later, there was more drama. Waiting for Wales to appear from the Principality Stadium dressing room, England captain Chris Robshaw stood his ground in the tunnel. Warburton respected Robshaw's decision, and said Wales would not be rushed from their pre-match routine having initially been told they had three minutes remaining. He says: "They didn't say: 'Chris Robshaw is in the tunnel, so come out.' They just said: 'Come out.' I said: 'No, we will stick to our routines.' "I thought it was good leadership by Chris Robshaw. I thought it was great. I am really glad he did that as you have to stand on your own two feet." Robshaw's side were not rattled - and avenged their defeat in 2013 by winning 21-16. Wales were beaten by South Africa in the quarter-finals of the 2015 World Cup The Six Nations is undoubtedly big. But England against Wales in a World Cup match at Twickenham is something that may never happen again. Stuart Lancaster's England were seen as favourites against an injury-hit Wales in a fixture that was regarded as 'must-win' for both sides. Wales finished the match with scrum-half Lloyd Williams on the wing. He set up a second-half Gareth Davis try, before a long-range Dan Biggar penalty sealed a famous victory. "We were dealt a lot of bad cards heading into that England game, but when you are dealt that many bad cards it almost works for you," says Warburton. "Sometimes it is easier to be the underdog. I never liked it as I wanted to be number one but I do remember thinking in 2015 that we have nothing to lose. "I didn't enjoy that as much as 2013 as we were back on the hamster wheel trying to beat Australia the next week." Australia beat both England and Wales to progress as pool winners, with England exiting their home World Cup early. 2017: One of Wales' hardest defeats Elliot Daly started against Italy in England's opening game of the Six Nations This was Warburton's last Six Nations game against England, and his fourth loss in a row against them in the competition. A 76th-minute try from Elliot Daly sealed the victory for the away side. "That was one of the hardest defeats as to lose at home to England is crushing," says Warburton. "A lot of senior players can take that on the chin - if that was a younger group it could have been quite damaging. "The lads then won the Grand Slam two years later when they came home again." Link

Gloriously high mileage Supra comes up for sale in the US. We want it… We love high mileage cars here at TG. It’s infinitely more satisfying to see a proper performance car that’s been to the moon and back rather than something that’s been wrapped in cotton wool and has only moved under its own steam for a service once a year. And so, we arrive at this particular A80 Toyota Supra. Currently for sale on US auction site Bring a Trailer, it has a cool 388,199 miles on the clock. Sheesh. And at the time of writing the bidding is up to $42,000 with a couple of days still left to run. Seems we’re not alone in loving high mileage heroes. This is a rather wonderful example of the MkIV Supra, though. It’s a hard-topped, manual gearboxed, twin-turbo car that was apparently purchased new by the late owner’s home appraisal business in Florida in 1993. It then travelled the country (what a company car) before its title was transferred from the business to the late owner in the mid-2000s. It’s now being auctioned on behalf of the owner’s estate, and we’re told the 3.0-litre 2JZ straight-six was rebuilt at around the 250,000-mile mark. It’s not exactly standard either. That engine comes with a HKS Twin Power ignition module, HKS camshaft gears, a Greddy Profec B II boost controller and an aftermarket blow-off valve and intercooler. There’s also a Greddy exhaust system, and videos on the listing prove it sounds really rather special. Now, there probably would be a little bit of work to do if you did want to take a chance on this Supra. Apparently, the power steering system leaks, the radio doesn’t work, the electric motors to move the seating position are dead and there’s a neat section of rust on the bootlid, but clearly the A80 has been a reliable tool over its working life. That leather interior is looking a little crusty now too. But who wouldn’t want what must be the highest mileage MkIV Supra around? Link

