Zeph C.’s Post

Read The New York Times Oct. 24 lead article "Iran Preparing for War With Israel, but Hoping to Avert It", subtitled "Tehran has several plans for responding to a threatened retaliatory strike by Israel, depending on its severity, and might also do nothing, insiders say" by Farnaz Fassihi (https://lnkd.in/eQ9GMtyw). From this article we learn that Iran might be willing to forego an additional strike against Israel, if Israel's retaliation for Iran's Oct. 1 181-ballistic missile attack against Tel Aviv and its environs will be limited in scope. If not limited in scope, Iran is threatening a third attack against Israel, but this time with 1,000 ballistic missiles. In parallel, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard head Hossein Salami is busy telling the world that the American THAAD anti-missile system, recently deployed in Israel to supplement Israel's own Arrow system, will prove ineffective against Iran's next launch, and that the next launch will destroy Israel (https://lnkd.in/e5SbdGBV). Salami's threats amount to baloney. Israel abhors threats of annihilation, and although delayed by the Israeli air force's current round-the-clock preoccupation with defanging Hezbollah, retaliation of a kind Salami cannot begin to imagine is on its way, and when it does come, Iran will no longer be able to mount such a strike. That's a promise, and unlike Salami, I'm not bluffing. Enough said.

BREAKING: Iran Rains Multiple Missiles On Israeli Cities The conflict in the Middle East worsened on Tuesday as Iran launched hundreds of ballistic missiles into several parts of Israel, including its state capital Tel Aviv. Reports indicates that while some of the missiles were intercepted by the Iron Dome, many others landed, including in densely populated areas. “A short while ago, missiles were launched from Iran to Israel,” the Israeli military confirmed in a statement. Air raid sirens were activated across the country, including in major cities like Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Loud explosions were heard in Tel Aviv, while Israel’s air defense systems intercepted many of the incoming missiles, lighting up the sky. The missile attack was in retaliation to the assassinations of Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, Hamas’s political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, and an Iranian commander, according to a statement from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps. Iran warned that further missile strikes would follow if their country were attacked. The missile barrage occurred just one day after Israeli forces launched a rare ground invasion of southern Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah, a militia backed by Iran. Hezbollah, which has been engaged in an armed conflict with Israel for decades, responded with missile strikes on Israeli targets, including the Glilot base near Tel Aviv, home to the headquarters of Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency. U.S. officials have expressed strong support for Israel in the face of the attack. A senior White House official warned that any direct attack on Israel would bring “severe consequences for Iran.” President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris held urgent meetings with national security officials on Tuesday to discuss plans to assist Israel and protect American personnel in the region. The U.S. has also begun mobilising additional military forces to the Middle East, with thousands of troops being sent to bolster the 40,000 already stationed in the region. The situation has remained volatile, with both Iran and Israel continuing to exchange threats. The Israeli military has called up additional reserve brigades to strengthen its northern border and is conducting airstrikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, further heightening the risk of a broader regional conflict. Recall that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was last weekend killed in a targeted Israeli strike which sparked global reactions amid threat of retaliatory attack by Iran. WhatsApp Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn Reddit The post BREAKING: Iran Rains Multiple Missiles On Israeli Cities appeared first on Akelicious.

