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Posted: 4/9/2024 10:24:48 AM EDT
[Last Edit: michigan66]
[#1]
Source article.
Discussion on Iranian retaliation for last week's air strike in Damascus from the Institute for Study of War. Might be BS, but interesting information anyway. Summary: Iran appears to be qualifying statements about retaliating against Israel for the strike last week that killed a senior QF officer and others in Damascus. Iran needs to retaliate, but doesn't want to widen the war. The fact is Iran only has proxies and precision guided missiles (PGM). The PGM threat is key to Iran's deterrence policy--a strike against Israel that is successfuly intercepted would deal a serious blow to Iranian deterrence. They are also trying to leverage fear of their retaliation to get the US to pressure Israel to agree to a peace deal; they allegedly told the US they would forego strikes if a deal was reached. If the report is true, and we had decent leaders, they would have told Iran, "You have it backwards. Hamas gets no concessions and releases all prisoners, alive or dead, in 12 hours or your Air Force will cease to exist" . Think Michael Corleone and the crooked Senator in Godfather II. Senior Iranian military officials have continued to suggest that they will carefully calibrate Iran’s response to Israel’s killing of senior IRGC commanders in Syria. This careful approach aims to avoid a direct war with Israel. Iranian Armed Forces Chief of the General Staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri said on April 6 that Iran will strike Israel “at the right time” during a commemoration ceremony for the IRGC officers killed in the likely Israeli airstrike on April . The Military Affairs Adviser to the Iranian Supreme Leader Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi separately said during a similar commemoration ceremony on April 7 that Iran “must wait for the right time” to deliver its response. Several senior Iranian clerics close to the Office of the Supreme Leader endorsed “strategic patience”—a long-standing regime policy that involves not immediately conducting a major response to Israeli attacks—in their weekly sermons on April 5. Such comments support CTP-ISW's assessment that Iran seeks to avoid a direct military confrontation against the United States and Israel. Strategic patience does not exclude an eventual Iranian retaliation, however. Lebanese Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah on April 8 warned that Iran will retaliate for the April 1 Israeli airstrike, illustrating the possibility of an eventual response to the attack. Nasrallah’s made these comments during a Hezbollah ceremony for IRGC commander Mohammed Reza Zahedi in Beirut. Nasrallah said that Iran has a ”natural right” to retaliate against the airstrike because it represented ”an attack on Iranian territory.”[ Nasrallah added that the United States and Israel recognize that an Iranian response to the attack is ”inevitably coming.” Zahedi spearheaded Iranian engagement with Hezbollah and most recently commanded the IRGC Quds Force unit responsible for overseeing operations in Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and the Palestinian Territories. Zahedi was the only non-Lebanese member of Hezbollah’s Shura Council, which is led by Nasrallah and serves as the groups’ central decision-making authority. Arabic-language media outlet Jadeh Iran reported on April 7 and 8 that Iran has conditioned its potential response to the April 1 Israeli strike on a ceasefire in Gaza. Arabic-language outlet Jadeh Iran reported on April 7 and 8 that Iran informed the United States that it would not retaliate against Israel for the April 1 strike if the United States could secure a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas, citing “an anonymous Arab diplomatic source.” Jadeh Iran is an outlet founded by an al Jazeera journalist. An Iranian Foreign Affairs Ministry official told Kuwait-based newspaper Al Jarida on April 8 that the Iranian Foreign Affairs Ministry told the United States that Iran would not respond to the April 1 Israeli airstrike if there was ”a ceasefire in Gaza.” The US State Department spokesperson denied these reports on April 8. The Jadeh Iran reporting coincides with claims from Western media and Israeli officials that Israel and Hamas negotiators had made ”significant progress” in negotiations or reached a “critical point“ during on going negotiations in Cairo. Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian is engaging in political coordination with Iranian partners and Oman following the April 1 Israeli airstrike that targeted Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) officials in Damascus. Abdollahian traveled to Muscat, Oman, on April 7 to meet with his Omani counterpart, Sayyid Badr al Busaidi, and chief Houthi negotiator and senior official Mohammad Abdul Salam. An “anonymous Arab diplomatic source” telling Arabic-language outlet Jadeh Iran on April 7 that Iran would refrain from retaliating against Israel for the April 1 airstrike if Israel and Hamas reach a ceasefire. It is not clear whether the diplomatic source told Jadeh Iran about this Iranian position before or after Abdollahian’s meeting with Busaidi. Oman has historically served as an intermediary and messenger between Iran and the United States, including by facilitating nuclear negotiations between the two countries. Oman also serves as an intermediary between the Gulf States and the United States and the Houthis. Abdollahian separately thanked the Houthis for supporting Iran following the April 1 airstrike and claimed that Israel used “American-made aircraft and missiles” in the airstrike during his meeting with Abdul Salam. Abdollahian also traveled to Damascus, Syria, on April 8 and met with Syrian President Bashar al Assad and Foreign Affairs Minister Faisal Mekdad. Abdollahian claimed that the United States is directly responsible for Israel’s “crimes and actions” and that Iran’s response to the April 1 airstrike will be “decisive” during his meeting with Assad. Assad called for strengthening the Axis of Resistance “as much as possible” in response to the Israeli airstrike. Abdollahian visited a Syrian Foreign Affairs Ministry employee who was injured in the airstrike and inaugurated a new Iranian consular building in Damascus with Syrian Foreign Affairs Minister Faisal Mekdad. |
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Posted: 4/9/2024 10:56:28 AM EDT
[#2]
 Institute for Study of War Backgrounder 8 April Key Takeaways: Gaza Strip Palestinian sources reported that Israeli forces are still present in the Central Gaza Strip and in southern Gaza City. The IDF withdrew all its forces in the southern Gaza Strip on April 7, but the IDF Nahal Brigade remains at the seam of the northern and central Gaza Strip to secure Israeli-built highway Route 749 and other Israeli military sites in the area. The Nahal Brigade’s presence on the road also prevents Palestinian civilians from returning to the northern Gaza Strip from the south. Palestinian sources claimed that Israeli bulldozers operated in eastern Deir al Balah and Maghazi camps area as part of the IDF’s effort to establish a buffer zone between the Gaza Strip and Israel. Local sources also reported Palestinian fighters clashed with Israeli forces near al Kuwait Roundabout in southern Gaza City and near Juhor ad Dik, southeast of Gaza City. Palestinian reports of Israeli activity in the northern and central Gaza Strip are consistent with the Nahal Brigade’s limited operations in the central Gaza Strip and the IDF’s transition to a model focused on targeted raids throughout the entire Gaza Strip. Hamas was the only Palestinian militia to claim an attack targeting Israeli forces operating in the Gaza Strip on April 8. Hamas said that its fighters mortared the IDF Nahal Brigade headquarters along the “Netzarim Axis,” referring the Israeli-built highway Route 749, which bisects the northern and southern Gaza Strip. The low number of attack claims is likely due to the IDF withdrawal from the southern Gaza Strip and a lack of target availability. Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters targeted Israeli forces in Sheikh Ijlin, southern Gaza City on April 7. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on April 8 that “there is a date” for an IDF clearing operation into Rafah to dismantle the remaining Hamas battalions there. The IDF chief of staff similarly said the IDF withdrew most of its forces from the Gaza Strip that ”the war in Gaza continues, and we are far from stopping.“ Israeli officials and media sources framed the withdrawals as part of the IDF’s preparations for conducting a clearing operation into Rafah. Far-right politician and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said on April 8—in reference to the IDF‘s withdrawal from the southern Gaza Strip—that if Netanyahu decided to ”end the war without an extensive attack on Rafah—he will not have a mandate to continue serving as Prime Minister. Palestinian fighters fired at least two rocket barrages from the Gaza Strip targeting southern Israel. The al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) targeted an Israeli military site near the northern Gaza Strip with a combined rocket barrage. Israeli Army Radio reported unspecified Palestinian fighters fired one rocket targeting a town that hosts an Israeli military base in southern Israel. West Bank Israeli forces have engaged Palestinian fighters in at least five locations in the West Bank. The al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) fired small arms and detonated improvised explosive devices targeting Israeli forces in Tulkarm and the Balata refugee camp in Nablus. PIJ fighters also fired small arms targeting Israeli civilians across the West Bank-Israel border in the Meirav settlement. Israeli forces detained 11 wanted individuals across the West Bank during overnight raids. Lebanon Iranian-backed fighters, including Lebanese Hezbollah, have conducted at least six attacks from southern Lebanon into northern Israel. The IDF Air Force killed a senior official and commander in Hezbollah’s Radwan unit and two other Hezbollah fighters in an airstrike in southern Lebanon. The IDF said that the commander, Ali Ahmed Hussein, was a “veteran and senior official” for the group and held a rank equivalent to a brigade commander, adding that Hussein was responsible for planning and executing attacks targeting Israeli forces in Ramim in northern Israel. Iraq The Islamic Resistance in Iraq—a coalition of Iranian-backed Iraqi militias—claimed that it conducted three drone attacks targeting Israeli military bases. Jordan The Jordanian Army killed two drug smugglers along the Jordanian-Syrian border on April 8.[63] Saudi media reported that Jordanian officials said that Lebanese Hezbollah and other unspecified Iran-backed militias are responsible for the increase in drug and weapons smuggling from Syria into Jordan. Iran (Detailed discussion in spoiler below) Senior Iranian military officials have continued to suggest that they will carefully calibrate Iran’s response to Israel’s killing of senior IRGC commanders in Syria. This careful approach aims to avoid a direct war with Israel. This approach does not exclude an eventual Iranian retaliation, however. Iranian security forces arrested a “main member” of the Baloch militant group Ansar al Furqan in Zahedan, Sistan and Baluchistan Province. The Sistan and Baluchistan Province police chief said that the Ansar al Furqan militant previously participated in attacks targeting Law Enforcement Command (LEC) and Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) headquarters in Iran. A group of "terrorists” separately killed two police officers in Zahedan. These incidents are part of a rise in anti-regime militancy in southeastern Iran and reflect the increasingly precarious state of the Iranian internal security environment. The Baloch Salafi-jihadi militant group Jaish al Adl most recently conducted unprecedentedly complex and sophisticated attacks targeting Iranian security forces in southeastern Iran on April 4, killing at least 11 Iranian security personnel. Iranian police claimed that they arrested three Islamic State operatives in Karaj, Tehran. Iranian state media claimed that trio was planning to conduct a suicide bombing. Ceasefire Negotiations Israel and Hamas are considering a new US-proposed ceasefire and hostage exchange deal. Israeli officials and mediating countries have acknowledged the potential for a ceasefire deal, while anonymous Hamas sources have expressed skepticism about a ceasefire deal. In depth discussion on Iranian retaliation for Damascus air strike Click To View Spoiler    
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Posted: 4/9/2024 11:33:15 AM EDT
[Last Edit: michigan66]
[#3]
Iran Smuggles Arms to West Bank, Officials Say, to Foment Unrest With Israel