Officials said they believe the 13 orcas, whose plight had raised concern from environmental groups, were able to free themselves from the drift ice as gaps between them grew. TOKYO — A pod of killer whales that was trapped in drift ice off Japan’s northern main island of Hokkaido, prompting concern from environmental groups, has apparently safely escaped, officials said Wednesday. The killer whales, also known as orcas, were initially spotted by a local fisherman who reported them to officials in the nearby town of Rausu on the northeastern coast of Hokkaido on Tuesday morning. Town officials traveled to the coast later Tuesday and saw about a dozen whales bobbing up and down in a tiny gap surrounded by drift ice, about half a mile offshore. After analyzing drone footage filmed by a conservationist group, officials counted 13 killer whales there. The officials returned to the coast Tuesday evening and saw the pod had moved to the north, and it was gone when they returned again Wednesday morning, Rausu official Masataka Shirayanagi said. Officials said they believe the killer whales were able to free themselves from the drift ice as gaps between them grew. “We believe they were able to escape safely,” Shirayanagi said. The footage, captured by a drone flown by a conservationist group and shown on NHK national television and on social media, prompted concern in and outside Japan about the whales’ conditions and pleas for the Japanese government to help. One group submitted a request to the Defense Ministry to mobilize an ice breaker to help free them. Although the trapped whales were in Japanese waters, they were not far from an island that is disputed by Japan and Russia. Japan marked the annual Northern Territory Day on Wednesday to renew its demand for the return of the Russian-held islands. The dispute over the islands, which the former Soviet Union seized from Japan at the end of World War II, has prevented the two countries from signing a peace treaty formally ending their war hostilities. Moscow announced it was cutting off negotiations with Tokyo over Japanese sanctions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters on Wednesday that killer whales are not designated as an endangered species in Japan and that officials were monitoring the situation while Japan and Russia communicated over the issue. Link

The ruling comes after a New York jury reached a verdict last month awarding Carroll $83.3 million in damages. Former President Donald Trump; E. Jean Carroll. A federal judge on Wednesday rejected Donald Trump’s motion seeking a mistrial in the E. Jean Carroll case after a jury found last month that the former president must pay her more than $83 million. Trump’s attorneys had argued in their mistrial motion that Carroll deleted threatening messages, including death threats, which they said was cause for a mistrial. In a 30-page decision Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan said that while Carroll admitted she deleted some of the purported death threats, the details of the deletions remain unclear. He ruled that Trump’s team failed to demonstrate that any of the missing messages would have aided his defense, which would have been necessary to show that her deletions were prejudicial. Attorneys for Trump and Carroll did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday. Kaplan said that Trump's attorneys knew as far back as January 2023 that Carroll had deleted some emails, and she repeated that testimony at her first trial last year. The judge pointed out that Trump’s team never followed up on those admissions by bringing them to the court’s attention or by seeking to recover those messages. "Mr. Trump has offered no evidence that he ever even attempted to recover any of these messages through discovery or otherwise," Kaplan said. "In fact, he does not even argue that the messages in question have been permanently lost and are now unrecoverable. This failure alone was sufficient basis to deny the alternative relief he sought." “Even if it is accurate, it is far from sufficient to warrant relief,” Kaplan said in the decision. Kaplan also noted that during the trial, the jury heard testimony about "the disposal of some electronic communications," noting that both sides argued what they believed to be the significance of Carroll's actions. "The Court gave an appropriate instruction on the subject. And the jury rendered its verdict," Kaplan said. "A mistrial at this point would be a bootless exercise." Kaplan’s decision comes after he denied previous motions for a mistrial during the trial. A New York jury last month reached a verdict that awarded Carroll $83.3 million in damages. Carroll had argued that Trump defamed her. Last year, a jury found the former president liable for sexually abusing Carroll in the 1990s. Link

