Biden Is Pushing Israel Towards Larger War
After being hit by some 200 Iranian missiles Israel has not yet dared to response to to the strike. It instead has launched new air attacks into the center of Beirut and its southern area known as Dahiyeh (which simply means suburb) with its predominantly Shia population.
Israel seems to have forgotten what attacks on Dahiyeh mean:
Hizbullah asserts that it has established a new deterrence equation: an Israeli attack on the al-Dahieh neighborhood in Beirut will be met with a retaliatory strike on Tel Aviv.
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According to Hizbullah, the new equation established by Hassan Nasrallah is that any attack on Tel Aviv will be the response to Israeli actions taken in the al-Dahieh district in Beirut.
Hizbullah's new leadership will certainly adhere to that doctrine.
That Hizbullah has not been degraded by Israel's strikes at is leadership could be seen by yesterday's incursion attempts by the Israeli army into south Lebanon. Its special forces was immediately ambushed by Hizbullah forces. Eight of its soldiers were killed and many more wounded. Additional casualties were reported today.
Israel is now tempted to risk an all out war with Iran. There is little chance that such a war would achieve anything but an all out war in the Middle East, a rapid increase in oil prices and a severe hit on the Democratic chances in the ongoing election campaign.
Iran, who's ballistic missiles had no problems in passing Israels air defenses, has threatened an all out attack on Israel's infrastructure - electricity and gas installations as well as harbors - should Israel attempt to take revenge against Iran.
U.S. media still spreading the myth that the Biden administration is trying to hold back Israel.
The Washington Post for example headlines:
Biden works to limit conflict as Mideast edges closer to all-out war
However the piece admits that some views disagree strongly with its headline:
Cont. reading: Biden Is Pushing Israel Towards Larger War
Iran Attacked Israel Only After U.S. Rejected Its Moderate Stance
Yesterday a massive barrage of Iranian ballistic missiles hit Israel. It came after months of serious Iranian efforts (vid) to achieve better relations with the U.S. had failed. Israel had managed to sabotage those efforts to the detriment of its U.S. ally.
To understand what has happened - and, more importantly, why this attack was launched today - we need to look back.
On May 20 2024 then President of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, died in a helicopter accident.
New elections were held in Iran and, to the astonishment of many, Masoud Pezeshkian, a moderate, won with a decent majority. Pezeshkian is a specialist in cardiac surgery with no experience in foreign policy. He had campaigned on reconnecting with the 'West', the lifting of sanctions on Iran and a generally more liberal policy.
On July 30:
Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, was assassinated along with his personal bodyguard in the Iranian capital Tehran by an apparent Israeli attack. Haniyeh was killed in his accommodation in a military-run guesthouse after attending the inauguration ceremony for Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian.
The assassination of Haniyeh was a major offense against the sovereignty of the the Islamic Republic of Iran. It also was a personal offense against Masoud Pezeshkian's presidency.
The Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Khomeini and the leadership of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC) wooed to retaliate for the strike. But the new president still argued to not retaliate but to seek accommodation through negotiations. He, at that time, still hoped that the U.S. would arrange for a ceasefire in Gaza and wanted to avoid that Iran would be blamed for a failure of those negotiations.
President Pezeshkian continued his moderate course. On September 23, during a his participation in the UN General Assembly in New York, he again put out feelers towards a new accommodation with the U.S. over Iran's nuclear program:
Cont. reading: Iran Attacked Israel Only After U.S. Rejected Its Moderate Stance
Israel - Invading Lebanon To Prolong And Expand Its Supremacists War
Is it a trap?
That is the question the Zionists should ask themselves. To me the answer seems to be 'Yes!'
The Zionist entity is invading Lebanon - again. All earlier such invasions have ended in failure. Zionist troops had to retreat under fire. The current invasion is unlikely to see a better fate.
The Izzies, and their U.S. sponsors, are delirious over their perceived success in killing a number of Hizbullah officials including its leader, Sayed Hassan Nasrallah.
Don't they understand that Hizbullah has explicitly been built in ways that allow it to sustain such losses? All the murdered officials have already been replaced. If these new ones get killed their replacements are ready.
Before last week the war between the resistance was restricted to an (unequal) exchange of missiles. Israel fired many more than the resistance but not to more effect. The nature of that slow walking war of attrition will now change.
An Israeli ground invasion is exactly what Hizbullah has prepared for. It has readied its ambush sites. Its weapons and the people need to launch them are down in their well prepared bunkers.
The invading forces will be subjected to all kind of surprises. The ground troops are expected to proceed only after heavy preparatory bombing. But the mountainous grounds will allow the defenders to survive the bombing and to attack when and where they are least suspected. I do expect heavy military casualties but mostly on the attacker's side.
This war will likely go on for several months. It could easily extend into a years long and much larger conflict.