Interesting discussion on routes Iran uses to get arms to militants in the West Bank. What isn't talked about is the source of the weapons. I know Iran makes M4 clones, but if these are the arms seized in Israel I'd expect to see that publicized. Are they stolen from or sold by the PA, stolen from the Jordanian military, Iraq, Afghanistan? Nobody is saying. Highpoints Iran is operating a clandestine smuggling route across the Middle East, employing intelligence operatives, militants and criminal gangs, to deliver weapons to Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The goal is to foment unrest against Israel by flooding the enclave with as many weapons as it can. Tehran is seeking to turn the West Bank into the next flashpoint in the long-simmering shadow war between Israel and Iran. Weapons smuggled to the West Bank travel along two paths from Iran through Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Israel, the officials said. As the arms cross borders, the officials added, they change hands among a multinational cast that can include members of organized criminal gangs, extremist militants, soldiers and intelligence operatives. A key group in the operation, the Iranian officials and analysts said, are Bedouin smugglers who carry the weapons across the border from Jordan into Israel. The smuggling began about two years ago. Since 10/7, Israeli security forces have conducted a large-scale crackdown across the West Bank. For years, Iran’s leaders have declared the necessity of arming Palestinian fighters in the occupied West Bank. Iran has long supplied weapons for attacking Israel to militants elsewhere in the region, members of its so-called Axis of Resistance, including its two primary Palestinian allies in Gaza, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Iran will penetrate and proliferate weapons into [the West Bank] because if they are able to do that then the West Bank will become just as big a problem, if not bigger, as Gaza. “Iran’s assessment posits that the sole effective avenue for resisting the occupation by the Zionist regime is through armed resistance,” said Amir Saeid Iravani, the country’s U.N. ambassador. “Palestinian resistance forces possess the capability to manufacture and procure the necessary armaments for their cause.” Among those killed [in Damascus] was Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahedi, 65, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps general in charge of Iran’s covert operations in Syria and Lebanon through which parts of the weapons smuggling trail wends. The majority of the smuggled weapons, analysts said, are small arms like handguns and assault rifles. Iran is also smuggling advanced weapons, according to the American officials and Israeli officials. Those weapons, the Israeli officials said, include antitank missiles and rocket-propelled grenades. Iran uses two main routes. In the first, Iran-backed militants and Iranian operatives carry the weapons from Syria to Jordan, where they are transferred to Bedouin smugglers. The nomads take the weapons to the border with Israel, where they are picked up by criminal gangs who then move them to the West Bank. Last year, a Jordanian lawmaker was indicted in Amman, Jordan, after being caught in 2022 trying to smuggle more than 200 weapons into the West Bank. A second, more challenging route skips Jordan and takes the weapons from Syria to Lebanon. From there weapons are smuggled into Israel, where criminal gangs pick them up and move them to the West Bank. The route through Lebanon is more difficult because the border on which Hezbollah operates is more heavily patrolled by both the Israeli military and U.N. peacekeepers. Much of the work coordinating the smuggling route is done by Iranian operatives from the Quds Force. A series of strikes in Syria a week earlier were aimed at two Iranian intelligence divisions involved in the smuggling. One unit, known as Division 4000, is overseen directly by the Revolutionary Guards. The other, Division 18840, is operated by the Quds Force. Ayatollah Khamenei..publicly issued an order to arm the West Bank years ago. Entire article in spoiler: Click To View Spoiler |
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Posted: 4/9/2024 3:11:24 PM EDT
[Last Edit: michigan66]
[#4]
IRGC naval chief threatens to close key strait, vows response to Syria strike coming
The commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard’s navy said on Tuesday that Israel’s presence in the United Arab Emirates was viewed as a threat by Tehran and warned that Tehran could close the Strait of Hormuz. About a fifth of the volume of the world’s total oil consumption passes through the strait on a daily basis. An average of 20.5 million barrels per day of crude oil, condensate and oil products passed through Hormuz in January-September 2023. The UAE, situated across the Gulf from Iran, became the most prominent Arab nation to forge diplomatic ties with Israel in 30 years under a US-brokered accord in 2020. “We know that the Zionists [Israel] were not brought to the UAE for economic purposes, but rather for security and military work. This is a threat to us and should not happen,” Tangsiri added. Entire article IRGC naval chief threatens to close key strait, vows response to Syria strike coming DUBAI — The commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard’s navy said on Tuesday that Israel’s presence in the United Arab Emirates was viewed as a threat by Tehran and warned that Tehran could close the Strait of Hormuz if deemed necessary. Iran has threatened to retaliate for what it alleged was an Israeli airstrike on its consulate in Syria’s capital on April 1 that killed seven Revolutionary Guards officers, including two senior commanders — stoking tensions between the arch-enemies already heightened by the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. “We do not get hit without striking back, but we are also not hasty in our retaliation,” Revolutionary Guards Navy Commander Alireza Tangsiri said, according to Iran’s semi-official Student News Agency. “We can close the Hormuz Strait, but are not doing so. However, if the enemy comes to disrupt us, we will review our policy,” Tangsiri said. Iran has threatened to close the strait in response to tensions with Israel and the US in the past. About a fifth of the volume of the world’s total oil consumption passes through the strait on a daily basis. An average of 20.5 million barrels per day of crude oil, condensate and oil products passed through Hormuz in January-September 2023, data from analytics firm Vortexa showed. The UAE, situated across the Gulf from Iran, became the most prominent Arab nation to forge diplomatic ties with Israel in 30 years under a US-brokered accord in 2020, though Abu Dhabi also has normal diplomatic and commercial relations with Tehran. A senior official told The Times of Israel in January that the warm ties between Abu Dhabi and Jerusalem may turn cold if the war against Hamas drags on. “We know that the Zionists [Israel] were not brought to the UAE for economic purposes, but rather for security and military work. This is a threat to us and should not happen,” Tangsiri added. Israel has been on high alert over the past week amid Iranian officials’ promises of revenge for a Damascus airstrike that killed their top commander in Syria, Mohammad Reza Zahedi, alongside six other members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and at least one member of Iranian proxy group Hezbollah. Israel has signaled that it will attack targets in Iran if it were to launch a direct strike, according to a report in the London-based Elaph News, citing an anonymous “Western security official.” According to the report, Israel has been conducting air force drills in recent days that include preparing to target Iranian nuclear facilities and other key infrastructure. Unnamed US intelligence sources told CNN, however, that Iran is unlikely to attack Israel directly out of fear of American and Israeli reprisal, and will instead urge its various proxies — in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen — to launch attacks on its behalf in the coming days. Zahedi was reportedly responsible for the IRGC Quds Force’s operations in Syria and Lebanon, for Iranian militias there, and for ties with Hezbollah, and was thus the most senior commander of Iranian forces in the two countries. The 63-year-old was the most important Iranian soldier killed since the US strike on Baghdad airport that killed Quds Force leader General Qassem Soleimani in 2020. The IRGC is a US-designated terrorist organization. Analysts saw the raid as an escalation of Israel’s campaign against Iran and its regional proxies that runs the risk of triggering a wider war beyond the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Gaza Strip. |
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Posted: 4/9/2024 4:47:10 PM EDT
[#5]
At International Al-Quds Day Rally in Dearborn, Michigan Protesters Chant “Death to America!”; Speakers at the Rally: America Is One of the “Rottenest Countries” on Earth; Israel Is ISIS, Nazis, a Cancer
Man in Toronto yells at Jewish kids with hateful lies. 'Your parents are going to hell.' We stand against hate! The IDF says its fighter jets carried out a strike against a Hezbollah site in Southern Lebanon's Khiam: The IDF says it eliminated a senior field commander in Hezbollah's elite Radwan force in an airstrike in southern Lebanon. The IDF releases footage from the interrogation of the spokesman for the political wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza: |
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Posted: 4/10/2024 5:37:42 AM EDT
[#6]
Navy shoots down a mystery drone over Eilat with the powerful "C-Dome"!
Surveillance camera footage shows interceptor missiles being launched from an Israeli Navy Sa'ar 6-class corvette in the Eilat Bay this evening, at a suspected drone. It marks the first operational interception by the ship-mounted Iron Dome system, known as C-Dome. The IDF releases footage showing last night's interception of a drone over the Eilat area, by the ship-mounted Iron Dome air defense system, known as C-Dome. After being contacted by The Times of Israel, the IDF has issued the correct video of a strike in southern Lebanon's as-Sultaniyah yesterday, in which a senior Hezbollah commander was killed. The IDF says a recent airstrike in southern Gaza's Khan Younis killed a terrorist who participated in the October 7 onslaught. |
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Posted: 4/10/2024 10:41:09 AM EDT
[#7]
Three sons of Hamas chief political leader Ismael Haniyeh killed in Gaza
Three sons of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh were killed in an Israeli bombing in Gaza City's Shati Camp, Al Jazeera reports. The report says several of their children, Haniyeh's grandchildren, were also killed in the strike. There is no immediate comment from the IDF on the strike. Haniyeh, who lives in Qatar, is the political leader of Hamas.
Amid threats by Iran to respond to the alleged assassination by Israel of two generals among several Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officers in Syria's Damascus, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says any attack on the country will face a strong defense, before a "powerful response in its territory." "In this war, we are being attacked from more than one front... from different directions. Any enemy that tries to attack us, will first of all be met with a strong defense," Gallant says to troops at an Iron Dome air defense system battery in northern Israel. "But we will know how to react very quickly with a decisive offensive action against the territory of whoever attacks our territory, no matter where it is, in the entire Middle East," he says. "We have this ability," Gallant continues, saying that a potential Israeli response will be " very, very effective, very powerful." "One of the things we excel at over the years is that the enemy never knows what surprises we are preparing for it," he adds.
The IDF releases footage from recent operations carried out by the Nahal Brigade in the so-called Netzarim corridor, a strip of land running from the border with Israel near Be'eri to the coast. The corridor, built around a road south of Gaza City and north of Nuseirat, enables the IDF to carry out raids in northern and central Gaza while allowing Israel to control access to the north for Palestinians seeking to return after fleeing south. Nahal troops have been carrying out pinpoint raids and operations against Hamas sites in the area, the IDF says. The troops in recent days killed numerous gunmen in clashes and ambushes, as well as by calling in airstrikes and artillery shelling, according to the IDF. The IDF says that one airstrike was carried out against an operative who was spotted launching rockets at the troops. During their operations in the central Gaza area, the army also says Nahal forces located an anti-tank launch position, a mortar launcher used in a recent attack on Israel, a tunnel shaft, and buildings used by Hamas operatives. Map of Gaza, the Netzarim corridor is the red line running east to west (see arrow)  Attached File
The IDF says the Nahal Brigade continues to operate against Hamas in the central Gaza Strip, in the area of the Netzarim corridor, the only location in the enclave where ground troops are currently deployed to. The corridor, which crosses Gaza from the Be'eri area in southern Israel to the Strip's coast, enables the IDF to carry out raids in northern and central Gaza, prevent Palestinians from returning to northern part of the Strip, and for humanitarian organizations to deliver aid directly to northern Gaza. The IDF says Nahal troops killed several gunmen over the past day, including a cell in close-quarters combat. Meanwhile, dozens of targets were struck across the Gaza Strip by fighter jets and drones over the past day, the IDF says. According to the IDF, the targets included military sites, rocket launchers, tunnel shafts, and other infrastructure One airstrike also targeted a Hamas cell that posed a threat to ground troops, the IDF says. The IDF says a fighter jet also struck a building and a launcher in Jabaliya in northern Gaza, after they were used to fire a rocket attack Kfar Aza yesterday. The rocket had been intercepted by the Iron Dome. In another incident, the IDF says troops operating "in a targeted manner" in the area of Gaza City's Shejaiya neighborhood came under rocket fire from within the Strip. The IDF says a fighter jet struck the rocket launcher a short while later.
The IDF says it carried out a strike against a Syrian Army position in southern Syria, near Israel's border, which was identified as being used by Lebanon's Hezbollah. The IDF says it has intelligence indicating Hezbollah operatives used the Syrian Army site. "The IDF holds the Syrian regime accountable for all activities which take place within its territory and will not allow for any attempted actions which could lead to the entrenchment of Hezbollah on the Syrian front," the military says in a statement. Meanwhile, strikes were also carried out against Hezbollah observation posts and other infrastructure in southern Lebanon in the past few hours, the IDF says The IDF says it also shelled areas near Dhayra and Tayr Harfa with artillery to "remove threats."