Two bomb explosions near candidates' offices in the Pakistani province of Balochistan killed at least 28 people and wounded dozens on the eve of general elections, officials said. The first blast killed 16 people in Pishin district, north of Quetta city. A second explosion left 12 people dead in Qila Saifullah to the east. There was no immediate claim for the attacks. The vote has been marred by violence and claims of poll-rigging. Former PM Imran Khan is barred from contesting. Police are still trying to determine the cause of the two blasts. Resource-rich Balochistan - Pakistan's largest, and poorest, province - has a history of violence. It has seen a decades-long struggle for greater autonomy by various groups, some of them armed. Islamist militants, including the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), operate along the border with Afghanistan. The bomb in Pishin, a town about 100km (62 miles) south-east of the Afghan border, went off in front of an independent candidate's party office. The provincial authorities said 25 people were also wounded. Images on social media showed cars and motorbikes blown apart by the force of the explosion. Officials told the BBC the candidate was meeting his polling agent at the time. The second blast targeted the election office of the JUI-F party. A senior police official told AFP news agency it took place in the main bazaar of Qila Saifullah, about 190km (120 miles) east of Quetta. Twenty people were wounded in the incident and the number of casualties in the two attacks could rise, officials said. There have been violent incidents in both Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces in the week before Thursday's vote, and the violence in Pishin and Qila Saifullah was not unexpected. In mid-January, Baloch Liberation Army-Azad (BLA) insurgents released a pamphlet after claiming responsibility for bombing an election training office. The pamphlet urged people to boycott the elections. Soon after, reports of hand grenade attacks on political party offices were reported from various cities in the province. Many voters in Balochistan feel neglected by the country's political parties, given the province has so few seats in parliament. They often feel candidates are foisted on them, with few if any links to Balochistan. And many feel the vote is unfair. "It is a selection," numerous people told BBC Urdu in the city of Turbat last month. Once seen as the Pakistan army's golden boy, Imran Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote widely seen as orchestrated by the armed forces Following Wednesday's attacks, the Balochistan government said Thursday's vote would proceed as planned. "Rest assured, we will not allow terrorists to undermine or sabotage this crucial democratic process," provincial information minister Jan Achakzai posted on X, formerly Twitter. More than 128 million voters are eligible to cast ballots in the election. In Pakistan's first-past-the-post system, 266 of 336 National Assembly seats are directly elected. But many people are questioning the credibility of the vote as Khan and his party, the PTI, have been sidelined. The PTI won the largest number of seats in the last general election but Khan was jailed on corruption charges last year and disqualified from running for public office. Last week he was convicted in three other cases and faces years in prison - he says all the charges are politically motivated. The authorities deny carrying out a crackdown, but many PTI leaders are behind bars, in hiding or have defected. Thousands of the party's supporters were rounded up after protests - at times violent - when Khan was taken into custody last year. Nawaz Sharif, who was ousted five years ago, is now the front-runner in Pakistan's elections PTI candidates are having to run as independents following the electoral commission's decision to strip the party of its cricket bat symbol. Electoral symbols are vital in helping voters mark their ballots in a country with high rates of illiteracy. The man tipped to win Thursday's election is three-time former PM Nawaz Sharif, who himself was behind bars at the last election. Analysts say it appears he has done a deal with the military to facilitate his return to politics. A high turnout will be key to the PTI's chances, many analysts say. How to tackle, and who to blame for, the country's economic crisis will be high in voters' minds. Results must be announced within 14 days of the election. Link

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Rejected! I don't see that the admin has put a map that was in lastmap and if the other players wanted a change, it's fine in the first minutes T/C.

Yes @Bellingham??

