Israel vs Palestine/Lebanon/Iran/Yemen/Syria: a New Middle East War

[Ravenlocke]

https://x.com/OnlinePalEng/status/1734789109984428238

https://x.com/OnlinePalEng/status/1734940826311020576

https://x.com/OnlinePalEng/status/1734922620229824793

https://x.com/OnlinePalEng/status/1734859300365869095

https://x.com/OnlinePalEng/status/1734642932043399468

[Ravenlocke]

https://x.com/PalestineChron/status/1734968083993755931

https://www.palestinechronicle.com/i...olonged-siege/

Israeli Army Detain Gaza Hospital Director, Staff after Prolonged Siege

Israeli forces have arrested Ahmed al-Kahlout, the director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital, in the northern Gaza Strip, along with dozens of medical personnel.




The Gaza-based Ministry of Health said the military stormed the hospital on Tuesday after besieging it for several days.

They rounded up all “Palestinian men, including health staff” before subjecting them to “interrogation”, said Ashraf al-Qudra, the ministry spokesperson, before taking them to an unknown location.

“We urge the UN, World Health Organization and Red Cross to act immediately…,” al-Qudra reportedly said.

Another report quotes Dr Hossam Abu-Safia, the head of pediatrics at the hospital as saying that “more than 70 medical staff were arrested.”

Thousands of displaced Palestinians have taken shelter at the hospital after being forced to flee their homes.

Before his abduction, al-Kahlout is reported as having strongly criticized the siege on the hospital.

“No electricity, water, or food at the hospital,” he is quoted as saying, had made the situation at the medical facility “very difficult.” He added, “Three children at the hospital lost their lives in the last three days due to a shortage of oxygen.”

Al-Kahlout had also reportedly spoken to CNN less than 24 hours earlier and said Israeli tank shells had hit the hospital’s maternity ward on Monday. The strike killed two women and left two others badly wounded, resulting in amputation, he reportedly added.

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 18,412 Palestinians have been killed and more than 50,000 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7. Palestinian and international estimates say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.

[Ravenlocke]

https://x.com/PalestineChron/status/1734907895202918744

https://x.com/OnlinePalEng/status/1734842960359887333

https://x.com/OnlinePalEng/status/1734842964604522785

https://x.com/PalestineChron/status/1734963187584324031

[Ravenlocke]

https://x.com/Timesofgaza/status/1734860716161585230

https://x.com/Timesofgaza/status/1734845345937449082

https://x.com/Timesofgaza/status/1734622894699995547

https://x.com/Timesofgaza/status/1734838515920175471

https://x.com/Timesofgaza/status/1734702166382940392

[Ravenlocke]

https://x.com/PalestineChron/status/1734717308755476819

[Ravenlocke]

https://x.com/SusanDarraj/status/1734993195933618637

https://x.com/SusanDarraj/status/1734993201839136925

[Alekahn2]

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=KjT3uiL6obc

Some good analysis in this recent video (26:16). Video from special forces
GoPro perspective, brutal combat in Gaza.

[Ravenlocke]

Text:
🇺🇸🇮🇱🇵🇸🇱🇧Hezbollah's daily brief -13/12/2023:

Eastern sector:

1- At 15:30, Israeli soldiers were targeted at the Al-Manara site with appropriate weapons, and it was directly hit.

Western sector:

1- At 13:45, the Al-Malikiyah site was targeted with a Burkan missile and was directly hit.

2- At 13:50, Ramya’s site was targeted with appropriate weapons and it was directly hit.

3- At 14:00, the Shomera Barracks was targeted with appropriate weapons and was directly hit.

4- At 14:12, the Naqoura naval site was targeted with appropriate weapons and was directly hit.

5- At 15:30, Israeli soldiers in the vicinity of the Al-Dhahira site were targeted with appropriate weapons, and it was directly hit.

https://x.com/dana916/status/1735090490494558250

Text:

🇺🇸🇮🇱🇵🇸❗️Quds Brigade's operations today:

Bombed military concentrations and soldiers with a barrage of 60-caliber regular mortar shells around the Al-Zalal Mosque in the Al-Taqaddum axis, east of Khan Yunis.