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Posted: 4/10/2024 11:16:48 AM EDT
[#8]
 Israeli troops in Gaza must feel like it's Groundhog Day. They were attacked in the same Gaza City neighborhood where 9 special operators were killed in December, the same place the three hostages were killed in a case of mistaken identity. I don't want to imagine what Hamas would look like had Israel listened to Lloyd and Blinken with the "precision, pinpoint targeted killings". Hamas separately claimed that it mortared Israeli forces near Shujaiya neighborhood in eastern Gaza City Key Takeaways: Gaza Strip Palestinian militias conducted several indirect fire attacks targeting Israeli forces in the northern Gaza Strip. Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) claimed that it mortared an Israeli command site southwest of Gaza City. Hamas separately claimed that it mortared Israeli forces near Shujaiya neighborhood in eastern Gaza City as well as an Israeli command site near where the IDF is constructing a highway in southern Gaza City. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Nahal Brigade (162nd Division) continued to conduct clearing operations in the central Gaza Strip. The Nahal Brigade killed and directed an airstrike targeting several Palestinian fighters. The Nahal Brigade is operating around the border of the central and northern strip to secure the Israeli highway and bases nearby. The IDF Air Force conducted several airstrikes targeting Palestinian military infrastructure in the Gaza Strip. The IDF destroyed the site from which PIJ launched rockets into southern Israel. The IDF separately conducted an airstrike in Khan Younis, killing a Palestinian fighter, who was involved in the October 7 attack. The IDF Air Force killed the Maghazi mayor, whom Israel says was a member in Hamas’ military wing in the central Gaza Strip. The IDF said that the mayor, Hatem Saleh al Ghamri, was part of Hamas’ Emergency Committees, which is responsible for maintaining public order and civil control. Israeli media close to the IDF reported on April 9 that the Israeli forces withdrawn from Khan Younis will prepare for fighting in other areas and carry out large, unspecified humanitarian operations. The IDF withdrew most of its forces from the Gaza Strip on April 7, including the IDF 98th Division, which had been operating around Khan Younis for four months. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on April 8 that Israel has not yet set a date for a clearing operation into Rafah, according to an unidentified source with direct knowledge. Gallant’s comments follow Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying that Israel has set a date for the offensive. Palestinian fighters did not conduct any indirect fire attacks from the Gaza Strip into Israel on April 9. West Bank US, Israeli, and Iranian officials told the New York Times that Iran is operating a smuggling network through Jordan to arm Palestinian fighters in the West Bank. The Iranian effort to build its capabilities and networks in the West Bank is part of a larger effort to encircle Israel militarily. Israeli forces have engaged Palestinian fighters in at least three locations in the West Bank. Israeli forces detained nine wanted Palestinians, including one Hamas member, in the West Bank during the operations there. The al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade fired small arms and detonated improvised explosive devices in two separate attacks targeting Israeli forces around Nablus and Tulkarm. Israeli forces separately engaged Palestinian fighters in Jayyus, east of Qalqilya. A PIJ cell in Jenin claimed a shooting attack on April 9 targeting Gan Ner, which is in northern Israel near the border with the West Bank.[45] Southern Lebanon and Golan Heights Lebanese Hezbollah has conducted at least nine attacks from southern Lebanon into northern Israel April 8. Hezbollah fighters launched a one-way attack drone targeting an Israeli counter-drone electronic jamming device south of Kiryat Shmona. The IDF and local Syrian sources reported that unspecified Iranian-backed militants launched a rocket from Syria targeting the Yonatan region of the Golan Heights. The IDF conducted strikes on Syrian Arab Army infrastructure in Mahaja region, Daraa Province, in a separate attack. Syria The IDF and local Syrian sources reported that unspecified Iranian-backed militants launched a rocket from Syria targeting the Yonatan region of the Golan Heights. Iraq The Islamic Resistance in Iraq—a coalition of Iranian-backed Iraqi militias—claimed that it conducted five attacks into Israel using “appropriate weapons” over the previous 72 hours. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq said targets included the Ashkelon oil terminal and the Hatzerim airbase near Beer Sheva, Western analysts reported that the Islamic Resistance in Iraq used Paveh cruise missiles in most of the attacks. The IDF intercepted a drone that entered Israeli airspace from the east and was headed toward Eilat on April 8. Yemen US CENTCOM reported that it targeted Houthi air defense systems in Houthi-controlled Yemen on April 8. CENTCOM separately intercepted a Houthi drone over the Red Sea on April 8. CENTCOM also reported that the Houthis have launched five anti-ship ballistic missiles targeting the UK-owned, Italian-operated commercial vessel MV Hope Island. Iran IRGC Navy Commander Rear Adm. Ali Reza Tangsiri implicitly threatened the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during an interview with Lebanese Hezbollah-controlled media, likely to pressure the UAE to sever ties with Israel. Tangsiri separately endorsed the strategy of “strategic patience” in response to the April 1 Israeli airstrike that killed seven IRGC officials in Damascus. Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian warned that the “coming days will be difficult days for Israel” and reiterated that the United States should be held responsible for the Israeli airstrike that killed several senior IRGC officers in Syria on April 1. Jaish al Adl—a Baloch, Salafi-jihadi militia group—conducted an attack killing at least five Iranian Law Enforcement Command (LEC) officers in Sib and Soran county, Sistan and Baluchistan Province. Political Negotiations Hamas said on April 8 that the latest Israeli ceasefire proposal does not meet its demands. Arrow points to Nitzarim corridor where remaining IDF troops are.  Attached File   |
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Posted: 4/10/2024 2:52:21 PM EDT
[#9]
Update 2:45 PM
Israeli army confirms assassinating three of Haniyeh's sons, alleges they were 'on way to carry out terror act'
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Posted: 4/10/2024 3:02:19 PM EDT
[Last Edit: michigan66]
[#10]
Source for articles below
Major missile strikes by Iran or proxies against Israel 'imminent': Bloomberg report citing U.S. intel According to a report by Bloomberg, the U.S. believes major missile or drone strikes by Iran or its proxies against military and government targets in Israel are imminent, based on sources close to the intelligence. The potential attack might use high-precision missiles, and could happen in the coming days, according to the sources. One of the sources said the attack is "seen as more a matter of when, not if." Yemen's Houthis target four vessels in Gulf of Aden, spokesman says Yemen's Houthis targeted four vessels, including what was described as a U.S. warship, in the Gulf of Aden, on Wednesday, the Iran-aligned group's military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a televised speech. Lebanese report: Money changer accused by Israel of sending funds to Hamas found shot to death Lebanese report: Money changer accused by Israel of sending funds to Hamas found shot to death The Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese newspaper Al Akhbar reported that a Lebanese money changer, who was believed to have transferred money to Hamas, was found shot dead last night in a villa in the town of Beit Meri, east of Beirut. The report stated that Israel accused the money changer of transferring money to terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip, and even interrogated Palestinian detainees about his case. The Saudi Al-Hadath TV published that the Mossad assassinated the man, and that he was considered wanted by the organization since 2018 – according to sources. According to the report in Al Akhbar, the changer, 57-year-old Muhammad Surur, was last heard from last Thursday. Phone surveillance pinned his location to Beit Meri, and he was caught on camera entering a villa in the town, from which he did not leave. Yesterday, his body was found with seven gunshot wounds from two Glock pistols, that were found in the kitchen of the villa in containers full of water and detergents. It was also reported that a sum of money was found next to his body that was not taken by the assassins |
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Posted: 4/10/2024 3:03:29 PM EDT
[#11]
The IDF says it carried out a strike against a Syrian Army position in southern Syria, near Israel's border, which was identified as being used by Lebanon's Hezbollah.
The IDF says it has intelligence indicating Hezbollah terrorist used the Syrian Army site. The IDF says the Nahal Brigade continues to operate against Hamas in the central Gaza Strip, in the area of the Netzarim corridor, the only location in the enclave where ground troops are currently deployed to. IDF soldiers of the Nahal Brigade's combat team in the Gaza Strip: |
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Posted: 4/10/2024 4:02:35 PM EDT
[Last Edit: michigan66]
[#12]
The IDF and Shin Bet confirm killing three sons of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in a strike in Gaza City's Shati camp earlier today, saying the three were operatives in the terror group. According to the IDF and Shin Bet, Amir Haniyeh was a squad commander in the Hamas military wing, while Hazem and Mohammad Haniyeh were lower ranking operatives, also in the military wing. A military source says the IDF is aware of reports that additional members of the Haniyeh family, including a minor, were hit in the strike. Hamas media said two of Haniyeh’s grandchildren were killed and a third was wounded. Video of Haniyeh's house being bombed back in November.  Hamas Leader’s House Obliterated By Israeli Airstrike in New Footage Video from the scene of Israel's airstrike that killed Haniyeh's sons. Mostly blurred out.
Translation:Special photos for Al Jazeera from the site of Israel's targeting of a car in the Beach camp, resulting in the death of 3 of the sons of the head of the Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, and a number of his grandchildren. Source article. There is some controversy about the attack not being cleared with senior leaders. Israel's security agencies neither updated nor received the governmental clearance prior to the attack. The head of the IDF's Southern Command was not notified of the strike, and the officer who authorized it was an officer holding the rank of colonel. IDF and Shin Bet officials say that similar decisions were received this way during the war, without government authorization. But IDF officials said that there is a difference between a strike against a mid-level operative and a strike against family members of one of Hamas' top officials who is directly involved in hostage release negotiations. An Israel source told Haaretz that the assassination might hinder the advancement of a Gaza deal. |
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Posted: 4/10/2024 9:00:02 PM EDT
[#13]
Amazon has a good book in their Daily Deals for Kindle for $2.99--"Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran, and the United States".
Link here. 
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Posted: 4/10/2024 10:42:59 PM EDT
[#14]
 Institute for Study of War Backgrounder 10 April Discussion of Iranian situation in spoiler Click To View Spoiler  Key Takeaways: Gaza Strip Palestinian militias conducted several indirect fire attacks targeting Israeli forces in the northern Gaza Strip. Hamas and the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement conducted a joint mortar attack targeting Israeli forces in southwest Gaza City. The Air Force struck a launch site from which Palestinian fighters had targeted Israeli forces in Shujaiya. Hamas claimed a mortar attack targeting Israeli forces in Shujaiya. The Palestinian Mujahideen Movement claimed that it fired a man-portable air defense system at an Israeli fighter jet in western Gaza City. The Air Force conducted an airstrike on April 10 that killed three sons of Hamas Political Bureau Chairman Ismail Haniyeh in the northern Gaza Strip. The IDF reported that Haniyeh’s sons were Hamas fighters en route from al Shati camp to conduct an attack in the central Gaza Strip. The IDF said that one of the sons was a squad leader and the other two sons were fighters in Hamas’ military wing. . It is notable that Haniyeh‘s sons—three Hamas fighters—were using al Shati camp as a rear base to conduct attacks further south, given that Israeli forces re-cleared areas of al Shati in early February 2024. Several regional leaders, including Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, called Hamas Political Bureau Chairman Ismail Haniyeh to offer their condolences following the Israeli airstrike that targeted three of Haniyeh’s sons. The IDF Nahal Brigade continued clearing operations in the central Gaza Strip. The Nahal Brigade is operating around the border of the central and northern strip to secure the Israeli highway and bases nearby. The al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades conducted a mortar attack on an IDF command site near the Netzarim corridor. Israeli Army Radio reported Israel would not open the Erez crossing in the northern Gaza Strip for aid transports. Palestinian fighters did not conduct any indirect fire attacks from the Gaza Strip into Israel on April 10. West Bank Israeli forces engaged Palestinian fighters in Tulkarm in the West Bank. Israeli forces detained nine wanted individuals across the West Bank during overnight operations. Israeli forces detained three wanted individuals and confiscated small arms in Qalandiya near Ramallah and detained six other individuals in Tulkarm. Israeli forces also seized weapons and money near Hebron. Southern Lebanon and Golan Heights-Syria Lebanese Hezbollah conducted at least two attacks from southern Lebanon into northern Israel. The IDF struck a Syrian Arab Army (SAA) site operated by Lebanese Hezbollah in southern Syria. Yemen US CENTCOM reported that it intercepted a Houthi anti-ship ballistic missile in the Gulf of Aden. CENTCOM said the Houthi attack was likely targeting the US-flagged and owned commercial vessel the MV Yorktown. Houthis claimed they conducted two attacks targeting US-flagged vessels, including the Yorktown and an unspecified US warship. The Houthis also claimed two attacks targeting two “Israeli” commercial vessels named the MSC Gina and the MSC Darwin. CENTCOM reported on April 9 that there were no injuries or damage to commercial or military vessels. UK Maritime Trade Operations reported that there were no security alerts from April 9 and 10. (The Houthis are lying to hide the dramatic reduction in missile/drone attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden). Houthi-affiliated media claimed that the United States conducted airstrikes near Hudaydah on April 10. Iran Bloomberg reported that Iran or its proxies may conduct missile or drone strikes targeting military and government facilities in Israel in the coming days in response to the April 1 Israeli airstrike that killed seven IRGC officials in Damascus. Iran and its Axis of Resistance have been engaged in a coordinated campaign to economically isolate Israel by encouraging Muslim nations to sever economic relations with Israel throughout the Israel-Hamas War. The Washington Post reported Iran is rapidly accumulating enriched uranium at its Fordow enrichment facility outside of Qom. Iraq Asaib Ahl al Haq Secretary General Qais al Khazali hinted that Iranian-backed Iraqi militias could resume attacking US forces if Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al Sudani’s upcoming visit to Washington, DC, fails to facilitate the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq. Political Negotiations Hamas Political Bureau Chairman Ismail Haniyeh said that Israel would not get more concessions in the negotiations from Hamas after an IDF strike in the Gaza Strip killed three of his children.    
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Posted: 4/10/2024 11:03:59 PM EDT
[#15]
Garand Thumb interviews a couple of Israeli combat vets talking about their experiences and tactics being used in Gaza. They show their equipment load out, and do a couple short demonstration of tactics as well.
 Combat Vets from Israel Explain Urban Warfare, Drones, Insurgency tactics |
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Posted: 4/11/2024 1:00:30 AM EDT
[Last Edit: michigan66]
[#16]
Houthis had been shooting and flying fewer drones and missiles.
U.S. Central Command. @CENTCOM. April 10 Red Sea Update Between approximately 4:15 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. (Sanaa time) on April 10, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) forces successfully engaged three unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. Two UAVs were launched over the Gulf of Aden and one UAV was launched over the Red Sea. There were no injuries or damage reported by U.S., coalition, or commercial ships. Then between approximately 7:50 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. (Sanaa time), USCENTCOM forces successfully engaged and destroyed eight UAVs in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen in self-defense. |
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Posted: 4/11/2024 11:17:39 AM EDT
[#17]
Remains of Haniyeh brothers car
 Netanyahu: We have a new principle – whoever hurts us, we hurt him Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited an Israeli air force base in Tel Nof in southern Israel, and received an overview from commanders at the base on their activities throughout the last few months. During his visit, Netanyahu said, "We are in challenging times. We are in the middle of the war in Gaza which continues in full force, and at the same time we continue our non-stop efforts to return the hostage, but we are also preparing for challenging scenarios in other arenas." "We established a simple principle: whoever hurts us, we hurt him. We are preparing to meet the security needs of the State of Israel, both in defense and attack." IDF: We killed a Hamas financial operative in Rafah The IDF announced that it had killed a key member of Hamas' military wing involved in its financial funding in a joint attack with the Shin Bet in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. The military also announced that over the past few days, its forces had been operating in the Shejaiyeh neighborhood in eastern Gaza City. Additionally, they raided a Hamas outpost, killed militants and destroyed the organization's infrastructure in the area. IDF launches offensive in central Gaza The IDF announced that it began an operation overnight in the center of the Gaza Strip, the goal of which is to kill Hamas members and destroy the organization's infrastructure in the area. Prior to the entry of Israeli forces, the air force reportedly attacked dozens of above and below ground targets in the area. Earlier, Palestinian media reported dead and wounded in attacked on a school and residential building in Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.