MY UKRAINIAN CHRONICLE - WAR YEAR 3 8.7.2024 This morning Russia launched its latest big air raid against multiple Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih and Kharkiv. Russia launched 38 missiles, of which 30 were shot down. At least 28 people were killed, 112 wounded. The timing (Monday morning), the choice of weapons (Russia’s most modern ballistic, hypersonic and cruise missiles), and the targeting (crowded places relatively unprotected by air defence) suggest that the aim was to “shock and awe”, i.e. terrorise Ukraine’s population and decision makers – again. Of course, Russian officials stated that the missiles attacked military industry facilities and air for bases: >> On 8 July, the Russian Defence Ministry reported that the Russian armed forces delivered a group strike on Ukrainian military industry facilities and Ukrainian air force bases.  The Russian military denied Kyiv’s statements on the allegedly deliberate Russian missile strike on civilian facilities. The Russian Defence Ministry also claimed that the cause of the destruction in Kyiv was a fallen Ukrainian air defence missile. Izvestia, Kommersant << Russian propaganda has tried to spin these attacks as targeting Patriot missiles, the stock of a weapons factory, armed forces HQ, a railway depot, the Zhulyany airport, etc. etc. The good old Russian disinformation tactics: launch as many contradictory theories as possible to confuse the enemy (similar to their MH-17 approach).   In Kyiv Ukraine’s biggest children’s hospital and residential buildings were hit and severely damaged, at least 22 people were killed and 82 wounded. Falling debris damaged buildings in 6 districts. Videos show that the Kh-101 cruise missile hitting the children’s hospital was not damaged by Ukraine’s air defence and clearly targeted the hospital. In Kryvyi Rih the administrative building of a mining plant was hit, at least 10 people were killed and 47 wounded. At least 12 people were wounded and 1 killed in Dnipro when Russia hit a high-riser and an industrial facility. In coal-mining town Pokrovsk near the frontline in Donetsk region at least 3 people were killed when Russia attack an enterprise.   Just hours before the start of the NATO Summit in Washington, this air raid was probably designed to send a clear signal. The only question is how this signal will be interpreted and which reaction will it cause. India’s Prime Minister Modi is now in Moscow, the Indian Embassy in Kyiv refused to give any comments on Russia’s air raids.   Over the weekend Ukrainian drones set two oil depots in Russia’s Krasnodar region on fire as well as an ammunition depot in Voronezh region... Full news summary attached

#Ukraine / #Russia - War Update - Reuters News Agency article: "Russia says US is responsible for deadly Ukrainian attack on Crimea" - excerpts follow: Russia said on Sunday that the United States was responsible for a Ukrainian attack on the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula with five U.S.-supplied missiles that killed four people, including two children, and injured 151 more. The Russian Defence Ministry said four of the U.S.-delivered Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles, equipped with cluster warheads, were shot down by air defence systems and the ammunition of a fifth had detonated in mid-air. Footage on Russian state television showed people running from a beach and some people being carried off on sun loungers. Russian-installed authorities in Crimea said missile fragments had fallen just after noon near a beach on the north side of the city of Sevastopol where locals were on holiday. The incident generated a furious reaction among Russian public figures. The Defense ministry said U.S. specialists had set the missiles' flight coordinates on the basis of information from U.S. spy satellites, meaning Washington was directly responsible. "Responsibility for the deliberate missile attack on the civilians of Sevastopol is borne above all by Washington, which supplied these weapons to Ukraine, and by the Kyiv regime, from whose territory this strike was carried out," the ministry said. Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and now views the Black Sea peninsula it as an integral part of its territory, though most of the world considers it still part of Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, in what he cast as a defensive move against a hostile and aggressive West. Ukraine and the West say Russia is waging an imperial-style war. The United States began supplying Ukraine with longer range ATACMS missiles, which have a 300-kilometre (186-mile) range, earlier this year. Reuters was unable to immediately verify battlefield reports from either side. Story continues, for full report: https://lnkd.in/gmbxYKWB

Russia developing echeloned system for air and missile defense — expert Alexander Stepanov pointed out that "this also applies to intermediate-range high-precision systems such as the Tomahawk and other weapons that NATO countries may provide to Ukraine" MOSCOW, November 27/ Moscow is taking all necessary measures to establish an echeloned system of air and missile defenses to ensure the interception of US-made ATACMS and other missiles, Alexander Stepanov, program director of the Academy of Political Sciences and senior researcher at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Latin American Studies, told TASS. "As for the capacity of our air and missile defenses in relation to high-precision weapons, namely ATACMS missiles, the methods are well-established, but it depends on specific factors in different areas. The reason is that, as we know, they target not only, or even primarily, military facilities, but also attempt to strike residential buildings and civilian infrastructure. That said, every effort is being made to establish an echeloned air and missile defense system capable of ensuring the interception of ATACMS missiles and all other weapons," he noted. Stepanov pointed out that "this also applies to intermediate-range high-precision systems such as the Tomahawk and other weapons that NATO countries may provide to Ukraine." The expert also emphasized that there are no restrictions on Russia’s use of weapons like the Oreshnik missile system in response to Kiev’s strikes inside Russian territory. "Especially considering that the Kiev regime is using terrorist tactics against Russian regions and civilians," Stepanov specified. He stressed that Russia is essentially fighting "against international terrorism that NATO nations are actively supporting and equipping with high-precision weapons." "Reports of high-precision strikes on civilian targets are the clearest evidence of this. We all remember the ATACMS strike on a peaceful beach, which resulted in civilian fatalities, particularly among children," the analyst added. (Part One, Continued in Part Two in the next post) #business #finance #financialservices