Engaged in fierce clashes with Israeli soldiers in Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, east of Gaza, and targeted 2 military vehicles with “tandem” shells.

Targeted 3 military vehicles and a troop carrier with “tandem” shells and “guerrilla action” devices in Jabalia camp and the Tawam area in northern Gaza.

Targeted Israeli forces in Khan Yunis with rockets and mortar shells.

Clashed with Israeli infantry force at zero distance, causing deaths and injuries in Shujaiya.

Targeted concentrations in Juhr al-Dik and the “Netzarim” axis of advance with a barrage of heavy-caliber mortar shells.

Engaged in clashes with soldiers using machine guns in Sheikh Radwan neighborhood and targeted 2 military vehicles with “tandem” shells on Al-Jalaa Street.

Targeted concentrations north of Al-Shati camp, the Nahal Oz site, and east of Al-Zaytoun with rockets and mortar shells.

Clashed with 5 soldiers from zero distance of zero, causing deaths and injuries near Palestine Mosque in western Gaza.

Targeted concentrations on the Taqadum axis in Khan Yunis and Juhr al Dik with mortar shells.

Launched rockets at "Fajjah" military site.

The Cradle

https://x.com/dana916/status/1735090342699868485

¤=[Post Update]=¤

Text:
🇺🇸🇮🇱🇵🇸 Jenin - 43 hour update:

For nearly 48 hours, the IOF has been invading Jenin in the largest invasion the city has seen in months. At this moment, fierce armed clashes have renewed between united factions of the resistance and the IOF at the cinema roundabout and eastern neighborhood.

Simultaneously, the IOF is besieging another home and have fired over 10 shoulder-fired missiles at it. It is one of over a dozen homes bombed by the IOF during their ongoing invasion.

Eight martyrs have ascended, including a sick 13-year-old boy, and dozens are wounded. Over 150 have also been abducted by the IOF, and dozens of homes have been raided by the IOF, including those of resistance fighters wanted by the IOF.

Inside and outside the camp, the invasion continues, with the IOF destroying infrastructure, cars, and roads and imposing a siege on the city.

The IOF invaded a mosque to play songs in Hebrew on the speakers; in response, the youth of Jenin played Abu Obeida's most recent speech, as well as the songs of the resistance. Armed clashes have escalated in several areas in response to this assault, according to local sources.

In recent weeks, the IOF has increased its invasions on Jenin and its camp, due to a PA-zionist plan to break the Jenin Brigade and resistance factions. The IOF has increased its assassinations—especially through drones—and abductions. Despite this, and the duration of the invasion, the resistance continues steadfast, engaging in armed clashes with the zionist forces in all areas inside and outside.

So far, the IOF has admitted to four IOF soldiers being wounded by explosive devices and gunfire by the resistance. The resistance also trapped an infantry patrol in an elaborate ambush this evening, leading to two more injuries that the IOF has not acknowledged. Jenin remains steadfast, unbreakable, and determined as ever.

The Cradle

https://x.com/dana916/status/1735089507437781186

[Ravenlocke]

Text:

"Israel's" dependence on Bab al-Mandab for transporting substantial volumes of diverse commodities, including grains and raw materials, is significant.

If Ansar Allah successfully and consistently prevents Israeli vessels from passing through the trade waterway and forces vessels to look for other routes, it would inflict substantial economic damage on the entity.

This, in turn, would lead to increased oil prices and heightened challenges in importing essential goods and prevent Israeli exports from passing through the Strait.
#Yemen

https://x.com/MayadeenEnglish/status...34760605429810

https://x.com/MayadeenEnglish/status...55350607364116

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/...al-nations--of

Yemen has received calls of support from several nations: official

The head of the Sanaa negotiating delegation and spokesperson for the Ansar Allah movement, Mohammad Abdul Salam, revealed that several states contacted the movement following the operations carried out by the Yemeni Armed Forces in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea.

Those who contacted the Ansar Allah movement confirmed their governments' support of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and their commitment to facilitating humanitarian aid for the Palestinian people.