Manchester City's giant shadow is looming large in the rear-view mirror of their rivals as they make one of those familiar charges that turns up the psychological pressure and invariably ends in success. It is that time of the season again. It is the time when Pep Guardiola's reigning champions gather their forces for the home run and ask the searching questions of those such as Liverpool and Arsenal who hope to beat them to the big prizes. And this was the inescapable feeling once more as City recorded a ninth successive win in all competitions with a 3-1 win at Brentford, a victory achieved with much to spare despite trailing to Neal Maupay's breakaway goal until the closing seconds of the first half. City are now in second place, two points behind leaders Liverpool after their defeat at Arsenal on Sunday. One of the sub-plots of that result was that it put City's Premier League destiny back in their own hands, which is how they like it. They will go top, for a few hours at least, if they beat struggling Everton at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday lunchtime before Liverpool face Burnley at Anfield. And City still have a game in hand. Liverpool and Arsenal, both top-class sides having outstanding campaigns, will have a huge say in the closing months of this season but plenty will feel they have seen this movie before and on most occasions it has a happy ending for City before the credits roll. If this scoreline gives the appearance of a close game, forget it. City, perfectly understandably, were streets ahead of Brentford and it took a remarkable performance from Bees' keeper Mark Flekken to keep them out in a first half during which the reigning champions had 17 shots on goal, 10 of which were on target and mostly kept out brilliantly by the defiant Dutchman. This was until Phil Foden broke through with virtually the last kick of the half, the England star then getting deserved reward for a virtuoso display with the second senior hat-trick of his career. The pre-match talk was of Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland starting together for the first time since the opening Friday night of the season at Burnley on 11 August but it was Foden who stole the show. Foden was the catalyst for all of City's best work, creative on the ball and providing three smooth finishes, ample compensation for main marksman Haaland not getting on the scoresheet as he works his way back to full power following a foot injury. In the wider context, Foden's performance also adds to the growing body of evidence that insists he simply has to start for England at Euro 2024, especially in view of Marcus Rashford's problems on and off the field this season. If the choice was made now, there would be no choice. City's seasons invariably follow a pattern and one is emerging here, confirmed with this run of wins to move back towards familiar territory at the top of the table. It could be argued there have been spells when they have not been at their best this season but here we are again. Last season they were top of the table with 48 points from 22 games, level on points with Arsenal, before they ground down the Gunners inexorably and hauled them in to win the title. They are one point ahead of that tally at the same stage this time round. It is around now that City, like a thoroughbred timing its run to perfection under Guardiola's guiding hand, move to a different level. It looks like it is happening again. City, like all great sides, have strength of character as well as quality and this was the fourth Premier League game in succession where they have gone behind away from home but turned the game around to win. If there is an area of concern for Guardiola and City, it is that they have only kept one clean sheet in their last 12 Premier League games while their tally of just five shut-outs in 22 games is their lowest since 2016-17. This is not ideal but it is a problem more easily solved when you have the array of creative riches Guardiola has at his disposal. There is long way to go in the Premier League before the title is decided. Liverpool and Arsenal have shown enough to suggest they can go all the way to the finishing line and push Guardiola's team to the limit - but City's growing confidence, authority and track record means they will face a mammoth task to deny a side who have gone over this course and distance with such success in recent years. Link

Limited-run Avant enjoys trick suspension and choice of wraps, but no more power. The ultimate super-wagon? If you don’t like the garish livery wrap on the new Audi RS6 Avant GT, then we’ve got bad news: you have to have it. There’s a choice – white with orange and black, grey with black or black with grey – but if you’re stumping up £176,975 for one of the 660 GTs Audi will build, then it’s got to have the wrap. What it also has is manually adjustable suspension from the excellent RS4 Competition, a 10mm ride height drop, new 22in six-spoke ‘Avus’ alloys, standard ceramic brakes, a centre and rear differential combo that’s been recoded to misbehave more of the time, and a roof spoiler inspired by 2020’s RS6 GTO concept. And because Audi doesn’t want you putting any bicycles, boxes or tents on the roof that might upset the airflow, this is the first RS6 that doesn’t have any roof rails up top. You have to be an RS6 geek to spot that. Those people will already have noticed the RS3-style vents in the front wheelarches, and the carbon fibre bonnet. This is a very mean-looking RS6. But weirdly, it isn’t any faster than the standard car. Under the bonnet, the twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 delivers exactly the same 621bhp and 590lb ft of torque you get in the regular £130,000 RS6 Performance. Now, we’re not sure anyone really needs a five-seat family hauler that can lug 500 litres of boot from 0-62mph faster than 3.3 seconds and top out at 190mph, but maybe Audi might’ve bumped the power up a bit for this special edition? Called Abt? Given MTM a tinkle? Got Litchfield on the blower? They’ll pull 750bhp out of an RS6 before breakfast. Especially when you remember that the racer which inspired the GT’s livery – the cartoonish 90 IMSA GTO from the early 1990s – churned out 710bhp from just 2.2 litres and five cylinders. And the sort of turbo you’d use to restart a dead power station. Ah well. The RS6 Performance is a mighty fine base car and the GT’s revised diffs and suspension should make it more precise in the corners. That might be why Audi has finally bolted in a supportive-looking pair of bucket seats in the cabin, though besides some ‘GT’ floormats and the number of your car written on the centre console, it’s nowhere near as extrovert as the outside. Hmm. Worth £177k? Audi’s insiders blushed and stammered when we asked them if the RS7 will get the ‘GT’ treatment before too long. Expect the special edition dressing-up box to be raided at least a couple of times before the current A6 family makes way for a new all-electric replacement later this year, previewed by a handsome concept car in 2022. 2024 is shaping up to be a strong year for Very Fast Wagons. There’ll be a revised Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo along soon, Audi’s waving off the RS6 like this, and there’s the small matter of a 700bhp+ BMW M5 Touring before the year is out. Link

