#Retaliatory Personnel Action

[darkwing-ramblings]

The Dragon Prince Season Seven: Ezran

Hello @leavemealoneniw ! My explanation is long so I have made a separate post but shall reblog yours with a link too? Also much of this text was drawn from discussion with @fanf1cadd1ct , if you want to check that out for further elaboration. But first, your request:

 “So… why we making it seem like Ezran  went down a “Dark Path” when literally all he did was put a criminal (in Katolis eyes)  in custody? I’m confused please tell me without the Rayllum code cause I couldn’t honestly care less.”

It’s undeniably unfair asking Ezran to just forgive Runaan but not acting to imprison Runaan is in no way equivalent to the personal nature of whether forgiveness has been granted and so pretty irrelevant to the debate. Ezran doesn’t have to forgive Runaan at all: him being angry and resentful was all within his rights and shouting and being upset and walking out of the room and refusing to look at Runaan would all absolutely have been deserved. But the other four assassins involved are notably dead so in terms of consequences four out of five of the team who infiltrated the castle to kill the king have already paid with their lives not to mention Runaan himself has paid with two years of his freedom to summarise why, on principle, it was imprisoning Runaan I find to be where Ezran crossed the line. If Exran had simply banished Runaan from Katolis it would be a different story- that’s absolutely reasonable and everyone involved would be happier I imagine if Ezran let Runaan disappear half a continent away where Ezran never has to see him again (which is an extremely reasonable urge and I utterly support).

Rayla does not phrase her demands Ezran release Runaan politely but they hold water in my eyes: Runaan is essentially a prisoner of war from a kingdom Ezran has no authority over who was just released from the custody of Katolis by Katolis’ high mage and crown prince/heir to the throne (aka Callum), who additionally gave permission for Rayla to bring Runaan to Katolis as a guest. Politically it complicates Ezran’s reaction significantly as a result and this is where Zubeia herself is most relevant: Runaan is essentially military personnel under her authority who acted under her orders assassinating King Harrow. 

At the time Runaan killed Harrow Katolis was essentially at war with Xadia, the kingdoms were not allied in any way at all and open hostilities were ongoing such as concerning Harrow and Viren’s personal assassination of Avizandum, Xadia’s king, and believed lethal violence against Azymondias the unborn heir (that in reality it turns out Azymondias was kidnapped and stored in a basement for likely dark magic usage under conditions he couldn’t hatch in which would eventually kill him- it’s barely better). Harrow is the king of Katolis and Viren its high mage who killed another head of state (that he commits treason by lying to Harrow about Azymondias is completely irrelevant to the case of killing Avizandum where he committed no crimes so far as Katolis’ law was concerned)- retaliatory military violence is more of the same and not special. Runaan’s arrest and imprisonment by Katolis post-killing Harrow is absolutely legitimate: he’s a foreign soldier (an assassin is not a separate category that means anything tangible given what we’ve seen of Katolis’ actions against Xadia) who just killed their king.

And yes, it is by Katolis. Callum and Ezran have voluntarily left the castle and Amaya is away- Soren is the legitimate head of the crownsguard and Viren is the legitimate high mage of Katolis and they are two of the major authorities for Katolis left in the castle at that point post Harrow's death. Additionally, Viren is later legitimately given leadership in a peaceful transfer of power (no matter the circumstances of political stuff surrounding it) when Ezran steps down so I don't feel he's exactly divisible from the authority of Katolis. It is understandable Ezran probably doesn't feel that way, yes, but Viren very much is not practically separable from the kingdom at that point in time or following. Soren as head crownsguard with delegated authority also is particularly legitimate on behalf of the crown of Katolis. Runaan remains imprisoned by Viren and to his knowledge during his time as regent and king. The imprisonment of Runaan itself is fine as a hostile agent of a kingdom they’re essentially actively warring with- the torture isn’t and Claudia implying Runaan may be used as dark magic spell parts isn’t (Xadia’s cultural taboo on dark magic is absolutely enshrined in their laws and so it may be legal in Katolis but I still object to treating anyone that way regardless).

Zubeia being brought up to point out the hypocrisy of not holding it so tangibly against her yet holding Runaan accountable is why it matters as a discussion point.