In a post on X, Abdul Salam emphasized that Yemen supports those "calling for a ceasefire and the entry of aid (into the Gaza Strip)," emphasizing the importance of translating these positions into effective actions.

Abdul Salam pointed out that Yemen will remain steadfast in support of the Palestinian people until the Israeli aggression is stopped and the blockade on the Strip is lifted.

The Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) have blocked off the entry of ships heading towards Israeli ports in occupied Palestine through the Arabian Sea and Red Sea. This comes in response to the popular demands of the Yemeni people and the directives of Ansar Allah leader, Sayyed Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, who has expressed unwavering support for the Palestinian people and their Resistance.

In a similar context, the former commander of the Israeli Navy, Eli Marom, said that the YAF imposed a complete maritime blockade on "Israel", obstructing the route of 95% of goods entering and exiting the occupied Palestinian territories through the Red Sea.

YAF's operations: Effective

Fearing the YAF's effective operations, the Israeli National Security Council issued "urgent instructions to the country's ports" to censor information related to the arrival and departure of vessels from online sites, according to Israeli media outlets.

Earlier on Tuesday, the spokesperson for the YAF, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, confirmed that the YAF's Navy had targeted a Norweigian-flagged oil tanker with an anti-ship missile.

The "Strinda" was en route to an Israeli port in occupied Palestine, a destination that prompted the YAF to take action and strike the vessel. This came after the YAF's numerous warnings were issued to the vessel's crew, but were disregarded.

"In support of our Palestinian people, amid their grave plight, who are currently facing death, destruction, and siege in the Gaza Strip, and in response to the calls of the free people of Yemen and the free people of our Ummah, the naval forces have executed a top-tier military operation against the Norwegian 'Strinda' ship," Saree announced.

Reiterating the YAF's previous announcements, Saree said, "The Yemeni armed forces will not hesitate to target any ship that violates the commands announced in previous statements," he stressed.

[Ravenlocke]

https://x.com/Timesofgaza/status/1735087208699134420

¤=[Post Update]=¤

https://x.com/Timesofgaza/status/1735072108500431046

[Ravenlocke]

Text:
As night falls, the hearts of children in #Gaza tremble. They only hear the echoes of explosions amid the pitch-black darkness. The Israeli aggression has left indelible wounds and harrowing memories for these children💔. Some of them lost the warmth of their parents, while others still endure pain beneath the rubble of their demolished homes.

🫶The PRCS psychosocial team provides psychosocial support to the children to alleviate their suffering ❤️and help them overcome the psychological traumas they are experiencing.
#GazaChildren

https://x.com/PalestineRCS/status/1734675687733068161

[Ravenlocke]

Text:

🇾🇪🇮🇱 Israel orders ports to hide online shipping schedules due to Yemen threat

Israel’s National Security Council issued an “urgent instruction” on 12 December ordering Israeli ports to remove information on the arrival and departures of ships from their websites, Globes newspaper reported.

The instruction comes in light of the recent Yemeni attacks on Israeli shipping and vessels headed towards Israel.

https://new.thecradle.co/articles/is...o-yemen-threat

https://x.com/dana916/status/1735102852995973465

https://new.thecradle.co/articles/is...o-yemen-threat

Israel orders ports to hide online shipping schedules due to Yemen threat
The National Security Council instruction came on the same day that Yemeni naval forces launched a missile on a Norweigan ship scheduled to dock in Israel next month

Israel’s National Security Council issued an “urgent instruction” on 12 December ordering Israeli ports to remove information on the arrival and departures of ships from their websites, Globes newspaper reported.

The instruction comes in light of the recent Yemeni attacks on Israeli shipping and vessels headed towards Israel.

"As soon as it becomes clear in the future that there is no longer a problem that must be taken into account, it will be possible to return to the previous situation immediately," Israeli officials told Globes.

The National Security Council’s instruction came the same day as a Yemeni naval attack, carried out by the Ansarallah resistance movement, on a Norweigan vessel north of the Bab al-Mandab strait. The ship was carrying oil and was en route to Italy.