The Biden administrations is in full support of the invasion. It may even have urged Netanyahoo to proceed with it:
Cont. reading: Israel - Invading Lebanon To Prolong And Expand Its Supremacists War
U.S. Government Media Debunks Ukrainian Propaganda Claim
This is curious.
Ukraine’s defence forces hit a Russian depot used to store and upgrade missile and artillery weaponry near the village of Kotluban in Russia’s Volgograd Oblast on the night of 28-29 September.Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook
Quote: "According to the available information, a train carrying Iranian missiles had arrived at the arsenal the day before the strike. The military facility was heavily protected by electronic warfare and air defence systems, but our units successfully accomplished the combat objective. A fire is raging and ammunition is exploding on the arsenal's premises."
Details: The operation was reportedly carried out by the Unmanned Systems Forces in cooperation with units of the Special Operations Forces, Defence Intelligence, and the Security Service of Ukraine.
The General Staff said the defence forces continue to weaken Russia’s military capabilities.
(((Tendar))) @Tendar - 8:11 UTC · Sep 29, 2024Overnight, special forces of the Ukrainian army struck the Russian ammunition depot of Kotluban, Volgograd region. Iranian ballistic missile parts and launchers were stored at the site, according to Andriy Kovalenko.
Pictures from locals and the NASA FIRMS map confirm that a fire is ongoing at this site.
Like all GRAU Arsenal site, Kotluban' is located along main rail line. You will see increasingly those rail lines (yellow) marked on my maps.
4 Images
A few hours later:
Cont. reading: U.S. Government Media Debunks Ukrainian Propaganda Claim
Palestine Open Thread 2024-233
News & views related to the war in Palestine ...
Ukraine Open Thread 2024-232
News & views related to the war in Ukraine ...
The MoA Week In Review - OT 2024-231
Last week's posts on Moon of Alabama:
Palestine:
- Sep 23 - The War About Palestine Has Reached Its Next Stage
- Sep 28 - Bombing A Way To Peace?
Related:
- Hezbollah Statement on Death of Hassan Nasrallah - Translation and Overview - Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi
- Israel decided to kill Nasrallah after he refused to separate Lebanon from Gaza, officials say - NBC
- Hasan Nasrallah died on the road to liberate Palestine - Ali Abunimah / Electronic Intifada
- Nasrallah's Death Mourned by Lebanese Christian Leaders: 'Legend Is Born' - Newsweek
- As Israel Widens War, Gallant Triumphs Over Netanyahu in Their In-house Battle (archived) - Haaretz
- Is Lebanon part of Israel’s promised territory? (archived) - Jerusalem Post
Ukraine:
- Sep 27 - Zelenski's U.S. Trip Ends In Failure
Related:
- Zelensky’s Trump meeting reveals futility of ‘victory plan’ - Anatol Lieven / Unherd
- The fog of war is lifting in Ukraine - Indian Punchline
- A River Runs Through the End of the NATO-Russia Ukrainian War - Gordon Hahn
Empire:
- Sep 25 - How Political Corruption Allows Antony Blinken To Break The Law
Related:
- When odious foreign policy elites rally around Harris - Responsible Statecraft
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Other issues:
Cont. reading: The MoA Week In Review - OT 2024-231
Bombing A Way To Peace?
During the last night the Zionist entity bombed the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, using more than 85 tons of U.S. supplied ammunition.
Several large apartment blocks were destroyed.
The Zionist army claims to have given warning to the inhabitants to evacuate. But the 'warning' in form of an 'order to evacuate' came only through its army radio, at 11 pm local time and minutes before the bombers arrived.
There will be hundreds of innocent deaths from this night's campaign alone.
It is now claimed that Sayed Hassan Nasrallah, the General Secretary of the Hizbullah movement, has died in the attack.
There is however no confirmation for this.
In 2006 Israel had also claimed to have killed Sayed Nasrallah after attacking Hizbullah's main office and building. Three days later Nasrallah appeared on live-TV to announce an open war against the enemy.
It has been clear that the Zionist plan is to decapitate Hizbullah:
Cont. reading: Bombing A Way To Peace?
Zelenski's U.S. Trip Ends In Failure
The (former) Ukrainian president Vladimir Zelinski has failed. During his current travel in the U.S. his 'victory plan', a wishlist designed to drag the U.S. and NATO deeper into the war, did not gain support.
Even his most urgent request, to allow Ukraine to use supplied long range missiles for long-range strikes within Russia, has been rejected.
To justify its decision the Biden administration even 'leaked' an intelligence assessment which warned of allowing such:
Intelligence agencies concluded that granting Ukraine’s request to use Western missiles against targets deep in Russia could prompt forceful retaliation while not fundamentally changing the course of the war.
A promise of another US$8 billion gift in military supplies was offered as a consolation gift. But the package does not include what the Ukrainian military needs or wants:
Cont. reading: Zelenski's U.S. Trip Ends In Failure
Palestine Open Thread 2024-230
News & views related to the war in Palestine ...