Middle East 🚨 ⚠ #Tehran has threatened to target U.S.-aligned Middle Eastern countries, including #Jordan, #UAE, #SaudiArabia, and #Qatar, if they allow #Israel to use their military bases or airspace for retaliatory strikes against #Iran. ⚠ Iran may target critical #oil infrastructure and military facilities in these #Gulf states, posing significant risks to regional stability and #energy #security. ⚠ Concerned about their vulnerability, these countries have informed the U.S. that they do not wish to be involved in any offensive operations against Iran. ⚠ U.S. has increased its military presence in the region, including additional warplanes and extending the deployment of the Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group, to address the escalating situation. ⚠ If Israel attacks Iranian oil infrastructure, Iran could retaliate against Gulf states, especially if Tehran believes U.S. or regional support facilitated the attack. https://lnkd.in/eTPNBxbu

Houthis prove to have serious military muscle, forcing US to deploy B-2 stealth bombers. World War III Middle East front (Part 2 of 2) The United States has recently deployed B-2 Spirit stealth bombers to target Houthi assets in Yemen. This deployment of advanced stealth aircraft may serve as an attempt to divert attention from the US military’s inability to halt Houthi attacks on shipping lanes in the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea. In the early hours of 17 October, the US Air Force carried out at least 15 violent strikes on Yemen's Sanaa and Saada using long-range B2 stealth bombers for the first time. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said the US targeted five underground weapons storage facilities. A Yemeni military source told Al Mayadeen that the attacks did not target weapons depots, saying the strikes "came after a painful blow received by the American enemy in the Red Sea after its commercial ships were targeted with missiles and drones that hit their targets accurately." The B-2 bomber, one of Washington’s most expensive weapons, is capable of carrying the 14,000 kg GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator, a powerful bunker-buster bomb. As Houthi attacks on Israeli-linked cargo vessels continue unabated, it appears that the US has lost faith in the prospect of a "small victorious war," which they may have counted on in January 2024. The recent US strike targeted five alleged underground weapons storage sites and may also be intended to send a message to key players in the Middle East. The Pentagon's statement on the attack references the Houthis’ alleged ties to Iran, suggesting that the operation serves as a not-so-subtly veiled threat to Tehran in light of its recent attack on Israel. The US-led effort to bring the Houthis to heel using a motley naval coalition has proven inadequate in less than a year, raising questions about the credibility of the US’s military superiority claims. #geostrategy #geopolitics #beirut #economy #nuclear #missile #energy #ballistics #worldaftercovid19 #postpandemic #newcoldwar #coldwar #crisis #dedollarization #hybridwar #war #recession #deindustrialization #WWIII #middleeast #iran #tehran

„To win a long-term, intensive multifront war, Israel would have to increase defense budgets; open new production lines for munitions; harden its critical national infrastructure, such as energy and communication; and expand the IDF’s pool of recruitment to additional parts of Israeli society. Most critically, however, it will have to resolve the country’s political crisis, which has undermined its resilience, encouraged its enemies, and prevented Israel from developing the broader strategy it needs. The war’s most vital front is the eighth one: the home front. Israel’s national security begins at home, and until the government can pull its divided house together and restore Israeli unity, it will be impossible to restore security and peace in Israel and in the region.“ #israel #nationalsecurity

#Israel’s #air #offensive involved over 100 #fighterjets, executing three waves of #attacks aimed at specific #Iranian #military sites. The first wave focused on disabling Iranian #DefenseSystems, while subsequent waves targeted #missile and #drone bases, which #Iran has allegedly used to support regional allies. According to Hagari, these strikes were a necessary response to Iran’s “relentless attacks” on #Israel. https://lnkd.in/gN9md3vy