But that’s all well and good for somewhat covering the two year time skip period where Runaan can arguably be seen as facing consequences for killing Harrow already by Katolis- which is what Ezran we see feels he should do. The other four assailants also died in the break in- during combat or slain afterwards perhap-. Harrow’s death has not gone unpunished or unaddressed under the authority of Katolis. Hence my issue with Ezran ordering Soren to arrest Runaan who is not a citizen of his kingdom and is a prisoner of war just released from Katolis’ own imprisonment by a legitimate authority of Katolis (its new high mage undoing the actions of its old one rather poetically, neatly stopping the cycle of violence on a microcosm pleasingly). Because Katolis and Xadia AREN’T AT WAR after the time skip they’re diplomatic allies- Ezran, if he wants to legitimately prosecute Runaan needs to go through Zubeia for permission who is his ally or it’s potentially an act that could justify renewed war and reopen hostilities. In other words it’s utterly irresponsible, dangerous and unjustifiable by any legal principle if Ezran intends to honour his agreements of peace.

Ezran, as king of Katolis, being on first name terms with Zubeia, the queen of Xadia, does not make the political and diplomatic implications go away. Peaceful negotiations with her for reparations arguably owed when the kingdoms are at peace once again is what he needs to open up process wise and a bag of worms it’s extremely ill-advised to open: Zubeia would be within her rights to open up equivalent cases against Katolis’ citizens and military personnel felt to have committed particular crimes she’s decided she cares to prosecute. Amaya was on the expedition to kill the magma titan and killed Xadian elves on the border and helped establish new military outposts by pushing further into new ground aka she’s not an innocent to this type of situation. It isn’t inconceivable Zubeia has solid grounds to push for Amaya’s death in such a situation (slaying the magma titan was the expedition where Avizandum defended their own border from invasion by foreign powers on behalf of one of their civilians or else sentient beings under their protection who was killed and used in a dark magic spell as parts desecrating the corpse that King Harrow/Katolis drew on to “justify” Zubeia’s mate’s death). The goodwill between Xadia and Katolis is new and fragile- Ezran’s confidence Zubeia was injured and perhaps unlikely to object to her subject’s ill treatment for actions taken during a war undertaken with her authority is no justification for Ezran risking everything he’s worked for and the safety of the people in his kingdom who are unusually vulnerable given the loss of their fortified capital has just happened because of a personal desire for vengeance. Imprisoning Runaan is a significant political failure and provocation on a practical level.

(Yes, I do have complaints about Azymondias here too- he may be young but he's prince and Runaan is his subject and frankly Zym getting involved would have made sense on a practical political level at least, particularly given Rayla is one of his citizens he knows and it's her father and Runaan did it on Zym's mother's orders, he could at least have said something passed on through Ezra. Ezran is a young king rising to the challenge Zym also ought to try and act fittingly as a prince. But he’s practically a toddler so it’s still significantly younger than Ezran’s age equivalent so there’s that.)

Additionally, it’s hypocritical of Ezran to not hold both Zubeia and Runaan equally accountable for Harrow’s death- he can’t pursue only one and have any moral high ground because as understandable as Runaan seemingly registering as the sole perpetrator is it’s utterly baseless in how royal power works. Ezran is a child but he’s also a king- having emotions is no crime but it’s extremely important what he does with them and if age was an excuse and the reason he couldn’t be expected to work past them in any scenario then the argument becomes not about Ezran’s choices and slight moral decline in the throes of anger at all but about how actually Opeli or whoever should be regent as Ezran shouldn’t hold the throne in the first place. I do wish the conflict had bubbled up concerning Zubeia and her delegated authority more though previously in the show yes as her and Ezran having such a harmonious relationship has always confused me because she factually ordered Harrow’s successful assassination- and ordered Ezran’s own too even if it was unsuccessful without fact checking what his age was at all (which we know because Rayla was on the mission and fully briefed and didn’t know that Callum wasn’t Ezran at first). It’s a failure of due diligence but even a toddler is comparatively less bad than an unhatched egg so given Ezran is named and it’s reasonably inferable he’s an unborn child it’s not hard to see why it occurred: Zubeia just didn’t care that much she wanted someone to pay for her pain and didn’t much care about the specifics of it. Zubeia actually saying something about the whole mess she created feels like the missing piece of character moments I’d personally have enjoyed being touched on a little further.