However, the Norweigan ship was scheduled to dock in Israel’s Ashdod port next month.

“Before attacking the STRINDA, the Houthis would have been able to discover that the Norwegian ship was calling at Ashdod through a simple Internet search,” Globes writes.

Ansarallah and Yemen’s Armed Forces have launched numerous drone and missile attacks on Israeli targets since the Gaza-Israel war began in October, particularly on the southern-occupied port of Eilat.

As part of its operations in solidarity with Palestine, Sanaa’s forces have declared war on Israeli shipping in the Red and Arabian seas and elsewhere. Since 19 November, Yemen has seized one Israeli-linked ship and has launched drone attacks against at least two others.

The missile attack on the Norweigan STRINDA ship comes days after Yemeni Armed Forces spokesman Yahya Saree announced that Yemen will prevent the passage of any vessel headed for Israel in the Red and Arabian Seas if food and medicine do not enter the Gaza Strip.

The announcement was a response to the US veto of a UN resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

As a result of Yemen’s naval operations, shipping companies, including Israeli firm Zim and others, have resorted to price hikes and costly reroutes around Africa.

Zim’s new ZMP route, which connects ports in China with Turkiye, recently said that its 12 vessels will not pass through the Red Sea.

The cost of shipping in the Red Sea, in general, is on the rise due to Yemen’s maritime campaign, industry sources told Reuters this week.

War risk premiums – required to be paid by vessels sailing through high-risk areas – have risen this week to up to 0.2 percent of the value of a ship, from 0.007 percent last week, market estimates showed, translating “into tens of thousands of dollars of additional costs for a seven-day voyage,” Reuters reported.

"These attacks have the potential to become far more of a global strategic economic threat than simply a regional geopolitical one," said Duncan Potts, a former vice admiral in the British navy.

[Ravenlocke]

https://x.com/dana916/status/1735110321973444749

[Ravenlocke]

https://x.com/SkyNews/status/1734982762208113039

[Ravenlocke]

Text:
🇺🇸🇮🇱🇵🇸Over 1,400 IOF soldiers are taking part in the invasion of Jenin, which is expected to be the largest invasion since the battle of Jenin in 2002, exceeding the Fury of Jenin battle this July.

In 48 hours, over 400 homes were raided by the IOF and hundreds of Palestinians were arrested. Over a dozen homes were bombed and destroyed by shoulder-fired missiles.

11 have been martyred, and dozens are wounded. The mother of one of those wounded in one of four drone strikes was documented performing CPR on her son, because the IOF is preventing ambulances from transporting the wounded.

Invasions of surrounding towns, such as Rummana and Al-Yamoun in the west, are taking place, with intermittent armed clashes.

The IOF continues to destroy infrastructure, cars, and roads, lashing out on Jenin once more following its insurmountable defeat in Gaza. Resistance persists.

Resistance News Network

https://x.com/dana916/status/1735107743399239770

[Ravenlocke]

Translated by Google

Mod note from Bill:
I don't see anything here, even in the code of the post.
Can we help?

[shaberon]

Posted by Rizotto (here)
Pepe Escobar: "We are watching western civilization crumble in real time." An overview of the strategic shifts of nation states surrounding the Isreal-Palestine conflict. Most Arab states have so far opted for the 'death by a thousand cuts' approach towards US. Russia, China, and Iran alliance has formed an umbrella of protection against Isreal-US attacks. Etc.

That sounds appropriate.

If possible, some kind of a plan, and slow transition, is better than an emergency.

What is perhaps an opening umbrella in terms of security does not negate the current ties.

As to whether it will open quickly enough to include the Palestinians, I am not sure.


This is off the wire:




Israeli occupation military describes battles in Shujaiya as “very bloody”: Impossible to neutralize Hamas fighters by air force



Milei gives a menorah to Zabotinsky for Hanukah. Really?

Eviscerated Austria was, I believe, the first place to put someone in jail for "questioning the Holocaust", and we see the UN vote on the resolution.

What a dreadful, presumptive program this has been.

