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Palestine Open Thread 2024-247
A relevant tweet:
Prof Francois Balloux @BallouxFrancois – 10:13 UTC · Oct 16, 2024
Healthy adults might survive 30 days without food. Children can't, and they suffer irreversible physical and mental harm after days of starvation.
This 30 day delay is compounded by the fact that no food has reached northern Gaza in October, according to the UN.
The Associated Press @AP · 20h
BREAKING: The Biden administration warns Israel it must boost humanitarian aid into Gaza within 30 days or risk weapons funding. https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-humanitarian-aid-blinken-austin..
News & views related to the war in Palestine …
Was doing research re the details re the US B2 strikes on Ansar Allah, and came across this, a resonable summary of events with embedded links, worth reading:
US long-range B-2 stealth bombers target underground bunkers of Yemen’s Houthi rebels
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. military unleashed B-2 stealth bombers to target underground bunkers used by Yemen’s Houthi rebels early Thursday, a major escalation in the American response to the rebels’ attacks on Mideast shipping lanes that appeared to be a warning to Iran as well.
While it wasn’t immediately clear how much damage the strikes caused, the attack appeared to be the first use of the B-2 in combat in years and the first time the flying wing targeted sites in Yemen.
In announcing the strikes against the Houthis, who have been attacking ships for months in the Red Sea corridor over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made a point to offer a warning likely heard in Tehran as well.
“This was a unique demonstration of the United States’ ability to target facilities that our adversaries seek to keep out of reach, no matter how deeply buried underground, hardened or fortified,” Austin said.
Iran, the Houthis’ main benefactor, has targeted Israel with ballistic missile attacks twice over the past year. The B-2 would be used in any American attack on hardened Iranian nuclear facilities like Natanz or Fordo given it is the only aircraft in service that can drop the GBU-57, known as the “Massive Ordnance Penetrator.”
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The GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) is a precision-guided, 30,000-pound (14,000 kg) “bunker buster” bomb used by the United States Air Force.[2] It is substantially larger than the deepest-penetrating bunker busters previously available, the 5,000-pound (2,300 kg) GBU-28 and GBU-37. Due to its size (6 meters length and a weight of over 12 tonnes) it can only be carried by large bombers—for instance, the B-2 Spirit
The aircraft are based at Whiteman Air Base in Missouri and typically conduct long-range strikes from there, though some B-2s were in Australia in September.
Which led to just published in AU, by thier ABC, this:
(Australian) Northern Territory air base used as staging ground for US strike on Houthi weapon stores (RAAF base Tindall)
The Department of Defence has confirmed Australia provided support for the US strikes on underground bunkers used by Yemen’s Houthi rebels “through access and overflight for US aircraft in northern Australia”.
The US said its strikes were ordered by President Joe Biden to degrade the Houthi weapons stores and send a message to “our adversaries”, which includes Iran.
An Australian official said the support was “consistent with our long-standing alliance commitment and close cooperation, demonstrating the interoperability of our militaries”.
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The newspaper reported on Friday that the B-2 is the only warplane that can carry the largest class of specially built bombs that can punch through soil, rock or concrete before detonating.
It is not known whether the bombs, known as GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators or MOPs, were used in the mission.
Significance:
(1) Israel does not have the aerial practical capability/capacity to drop GBU-28/37 MOPs (2300Kg/5000Kg), nor prototype, not yet certified in US Service, GBU-57A/Bs MOPs(14,000Kg) in practice re(2), especially in sequenced precision drops, total 84,000Kg.
(2) It is known that a timed precise sequence of ~16-18 alternating probable GBU-10(MK84 PavewayII blast effect(972Kg)) bombs, & at least GBU-37 MOPs, though quite likely, prototype GBU-57A/Bs, ~85,000Kg worth, were used to to Nasrallah & leadership in Sth Beirut suburbs (Haddiyeh(?). Followed by a duplicate further decapitation strike days later re Hezbollah.
(3) This requires strategic bombers which Israel does posses. US does, both the bombers & unique ordnance & capability, as demonstrated re Yemen/Ansar Allah. OS B@ spec is lowball 18,144Kg, therefore 4, possibly 5 B2 in a flight to execute the ops, plus stealth CAP escorts.
(4) Therefore the Hezbollah decapitation strikes in Beirut, and mass non-combatant causalities were a direct result of US direct belligerence alongside Israel.
(5) As per the AP article, one or all three strikes were prepped & launched from RAAF Tindal Australia, most likely for OpSec, plausible-deniability purposes, re US direct involvement & the Stealth B2s.
(6) Therefore, AU is no longer an indirect belligerent, re Pine Gap(ISR & drone Targeting), but re the B2s, a direct belligerent.
(7) US & AU exposed as direct belligerents in War Crimes, Illegal acts of undeclared aggressive war, war crimes, and co-participants in support of Israels ‘greater Israel’ Genocide campaign.
(8) Zero doubt that AU is now little more than non-sovereign puppet vassal, a US suborned Military base/bastion as for Diego Garcia or, occupied Germany …
Couped Whitlam(’75)(PM), remorseful Fraser(PM), & aggrieved conscripted Viet vet/politician Fisher(?) would be turning in their graves …
Posted by: Outraged | Oct 18 2024 5:28 utc | 276
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