Now I personally think imprisoning Runaan (note that Soren may have done it but as it was under Ezran’s command Ezran is just as accountable) made Ezran very compelling as a character with all of his complexity and it was an extremely entertaining watch as no character is flawless and they can all make mistakes, but it was absolutely not a path taken free of darkness in terms of his decisions becoming morally murkier. It reminded me of Harrow as a character foil to Ezran wherein they both fell prey to the same impulse that Harrow denounces before his death: it's all well and good denouncing the cycle of an eye for an eye and a life for a life and a wrong for a wrong until it's your loved one who suffers it if you can’t put your money where your mouth is! Blood feuds (rarely considered morally a-okay) are a staying feature in history for a reason! Ezran paralleling Harrow oh so well was neat (whilst Zym has it seems actually for the time being moved away from Avizandum's shadow of violence more fully following Zubeia's over reformation, her wholeheartedly rejection of it is neat as it parallel's Amaya meanwhile and gives proof adults as well as children can change no matter how far down it all they may be!). I particularly loved the ensuing Rayla and Soren dynamic reprise too where they're both opposed because of principles and personal loyalties! How it worked out perfectly showed the show’s themes in the microcosm I thought!

Another character who was crucially missing at the key window of that situation imploding was Amaya. I feel like Amaya’s presence would have helped mediate a lot more than Callum’s and that her presence was sorely missed as an adult, a family member and a soldier more accustomed to situations of complexity like it to talk to Ezran and help him process it all better. Perhaps even to suggest banishment. Surely she was needed in Katolis more than in Lux Aurea even if she's newly married? Sigh, oh well, she did hug Ezran before he left at least? I still sorely missed her experience and wisdom from being an adult tied to the crown family as long as Ezran's entire lifetime and then marrying into a separate one (kudos to Janai for lucking into a spouse with both a military and political background that's dead useful in an advisor who has actual experience supporting a king and queen!). The disparity highlighted of Callum taking Harrow’s death better as he’s both older and unlike Ezran has grieved a parent he can remember (as well as one he mostly can’t/can’t at all about his birth father which their mother is the equivalent for to Ezran)

before Harrow was also pronounced in a very cool way. Callum feels like he comprehends Zubeia played a significant role in Harrow’s death and has a relationship in spite of that- Ezran it feels didn’t and may never get closure on fully now Zubeia isn’t around to face the fallout of her actions directed towards her anymore (but he had two years so honestly he did have time to seek it out if he really wanted to and he has Zym who parallels him directly and lives with the knowledge Ezran’s father killed his own father so they can support each other at least?).

The following is less about why I don’t think it’s ambiguous that Ezran failed to adhere to his own standards and principles- hence undeniably showed decline from his more established role as the ideal moral example to everyone in the show- but is relevant to the discussion in terms of aggravating and mitigating circumstances.

To me it feels notable that in the scene Ezran spots Runaan and during their stay in Katolis briefly Runaan was always unarmed- Rayla had the sense to not return his bow to him etc in that period because that would have been horribly undiplomatic. Runaan being an invited guest and unarmed when he’s arrested are ways that the disproportionate scale and immediacy of the escalation cannot be pinned on him or Rayla regarding them. Runaan on his part is very helpfully not making things worse by resisting arrest or denying his actions or adding fuel to the fire saying anything horrible and went quietly when arrested by Soren (again... the deja vu cannot have been fun, it was very handy there were no explosive PTSD reactions to chains and guards from Katolis soldier's uniforms later either, given the timeline for him is barely a week since being conscious outside of Katolis' dungeons that could have been much worse, he also didn't beg for death this time). I only imagine Rayla appearing on good terms with Callum and Ezran regardless, helped enormously in soothing worries Runaan might face "more practical uses" as Claudia put it again in any type of dark magic way as was said at his previous capture. None of it needed to be written that way but Runaan shows no signs of present hostilities and beyond breathing cannot be said to have aggravated the situation- making Ezran’s choice that much more clearly unjustified in his handling it the way he did and his own. 

Callum informing Ezran that Runaan would be arriving with Rayla beforehand would have helped, possibly, but that’s something it’s reasonable for Rayla and Runaan to assume he would do if it was necessary and not on them given they have literally just arrived in that scene. Callum hasn’t seemingly been there much longer but has met up with Soren and Ezran for a bit beforehand so had the time practically if unlikely emotional capacity. Again, I reiterate, Ezran screaming for Runaan to get out of his sight I would stand by- having Runaan dragged away by an armed guard not so much.

Callum starting with "I understand how you feel and why Ezran, it was wrong that our father was killed and I grieve him as much as you and it is a terrible tragedy that Katolis was destroyed and I am here with you and just as grieved. But it is still not Runaan's fault and I don't think you should be holding him prisoner" would have helped, but to some degree Callum DID cover most of those points so... I can see how they were all trying and it still fell apart. Callum's approach in private later if repeated a couple of times would have eventually gotten somewhere, I imagine, but not in a time frame that was fast and it’s not actually fair for Runaan to await Ezran fully processing Katolis’ destruction before he’s given his freedom back.