Translation--The combat team of the 401st Brigade, Nahal, and other units under the command of the 162nd Division began tonight a targeted operation to eliminate terrorists and destroy terrorist infrastructure in the center of the Gaza Strip U.S. CENTCOM commander lands in Israel, set to meet IDF chief The commander of U.S. Central Command arrived in Israel and is expected to meet with the IDF Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi and other senior officials. The CENTCOM commander, Gen. Michael Kurilla, is in regular contact with senior Israeli military officials. Killing of Hamas Leader's Sons Won't Torpedo Deal, but Could Postpone It More As the devastation and killing in Gaza has escalated since the war started, the Hamas leaders who live outside Gaza, especially Haniyeh, have faced growing criticism among Palestinians and around the Arab world about their living in luxury in Qatar while the people of Gaza are left to contend with the Israeli destruction machine. Palestinians, particularly those in Gaza, perceive the killing of three sons of Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas politburo, as an Israeli act of revenge and frustration, not an impressive military action that will shake Hamas deeply enough to throw it off balance. Haniyeh's sons were not classified as operatives whose elimination would signal an in-depth intelligence penetration of Hamas – and the strike on them has only strengthened Haniyeh's status among the Hamas leadership and the Palestinian public. Entire article in spoiler--Source article. Analysis piece by long-time military correspondent for Haaretz. Yes, it is a leftist paper, but has some good background information. Click To View Spoiler Here are the latest updates on day 188 of the war ■ U.S. Central Command chief lands in Israel and is expected to meet senior officials including IDF Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi. ■ The IDF launched a military offensive in central Gaza overnight in which Israeli forces entered the Nuseirat refugee camp after the air force targeted Hamas infrastructure. ■ Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry reported that 33,545 have been killed since the beginning of the war. ■ IDF Spokesman, Daniel Hagari, said that he expects the number of aid trucks entering Gaza daily to soon reach 500, noting the average number currently stands at 250. ■ Israeli police and army reopened the Nitzana border crossing after dispersing dozens of protesters blocking the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza. ■ Medical sources in Gaza reported six killed in an airstrike in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. ■ German and Iranian foreign ministers discuss Middle East tensions over phone call Source of articles below. The IDF says it carried out a pinpoint operation in Gaza City’s Shejaiya neighborhood over the past few days. During the raid carried out by the Gaza Division’s Northern Brigade, troops killed numerous gunmen and destroyed sites belonging to Hamas, according to the IDF. One of the sites raided by the troops was a Hamas training base. The IDF says that after the raid, the Hamas outpost was destroyed in an airstrike. US officials tell the Wall Street Journal that there are fears that most of the Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity could be dead. he report comes amid talks to secure a hostage release deal and a truce, with some Hamas sources indicating that they are unable to provide 40 living hostages from the elderly, women and female soldiers that Israel is demanding. It is believed that 129 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza. The IDF has confirmed the deaths of 34 of those still held by Hamas, citing intelligence and findings obtained by troops operating in Gaza. However, the WSJ report says that “Israeli and American officials estimate privately that the number of deaths could be much higher.” Some US estimates indicate that most of the hostages are already dead, US officials familiar with the intelligence tell the paper. They stress, however, that US information on the hostages is limited and depends, in part, on Israeli intelligence. The report quotes US officials as saying that some were likely killed during Israeli strikes on Gaza, while others have died from health issues, including injuries suffered during their initial capture. Hamas terrorists took 253 hostages during the October 7 assault in which they also killed some 1,200 people. A hundred and five hostages were released from Hamas captivity during a weeklong truce in late November, and four hostages were released prior to that. Three hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 12 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the military. One more person is listed as missing since October 7, and their fate is still unknown. Hamas is also holding the bodies of fallen IDF soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin since 2014, as well as two Israeli civilians, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, who are both thought to be alive after entering the Strip of their own accord in 2014 and 2015 respectively. |
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Posted: 4/11/2024 4:25:10 PM EDT
[#18]
The father of the late female soldier Shir Hajjaj, who was murdered in a Palestinian terrorist attack in Jerusalem, came to the room where a Hamas terrorist was hospitalized in Hadassah Hospital and cried out his heart.
The IDF says it launched a "targeted operation" against Hamas in the central Gaza Strip overnight, on the outskirts of Nuseirat, an area where ground troops have not yet operated in during the ongoing war. The IDF says fighter jets carried out a strike earlier on a building in southern Lebanon's Ayta ash-Shab, where Hezbollah terrorist were gathered. The IDF's new and extended humanitarian aid measures: Mosab Hassan Yousef, Son of Hamas, with the truth you never heard before: |
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Posted: 4/11/2024 10:01:10 PM EDT
[#19]
 Institute for Study of War Backgrounder 11 April Key Takeaways: Gaza Strip Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant clarified that Israel’s war aim in the Gaza Strip is to prevent Hamas from conducting another October 7-style attack into Israel again. That is what Israeli leaders mean when they say that they seek to destroy Hamas as a military organization. Gallant added that the IDF has already destroyed four of Hamas’ five brigades and that Israeli forces are currently contending with “hotspots” of militia activity across the Gaza Strip. The remaining [Hamas] brigade not yet destroyed is in Rafah. Israel has destroyed a large quantity of Hamas’ military infrastructure and weapons as well as killed thousands of fighters in the Gaza. Hamas fighters are currently operating as small squad- and platoon-sized cells instead of the well-organized structure they had prior to the war. The Israel Defense Forces conducted a raid in Shujaiya in the northern Gaza. The IDF Northern Brigade (Gaza Division) has conducted “targeted activities” in the area recently, including killing Palestinian fighters and destroying military infrastructure, such as a Hamas training base. Palestinian militias conducted several attacks targeting Israeli forces in the northern Gaza. The al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades mortared Israeli vehicles south of Gaza City. Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) separately said that it conducted a sniper attack in al Taqa, east of Gaza City. The IDF announced it conducted an operation targeting Hamas outside Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip. The IDF Nahal Brigade and 401st Brigade led the operation. The Air Force coordinated with the 215th Artillery Brigade (162nd Division) and directed airstrikes targeting dozens of Palestinian fighters and military infrastructure before Israeli ground forces entered the area. The Nahal Brigade identified a fighter emerging from a tunnel, and the IDF Air Force conducted an airstrike targeting the fighter as they approached Israeli forces. The Navy separately conducted several strikes targeting Palestinian fighters along the central Gaza coast. The Palestinian Mujahideen Movement and Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine–General Command (PFLP-GC) conducted a combined mortar attack targeting Israeli forces north of Nuseirat refugee camp. This event marks the second known instance of the PFLP-GC attacking the IDF in the Gaza since the war began. The IDF and Shin Bet killed a Hamas fighter who was responsible for financing Hamas military activities in Rafah. The IDF said that the fighter transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars to Hamas in December 2023 for its operations in Rafah. Israeli media reported on April 11 that an IDF Southern Command colonel approved the airstrike that killed three sons of Hamas Political Bureau Chairman Ismail Haniyeh in the northern Gaza. Israeli media reported that senior Israeli officials, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, were not aware of the strike before it occurred. Israeli media reported that the IDF targeted Haniyeh’s sons for their involvement in holding Israeli hostages. Unspecified Palestinian fighters conducted an indirect fire attack from the central Gaza. Israeli Army Radio reported that four munitions fell short inside the Gaza. No Palestinian militia has claimed responsibility for the attack at the time of this writing. West Bank Israeli forces engaged Palestinian fighters in Tulkarm and arrested six wanted individuals and seized small arms. Israeli forces separately arrested an individual in Hebron on suspicion of planning to conduct a stabbing attack. Southern Lebanon and Golan Heights Lebanese Hezbollah has conducted at least three attacks from southern Lebanon into northern Israel. Yemen US CENTCOM confirmed that it intercepted three Houthi drones over the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea. Houthis claimed they conducted several attacks targeting commercial and military vessels in the Gulf of Aden. US CENTCOM preemptively struck eight Houthi drones in Houthi-controlled Yemen. Houthi-affiliated media separately claimed that the United States conducted airstrikes near Hudaydah on April 10. Iraq Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al Sudani wrote an article for Foreign Affairs reiterating his intention to end the US-led international coalition’s presence in Iraq and transition to a “comprehensive” bilateral relationship with the United States. Iran Iran appears to be exploiting the uncertainty surrounding its reported “imminent” attack against Israel to stoke psychological terror in Israel. Western media reported on April 10 that Iran could launch drone and missile strikes into Israel imminently in retaliation for the IDF strike in Damascus. Iranian state media posted on X (Twitter) later on April 10 that the Iranian defense minister announced the closure of the airspace around Tehran for a military exercise. Iranian regime-affiliated channels then began circulating posts suggesting that an Iranian attack into Israel would soon occur. The coincidence of these posts led to extensive public speculation that Iran would launch an attack into Israel while the airspace around Tehran was closed. Iranian state media shortly thereafter retracted the claims of Iranian airspace being closed and denied that the Iranian defense minister made any related announcement. The publication and retraction of these reports is bizarre, Iranian military and political officials have boasted in recent days that the impending nature of their attack is itself damaging to Israel, suggesting that the media reports may have been part of a sophisticated information operation. Stoking terror in Israel is consistent with CTP-ISW’s previous observation that Iranian leaders want the Israel-Hamas war to catalyze migration away from Israel and thereby erode the long-term viability of the Jewish state. In depth discussion on Israeli war objectives inside spoiler Click To View Spoiler  
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Posted: 4/12/2024 8:31:34 AM EDT
[#20]
Source for articles
Spain PM: 'Clear signs' Europe is ready to recognize Palestinian state Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Friday said there were "clear signs" in Europe that countries in the region are prepared to recognize a Palestinian state. Sanchez met earlier with his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Store in Oslo amid his diplomatic campaign to garner support for the recognition of Palestinian statehood. Netanyahu to conduct security assessment amid preparations for potential Iranian attack Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will conduct a security situation assessment on Friday amid preparations for a possible Iranian attack. He will be joined by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Minister Benny Gantz and senior members of the defense establishment. IDF and Shin Bet say head of Hamas' internal security in Jabalya killed on Thursday in airstrike The IDF confirmed on Friday reports that it killed the head of Hamas' internal security in the Jabalya area, Radoan Radoan, on Thursday. According to the army, Radoan was responsible for the damage to humanitarian aid trucks in northern Gaza. Wall Street Journal: Israel is preparing for a direct attack from Iran in the next 48 hours The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that Israel is preparing for a direct attack from Iran, in southern or northern Israel, in the next 48 hours. According to the report, the leadership in Iran discussed plans for an attack, but has not decided how to proceed. An American official said Thursday night that U.S. intelligence reports indicate that Iran's attack may be on Israeli territory, and not on Israeli targets abroad. Discussion on Iranian "head games" around retaliatory strikes from the ISW Iran appears to be exploiting the uncertainty surrounding its reported “imminent” attack against Israel to stoke psychological terror in Israel. Western media reported on April 10 that Iran could launch drone and missile strikes into Israel imminently in retaliation for the IDF strike in Damascus. Iranian state media posted on X (Twitter) later on April 10 that the Iranian defense minister announced the closure of the airspace around Tehran for a military exercise. Iranian regime-affiliated channels then began circulating posts suggesting that an Iranian attack into Israel would soon occur. The coincidence of these posts led to extensive public speculation that Iran would launch an attack into Israel while the airspace around Tehran was closed. Iranian state media shortly thereafter retracted the claims of Iranian airspace being closed and denied that the Iranian defense minister made any related announcement. The publication and retraction of these reports is bizarre, Iranian military and political officials have boasted in recent days that the impending nature of their attack is itself damaging to Israel, suggesting that the media reports may have been part of a sophisticated information operation. The Red Crescent reported on Friday the death of a 22-year-old Palestinian who was killed in clashes with the Israeli army in the al-Fara refugee camp, near the city of Tubas, in the northeastern West Bank. According to witnesses at the scene, the clashes took place at night, when forces entered the area to arrest wanted persons. Two people were also wounded. One is in serious condition, and a 17-year-old is in moderate condition. Palestinian killed in Tubas 
