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US troops brace for ‘hit-and-run’ guerilla attacks as 82nd Airborne deploys to Iran, military analyst warns

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Iran could significantly increase U.S. casualties if its elite military and proxy forces shift to guerrilla-style hit-and-run attacks in the region, a leading military analyst has warned.

Michael Eisenstadt of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy spoke as the Pentagon moved elements of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division into the Middle East amid a new escalation in the conflict, according to reports.

“Iran has large infantry units in its military that are equivalent to the brigade combat team of the 82nd Airborne,” Eisenstadt, a former U.S. Army Reserve officer, told Fox News Digital.

“The 82nd Force is too small to cause significant harm to Iran, but it is large enough to be vulnerable to Iranian strikes, and this would enable Iran to significantly increase U.S. casualties,” he said.

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Eisenstadt, who has worked as a U.S. government military analyst, claimed that, even if major conventional operations begin to wind down in the Middle East region, the danger may only evolve rather than disappear.

“We could see an end to major combat operations, with activity shifting to guerrilla-style hit-and-run attacks in the Gulf and other gray-zone activities by Iran,” he said.

“Think of the aftermath of the 1991 Gulf War with Iraq, in which we had to contain the Iraqis for a decade after a very successful war.”

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Fox News chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin reported Wednesday that the U.S. has ordered the deployment of an additional 82nd Airborne forces to the region.

The contingent is expected to include Maj. Gen. Brandon R. Tegtmeier, the division commander, elements of his headquarters staff, and infantry battalions from the division’s Immediate Response Force. 

Officials also indicated that the total number of troops ultimately sent could still change.

Eisenstadt said this new deployment is intended to increase pressure on Tehran as the U.S. pushes for new ceasefire terms, set in place by President Donald Trump.

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“This deployment is intended to create leverage over Iran and pressure it to accept U.S. terms for a ceasefire agreement. It would also create military options if Iran rejects those terms,” he said.

In that scenario, he said, the 82nd could potentially operate alongside Marine expeditionary units in operations to seize and hold terrain, including Kharg Island, located roughly 20 miles off Iran’s Gulf coast.

U.S. forces struck military targets there March 13, destroying more than 90 Iranian military sites while deliberately sparing key oil infrastructure, according to multiple reports.

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“The brigade combat team of the 82nd could work with the 11th and 31st MEUs, or independently, to seize and hold terrain — such as Kharg Island,” Eisenstadt said.

“This would provide leverage over Iran by denying it the ability to export oil and helping end the war on terms favorable to the U.S.”

“There are risks involved though, because Iranian units on the mainland could bombard Kharg Island and inflict casualties on U.S. troops there also,” Eisenstadt said.

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The latest military buildup comes as the conflict that began with Operation Epic Fury on Feb. 28, has also centered on the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran restricting access.

“The 82nd deployment is intended to increase psychological pressure on Iran and support efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz so it can once again be used by all countries,” Eisenstadt explained.

The 82nd Airborne is one of the U.S. military’s premier rapid-response units, trained to parachute into hostile or contested territory to secure key ground and airfields.

Portions of the division have also spent recent days at the Joint Readiness Training Center, sharpening infiltration, surveillance, combat and resupply skills, Axios reported.

“Iranian military officials have welcomed news of the dispatch of these units to the Gulf because it potentially creates options for them to impose costs on the U.S.,” Eisenstadt said.

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Joe Flacco, 41, calls out ‘dumb’ NFL teams for not making him a starting quarterback

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Joe Flacco may be 41 years old, but he still thinks he has plenty left in the tank.

The Super Bowl XLVII champion signed a one-year deal with the Cincinnati Bengals to be Joe Burrow’s backup, but he wants much more than that.

“Not being one of those guys to go sign somewhere, yeah, it pisses me off a little bit,” Flacco said.

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He then added a parting shot at just about every team in the league.

“And believe me, I wish I was the guy somewhere, and I think teams are dumb for not having me be that guy,” he said.

Flacco started last season for the Cleveland Browns and was their Week 1 quarterback, but with two rookies in Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders in the wings, the writing was on the wall.

Cleveland traded him to Cincinnati after Burrow suffered a serious turf-toe injury, and he found some success. Flacco played well despite going 1-5 as a starter with the Bengals. He threw for at least 200 yards in four of his six starts, and the Bengals’ offense averaged more than 27 points per game.

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But with his success, despite his wishes to be a starter, it’s a good consolation prize.

“I feel like I have unfinished business. That’s part of why I’m here and still playing and doing all those things…” he said. “I had a lot of fun with Joe, and Joe’s the guy.”

Flacco, who was Super Bowl MVP with the Baltimore Ravens during the 2012 season, has played for the Broncos, Jets, Eagles, Jets again, Browns, Colts, Browns again and the Bengals.

He has thrown for 48,176 yards, 272 touchdowns and 172 interceptions in 19 seasons. He is 10-6 in the playoffs with 3,530 yards passing, 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Baggage handler slammed after viral video shows guitars violently tossed on tarmac

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A viral video showing an airport baggage handler tossing guitar cases roughly onto the tarmac at Los Angeles International Airport is sparking outrage online and larger concerns about how airlines may be handling passengers’ belongings.

The clip, reportedly filmed at Los Angeles International Airport, appears to show an airport worker roughly throwing multiple guitar cases from a luggage cart onto the ground.

College student Nick Ruiz, 21, who filmed the incident, said he spotted the scene while walking through Terminal 4 after arriving from Los Angeles, news agency Jam Press reported.

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“The whole situation felt wrong,” Ruiz told the agency.

He said he began recording his video out of concern for the instruments.