Connie the Container Dog was trapped in a shipping container for more than a week before a group of Coast Guard inspectors found and freed her. One lucky pup's life was likely saved last week when a group of Coast Guard inspectors found her trapped in a shipping container at a Texas port. The dog, who has since been named Connie the Container Dog, was trapped in a shipping container over a week before marine science technicians Bryan Wainscott, Lucas Loe, Ryan McMahon and Jose Reyes found her Wednesday at Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston, Coast Guard Heartland said on Facebook. Connie the dog after she was found Wednesday in a shipping container. The marine inspectors were randomly selecting containers to be inspected when they heard barking and scratching from one of the containers in a stack, USCG Heartland said. The container was stacked about 25 feet in the air and had to be lowered by crane. "When they lowered the container and opened the door, a dog popped out!" according to USCG Heartland. USCG Heartland said the "sweet girl" was "tired, hungry, and very happy to see her rescuers." Video posted to Facebook by USCG Heartland showed Connie wagging her tail, sniffing around and drinking water given to her when she was finally freed. Coast Guard officials determined Connie had been trapped for at least eight days with no food or water. She was dirty and skinny when she was freed. Officials said they aren't sure where the container came from, but it was filled with junked vehicles, most likely on their way to be sold for parts overseas. Based on that, Chief Petty Officer Corinne Zilnicki said, Connie was most likely in a car at a junkyard when she was accidentally trapped in the container. If that was the case, McMahon said, it would have most likely been another week before Connie got where she was going by cargo ship, meaning she would have been without food for two weeks. The marine inspectors took Connie to the Pasadena Animal Shelter for care, the shelter said on Facebook. Connie the dog, who was found inside a shipping container Wednesday. Connie was then transferred to Forever Changed Animal Rescue, or FCAR, on Friday, the rescue agency said on Facebook, after its founder and veterinarian, Dr. Andrea Deoudes, saw Connie's story while scrolling Facebook. Soon after, the rescue agency said its Texas coordinator was sure it would be able to find her "the amazing home that she is so deserving of." "In just a few short hours, we experienced the joyful moment that Pasadena Animal Shelter chose us to become the rescue that gives Connie her new shot at life," the agency said on Facebook. "Without hesitation and not knowing Connie’s health, we knew that our medical fund would be well spent on her." Connie weighs 30 pounds, which is slightly underweight, FCAR said. She tested positive for heartworm, which FCAR said it was going to start treating ASAP. The rescue agency said it would also do a full examination. It added that she is "incredibly sweet but very shy and scared of her new surroundings as to be expected." "We can’t thank all of the amazing people involved in this rescue and saving Connie’s life," FCAR said. The rescue agency's Facebook post is filled with comments of users expressing interest in adopting or fostering Connie. It wasn't clear whether she has found her forever home. Link