Rayla breaking Runaan out in the middle of the day as a MOONSHADOW ELF was absolutely hilarious, I have to say, waiting less than a day would have helped greatly but she was really just that impatient. It’s utterly terrible decision making. Without it we wouldn’t have gotten confirmation that Ezran is willing to violently recapture Runaan at potential cost to his soldier’s lives though which was another yikes when the imprisonment was for reasons I put above not one I felt was warranted, sensible or particularly justified in a legitimate capacity. After all, if “any actions taken against someone once they’ve killed a king are inherently justified and there is no disproportionate force etc and diplomacy doesn’t matter judging if it’s fine” then Harrow’s death was absolutely justified so Runaan facing consequences for it is… both shaky and exploration of why the cycle of violence continues: which Ezran’s actions endorse in spite of his words about the cycle in how own view being bad and hurtful and something to stop because continuing it isn’t right. For her part, Rayla just had to see two of her parents pass on and pick only one to save and chose Runaan, she's not seen Ethari in two years and when she did he was hurting and she was hurting and they were both grieving so she wasn't ever going to compromise her family given the poked at wounds of her own grief. If grief is a good enough defence on its own she and Ezran’s ought to cancel each other out. To her minute credit she did try to ask Ezran release Runaan before resorting to breaking Runaan out: her father the tortured ex-prisoner-of-war imprisoned by her kingdom’s allies for actions taken when their respective kingdoms were not allies and were not those of a renegade but their monarch’s will making disobeying if ordered arguably treasonous and ergo illegal. 

Ezran sits in the ruins of Katolis on his violently killed father’s burnt throne, having not fully grappled with the nature of Harrow’s death as he's young and it's hard and unlike Callum he has no memory of working through grief of the type where a parent is remembered was never going to resolve smoothly. Amaya isn’t there. Callum tries but him having a romantic relationship with Rayla doesn’t help with mediation and Ezran is just not at a point that sort of plea can get through to him yet. He’s snapping at Zym because of stress later on in the season for instance and talking about weapons against the dragons in very cold war-esque terms oblivious to Zym being a dragon and right there and looking extremely uncomfortable about it. Ezran seeing Runaan was never going to end well but the specifics of how it goes are what raised flags to me. Ezran and Rayla are friends so there’s elements of mutually feeling personally betrayed by each other over the entire mess because they wanted more support that doesn’t help. 

It’s brilliantly entertaining and a delightful powderkeg of politics and diplomacy and vengeance and grudges and grief. I have no complaints as it let the characters all be complex and none were one dimensional and loved them all the more for it!

[mercurygray]

HBOWW2 Rewatch: June-August 1943

Since Week 2's episodes really only take us through 3 months of 1943 there's not a lot of big picture stuff to get caught up on.

But man, oh man, are there some big things happening elsewhere.

June: The Zoot Suit Riots take place in Los Angeles when a group of sailors on leave get into a fight with Mexican American youth near the waterfront, leading to retaliatory action from many more sailors and soldiers in the following days. The riots last ten days, and are only stopped when the Army and Navy declare L.A. off limits to military personnel. (This is not the only race-related act of violence this month, but it is certainly the most well known.)

Charles de Gaulle and Henri Giraud are named co-presidents of the French Committee of National Liberation. This institution would challenge the legitimacy of the Vichy government and provide a unifying force for French forces abroad and at home. It will also function as a provisional government in Algeria, which has recently been liberated during the North Africa campaign.

The Tuskegee Airmen have their first encounter with the Luftwaffe as six P-40 Warhawks are attacked over the island of Pantelleria by 12 German Focke-Wulf 190 fighters. Pantelleria has recently surrendered and will serve as a jumping off point for the invasion of Sicily, which begins in July. (Lieutenant General Carl Spaatz is currently serving as the head of Mediterranean Air Force Command.)

The invasion of Sicily starts on July 9th as a combined US, British and Canadian force lands at points around the island, starting a month-long race by General Patton's forces to move from Licata in the south to Messina in the north in an effort to catch the Germans before they can evacuate to the mainland. (Sadly, most of the Germans do make it off the island.) Both this campaign, and the North Africa campaign that preceded it, are launched to redirect resources away from the Eastern Front - a move that largely succeeds.

Speaking of the Eastern Front, the battle of Kursk begins on July 9. It is the single largest battle in the history of warfare, and is a turning point for the entire European war. The use of air support in what is largely a tank battle leads to one of the single costliest days of aerial combat.