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Posted: 4/12/2024 8:33:06 AM EDT
[#21]
WSJ--Iranian Attack Expected on Israel in Next Two Days
Earlier this week, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard contacted the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei with several options to strike Israeli interests, said an adviser to the paramilitary force. The scenarios under consideration include a direct attack on Israel with sophisticated medium-range missiles, he said. In recent hours, social-media accounts close to the Revolutionary Guard have posted videos showing simulated missile attacks on Israel’s Haifa airport and its nuclear facility in Dimona. An Iranian official has also previously said Iran would strike at Israel’s power and desalination plants if attacked. But Khamenei has yet to decide on the plans. He is concerned a direct attack could backfire with the projectiles being intercepted and Israel responding with a massive retaliation on Iran’s strategic infrastructure. “The strike plans are in front of the Supreme Leader and he is still weighing the political risk,” the adviser said. (This isn't a minor concern. PGMs are Iran's main threat for Israel and others in the region. If they launch a strike that Israel intercepts it would be a huge blow). Entire article in quote box Exclusive | Iranian Attack Expected on Israel in Next Two Days TEL AVIV—Israel is preparing for a direct attack from Iran on southern or northern Israel as soon as Friday or Saturday, according to a person familiar with the matter. A person briefed by the Iranian leadership, however, said that while plans to attack are being discussed, no final decision has been made. Iran has publicly threatened to retaliate for an attack last week in Damascus, Syria, that Tehran said was an Israeli airstrike on a diplomatic building. The strike killed top Iranian military officials, including a senior member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds Force. Earlier this week, U.S. intelligence reports showed that an attack on Israeli assets by Iran or its proxies could be imminent, but a source says it now appears that the attack could be within Israel’s borders. A U.S. official with knowledge of the matter said Thursday that American intelligence reports indicate an Iranian retaliatory strike within days, “possibly on Israeli soil” as opposed to Israeli interests elsewhere. On Thursday, the American Embassy in Israel said U.S. government employees and family members would be restricted from any personal travel outside of central Israel, Jerusalem and Beersheba until further notice. Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command, which is responsible for military operations in the Middle East, was in Israel on Thursday, defense officials said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking from an air base in southern Israel, also on Thursday, vowed to respond directly against any attack on Israel. “Whoever harms us, we will harm them. We are prepared to meet all of the security needs of the State of Israel, both defensively and offensively,” he said. Syria also accused Israel of carrying out the attack, which killed Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahedi, who managed Iranian paramilitary operations in Syria and Lebanon, according to Iranian state media and U.S. officials. Zahedi was the highest-ranking Iranian military official to be killed since the January 2020 U.S. assassination of Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad. At least six other Iranian militants were killed in the strike, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said. An Israeli military spokesman said that intelligence showed the building hit in Damascus wasn’t a diplomatic facility but a building that the Quds Force uses and is disguised as a civilian site. Earlier this week, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard contacted the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei with several options to strike Israeli interests, said an adviser to the paramilitary force. The scenarios under consideration include a direct attack on Israel with sophisticated medium-range missiles, he said. In recent hours, social-media accounts close to the Revolutionary Guard have posted videos showing simulated missile attacks on Israel’s Haifa airport and its nuclear facility in Dimona. An Iranian official has also previously said Iran would strike at Israel’s power and desalination plants if attacked. But Khamenei has yet to decide on the plans. He is concerned a direct attack could backfire with the projectiles being intercepted and Israel responding with a massive retaliation on Iran’s strategic infrastructure. “The strike plans are in front of the Supreme Leader and he is still weighing the political risk,” the adviser said. The scenarios involve attacks by Tehran’s proxies in Syria and Iraq, for which Iran delivered drones out of warehouses in recent days, according to advisers to the IRGC and the Syrian government. Iran and its allies could also attack the Golan—a disputed territory annexed by Israel from Syria in 1981—or even Gaza, they said, to avoid an attack within Israel’s internationally recognized territory. Another option would be to strike at Israeli Embassies, notably in the Arab world, to show them that friendly ties with Tel Aviv could be costly, these people said. Meanwhile, the international community has been scrambling to avoid an escalation. On Thursday, Annalena Baerbock and David Cameron, respectively the foreign ministers of Germany and the U.K., both called their Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, to ask Tehran not to attack Israel, according to British and Iranian officials. “Calls have been made by several regional and European ministers to Iran’s Foreign Minister,” a spokesman for Iran’s mission at the United Nations in New York told The Wall Street Journal. |
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Posted: 4/12/2024 8:53:14 AM EDT
[#22]
The IDF says troops killed the head of a local Hamas infrastructure in the northern West Bank's Tubas this morning. Mohammad Omar Daraghmeh was involved in "advancing significant terror acts against Israel," the IDF says. The IDF says that amid the overnight incident, Daraghmeh shot at troops from a vehicle, who then returned fire, killing him. Several weapons were found in his car. A second Palestinian man, named by Palestinian media as Mohammad Shahmawi, was killed when troops opened fire on Palestinians who were shooting and throwing explosive devices at them, the IDF says. Weapons seized in West Bank  Attached File
The IDF says it is continuing a pinpoint operation against Hamas and other terror groups in the central Gaza Strip, on the outskirts of the Nuseirat camp. The 162nd Division's 401st Armored Brigade, Nahal Infantry Brigade, and other units, killed several gunmen over the past day in the area, in close-quarters combat and by calling in airstrikes, the IDF says. The IDF says the troops located and destroyed an underground rocket launcher, alongside other launchers that were primed. The troops also raided several sites belonging to terror groups in the area, locating equipment belonging to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad at one location, the IDF says. Across the Gaza Strip, the Israeli Air Force struck more than 60 targets over the past day. According to the IDF, the targets included rocket launchers, buildings where gunmen were gathered, and other infrastructure. The IDF says the 215th Artillery Regiment also shelled numerous sites over the past day, as part of support for the ground troops operating in central Gaza.
The IDF and Shin Bet say the head of Hamas's internal security in northern Gaza's Jabaliya was killed in an airstrike yesterday. In addition to serving as a Hamas police chief in Jabaliya, Radwan Muhammad Abdullah Radwan, according to the IDF and Shin Bet, was an operative in the military wing of the terror group. "Radwan gave orders to Hamas operatives and was responsible for directing armed terrorists to take control of humanitarian aid trucks in the northern Gaza Strip," the IDF says in a statement. It adds that his killing "degrades Hamas’s capabilities to attack and take control of humanitarian aid" in the Jabaliya area. Another strike yesterday killed Hamed Muhammad Ali Ahmed, a commander in the Hamas military wing who was also responsible for internal security in Jabaliya, and another operative in the terror group's Jabaliya Battalion, the IDF adds.
April 11 Red Sea Update At approximately 1:00 p.m. (Sanaa time) on April 11, United States Central Command (CENTCOM) forces successfully engaged and destroyed one anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) launched over the Red Sea from Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist-controlled areas in Yemen. There were no injuries or damage reported by U.S., coalition, or commercial ships.
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Posted: 4/12/2024 9:04:02 AM EDT
[#23]
Jerusalem Post article on Iranian threats against Israel
What follows is a list of different types of attacks the Islamic Republic could carry out based on how it has behaved in the past. Entire article in quote box: Iran has several ways to attack Israel; which one will it choose? - analysis Iran has vowed to “punish” Israel for an airstrike in Damascus on April 1 that Tehran blamed on the Jewish state. Over the last week and a half, Iranian leaders have made repeated threats against Israel. This has led to heightened tensions in the region. Iran has a track record of threatening Israel. It also has a track record of using its proxies to threaten and attack Israel. What follows is a list of different types of attacks the Islamic Republic could carry out based on how it has behaved in the past. A ballistic missile strike from Iran Iran has a large arsenal of ballistic missiles of varying types and ranges. Some are solid-fueled, and some are liquid-fueled, which means some can be rushed out to be fired relatively quickly, and others take time to prepare and position. Israel’s mortal enemy has used ballistic missiles frequently in the past. Tehran used ballistic missiles to target the Al-Asad Base in Iraq on January 8, 2020, in retaliation for America’s assassination of IRGC Quds Force head Qasem Soleimani. Iran launched up to 22 missiles, targeting both Asad where US troops are based in western Iraq, and the Kurdistan autonomous region that hosts US forces. The missiles were launched from several locations in Iran, and 11 of them struck Asad base. Iran informed the Iraqis just before they launched the missiles. The missiles were launched beginning at 1:20 a.m., and the attack continued for several hours. It is believed that Iran used the Fateh 313 and Qiam ballistic missiles in the attack, which contain warheads of more than 450 kg. A ballistic missile strike from Iraq Iran has been moving missiles and drones to Iraq for several years. Beginning in around 2018, reports emerged in various media that Iran was basing missiles in Iraq. It was not clear after 2019 what became of these missiles because the reports about them stopped occurring. However, it is clear that during the period 2018-2019, the Iranian-backed militias in Iraq that work closely with Iran had extended their control into Anbar Province and defeated ISIS there. Iran then moved to create a base called Imam Ali in Syria near Albukamal on the Iraqi border. Iran uses this area to smuggle weapons via Syria to Hezbollah. Anbar Province is the closest part of Iraq to Israel. It is also where Saddam Hussein placed Scud missiles that targeted Israel in the 1991 war. A lot of effort was spent at the time by the US-led coalition seeking to “hunt” down the elusive Scud launchers. Iran may seek to place long-range missiles in Iraq and recreate a Saddam scenario. New long-range ballistic missiles Iran recently tested In January 2024, Iran carried out missile attacks on Pakistan and Syria, claiming to be targeting terrorist groups. Tehran used this occasion to test the precision of its missiles. It used long-range and relatively new Kheibar Shekan ballistic missiles in Syria. The attack was a “message” for the US and Israel, according to Iranian media. The missile had been unveiled in 2022. Iran claims it has a range of 1,450 km. and is supposed to have high-speed and precision-strike capabilities, which makes it a dangerous strategic weapon. A combination drone and cruise missile attack In September 2019, Iran carried out an attack using drones and cruise missiles that targeted Saudi Arabia’s Abqaiq oil-processing facility. The attacks were carried out at night from Iran. It was initially believed that about a dozen cruise missiles were involved and two dozen drones; the Saudis said seven missiles and 18 drones were used. The drones had a delta-wing configuration, which made them similar to the Iranian Shahed 136 drones, which are now common. The full details of the types of drones used were not clear. Iran was able to avoid Saudi Arabia's air defenses and radar by planning a complex mission and also using an attack vector going through an area that was either undefended or where the systems in place were not being used correctly. The attack, which caused damage but did not kill anyone, was seen at the time as a symbolic curtain-raiser on Iran’s capabilities. Iraqi militias using drones or missiles Iranian-backed militias in Iraq have been increasing their threats to Israel in recent weeks. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which is an Iranian proxy group, frequently claims to have targeted Israel. It has claimed to target Eilat, for instance. A drone struck a hangar in Iraq in the early hours of April 1. Another one was recently intercepted by the C-Dome system aboard a Sa’ar 6 Israeli ship. Iraqi militias could be mobilized by Iran to carry out attacks on Israel. This would give Iran plausible deniability. Tehran used these militias in the past to target Israel with drones in May 2021. The groups in Iraq also targeted US forces and killed three Americans in Jordan in January 2024 in a drone attack. Iranian-backed terrorists in Syria Iran has a plethora of Iranian-backed groups in Syria. These include Hezbollah operatives who work near the Golan as part of the terrorist group’s “Golan File” unit. Hezbollah sought to threaten Israel from an area near the Golan using a “killer drone” unit in the fall of 2019. Israel struck the Hezbollah cell at the time. In recent months, Hezbollah has also sought to use Syrian army facilities near the Golan. Iran also works with the Fetemiyoun, a group of Afghan Shi’ites it recruited, using the group to patrol areas near the Euphrates River in Syria. The group is basically run by the Iranian IRGC. Iran could transfer weapons to this militia or other ones and operationalize them for attacks on Israel. Tehran has used these types of groups to carry out dozens of attacks on US forces in Syria in the last several years. |
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Posted: 4/12/2024 10:48:30 AM EDT
[#24]
Another good book on the Middle East on sale for $3.99 as a Kindle Daily DealEnemies and Neighbors: Arabs and Jews in Palestine and Israel, 1917-2017.
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Posted: 4/12/2024 5:36:00 PM EDT
[Last Edit: michigan66]
[#25]
U.S. Moves Warships to Defend Israel in Case of Iranian Attack here.