Biden will make his most forceful condemnation yet of the Republican-controlled House’s push to bring the Mayorkas impeachment to the floor. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and Secretary of State Antony Blinken look on as President Joe Biden speaks last November in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Monday will denounce the charge to impeach Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas as an "unprecedented and unconstitutional" political attack that betrays the real challenge of securing the southern U.S. border, according to a statement of administration policy shared first with NBC News. Biden’s statement will be his most forceful condemnation of the Republican-controlled House’s push to bring the Mayorkas impeachment to the floor. The House will vote Tuesday on the impeachment resolution, according to a GOP leadership aide. The House Rules Committee is expected to meet Monday afternoon to advance the measure. “From his time in the Justice Department as a U.S. Attorney to his service as Deputy Secretary and now Secretary of Homeland Security, he has upheld the rule of law faithfully and has demonstrated a deep commitment to the values that make our Nation great,” Biden will say. “Impeaching Secretary Mayorkas would be an unprecedented and unconstitutional act of political retribution that would do nothing to solve the challenges our Nation faces in securing the border.” Republicans argue that impeachment hearings, which the House Homeland Security Committee launched last month, are needed due to record high illegal border crossings and drug trafficking across the southern U.S. border under Mayorkas, whom Biden appointed in 2021. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., tried twice last year to force an impeachment vote against Mayorkas. In a format usually reserved to announce when the president will veto a particular bill, Biden will counter that House Republicans are abusing Congress’s authority to target a Cabinet-level official for reasons beyond the scope of their authority. “The impeachment power was never intended as a device for members of an opposing political party to harass Executive Branch officials over policy disputes,” Biden states. “Impeaching Secretary Mayorkas would trivialize this solemn constitutional power and invite more partisan abuse of this authority in the future.” Slamming the impeachment case as “baseless,” Biden says his administration will continue to work with Congress to find solutions to secure the border and strengthen an immigration system burdened by a record-high number of crossings. Hard-line Republicans have balked at a newly unveiled border bill, prompting pushback from some colleagues eager to pass legislation to address the crisis. Some Republicans have countered that Mayorkas’s record does not meet the threshold for treason or high crimes and misdemeanors, which impeachment, as described by the framers, demands. Mayokras would be only the second Cabinet secretary in U.S. history to be impeached. The White House earlier advanced an argument against impeachment on constitutional grounds in a memo slamming Republicans for playing “extreme, far-right politics” that likened the push to remove Mayorkas to efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and impeach Biden. Link

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces alliance controls much of north-eastern Syria A drone attack on the largest US military base in Syria has killed at least six allied Kurdish-led fighters. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said its commando academy at the al-Omar oil field in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour was hit in the early hours of Monday. It accused Iran-backed militias of launching the drone from a nearby area controlled by Syrian government forces. An Iran-backed militia umbrella group claimed it attacked the base on Sunday. There was no comment or reports of casualties from the US military, which has about 800 troops in Syria to combat the Islamic State (IS) group. It was the second incident since the US conducted strikes against Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria over the weekend in response to a deadly drone attack on a base in Jordan. The Pentagon confirmed to the BBC that there had been a rocket attack at its Mission Support Site Euphrates in Syria on Saturday, but there were no casualties or damages in the incident. The SDF - which has controlled much of north-eastern Syria since defeating IS there in 2019, with the support of a US-led global coalition - said in a statement that six of its "commando fighters" were killed when a one-way attack drone targeted their training academy around midnight on Monday. "Iranian-backed militias used the Syrian regime-controlled areas in Deir al-Zour as a staging ground for the terrorist attack," it alleged. The SDF condemned the attack and asserted its "right to respond appropriately to the source". The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, reported that seven SDF commandos were killed and 18 injured in what it said was the 108th militia attack on US bases in the country since mid-October. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI) - an umbrella group of Iraqi militias believed to be armed, trained and funded by Iran - said it carried out a drone attack on Sunday "against the US occupation base in al-Omar oil field". The IRI has claimed many of the drone, rocket and missile attacks that have targeted US troops in Iraq, Syria and Jordan since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. It says that they are a demonstration of solidarity with the Palestinian people. The attacks include the 28 January drone strike on the Tower 22 base near Jordan's border with Syria, which killed three US soldiers. Iran denied any involvement in the attack, but the US believes it manufactured the drone and that co-ordination of the militias is overseen by its Islamic Revolution Guard Corps' (IRGC) Quds Force. On Friday, the US struck more than 85 targets across seven facilities in Iraq and Syria used by the IRGC and affiliated militias, warning that it was just the "start" of its response to the Jordan attack. The strikes in Syria killed 29 pro-Iran fighters, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. In Iraq, authorities said 16 people were killed. Amid the heightened tensions in the region, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is currently in Saudi Arabia as part of a Middle East tour, his fifth since the 7 October Hamas attacks on Israel. Mr Blinken will visit Egypt, Qatar, Israel and the West Bank later this week, pushing officials to cut a new deal to free Israeli hostages and to help prevent an escalation of the conflict. Link

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