On July 19, Allied Air Forces bomb Rome, which leads, in some large part, to the resignation of Mussolini as Prime Minister on July 25th, ending a 17 year dictatorship.

On July 27th and 28th, the RAF bomb Hamburg. High winds and drought conditions lead to the greatest single-day loss of life in wartime as more than 30,000 city residents burn to death after bombs set the entire town aflame.

Also in June, the new town of Oak Ridge, Tennesee, which will house workers for the Manhattan Project, officially receives its first residents, and "Comin' in on a Wing and a Prayer" by The Song Spinners tops the Billboard singles chart.

Heading into August, Operation Tidal Wave, the bombing of Ploesti, Romania, begins as 177 B-24 bombers attack the oil plant. This will be the first of many, many bombing runs on this target, which is a sigificant source of fuel for the Axis. (And you can't outrun Patton in Sicily or fight tank wars in Russia if you don't have fuel)

The United States Women's Air Service Pilots, or WASPS, is officially formed under the auspices of Jackie Cochran and Nancy Love. The program consolidates 2 previous groups in an attempt to leverage civilian pilots for ferrying duties.

So. It's August of 1943. The Allies are eyeing mainland Italy for their next assault. The Russians are slugging away in Kursk. The 8th Air Force has just gotten through the Regensberg- Schweinfurt raid. September will probably hold much of the same. Or ...will it?

[mariacallous]

In one form or another, all of America’s major enemies — China, Russia, North Korea and Iran — are intervening in and taking advantage of our election.

North Korea just had its say by directly joining Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; South Korean and Ukrainian officials reported last week that some North Korean personnel, probably military engineers, were killed in Ukraine.

U.S. intelligence then declassified a report that said at least 3,000 North Korean soldiers are undergoing combat training in Russia, a development that U.S officials say could have global implications. Ukrainian intelligence places the number at 12,000.

“It’s effectively the participation of a second state in the war against Ukraine on the side of Russia,” President Volodymyr Zelensky announced to Ukraine’s Parliament.

Though Western intelligence and political leaders were clearly surprised by the deployments, they logically operationalize the Russia-North Korea strategic partnership announced in June. In that agreement, the parties pledged mutual cooperation should either come under “attack” or “armed invasion.”

The document did not specify whether it would apply to retaliatory action taken by a third country in response to aggression perpetrated by either of the parties, such as Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, or Ukraine’s recent responsive incursion into Russia’s Kursk region. But the infusion of North Korean forces in the last few weeks into the Russian-occupied territory of Ukraine, and their possible use in the Ukrainian-held part near Kursk, signifies that Moscow and Pyongyang make no distinction between offense and defense, and are acting in flagrant defiance of international law.

The Russo-North Korean pact, which Kim Jong Un insists on calling an “alliance,” cites Article 51 of the United Nations Charter as somehow validating North Korea’s intervention. But that provision affirms “the inherent right of individual or collective self-defense if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations.” It authorizes the use of defensive force by the victim of aggression and its allies — not, perversely, further offensive action by the aggressor nation that triggered the conflict in the first place.

Article 51 protects Ukraine and those who help it, not Russia and North Korea. Their invocation the article to justify expanding Russian aggression (and now North Korean aggression) against Ukraine makes a mockery of the U.N. Charter and turns on its head the principal international lesson of World War II. If left unchallenged and unchecked, it increases the chances of World War III.

National security spokesperson and former Adm. John Kirby put the matter in terms of the laws of war. “We recognize the potential danger here,” he said. If these North Korean troops are employed against Ukraine, they will become legitimate military targets.” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin implied the North Korean intervention could have military ramifications beyond the immediate War zone: “If they’re co-belligerents — if their intention is to participate in this war on Russia’s behalf — that is a very, very serious issue. It will have impacts, not only in Europe. It will also impact things in the Indo-Pacific as well.”

That is already happening.

South Korea just announced that, given the enhanced capabilities to attack the South provided by North Korea’s participation in the Ukraine War, Seoul is seriously considering sending weapons to assist the Kyiv government’s self-defense. It is possible, depending on how North Korea reacts to that development, that at some point South Korean soldiers could also be sent to fight the North Koreans there.

Ukraine is already experiencing a reprise of Nazi-like aggression as in World War II; conflict between North and South Korea in Ukraine would also make the besieged country a proxy site for the renewal of the Korean War.

China and Russia have their strategic anti-U.S. partnership, announced in February 2022 by Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin just before the invasion of Ukraine. China and North Korea have had a “lips and teeth” diplomatic and economic partnership for decades. While Iran lacks similar formal arrangements with any of the other members of the new Axis of Evil, it engages in weapons transactions with all of them.

