Los Angeles taxpayers to foot millions for 'peaceful' anti-ICE protests

The violent and destructive Los Angeles anti-ICE protests cost taxpayers $32 million, according to a report by the city budget chief.

Controller Kenneth Mejia posted the figures on X, detailing what the money from local taxpayers will be funding. City taxpayers are on the hook for emergency services, cleanup and public property damage, all stemming from the protests that turned into riots, according to Mejia's post.

More than $29 million, or 92% of the cost, is for the Los Angeles Police Department's response. Part of these funds will also cover the cost of the citywide tactical alerts.

LA ANTI-ICE RIOTERS FACE NEW CHARGES AS VIOLENCE RAGES

A little more than $1 million will go to the city’s efforts to clean up the city and repair damage to public property, according to Mejia's post.

The rest of the money will be distributed to various departments, such as the Los Angeles Fire Department, the city's street services, general services, tourism and others.

Mejia noted the funding did not factor in potential lawsuits that could arise from the unrest.

FBI WILL INVESTIGATE 'ANY EVIDENCE OF A CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY' IN LA RIOTS

The protests, described as "peaceful" by Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and the liberal media, saw demonstrators violently clash with the LAPD over multiple days, prompting President Donald Trump to deploy both the National Guard and active-duty military personnel.

The protests have led to several arrests, including Grzegorz Vandenberg, 48. He was charged with buying fireworks with the intent to harm law enforcement and government officials during the protests, according to the Department of Justice.

While at a store, federal authorities allege, he told employees he previously served in the military’s special forces and claimed he could make pipe bombs before revealing he was planning to travel to Los Angeles to kill law enforcement officers and government officials in the anti-ICE riots.

FEDERAL AGENTS THWART MAN'S EXPLOSIVE ALLEGED PLOT AGAINST OFFICERS DURING LA RIOTS

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert G. Luna announced that nearly a dozen deputies were injured during the ongoing riots after protesters launched rocks, Molotov cocktails and "high-grade pyrotechnics" at them.

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Since June 7, the LAPD has made over 500 arrests related to protests, according to the LAPD.

Mejia's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

Fox News' Christina Coleman, Julia Bonavita and Stepheny Price contributed to this story.

Israel says it killed Iranian commander who helped fund, arm Hamas

The Israel Defense Forces on Saturday said it had killed an Iranian commander who for years helped arm and fund Hamas on behalf of the regime. 

Saeed Izadi, commander of the Palestine Corps in the Quds Force, was killed early Saturday during an Israeli strike in the city of Qom. 

Izadi was also "one of the orchestrators" of the Oct. 7, 2023, unprovoked Hamas attack on Israel, according to BBC News. 

"The blood of thousands of Israelis is on his hands," IDF chief Eyal Zamir said in a statement, calling it a "tremendous intelligence and operational achievement."

ISRAEL SAYS IT KILLED IRAN'S 'SENIOR-MOST MILITARY OFFICIAL'

Following the killing of Mohammed Sinwar, the head of Hamas’ armed wing, at a hospital in Gaza in May, a joint operation between the IDF and the Israel Security Agency (ISA) discovered an underground command center underneath the hospital.

Israeli troops found documents in the command center revealing that Hamas’ military wing had maintained contact with Izadi in recent months, including Sinwar. 

Correspondence between Sinwar and Izadi planning an operation in which Izadi would arm Hamas with $21 million in weapons followed by an additional $25 million in weapons was found in the command center, the IDF said. 

TOP ADVISOR TO IRANIAN SUPREME LEADER KILLED IN ISRAELI STRIKES, STATE MEDIA SAYS

"Due to the intensive efforts of the Southern Command, the Intelligence Directorate and the ISA, these two projects to arm Hamas’s military wing in the Gaza Strip with advanced weapons worth tens of millions of dollars did not come to fruition," the IDF said. 

Izadi had been sanctioned by the U.S. and U.K. over his ties to the Palestinian militant faction Islamic Jihad, which also helped plan the Oct. 7 terror attacks. 

The IDF said later Saturday that it also had killed a second Iranian commander, Benham Shariyari, during a strike on his vehicle in Tehran.

Shariyari had been "responsible for all weapons transfers from the Iranian regime to its proxies across the Middle East," including missiles and rockets launched by Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis at Israel, the IDF said. 

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"Since the outbreak of the war, the IDF has been working to dismantle the military capabilities of the Hamas terrorist organization. The IDF will continue to act against any attempt by the Iranian regime to arm and fund the terrorist organizations that threaten the State of Israel and its civilians," the IDF said. "The elimination of Izadi constitutes a significant blow to the Iranian regime’s weapons supply and terror financing network."

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