The U.S. rushed warships into position to protect Israel and American forces in the region, hoping to head off a direct attack from Iran on Israel that could come as soon as Friday or Saturday. The moves by the U.S. that are part of an effort to avoid a wider conflict in the Middle East .. Entire article in quote box Exclusive | U.S. Moves Warships to Defend Israel in Case of Iranian Attack The U.S. rushed warships into position to protect Israel and American forces in the region, hoping to head off a direct attack from Iran on Israel that could come as soon as Friday or Saturday. The moves by the U.S. that are part of an effort to avoid a wider conflict in the Middle East came after a warning from a person familiar with the matter about the timing and location of the potential Iranian attack. A person briefed by the Iranian leadership, however, said that while plans to attack are being discussed, no final decision has been made. Army Gen. Erik Kurilla, the head of U.S. Central Command, discussed a possible Iranian attack with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in Israel on Friday. “We are prepared to defend ourselves on the ground and in the air, in close cooperation with our partners, and we will know how to respond,” Gallant said, according to Israel’s Defense Ministry. The U.S. moves included repositioning two destroyers, one of which was already in the region and another that was redirected there, U.S. officials said, adding that at least one of the vessels carried the Aegis missile-defense system. President Biden, asked Friday when an Iranian strike on Israel may occur, said, “My expectation is sooner than later.” Asked if he had a message for Iran, Biden said: “Don’t.” “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel and help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” Biden said. U.S. officials fear that an Iranian strike against Israel could prompt an Israeli response inside Iran that could spark a regional conflict and draw in the U.S., whose forces and allies in the Middle East could be targeted by Tehran if its territory is hit. John Kirby, the White House’s national security spokesman, said Friday that Iran’s threats to strike Israel remain “real” and “viable.” Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, chief of Israel’s general staff, met with Kurilla about a possible Iranian attack after a separate meeting with commanders on the readiness of Israeli forces. Late Thursday, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had called Gallant to reassure him Washington would defend its closest ally in the region if Tehran struck on its soil. Austin told Gallant “Israel could count on full U.S. support to defend Israel against Iranian attacks, which Tehran has publicly threatened,” a Pentagon spokesman said. Iran has threatened to retaliate for an attack last week in Damascus, Syria, that Tehran said was an Israeli airstrike on a diplomatic building. The strike killed several top Iranian military officials, including a senior member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds Force. An Iranian strike on Israel could inflame the region as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is under growing international pressure to wrap up its military campaign against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. Hamas’s Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, which killed around 1,200 people, and Israel’s subsequent offensive in Gaza, which has claimed more than 33,000 lives, have ratcheted up tensions in the Middle East to a level not seen in decades. In their phone call on Thursday, Gallant told Austin that “a direct Iranian attack would require an appropriate Israeli response against Iran,” the Israeli Defense Ministry said. U.S. officials, frustrated by Israel’s decision to not inform them about the Damascus strike, have pushed their Israeli counterparts to share information about how Israel could respond to an Iranian strike, U.S. officials said, in part to protect forces in the region. Netanyahu met Friday with senior security officials, including Gallant, to discuss Israel’s readiness for an Iranian response, according to Israeli officials. In Tel Aviv, residents went about their day on Friday, flocking to cafes and shops on the first day of the Israeli weekend. “We are strong. We are not afraid,” said Andrey Uchitel, 48, who took a leisurely walk with his friend on the Tel Aviv boardwalk. “It will be OK in the end.” Israel’s Home Front Command, which is tasked with preparing the public for disasters and conflict, hasn’t issued any changes to its emergency instructions to the public, Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said Thursday night. Last week, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, publicly threatened retaliation for the Damascus strike and Israel disrupted local GPS networks that can be used to guide weapons. But the Israeli military sought to calm the public over a possible attack. “There is no need to buy generators, store food and withdraw money from” cash machines, Hagari said at the time. The U.S., which doesn’t have diplomatic relations with Tehran, has encouraged its European and Middle Eastern allies to pressure Iran not to attack Israel, American and British officials said on Friday. The foreign ministers of Germany and the U.K.—Annalena Baerbock and David Cameron—called their Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, on Thursday to ask Tehran not to attack Israel, according to British and Iranian officials. Saudi Arabia and Qatar, two U.S. allies in the Middle East, conveyed the same message to the Islamic Republic, the officials said. France on Friday pulled family members of its diplomatic staff from Tehran and advised its citizens to refrain from traveling to Iran, Lebanon, Israel or the Palestinian territories in the coming days. It also banned missions by French officials to those countries. The American Embassy in Israel said Thursday that U.S. government employees and family members would be restricted from any personal travel outside of central Israel, Jerusalem and Beersheba until further notice. German airline Lufthansa also extended the suspension of its flights to Tehran due to the situation in the Middle East until next Thursday. Attacks by rockets and drones from southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, and more recently from places like Iraq and Yemen, have become commonplace in Israel. Most are intercepted by Israel’s air-defense system or fall in unpopulated areas. The scenarios for a potential attack on Israel that have been presented to Khamenei include strikes by Tehran’s proxies in Syria and Iraq, according to advisers to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and the Syrian government. To avoid an attack within Israel’s internationally recognized territory, Iran and its allies could also attack the Golan Heights, a disputed territory annexed by Israel from Syria in 1981, the advisers said. Another option would be to hit Israeli embassies, notably in the Arab world, to show them that friendly ties with Israel could be costly, these people said. In recent days, social-media accounts associated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard have stepped up messaging around a potential attack on Israel. Several widely shared posts include satellite images of prominent locations in Israel, such as Ben Gurion Airport, surrounded by Iranian attack drones. “What place do you love? The choice is in your hands,” the posts, which were picked up by several Israeli media, say in Hebrew. Another post includes a video showing an Iranian hypersonic missile with the Farsi caption “5 minutes to Haifa and Tel Aviv.” |
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Posted: 4/12/2024 8:35:39 PM EDT
[#26]
 Key Takeaways: Gaza Strip The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) killed multiple Hamas personnel affiliated with Hamas’ governance structures and military organizations on Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip. The IDF Air Force conducted an airstrike that killed the head of Hamas’ internal security in Jabalia. Hamas remains determined to reconstitute itself militarily and reassert its authority in the Gaza Strip. Hamas has made attempts to coopt and undermine possible alternatives to its rule, facilitate trade, and rehabilitate its local police in the northern Gaza Strip.[ The IDF continued an operation on the outskirts of Nuseirat along Wadi Gaza. Elements of the IDF 162nd Division, including the Nahal and 401st Brigades, killed Palestinian fighters and destroyed military infrastructure. Israeli forces raided a school in Zahra and discovered weapons. The IDF 215th Artillery Brigade supported ground operations in the central Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) claimed that its fighters detonated a minefield and used an explosively formed penetrator to target Israeli armor in a complex attack at a military position north of Nuseirat. The IDF Air Force struck more than 60 targets in the Gaza Strip on April 12, including underground military infrastructure. West Bank Israeli forces engaged Palestinian fighters in two locations in the northern West Bank. The al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades fired “light weapons” and detonated improvised explosive devices in two separate attacks targeting Israeli forces around Tubas and Qalqilya. Israeli forces detained five wanted individuals in overnight operations. Israeli forces killed senior Hamas commander Muhammad Omar Daraghmeh. The IDF said that Daraghmeh was a “central Hamas operative” and “promoted” militia activity in the region. Israeli forces killed Daraghmeh’s predecessor “about a month and a half ago". Israeli and Palestinian media reported violence occurred in al Mughayir, west of Malachi Shalom. Southern Lebanon and Golan Heights Lebanese Hezbollah has conducted at least four attacks from southern Lebanon. Hezbollah fired approximately 40 rockets targeting Israeli “artillery positions” in al Zaoura in the Golan Heights on April 12.  The IDF said that it intercepted some rockets and that the rest of the rockets fell in open areas.Yemen US CENTCOM intercepted a Houthi anti-ship ballistic missile over the Red Sea. Iraq The Islamic Resistance in Iraq—an umbrella organization of Iranian-backed Iraqi militias— threatened to renew its attack campaign targeting US forces in Iraq. Iran US CENTCOM Commander Gen. Michael Kurilla continued to meet with Israeli officials in Israel to discuss preparations for a possible Iranian attack targeting Israel. 
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Posted: 4/13/2024 8:06:32 AM EDT
[#27]
Israeli Forces Find Body of 14-year-old Who Went Missing Friday, Say He Was Murdered in Terror Attack
The Israeli army found the body of a 14-year-old Israeli boy who went missing on Friday morning, after he went out to graze cattle in the West Bank. The IDF, Shin Bet security service and the police reported that he was killed in a terrorist attack and that a search for the perpetrators is underway. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the authorities will catch anyone involved in the attack. It is unclear whether an altercation proceeded the attack or if it was a surprise attack. The army found the boy's body on Saturday morning using a drone, and it says that intel is being gathered and possible suspects living in nearby villages reviewed. Friends of the boy, Binyamin Ahimeir, who live in the Malachei Hashalom settlement in the Binyamin regional council say they woke him up on Friday around 6 A.M. so that he take the cattle out and went back to sleep. He was supposed to return to the settlement around 9 A.M. but never showed up. A broken hoe was found several kilometers from the settlement around 12 P.M., and some sheep came back to the settlement on their own. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that Ahimeir was murdered, and that Israeli forces were on their way to catch the murderers and those who collaborated with them "as we do with anyone who harms the citizens of Israel." On Friday, clashes broke out between Palestinians and Israeli sodiers in the Palestinian village of Al-Mughayir during searches for the boy. One Palestinian was killed and six were wounded by Israeli military fire while three Israeli soldiers were shot and lightly wounded. Source for articles IDF Spokesperson: Iran will bear consequences for any escalation Iran will bear consequences if it escalates violence in the region, said the Israeli army spokesperson on Saturday. "Iran will bear the consequences for choosing to escalate the situation any further," Brig. Gen. Daniel Hagari said in a statement. "Israel is on high alert. We have increased our readiness to protect Israel from further Iranian aggression. We are also prepared to respond." The statement was made in reference to the seizure of a vessel by Iranian commandos earlier on Saturday. Reports: Iranian forces commandeered ship near the Strait of Hormuz Reports claim Iranian commando forces raided by helicopter a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, near the United Arab Emirates' port town of Fujairah. The vessel involved is likely the Portuguese-flagged MSC Aries, a container ship associated with London-based Zodiac Maritime. Zodiac Maritime is part of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer's Zodiac Group. The crew disabled tracking data, as is common for Israeli-affiliated vessels moving through the area, and its last known location was near Dubai. The commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard's navy said on Tuesday that Israel's presence in the UAE was viewed as a threat by Tehran and it could close the Strait of Hormuz - the entrance to the Gulf - if deemed necessary. |
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Posted: 4/13/2024 8:20:49 AM EDT
[#28]
The IDF says fighter jets struck Hezbollah targets in four different areas of southern Lebanon a short while ago. The targets included buildings used by the terror group in Houla and Bayt Lif, and two Hezbollah command centers in Odaisseh and Taybeh, according to the IDF. The IDF says troops also opened fire at an area near Rmeish to "remove a threat." The IDF also says it is investigating suspected drone infiltration sirens that sounded in northern Israel earlier. There were no reports of injuries.
The IDF says troops, including special forces, are working alongside police to locate a missing 14-year-old boy in the West Bank. Jerusalem resident Benjamin Achimeir left a farm near the outpost of Malachei Shalom in the early morning hours to go shepherding, and has not been seen since. The sheep returned to "Gal Farm" without him, police say. The chief of the IDF Central Command, Maj. Gen. Yehuda Fox and the head of the West Bank division, Brig. Gen. Yaki Dolf, are at the scene leading the searches, the military says. Police and military forces are blocking roads in the area.
Israeli settlers are reportedly attacking Palestinians in the West Bank towns of Beitin and Duma, close to Ramallah. The clashes come amid tensions over missing 14-year-old Benjamin Achimeir. Yesterday, amid searches for the teen, one Palestinian was killed and dozens were hurt in settler attacks and clashes with troops.
Overnight, the IDF says it struck in the Gaza Strip three launchers that had 20 rockets in them, primed for an attack on central Israel. The strike came shortly after the Palestinian Islamic Jihad fired rockets at the southern city of Sderot. In the attack, the IDF says the Iron Dome intercepted three rockets, and artillery forces later shelled the launch site. Over the past day, more than 30 other targets were struck by fighter jets and drones across the Gaza Strip, the IDF says. The targets included buildings used by terror groups, anti-tank missile launchers, and other infrastructure, it says. Meanwhile, the IDF says it is continuing a pinpoint operation in the central Gaza Strip, on the outskirts of the Nuseirat camp. In the past day, troops of the 401st Armored Brigade and Nahal Infantry Brigade killed several gunmen and destroyed sites belonging to terror groups, including a Hamas weapons depot, the IDF says. Another pinpoint operation is being carried out in northern Gaza's Beit Hanoun, the IDF says. Amid that operation, the IDF says that troops under the Gaza Division's Northern Brigade spotted a group of gunmen in the area, and called in an airstrike against them. |
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Posted: 4/13/2024 10:04:12 AM EDT
[#29]
The IDF says it struck several buildings used by Hezbollah, where terrorist were gathered, in southern Lebanon's Ayta ash-Shab:
Overnight, the IDF says it struck in the Gaza Strip three launchers that had 20 rockets in them, primed for an attack on central Israel. The IDF says it struck a large Hezbollah compound in the Rihan area of southern Lebanon: Israeli citizens are reportedly attacking Palestinians in the towns of Beitin and Duma, close to Ramallah. The clashes come amid tensions over missing 14-year-old Benjamin Achimeir. Yesterday, amid searches for the teen, one Palestinian was killed and dozens were hurt in settler attacks and clashes with troops. IDF Spokesperson statement regarding Iranian involvement in the war: |
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Posted: 4/13/2024 4:26:05 PM EDT
[#30]
IDF: A short while ago, Iran launched UAVs from within its territory toward Israel. The IDF is on high alert and is constantly monitoring the operational situation. The IDF Aerial Defense Array is on high alert, along with IAF fighter jets and Israeli Navy vessels that are on a defense mission in Israeli airspace. The IDF is monitoring all targets. We ask the public to adhere to and follow the instructions of the Home Front Command and the official IDF announcements regarding the matter. |
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Posted: 4/13/2024 4:49:49 PM EDT
[#31]
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Posted: 4/13/2024 5:48:57 PM EDT
[Last Edit: michigan66]
[#32]
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Posted: 4/13/2024 6:17:46 PM EDT
[#33]
Source
Hezbollah claims responsibility for 'dozens' of rockets fired towards IDF air defense base in Golan Heights New York Times: Israeli sources say Iranian expected targets are Golan Heights, Air Force base in Negev Israeli sources told the New York Times that the expected targets of the Iranian attack are the Golan Heights and an Air Force base in the Negev. According to the report, the sources also said that Israel has detected drone and missile launches from Iraq as well Iran warns countries against allowing Israeli attacks via airspace or territory Iranian Defence Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani warned that Tehran will firmly respond to any country that "opens its airspace or territory for attacks on Iran by Israel," Iran's semi-official Mehr news agency reported on Sunday. My favorite morons in on the action Report: Houthis launch missiles at Israel The British security company Ambrey reported that the Houthis in Yemen launched missiles at Israel.  Attached File |
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Posted: 4/13/2024 6:55:44 PM EDT
[Last Edit: michigan66]
[#34]
Another good source of news and analysis. Marc Schulman is a reporter who posts daily about the war in Israel on his Substack here.