The other three members of the group have all provided Russia with essential weapons, munitions and other material aid, but North Korea is the first so far to provide fighting forces in support of Russia’s aggression. Yet, because of the Biden-Harris administration’s inhibiting fears of escalation, no NATO members have dispatched organized military forces to Ukraine. That may now change.

Kirby said, “We’re going to be talking to allies and partners, including Ukrainians, about what the proper next steps are going to be.”

Given Israel’s widening conflict with Iran and the demands on the West from Russia’s war with Ukraine, which existed before North Korea’s unwelcome intervention, many in the U.S., including some in Congress, may feel that America’s security circuits are already overloaded. That is a dangerous predicament even before considering the looming China threat against Taiwan.

Yet, fraught as the international situation is, there has been astonishingly little in-depth discussion of foreign policy from either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris, and a paucity of substantive questioning from the media. Over the coming weeks, members of the new Axis of Evil may have further unhappy surprises for the democratically distracted West.

[workersolidarity]

🇮🇷⚔️🇮🇱 🚨

IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER TO GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER: PUNISHING ZIONIST REGIME A NECESSITY, GALLANT THREATENS FURTHER RETALIATION, WAR LOOMS OVER REGION

Speaking with the German Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock, on Thursday, Iran's Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, told his German counterpart that the "legitimate defense with the aim of punishing the aggressor is a necessity," following the Israeli occupation's April 1st airstrike on the Consulate section of the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria, that killed 7 Iranian personnel, including two high-ranking Generals with the IRGC's elite Quds Force.

Iran has since vowed revenge on the Israeli regime, with Iranian Supreme leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei saying during an Eid al-Fitr sermon on Wednesday that the Israeli occupation "should and will be punished" for their "mistake," later adding that the Israelis would "regret the crime" and would soon be "punished at the hands of our brave men."

Meanwhile, United States President Joe Biden reaffirmed his commitment to the defense of the Zionist regime, saying during a news conference on Wednesday that "Our commitment to Israel’s security against these threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad." (Biden also used the same phrase to reaffirm U.S. military support for the Philippines on Thursday, in the event of a territorial dispute with China in the South China Sea)

Meanwhile, United States Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin, spoke by phone with Israeli Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant.

During their conversation, the US Defense Secretary used identical language in reaffirming, “ironclad US support for Israel’s defense in the face of growing threats from Iran and its regional proxies.”

“Secretary Austin assured Minister Gallant that Israel could count on full US support to defend Israel against Iranian attacks, which Tehran has publicly threatened,” the readout adds.

The Israeli Defense Minister, for his part, told his American counterpart that any "direct Iranian attack will require an appropriate Israeli response against Iran.

“The State of Israel will not tolerate an Iranian attack on its territory," Gallant added.

Meanwhile, two anonymous Biden administration officials told Politico that they expect Iran was "calibrating its plans for a major retaliatory strike against Israel to send a message — but not spark a regional war that compels Washington to respond."

The two officials told Politico that the Biden administration expects Iran is preparing for a "larger-than-usual" strike on the Israeli entity "in the coming days," adding that the assault is likely to consist of combined missile and drone strikes.

However, according to Politico:

Neither official said they were fully confident Iran will succeed in striking Israel in a way that doesn’t prompt the U.S. to respond militarily, as any attack increases the risk of a greater conflagration in the Middle East. But Iran doesn’t seek to expand the regional crisis further, the Biden administration has long determined, which the officials said may be weighing on Tehran’s planning.

The decisions and behaviors of the United States over the last six months has not been without consequences it would seem, as Joe Biden's refusal to set limits on the Israeli occupation has allowed the Zionist regime to turn Gaza into smoldering blood bath killing and wounding well over 100'000 Palestinians, while in the north, the occupation is on the verge of outbreak of war with Hezbollah, which has already resulted in hundreds of thousands of Israeli colonial settlers in the north of the occupied Palestinian territories to become displaced.

At the same time extremely rash and irrational actions such as the strike on the Iranian embassy, moves meant to spark a larger conflagration, have brought us to the edge of a regional war, looming over the Zionist regime while threatening to blow up in the Biden administration's faces during an election year, dragging the United States into massive war that it cannot win in the long-run.

Even while all this occurs in West Asia, the Biden administration continues its Neocon policies throughout the world, threatening multiple crises in places as far flung as the Philippines, Ukraine, and Haiti, yet the bombast and threats will seem to continue into either the administration is removed from power, or third world war is triggered.