[Tintin]

"That Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hasn’t resigned yet is an affront to decency. That not one member of his governing coalition of sycophants hasn’t demanded that he do so – or done so themselves – is scientific proof that invertebrates can form a government. It is a sad group profile in cowardice."

- Alon Pinkas, former Israeli Consul General in NY

------------------------

I couldn't have expressed it better myself although his view on Ukraine is riddled with flaws. Still, it packs a punch in the places where the blows should most effectively land.

From Ray McGovern's website.

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Source: https://raymcgovern.com/2023/12/13/f...hu-in-haaretz/

Former Senior Israeli Diplomat Skewers Netanyahu in Haaretz

December 13, 2023



Alon Pinkas, former Consul General in NY, minces no words in an article in Haaretz

Netanyahu Must Be Politically Destroyed, or Israel Will Go Down With Him

One of the greatest myths about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is that he’s an astute statesman. His foreign policies regarding Iran, the United States, Hamas and in other crucial areas suggest the exact opposite

That Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hasn’t resigned yet is an affront to decency. That not one member of his governing coalition of sycophants hasn’t demanded that he do so – or done so themselves – is scientific proof that invertebrates can form a government. It is a sad group profile in cowardice.

Netanyahu’s casual refusal to even consider the possibility is a cynical repudiation of integrity, and a callous disregard for the fundamental tenets of accountability and responsibility. More than anything, it is an insult to the Israeli public’s intelligence. This nation deserves better. His arrogant, smirking promise that “all will be investigated after the war” is a typical yet no less revolting lie meant to stall, delay and deceive.

I know I’ve written this several times already, as did many others, but it bears repeating. It is like Cato the Elder said in the Roman Senate prior to the Third Punic War in the second century B.C.E.: Carthago delenda est (Carthage must be destroyed) – an abridged version of a sentence he used at the end of all his speeches.

Yes, we know that accountability and responsibility are alien terms to the Israeli premier. They have been alien to him all his political life, so no surprise there. Yes, we know that it’s not in his political DNA. Yes, we know it’s driven not just by character but by a toxic cocktail of his political vulnerabilities, the ongoing corruption trial and his delusions of grandeur that he is some historical figure placed by providence to save Israel and Western civilization from Islamo-fascism, and can’t be bothered with earthly notions of failure and accountability.

Yes, we know he has no core ethics and values, and no moral compass, otherwise he would not have stood for election four times between 2019 and 2021 under criminal indictments. Yet still it is worth reiterating: Netanyahu Delenda est. Netanyahu must be politically destroyed, otherwise Israel will go down with him.

His responsibility for the October 7 debacle, the worst day in Israel’s history, has been and will increasingly be dealt with extensively. The same applies for his management of the war, which was hitched to his political survival.

However, there’s another aspect that deserves closer scrutiny: his foreign policy record. After all, here’s a man who built a career on the false premise of being an astute statesman, claiming even now that his experience is critical to winning the war. Even his harshest critics fell into that trap and, while castigating him politically, exhibited an inexplicable reverence for his foreign relations acumen against all evidence.

Let’s take a look at his record. There are seven fundamental and conceptual foreign policy mistakes he has made over the years.

First – and his claim to fame – Iran. His criticism of the Iran nuclear deal (aka the JCPOA) and his speech to the U.S. Congress in 2015 against President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden was accompanied by promises of “a better deal,” which he of course failed to deliver. He isolated Israel, effectively making Iran an Israeli issue in the eyes of the world.

Then, in 2018, he encouraged then-President Donald Trump to withdraw from the agreement, failing to come up with a substitute policy. The result: Iran has now, under his watch, enriched more uranium and accumulated more fissile material than ever before, practically making it a nuclear threshold state.

Second, his advocacy for a U.S. invasion of Iraq. In 2002, out of government, he appeared at a hearing in the U.S. House of Representatives and explained that toppling Saddam Hussein would “reverberate” positively throughout the Middle East and contribute to stability and democratization. The result: the Islamic State.