Link to a Youtuber in Israel--here.He is doing a live feed now, you could hear explosions in the distance. When there isn't shooting going on, he goes all over the West Bank.  Israel vs Iran War LIVE Updates/Discussion |
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Posted: 4/13/2024 7:29:26 PM EDT
[#35]
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Posted: 4/13/2024 9:03:01 PM EDT
[Last Edit: birdbarian]
[#36]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By michigan66:
I hope Israel takes the opportunity to make moves against iranian targets. ETA why did anyone spend all that f'ing money to not strategically f'up their pedophile enemies? |
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Posted: 4/13/2024 9:24:54 PM EDT
[Last Edit: michigan66]
[#37]
The IDF in a statement says it intercepted "the vast majority" of the dozens of Iranian ballistic missiles that were fired at Israel. The missiles were downed by the Arrow air defense system before they managed to enter Israeli airspace, according to the IDF. "A few impacts were identified, among them at a military base in the south of the country, with minor damage to infrastructure," the statement says. Many dozens of drones and cruise missiles launched from Iran were also shot down by fighter jets, the military says. "Dozens of Air Force planes continue at this hour to intercept all air threats that are making their way toward the territory of the State of Israel," the IDF adds. The Home Front Command meanwhile says that Israelis no longer need to remain close to bomb shelters.
IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari says Iran launched dozens of ballistic missiles at Israel, causing slight damage to a military base. He says most of the missiles were intercepted by the long-range Arrow air defense system. The missiles were mostly downed outside of Israeli airspace, he says. One impact led to the injury of a young girl in the Negev, and additional impacts caused "slight damage to infrastructure" at a military base, Hagari says. He says fighter jets also downed dozens of cruise missiles and dozens of drones. In total, Iran launched more than 200 projectiles at Israel, according to Hagari. He says the incident is not over.
Brain trust monitoring situation.  Attached File |
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Posted: 4/13/2024 10:06:52 PM EDT
[#38]
Link for articles below
Iran Attacks Israel: Hundreds of Missiles Launched, Most Intercepted; Israel Vows Response Sirens sound across Israel's north, south, Jerusalem and West Bank ■ IDF: Over 200 missiles, drones launched from Iran, most intercepted; army base in southern Israel sustained minor damage ■ U.S., U.K. and Jordan reportedly intercept drones ■ IDF deploys GPS jamming ■ Israeli war, security cabinets convened ■ Israel intensifies emergency guidelines, shuts down schools and large gatherings As of 10:00 PM Eastern 12 April Rocket sirens sound in Golan Heights, northern Israel. IDF: 28 launches from Lebanon, following latest alarms in northern Golan Heights Israeli cabinet members authorize Netanyahu, Gallant and Gantz to make decisions on response to Iran's attack
Report in Iran: Tehran could target Jordan if supports Israel against attack Iran is closely monitoring Jordan, which could become "the next target in case of any [pro-Israeli] move," the Iranian news agency FARS reported from a source. |
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Posted: 4/13/2024 11:26:36 PM EDT
[Last Edit: birdbarian]
[#39]
Fuck those Iranian pussies. I pray tonight that the Israelis take advantage of the opportunity to cut off the head of the iranian cunts (intentionally loser case).
I wish my kids were gown. I'm ready. I don't want to live forever. |
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Posted: 4/14/2024 7:42:35 AM EDT
[#40]
War cabinet to meet in Israel 8:30 AM Eastern time
Iran threatens to hit US bases if Washington backs Israeli counterattack Source “If the Zionist regime (Israel) or its supporters demonstrate reckless behavior, they will receive a decisive and much stronger response,” Iran’s president Ebrahim Raisi said in a statement. Entire article Top Iranian commanders warned Israel on Sunday that the country would face a bigger attack if it retaliates against overnight drone and missile strikes, adding that Washington has been told not to back any military action from its ally. “Our response will be much larger than tonight’s military action if Israel retaliates against Iran,” Iran’s armed forces chief of staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri told state TV, adding that Tehran warned Washington that any backing of Israeli retaliation would result in US bases being targeted. “If the Zionist regime (Israel) or its supporters demonstrate reckless behavior, they will receive a decisive and much stronger response,” Iran’s president Ebrahim Raisi said in a statement. The commander of the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hossein Salami, also warned that Tehran would retaliate against any Israeli attack on its interests, officials or citizens. The Hamas terror group, one of Iran’s proxies in the region, jumped to Tehran’s defense after the attack. "We in Hamas regard the military operation conducted by the Islamic Republic of Iran a natural right and a deserved response on the crime of targeting the Iranian consulate in Damascus and the assassination of several leaders of the Revolutionary Guards,” the Palestinian group said in a statement. Israel is engaged in a war, now in its seventh month, with Hamas after the Gazan terror group killed nearly 1,200 people and abducted 253 in a shock onslaught on October 7. Israel reported modest damage and reopened its airspace after Iran launched a large wave of around 300 attack drones and missiles in the first-ever direct attack on the Jewish state by the Islamic republic, while the United States said it would discuss a diplomatic response with major powers on Sunday. Tehran’s attacks late on Saturday — launched after a alleged Israeli airstrike on its embassy compound in Damascus on April 1 that killed officers of the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a US-designated terror group — raised the threat of a wider regional conflict. Iran had previously relied on its proxies across the region to attack Israeli and US targets in a show of support for Hamas in the ongoing war in Gaza, which shows no sign of easing despite numerous mediation efforts. “We intercepted, we repelled, together we shall win,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted on X, formerly Twitter, after the Iranian attack. The Israel Defense Forces said more than 99 percent of the Iranian drones and missiles had been shot down by its air force and by allied countries, and it was discussing follow-up options. Channel 12 TV cited an unnamed Israeli official as saying there would be a “significant response” to the attack. The war in Gaza has ratcheted up tensions in the region, spreading to fronts with Lebanon and Syria and drawing long-range fire at Israeli targets from as far away as Yemen and Iraq. Iran’s most powerful ally in the region, the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah — which has been exchanging fire with Israel since October 8 — said early on Sunday it had fired dozens of rockets at an IDF base in the north Drones were also reportedly launched against Israel by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group, which has attacked shipping lanes in and around the Red Sea to show solidarity with Hamas, British maritime security company Ambrey said in a statement. Those clashes now threaten to devolve into a direct open conflict pitting Iran and its regional allies against Israel and its main supporter, the United States. Regional power Egypt urged “utmost restraint.” IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari called Iran’s actions “very grave,” saying during a televised briefing that they “push the region toward escalation.” The Iranian salvo caused light damage to an Israel Air Force base in the south, Hagari said. Iran had vowed retaliation for what it called the Israeli strike on its embassy compound that killed seven IRGC officers, including two senior commanders. Tehran said its strike was punishment for “Israeli crimes.” Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the consulate attack. “Should the Israeli regime make another mistake, Iran’s response will be considerably more severe,” the Iranian mission to the United Nations said, warning the US to “stay away.” However, it also said Iran now “deemed the matter concluded.” US President Joe Biden, who spoke by phone with Netanyahu after the Iranian attack, said he would convene a meeting of leaders of the Group of Seven major economies on Sunday to coordinate a diplomatic response to what he called Tehran’s “brazen” attack. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said America did not seek conflict with Iran but would not hesitate to act to protect US forces and support the defense of Israel. The UN Security Council was set to meet at 4 p.m. ET (2000 GMT) on Sunday after Israel requested it condemn Iran’s attack and designate the Revolutionary Guards a terrorist organization. Iran’s Fars news agency quoted a source as saying Tehran was closely watching Jordan, which might become the next target in case of any moves in support of Israel. Source 330 Missiles, Drones Launched at Israel in Iran's Unprecedented Attack; IDF: 99% Intercepted Israeli army says it struck Hezbollah weapons production facility deep in Lebanon  Israeli air force fighter jets struck a Hezbollah weapons production facility in the village of Nabi Chit in the Baalbek district of northern Lebanon, some 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the border, the Israeli army's spokesperson said Sunday. The Israeli military spokesperson added that the strike was carried out in response to launches from Lebanon toward northern Israel overnight into Sunday. Iran's Foreign Ministry summons British, French, and German ambassadors over 'irresponsible stance' Iran's foreign ministry summoned on Sunday the ambassadors of Britain, France, and Germany to question what it referred to as their "irresponsible stance" regarding Tehran's retaliatory strikes on Israel, the semi-official Iranian Labor News Agency reported. The director for Western Europe at Iran's foreign ministry accused the three countries of "double standards" as they opposed earlier this month a Russian-drafted UN Security Council statement that would have condemned Israel's attack on Iran's embassy compound in Syria. "Iran's military action against the Zionist regime's bases is well within the framework of the right to legitimate defense stipulated in Article 51 of the United Nations Charter and it is in response to a series of crimes, including the recent attack on the embassy compound in Syria," the official added. Iranian President Raisi on attack against Israel: 'We taught the Zionist regime a lesson' Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi praised Iran's retaliatory attack against Israel by the Revolutionary Guard Corps Sunday and said that the operation taught Israel an unforgettable lesson, according to Iranian news outlet Press TV. Raisi said in a statement that the drone and missile attack "opened a new chapter in the history of the Iranian government and fulfilled the promise of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, to punish the aggressor." "We advise the supporters of the occupying regime to appreciate this responsible and proportionate action of the Islamic Republic of Iran," Raisi added. 7-year-old girl seriously injured by shrapnel sustained a life-threatening head injury The condition of the seven-year-old girl who was injured earlier Sunday from shrapnel remains severe and unstable, Soroka Medical Center said. The girl, a resident of the Bedouin community, is suffering from a very severe and life-threatening head injury, the hospital added. |
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Posted: 4/14/2024 8:12:36 AM EDT
[#41]
 Institute for Study of War Backgrounder 13 April Detailed discussion of Iranian actions including attack on Israel in spoiler Click To View Spoiler Key Takeaways Iran (Detailed discussion in spoiler above) Iran launched a large-scale drone and missile attack from Iranian territory that targeted Israel from Iranian territory. Iran threatening US allies Jordan and UAE over actions in last night's strike on Israel. The composition of the ongoing Iranian attack on Israel is similar to the composition of Russian strikes that have repeatedly targeted Ukraine. These Russian strikes have attempted to determine the optimal package to penetrate Western air and missile defenses. Russia has experimented with combinations of ballistic and cruise missiles alongside Iranian drones in Ukraine. Iran’s use of drones and missiles shows how Iran is learning from the Russians to develop increasingly dangerous and effective strike packages against Israel. Iran has also used the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea to refine Iranian drone tactics by testing US Navy air defenses. The IRGC Navy seized a Portuguese-flagged, Israeli-linked commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, likely as part of its campaign to impose an unofficial blockade on Israel Gaza Strip The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Air Force conducted an airstrike targeting Palestinian fighters in Beit Hanoun. The IDF Northern Brigade (Gaza Division) located the Palestinian fighters using a drone. The IDF Northern Brigade most recently conducted a raid in Shujaiya neighborhood of Gaza City, south of Beit Hanoun. The IDF reported that Israeli forces killed a Hamas company commander for the area during clashes with Hamas fighters in the area. Palestinian militias continued ability to operate in the northern Gaza Strip is consistent with the assessed infiltration of fighters into the area and Hamas’ intentions to reassert its governing authority following Israeli withdrawals. Israeli forces continued to conduct clearing operations outside Nuseirat along Wadi Gaza. Elements of the IDF 162nd Division, including the Nahal and 401st brigades, are operating in the area to kill Palestinian fighters and destroy military infrastructure. Israeli forces destroyed a Hamas weapons storage facility and confiscated military equipment belonging to the group during clearing operations. Commercially available satellite imagery captured on April 12 shows flattened terrain in Zahra, north of Nuseirat, indicating that Israeli bulldozers and/or heavy vehicles are operating in the area. Several Palestinian militias claimed attacks targeting Israeli forces near Nuseirat. The al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, which is the self-proclaimed military wing of Fatah, reported that its fighters conducted five attacks in the area during the past two days, which included firing a rocket-propelled grenade at an IDF tank. The Popular Resistance Committees, which is a Palestinian militia aligned with Hamas in the war, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) fighters conducted separate mortar attacks targeting Israeli forces and a military position north of Nuseirat, respectively. The IDF Air Force struck over 30 targets in the Gaza Strip. PIJ and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) conducted a combined rocket attack from the Gaza Strip targeting Sderot in southern Israel. The IDF said that it intercepted three rockets. Israeli artillery targeted the launch site of the attack in the Gaza Strip. The IDF Air Force struck three rocket launchers in the Gaza Strip that contained about 20 rockets ready to be launched into central Israel. West Bank The IDF announced that it found the body of the missing 14-year-old Israeli boy in the West Bank near Malachi HaShalom. The IDF reported that unspecified persons killed the boy with a blade and that the investigation is ongoing. The IDF initially began searching for the boy with Israeli settlers on April 12 near the Israeli settlement of Malachi HaShalom. Israeli and Palestinian media reported violence occurred in al Mughayir, a Palestinian town west of Malachi HaShalom, during the search on April 12. The IDF reported that there were “violent disturbances” in al Mughayir but that the Israeli forces entered the town and removed the Israeli settlers from the area. Palestinian Authority-affiliated media confirmed that at least one Palestinian civilian died during the violence. Israeli Army Radio reported that the IDF is preparing for widespread riots and “disturbances” across the West Bank in response to the boy’s death. Israeli media is widely reporting that Israeli settlers committed acts of violence on April 13 in at least eight Palestinian towns in the northern West Bank after the IDF found the missing boy’s body. The IDF reported that participants in clashes between Israelis and Palestinians in several areas of the West Bank threw stones and fired weapons. Senior Israeli cabinet officials appeared to call on Israeli settlers to return home in an attempt to restore order. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Israeli citizens to allow Israeli forces to operate “unhindered.” Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant added that “revenge” will make it difficult for Israeli forces to pursue the boy’s killers. Hamas called on Palestinian militias and civilians in the West Bank to take up arms and escalate “resistance activity” against Israeli forces and settlers. Southern Lebanon and Golan Heights Lebanese Hezbollah conducted at least 12 attacks from southern Lebanon into northern Israel. Lebanese Hezbollah has conducted at least 12 attacks from southern Lebanon.Heezbollah fired one-way attack drones targeting an Iron Dome site near Kfar Blum.     |
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Posted: 4/14/2024 10:00:15 AM EDT
[#42]
The IDF says fighter jets struck Hezbollah targets in four different areas of southern Lebanon:
“Together with our partners, the IDF is operating at full force to defend the State of Israel—and the people of Israel. This is a mission that we are determined and ready to fulfill.” IDF Spokesperson RAdm. Daniel Hagari on the current attack from Iran: Incredible footage showing Israeli air defenses engaging the Iranian missile attack earlier, over Judea and Samaria: The IDF struck sites belonging to Hezbollah's elite Radwan force in southern Lebanon's Jbaa overnight. Iran exposed its true face: |
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Posted: 4/14/2024 10:55:39 AM EDT
[#43]
Jerusalem Post: How the Israeli Air Force can strike Iran
Highlights Israel could hit Tehran's prized nuclear facilities. F-35 stealth combat jets could fly by separate routes to hit sites across the massive Islamic Republic, some as far as 1,200 miles from the Jewish state. A first wave of F-35s would SEAD missions, after which there would...be a separate wave for Israel’s F-15 eagles, F-16 fighting falcons, and heavily loaded F-35s carrying 5,000-pound American GBU-72 bombs. 2,000 pound and smaller bombs might also be used for a variety of targets. Additional waves [could attack targets already hit, using previous damage] to penetrate deep into the ground to destroy Iran’s top nuclear facilities at Fordow and Natanz. The IDF could also potentially use a significant number of its own surface-to-surface ballistic missiles as well as intelligence-collecting and attack drones. Fordow’s main chamber is buried some 80 meters underground, a depth that only the 30,000-pound “bunker buster” bombs in the American arsenal could immediately destroy. ...one does not need to entirely eliminate a facility to render it useless. A repeated series of strikes could block Tehran’s access to electric power, bury its entrances and exits, and cut it off from the world. On the positive side, despite the massive number of aerial attacks by the IDF in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza, which reportedly also included F-15 and F-16 fighter aircraft at times, Israel lost only one F-16 in early 2018 and has never lost an F-35. ...additional facilities that Israel might strike, such as the heavy water reactor at Arak, the uranium conversion plant near Isfahan, research reactors at Bonab, Ramsar, and Tehran, and other facilities where Iran has moved forward on weaponization issues. In mid 2023, it was..revealed that IDF intelligence formed a new unit of dozens of officers with one goal: to collect and assess intelligence to develop a massive target bank for hitting Iran far beyond just its nuclear program. The targets were to include key power sources for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in order to bring them to their knees much the same way IDF intelligence had collected intelligence for years on an enormous number of Hamas and Hezbollah targets. Entire article in spoiler Click To View Spoiler |
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Posted: 4/14/2024 11:39:54 AM EDT
[#44]
IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari in this morning's press conference: “Iran thought it would be able to paralyze the base and thus damage our air capabilities, but it failed. Air Force planes continue to take off and land from the base, and leave for offense and defense missions, including the Adir (F-35) planes that are now returning from a base defense mission and soon you will see them landing.”
