International
The head of the largest unit of the Israeli Army resigns due to the failure of October 7
Commander Yossi Sariel, in charge of the intelligence unit 8200 of the Israeli Army, the largest of the armed forces, submitted his resignation this Thursday for his responsibility in the attacks of October 7, in which thousands of Palestinian militiamen led by Hamas attacked the country from Gaza and killed some 1,200 people and kidnapped another 251.
“On October 7 at 6:29 I did not fulfill the task that was expected of me, as my subordinates and commanders expected and as the citizens of the country I love so much expected of me,” begins a letter sent by Sariel to the members of unit 8200, collected by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
Take responsibility
In the letter, the commander assumes responsibility for the failure of the unit that day, assuring that he failed in the understanding that the border with Gaza “demands as a system a different risk management, based on having the minimum margin of error that exists.”
Less than a month after the anniversary of the Hamas attack, Sariel submitted his resignation in agreement “with the state of the war, with the processes of consolidation of service and building resilience in the unit, as well as after the completion of the processes of the preliminary investigation into what happened.”
Leave unit 8200
Unit 8200 is the largest information collection unit of the Military Intelligence Directorate, responsible for both creating and using tools to collect, analyze, process and share information, which makes it a spearhead in the field of cyber warfare of the Israeli armed forces.
According to a report collected by the news channel 12, the most popular Israeli network, the 8200 was in charge of designing the alert system to warn of a possible invasion of the Gaza militiamen in 2014.
Fourth senior who leaves his position
Sariel became this Thursday the fourth high-ranking official to resign from his position as a way of accounting for October 7.
Aharon Haliva, the then head of military intelligence, was the first figure of the authorities in a position of responsibility who resigned, as well as one of the few, along with the head for the southern district of Israel for the internal intelligence service -Shin Bet- and the head of the Gaza Division of the Army, General Avi Rosenfield.
Discontent among society due to the lack of performance
The lack of accountability in Israel has been a focus of discontent among society, which charges especially against the high levels of the military sector and the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who has not assumed any kind of responsibility publicly after what happened.
In October, the head of Shin Bet, Ron Bar, apologized for what happened on October 7 and assumed his responsibility, but for the moment he is still in office.
Although the Army is conducting an internal investigation into the failures that allowed the Hamas attack, there is no national commission of inquiry, which could target the Netanyahu government.
International
‘El Chapo’ Guzmán again asks Mexican president to seek his return from U.S. prison
Convicted drug trafficker Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán has once again appealed to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to intervene on his behalf and seek his transfer from the United States to Mexico, where he hopes to serve the remainder of his prison sentence.
Guzmán, the former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, is currently serving a sentence of more than 50 years in the United States after being convicted in 2019 on multiple charges, including drug trafficking and money laundering.
According to reports, the latest request was made in a letter dated June 2, one of several messages that Guzmán has reportedly sent to Sheinbaum in recent months in an effort to secure his repatriation. In the letter, he expresses hope that the Mexican government can support the efforts of his legal team.
Written in English and by hand, the letter asks that he be allowed to complete his sentence in Mexico, arguing that such a transfer would enable him to receive visits from family members more easily.
Guzmán is currently being held at the United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility in Florence, Colorado, commonly known as the “Alcatraz of the Rockies,” one of the most secure prisons in the United States.
As in previous communications, the former cartel leader complained about his prison conditions, stating that he remains in near-total isolation and has little to no contact with other inmates.
He also reiterated his long-standing claim that he did not receive a fair trial in the United States and argued that the Mexican government bears responsibility for much of the violence associated with organized crime in the country.
In the letter, Guzmán maintains that his actions were motivated by a desire to protect himself and his family amid the violence linked to criminal organizations in Mexico.
Mexican authorities have not publicly indicated whether they plan to respond to the request. Guzmán remains one of the most notorious figures in the history of international drug trafficking and is serving his sentence under some of the strictest security measures in the U.S. prison system.
Central America
U.S. Authorities Accuse Guatemalan Nationals of Using False Information to Sponsor Migrant Minors
Senior officials from the U.S. Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security announced Thursday criminal charges against three Guatemalan citizens accused of using false information to sponsor migrant children who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border without a parent or guardian.
According to an indictment filed in Ohio, Maritza Cahuec Coc allegedly submitted at least 12 sponsorship applications, several of which were filed under aliases or contained materially false statements intended to secure custody of the minors.
Under U.S. procedures, unaccompanied migrant children apprehended at the southern border are placed in the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services, which is responsible for their care until they can be released to a qualified sponsor, such as a parent or relative living in the United States.
Prosecutors allege that Cahuec Coc, who reportedly entered the United States illegally in 2018, received payments between late 2020 and 2023 for helping bring 12 migrant minors into the country. Authorities claim she submitted fraudulent documents and misleading information to obtain approval for the sponsorship requests.
The case was announced during a joint press conference led by Acting Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. However, officials provided limited details about the investigation and instead focused much of their remarks on criticizing immigration policies implemented under the previous administration.
Republican lawmakers and Trump administration officials have frequently pointed to the increase in unaccompanied migrant children arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border during President Joe Biden’s term, arguing that the government failed to adequately oversee their care and placement.
During Thursday’s briefing, A. Tysen Duva, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, alleged that Cahuec Coc used the identities of other individuals and falsely claimed family relationships in order to obtain custody of the children.
“Maritza submitted sponsorship applications using other people’s identities and falsely represented that the minors were the children of close relatives in order to secure their release,” Duva said.
The case remains under investigation, and federal authorities have not yet disclosed additional information regarding the other two Guatemalan nationals charged in connection with the alleged scheme.
International
Iván Cepeda Open to Revising Colombia’s Peace Policy Ahead of Runoff Election
Colombian presidential candidate Iván Cepeda said Thursday that he is willing to introduce “necessary changes” to the peace policy implemented by President Gustavo Petro, a strategy he helped design and promote during the current administration.
The future of Petro’s controversial “Total Peace” initiative has become one of the central issues in Colombia’s presidential runoff election, scheduled for June 21, where Cepeda will face right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella.
De la Espriella, who narrowly won the first round of voting on May 31, has campaigned on a platform of tougher security measures and a stronger crackdown on drug trafficking and armed criminal groups.
Speaking to AFP in Bogotá, Cepeda acknowledged that adjustments to the peace strategy may be required after Petro’s efforts to negotiate with armed organizations failed to produce the expected results amid a surge in violence across the country.
“We are going to make the necessary changes, of course. We will conduct an assessment,” the 63-year-old senator said during the interview, held ten days before the decisive runoff vote.
Cepeda, a philosopher and longtime human rights advocate, explained that any modifications to the policy would emerge from a broad national dialogue involving political leaders, social organizations and other sectors of Colombian society. However, he did not provide specific details about the proposed changes.
President Gustavo Petro’s “Total Peace” initiative sought to negotiate agreements with guerrilla movements, paramilitary groups and major criminal organizations, including the powerful Clan del Golfo cartel and the National Liberation Army (ELN).
The policy aimed to reduce violence through dialogue and negotiated settlements, but critics argue that it failed to significantly weaken armed groups or improve security conditions in several regions of the country.
As the runoff campaign enters its final stage, the future direction of Colombia’s security and peace policies remains one of the most closely watched issues in the election.
‘El Chapo’ Guzmán again asks Mexican president to seek his return from U.S. prison
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U.S. Authorities Accuse Guatemalan Nationals of Using False Information to Sponsor Migrant Minors
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