Gary Leff, a Texas-based travel expert and author of the blog “View From the Wing,” did not personally observe the incident but watched the video. He told Fox News Digital that while the video may appear shocking, this type of handling is not uncommon, in his experience.

“Airlines usually say behavior like this is unacceptable when a video comes out, but it’s actually fairly standard,” Leff said, expressing his point of view.

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He noted that checked baggage, even when labeled “fragile,” is not always treated with the extra care some might expect.

“Bags are designed to protect their contents,” he said, adding that flight passengers should avoid checking high-value or delicate items whenever possible.

“Probably the number-one photo I see most often [on] social media about airlines is damaged bags,” he said.

The video quickly gained traction on social media, with many viewers criticizing what they described as careless handling of expensive equipment.

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“Absolutely disgraceful,” one user wrote on TikTok.

“It’s the fact that it takes the same amount of effort or less to place them down calmly,” another user wrote. 

Many commenters shared similar frustrations, highlighting both the financial loss and emotional impact.

“That’s easily $3,000 of equipment, by the way,” a commenter wrote.

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“As a musician, this breaks my heart,” another user noted.

Others said the clip helps explain why luggage and fragile items often arrive damaged after flights.

Airlines are required to accommodate musical instruments either as checked baggage or carry-on items, depending on size and space availability, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

For larger instruments that cannot fit in overhead bins, some airlines allow passengers to purchase an additional seat to keep the item with them in the cabin.

The department recommends that travelers who check their instrument mark the case as “fragile” even if in an instrument-shaped case.

Fox News Digital reached out to Los Angeles International Airport for comment.

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California Dems unleashed pressure campaign against USC prior to debate cancellation

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Top Democrats in the California state legislature pressured the University of Southern California (USC) to cancel its planned gubernatorial debate after its framework for who got to participate included five White candidates, but disqualified four minorities who were not polling or fundraising as well per the university. 

The “data-driven” candidate viability framework produced a lineup of Republicans Chad Bianco and Steve Hilton, as well as Democrats Tom Steyer, Matt Mahan, Katie Porter, Eric Swalwell – all White candidates. The same criteria, developed by a USC professor and defended by the university, ended up axing Xavier Becerra, Antonio Villaraigosa, Betty Yee and Tony Thurman, all Democratic Party minority candidates, due to lower polling and fundraising scores, they said. 

After news of who made the candidate pool and who did not, the excluded candidates expressed outrage over what they claimed was a racist candidate viability system created by USC that targeted people based on their race. 

One candidate, former Health and Human Services Secretary Becerra, even likened it to when his father used to talk about “the days when he would encounter signs posted outside establishments that read ‘No Dogs, Negroes or Mexicans Allowed.’”

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Among those expressing outrage besides the candidates themselves were California state Senate President pro Tempore Monique Limon, Speaker of the California State Assembly Robert Rivas, and a handful of other Democratic Party members within the state legislature who called the decision-making framework “biased” in a letter they signed that also included concerns about one of the selected candidate’s donor ties to the university. They also referred to candidate’s complaints, such as from Becerra, as “valid.” 

“If USC does not do the right thing, we call on California voters to boycott this debate. If the university will not give voters a fair shot at evaluating everyone running for governor, voters should find other ways to learn about the candidates,” stated the letter, which included letterhead with the logos of about half-a-dozen Democratic Party caucuses in California. 

“We are asking you, President Kim, to exercise the leadership this moment calls for: expand the debate stage, and trust California’s voters to make up their own minds.”

Meanwhile, in an announcement less than 24-hours ahead of the scheduled debate, USC said that KABC, the Los Angeles television station broadcasting the debate, could not come to an agreement to allow more candidates and, as a result, decided to cancel the debate.

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“If you run anything in California, the legislature is very important to you and at the top of the letter, the top signatories to this letter, Robert Rivas, who is the Speaker of the Assembly, and Monique Limon, who’s the head of the Senate, the State Senate and the State Assembly. And that came very late on Monday. They sent this letter to USC. Then what happened? 

“As we understand it – they’ve been pretty open about it – they get this letter from the legislature, they think, ‘Oh, sh–t, we better do something. This is now a real threat. This isn’t just the candidates complaining. This is the legislature, which, you know, regulates and affects everything we do,'” Hilton, one of the GOP frontrunners in California’s gubernatorial race, said about the situation.

“USC apparently went to ABC, the media partner who’s going to broadcast the debate, and said, ‘We want to expand it and put these people back in,’ and USC said, ‘No, I’m sorry. ABC said no.’ Then, that midnight, on Monday night, they put out that statement saying, ‘Okay, then we’ll cancel it.'” 

Reporting from Cal Matters, a local California publication covering state politics, indicated that, directly and indirectly, Porter, Steyer and Swalwell have suggested Mahan, a tech entrepreneur and former Mayor of San Jose, was invited to the now-canceled debate despite poor performance data. 

In the lawmakers’ letter requesting the event allow more candidates or be canceled, addressed to USC’s President Beong-Soo Kim, an unnamed candidate with “notable ties to USC’s donor community” was also alluded to as part of the complaints about the debate. When Rivas’ staff was asked for clarification on whom the letter was referring to, they eventually confirmed it was Mahan.

A party-sponsored poll from Democratic State Chairman Rusty Hicks showed Mahan behind Becerra, but had all other candidates that USC selected ahead of those who did not make it. Two Republicans, Hilton and Bianco, are still leading the field at 16% and 14% respectively. Meanwhile, Porter, Swalwell and Steyer are tied at 10% and every other Democrat is still in the low single digits. Twenty-four percent remain undecided.

Neither Rivas nor Limon provided on-the-record comments to Fox News Digital for this story prior to publication.

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