The IDF confirms carrying out an airstrike earlier today in the Nabi Chit area, near northeastern Lebanon's Baalbek. As the IDF continues a pinpoint operation against Hamas in the central Gaza Strip, the military says combat engineers built bridges for tanks to cross the Wadi Gaza river. |
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Posted: 4/14/2024 4:11:25 PM EDT
[#45]
The IDF says fighter jets carried out a strike on a building used by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon's Dhayra, where an operative was spotted.
Footage of the destruction of Iranian drones during an attack on Israel is published by the IDF: Israeli Air Force destroys Hezbollah terrorist targets in Lebanon after the Iranian attack: IDF: "A short while ago, in response to the launches that were fired toward northern Israel overnight, IDF fighter jets struck a significant Hezbollah weapons manufacturing site in the area of Nabi Chit, deep inside Lebanon." |
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Posted: 4/14/2024 5:41:10 PM EDT
[#46]
The IDF releases footage showing the interception of a drone over the Eilat area by a ship-mounted Iron Dome air defense system, known as C-Dome.
The IDF says a "suspicious aerial target" -- believed to be a drone launched from Yemen -- was downed by a ship-mounted Iron Dome system, known as C-Dome, in the Eilat area. The IDF says it struck several buildings used by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon's Kafr Kila, Maroun al-Ras, and Markaba The IDF releases footage showing some of the damage at the Nevatim Airbase in southern Israel, after it was hit by Iranian ballistic missiles overnight. |
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Posted: 4/14/2024 6:27:53 PM EDT
[Last Edit: michigan66]
[#47]
 Attached File
Probably bullshit, but who knows.
 Attached File
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Posted: 4/14/2024 6:39:42 PM EDT
[#48]
The IDF is calling up two reserve brigades for "operational missions" in the Gaza Strip area, the military says. "Their call-up will allow the continuation of the effort and readiness to defend the State of Israel and maintain the security of the residents," the IDF says in a short statement.
As the IDF continues a pinpoint operation against Hamas in the central Gaza Strip, the military says combat engineers built bridges for tanks to cross the Wadi Gaza river. Two bridges were used by troops of the 401st Armored Brigade to carry out an offensive against several sites belonging to terror groups south of the stream. The IDF says its 162nd Division continues to kill gunmen in the area, on the outskirts of Nuseirat camp. The troops also uncovered and destroyed several rocket launchers, which were primed for attacks on Israel, the military says.
Touring one of the Arrow 3 air defense system batteries that participated in last night's interception of Iranian ballistic missiles, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says Israel experienced "one of the most dramatic nights," and that the attack is an opportunity to establish an alliance against Iran. "Last night Israel experienced one of the most dramatic nights we have ever experienced, hundreds of missiles of various types were fired at the State of Israel including over 100 ballistic missiles fired from Iran, each with hundreds of kilograms of explosives," Gallant says at the Arrow 3 site, joined by US ambassador to Israel, Jack Lew. "The continuous preparation we did together with our American partners brought the most impressive results," he says. "Together with the US and other countries, we have established a strong and powerful alliance, with coordination and synchronization between the defense establishments of the State of Israel, the US and our partners. The result is a complete containment of the threats except for a very, very small margin, and I want to say in this regard, kudos to the defense establishment, kudos to the IDF and kudos to our partners," Gallant continues. "We have an opportunity here to establish a strategic alliance against this serious threat from Iran, which threatens to put nuclear explosives on the heads of these missiles, this thing could be a very serious threat. The US, Israel and its allies stand shoulder to shoulder to defend against this threat," he adds.
The IDF releases footage showing the interception of a drone over the Eilat area by a ship-mounted Iron Dome air defense system, known as C-Dome. The drone, believed to have been launched from Yemen, was downed by a missile fired from one of the Navy's Sa'ar 6-class corvettes. It marks the second-ever successful interception carried out by C-Dome, with the first taking place less than a week ago.
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Posted: 4/14/2024 7:30:15 PM EDT
[#49]
Spain’s PM Sanchez is attacking Israel for his political survival
His announcement on recognizing a Palestinian state by summer 2024 is neither in Spain's interests nor in response to popular demand. https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-796723 |
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Posted: 4/14/2024 9:13:05 PM EDT
[#50]
The Institute for the Study of War published a "special edition" on last night's attack
Iran’s Attempt to Hit Israel with a Russian-Style Strike Package Failed...for Now The Iranian April 13 missile-drone attack on Israel was very likely intended to cause significant damage below the threshold that would trigger a massive Israeli response. The attack was designed to succeed, not to fail. The strike package was modeled on those the Russians have used repeatedly against Ukraine to great effect. The attack caused more limited damage than intended likely because the Iranians underestimated the tremendous advantages Israel has in defending against such strikes compared with Ukraine. The Iranians will learn lessons from this strike and work to improve their abilities to penetrate Israeli defenses over time as the Russians have done in repeated strike series against Ukraine. The strike consisted of approximately 170 drones, 30 cruise missiles, and 120 ballistic missiles. The drones were launched well before the ballistic missiles were fired, very likely in the expectation that they would arrive in Israel’s air defense window at about the same time as the cruise missiles and drones. The Russians have used such an approach against Ukraine repeatedly. The purpose of such a package is to have the slower cruise missiles and drones distract and overwhelm air defenses in order to allow the ballistic missiles, which are much harder to shoot down, to reach their targets. Israel’s air defense system has a number of obvious advantages over Ukrainian air defense, but the full implications of some of those advantages might well have been unclear to Iranian strike planners Entire article in quote box Brian Carter and Frederick W. Kagan The Iranian April 13 missile-drone attack on Israel was very likely intended to cause significant damage below the threshold that would trigger a massive Israeli response. The attack was designed to succeed, not to fail. The strike package was modeled on those the Russians have used repeatedly against Ukraine to great effect. The attack caused more limited damage than intended likely because the Iranians underestimated the tremendous advantages Israel has in defending against such strikes compared with Ukraine. The Iranians will learn lessons from this strike and work to improve their abilities to penetrate Israeli defenses over time as the Russians have done in repeated strike series against Ukraine. The strike consisted of approximately 170 drones, 30 cruise missiles, and 120 ballistic missiles.[1] The drones were launched well before the ballistic missiles were fired, very likely in the expectation that they would arrive in Israel’s air defense window at about the same time as the cruise missiles and drones. The Russians have used such an approach against Ukraine repeatedly.[2] The purpose of such a package is to have the slower cruise missiles and drones distract and overwhelm air defenses in order to allow the ballistic missiles, which are much harder to shoot down, to reach their targets. The Iranians very likely expected that few if any of the cruise missiles and drones would hit their targets, but likely hoped that a significantly higher percentage of the ballistic missiles would do so. Only a few ballistic missiles penetrated Israeli air defenses and struck near Israeli military bases out of the 120 or so the Iranians fired.[3] Ukrainian air defenses have averaged interception rates of only about 46% of Russian ballistic missiles during recent large strikes. The Iranians likely expected that Israeli rates would be higher than the Ukrainian rates but not above 90% against such a large ballistic missile salvo—the Russians, after all, have never fired close to that many large ballistic missiles in a single strike against Ukraine. Ukraine frequently intercepts more than 75% of Russian cruise missiles and drones, but many of those interceptions occur within the air defense umbrella that is also occupied with ballistic missile defense. The Iranians thus likely expected that at least some of their drones and cruise missiles would interfere with Israeli targeting of incoming ballistic missiles, whereas apparently none did. Israel’s air defense system has a number of obvious advantages over Ukrainian air defense, but the full implications of some of those advantages might well have been unclear to Iranian strike planners. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israel’s allies have much larger and robust anti-missile and air defense systems and stocks of interceptors for them than Ukraine does—especially as Ukraine exhausts its supplies of interceptors while awaiting renewed US military assistance. Israel also benefits from the roughly 1,000 kilometers separating its borders from Iran’s. Israel and its allies used that distance to intercept all of the incoming drones and cruise missiles with ground-based air defense and combat aircraft before they even came within Israel’s own missile-defense umbrella. Israel and its allies employed hundreds of combat aircraft in this effort.[4] Ukraine lacks both of these advantages.[5] Iran also lacks access to the near-hypersonic missiles Russia has used to penetrate Ukrainian air defenses more reliably—at least for now. Ukraine has, in particular, been unable to use combat aircraft to shoot down Russian drones and cruise missiles at scale, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently observed that Kyiv will likely use the F-16s Ukraine will receive this summer in those roles.[6] It has long been known that both drones and cruise missiles can be shot down by combat aircraft, but the Ukraine war has not yet seen a concerted effort made by a large and modern air force to intercept drone and cruise missile strikes at scale, and it is very possible that the Iranians underestimated the effectiveness of that effort. Iran will learn additional lessons from the failed April 13 attack that it can leverage to launch more successful attacks in the future. The lessons that Iran will draw from this attack will allow it to build more successful strike packages in the future. The attack probably helped Iran identify the relative strengths and the weaknesses of the Israeli air defense system. Iran will likely also share the lessons it learned in this attack with Russia. Russia will then use these lessons to improve its ability to defeat US- and NATO-provided air defense systems in Ukraine. Iran may be able to share lessons with Russia about the relative strengths and weaknesses of US-built aircraft and air-to-air missiles in intercepting these missiles and drones. Iran’s ability to penetrate Israeli air defenses with even a small number of large ballistic missiles presents serious security concerns for Israel. The only Iranian missiles that got through hit an Israeli military base, limiting the damage, but a future strike in which several ballistic missiles penetrate Israeli air defenses and hit Tel Aviv or Haifa could cause significant civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure, including ports and energy. Russian strikes on Ukraine have demonstrated that even a small number of precise strikes against key nodes in energy or other infrastructure can cause disproportionate effects. Israel and its partners should not emerge from this successful defense with any sense of complacency. |
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