Third, Hamas. His “strategy” of strengthening Hamas by allowing hundreds of millions of dollars to be funneled to it, in order to weaken the Palestinian Authority so as to prove that no political process is tenable, created a false impression in Israel that Hamas was deterred, was risk-averse and was busy with governing Gaza.

As for the Palestinians in general, for 14 years (excluding 18 months in 2021-2022 when he was not prime minister), he glaringly neglected, ignored and dismissed the Palestinian issue. Since forming his new government in December 2022, he has been committed to annexing large swaths of the West Bank. The result: October 7.

Fourth, Saudi Arabia. First he came up with a flawed theory that an Israeli-Saudi axis was the core of an Israeli-Sunni Muslim coalition against (Shi’ite) Iran. What happened next? A Saudi-Iranian rapprochement mediated by China. Then he rehashed and reintroduced an interpretation of the Arab-Israeli conflict, emphasizing that the Palestinians, contrary to what the world has believed for decades, are not really the center of the conflict. He thought he could forge peace agreements with Saudi Arabia while totally ignoring and marginalizing the Palestinians. The result: October 7.

Fifth, relations with the United States, Israel’s major ally. The United States provides Israel with $3.8 billion in military aid each year (over $150 billion in total over the years) and extends a vast diplomatic umbrella shielding Israel in international forums. Netanyahu, always meddling in and manipulating internal U.S. politics, has impressively managed to turn Israel into a wedge issue in Washington – in contrast to decades of sacrosanct bipartisanship.

He did so deliberately by aligning himself squarely with the Republicans, and particularly their evangelical Christian electoral base, and alienated Democrats. This led to frequent friction and animosity with Democratic presidents Clinton, Obama and Biden.

Furthermore, and most importantly, through the crude, authoritarian constitutional coup he launched in January, he has distanced himself from the “shared values” concept that underlines U.S.-Israeli relations. He has also distanced himself from President Biden, a trend exacerbated by his growing affinity for authoritarians like Russian President Vladimir Putin, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, then-Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and others. The result: Over half of Democratic voters are critical of Israel and Biden for his perceived unbalanced support of Israel during the war.

Sixth, Russia. At the UN Security Council on Friday, Russia accused Israel of “war crimes,” claiming Israel’s war strategy is “inhumane.” That’s rich coming from the country that barbarically invaded Ukraine and has been shelling and launching missiles relentlessly for almost two years. But let’s not forget that Netanyahu admires Putin and regards the relationship he so masterfully forged with him as being in “a different league,” as huge election campaign banners proclaimed in the 2019 election. He later refused to support Ukraine, a morally depraved and politically silly policy that, to be fair, started with the Naftali Bennett government. The result: Russia is a central part of the Iranian axis in the Middle East.

Seventh, China. A few months before the war began, Netanyahu claimed that he had been cordially invited to Beijing. The statement was followed by a senior source in the Prime Minister’s Office explaining that “this is a signal to Biden that Israel has other options,” against the background of Biden avoiding inviting him to the White House. The result: No China visit and a standoffish Chinese attitude toward the Gaza war.

Is this abysmal record in and of itself a justifiable reason for Netanyahu to resign? Undoubtedly. Will he? No. But when he’s politically indicted, these records should be prominent.

[Rizotto]

An intelligent analysis of a BBC interview of Isreali ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely's snappy responses, revealing that there will not be any two state solution for Isreal-Palestine.

(Personally, I really wonder why leaders of most countries still insist on the two-state solution, in the face of Isreal ignoring most, if not all, UN resolutions. Why not give Isreal the same international treatment as was aimed at South Africa to end apartheid. It worked. Even if the US isn't on board, the rest of the global community would have a much greater weight.)

Israeli Ambassador’s Mask Off Moment (10 minutes)

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=318taPzYcsM

[Tintin]

Posted by Ravenlocke (here)
https://x.com/PalestineChron/status/1733469910901084592

Um, let's have a try: Jordan? Egypt? Turkey? Russia?

Now, who's doing more to prolong the agony of the Palestinians? Hey, John-boy?

That took but 4 seconds. The less than Admira(b)l(e) Kirby lying, again.