After, what else would we call regional wars sparked in every region of the world?

April 12th, 2024.

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@WorkerSolidarityNews

[darkmaga-returns]

Atlanticists Mobilise to Salvage NATO as Russia Toughens its Stance

by Melkulangara Bhadrakumar | Nov 29, 2024

The American film maker and philanthropist who created the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, George Lucas, once said, “Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering.” Within a week of Russia “testing” the Oreshnik hypersonic missile in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine, against which the NATO has no defence, the Western alliance is already transiting through the Dark Side from fear to hatred and hurtling toward unspeakable suffering. 

The Russian Defence Ministry has disclosed that since the Oreshnik’s appearance in the war zone, Ukraine carried out two more attacks on Russian territory with ATACMS missiles. In the first attack on November 23, five ATACMS missiles were fired at an S-400 anti-aircraft missile division near the village of Lotarevka in Kursk Region. The Pantsir missile defense system, which provided cover for this division, destroyed three of them while two missiles reached the target damaging the radar. There are casualties among the personnel. 

In the second attack by 8 ATACMS missiles at the Kursk-Vostochny airfield on Monday, seven were shot down while one missile reached the target. The falling debris slightly damaged the infrastructure facilities and two servicemen suffered minor injuries. The Russian MOD stated that “retaliatory actions are being prepared.” 

The Russian military experts estimate that the attacks were planned for sometime and the Americans handled the targeting. On November 25, White House acknowledged for the first time the shift in policy allowing the use of ATACMS to attack Russian territory. Admiral John Kirby, coordinator for strategic communications at the White House National Security Council, revealed during a press gaggle on Monday, inter alia, saying that “well, obviously we did change the guidance and gave them [Kiev] guidance that they could use them, you know, to strike these particular types of targets.”

[sadanandaom]

“Today, we stand at a historic crossroads to end the conflict, stop the machinery of killing Syrians, and hold accountable those responsible for their displacement and suffering over the years.”

He added “the rightful return of displaced people to their lands and the restoration of their legitimate rights, especially amid these rapidly unfolding events, including the control over areas in Aleppo, Idlib, and parts of Hama.”

“Syria must belong to all its people without discrimination or exclusion, with respect for the principles of freedom and dignity.”

He issued “a sincere call to all parties to avoid any retaliatory actions, whether against civilians or military personnel. Such acts will only deepen the wounds and hinder efforts for peace and national reconciliation.”

“the international community and all parties involved in the Syrian file to work seriously toward achieving a comprehensive and just political transition that ensures the end of all factors that led the country to this humanitarian catastrophe…”

[usafphantom2]

US launches dozens of retaliatory attacks in Iraq and Syria for deadly attack

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 02/03/2024 - 00:13in Military, War Zones

The U.S. launched dozens of airstrikes against the Quds Force of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran-aligned groups in Iraq and Syria on February 2, in retaliation after a drone attack killed three U.S. military personnel in Jordan earlier this week.

The January 28 attack on Tower 22, a small outpost in northeastern Jordan, also injured dozens of U.S. military personnel and marked a major escalation amid growing unrest in the Middle East.

Three U.S. soldiers were killed and more than 40 wounded in a drone attack on Tower 22 in Jordan.

Immediately after the attack, President Joe Biden said the U.S. would respond, but offered no details. Days later, the counterattacks began hours after Biden participated in a dignified transfer ceremony at Dover Air Base, Delaware, when the remains of the three dead soldiers were returned to the United States.

President Joe Biden receives the Presidential Daily Briefing, January 29, 2024, in the Situation Room of the White House. (Photo: White House / Adam Schultz)

In a statement, the Secretary of Defense, Lloyd J. Austin III, said the attacks reached 85 targets in seven facilities. In a subsequent briefing with reporters, the spokesman of the National Security Council, John F. Kirby said that four of the facilities were in Syria and three in Iraq.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says in new statement that strikes tonight are “the start of our response” to the killing of three US soldiers on Sunday.

“The President has directed additional actions to hold the IRGC and affiliated militias accountable for their attacks.”pic.twitter.com/mv0fg8jmR7

— Haley Britzky (@halbritz) February 2, 2024

Breaking: The US has begun conducting strikes on targets in Iraq and Syria, the start of what will likely be a series of larger scale US strikes on Iranian-backed militias who have carried out attacks on US troops in the Middle East, according to two US officials.

— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) February 2, 2024

B1 bombers involved in the strike, per DOD officialhttps://t.co/ntichxFIco

— Lara Seligman (@laraseligman) February 2, 2024

Lieutenant General Douglas A. Sims II, director of operations of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that U.S. Central Command combat planes and B-1 bombers flying from the U.S. continental territory conducted the attacks, mobilizing more than 125 accurately guided ammunition.

Multiple strikes have reportedly hit the Rahbah Fortress in Al-Mayadeen city. pic.twitter.com/BH97UUpo6o

— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) February 2, 2024

“The facilities that were hit included command and control operations centers, intelligence centers, rockets and missiles, and storage of unmanned aerial vehicles, and logistics and ammunition supply chain facilities of militia groups and their IRGC sponsors that facilitated attacks against U.S. and Coalition forces,” added a statement from CENTCOM.

NEW — @skynewsarabia is quoting a @DeptofDefense official stating that multiple U.S. B-1 heavy bombers are in the air for a “mission” in the #MiddleEast.https://t.co/5hMk7Bk3P5

— Charles Lister (@Charles_Lister) February 2, 2024

Sims said that the attacks seemed to have been successful and that all U.S. aircraft were safe.

Seems like odd timing for a bomber to cross the pond with everything in target range in the daylight now.https://t.co/fGTqeHQ7j3

— TheIntelFrog (@TheIntelFrog) February 2, 2024

Sims and Kirby said that the decision to attack on February 2 was motivated by the weather and the desire to avoid unnecessary victims. Sims said, however, that the authorities expected there to be victims of militants on the premises.

CLOSE11 or COAST11 ? ( B-1B Bombers ) refueled with DEED11 flt (KC-135) over Nova Scotia 1008 Zulupic.twitter.com/SVF1vtPGqf

— Thenewarea51 (@thenewarea51) February 2, 2024

In a statement from the U.S. Air Forces Central, Lieutenant General Commander Alexus Grynkewich said he was “extremely proud of the discipline and professionalism with which our aviators carried out tonight's mission. These defensive attacks highlight America's commitment to defending our troops anytime and anywhere."

CENTCOM Statement on U.S. Strikes in Iraq and Syria

At 4:00 p.m. (EST) Feb. 02, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated militia groups. U.S. military forces... pic.twitter.com/HeLMFDx9zY

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) February 2, 2024

More attacks will come, Austin said, following up on previous comments suggesting that the United States would not be a passive witness to Iran-sponsored violence.

“This is the beginning of our response,” Austin said. "The President directed additional actions to hold the IRGC and the affiliated militias accountable for their attacks on the U.S. and the Coalition Forces. These will happen at times and places of our choice. We do not look for conflicts in the Middle East or anywhere else, but the President and I will not tolerate attacks on American forces."

Kirby repeatedly refused to say when and where more attacks would be launched.

“I'm extremely proud of the discipline and professionalism with which our Airmen executed tonight's mission. These defensive strikes highlight America's commitment to defending our troops anytime, anywhere” – Gen Alex Grynkewich, AFCENT Commanderhttps://t.co/fzqmwujluZ

— US AFCENT (@USAFCENT) February 2, 2024

Since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, leading Israel to declare war on the group in Gaza, Iranian-backed militia groups throughout the region have used ballistic missiles and drones to attack U.S. forces countless times. This includes groups in Iraq and Syria, as well as Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthi rebels in Yemen, who launched dozens of attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea.

Video showing the U.S strikes taking place on militia locations in Al-Qaem , Iraq pic.twitter.com/UDAUHB14X6

— Steven Nabil (@thestevennabil) February 2, 2024

Another footage of secondary explosions following U.S. airstrikes targeting IRGC-linked PMF rocket warehouse in Al-Qaim, Iraq.pic.twitter.com/Dwb6uI03Mk

— Clash Report (@clashreport) February 2, 2024

However, it was only on January 28 that some of the attacks killed the American military. The only previous death in the U.S. during the current wave of violence was that of a contractor who died of cardiac arrest while protecting himself from an attack.

Multiple secondary explosions after US airstrikes hit an ammunition depot in the area of Al-Bukamal in eastern Syria.

The fire caused munitions cook-off as projectiles can be seen launching uncontrollably into the air. pic.twitter.com/Uv6jDf8QGC

— Status-6 (Military & Conflict News) (@Archer83Able) February 2, 2024

The U.S. responded to these attacks with waves of targeted attacks, most recently hitting sites on January 11 “associated with the Houthis' unmanned aerial vehicle, ballistic and cruise missiles, and coastal radar and air surveillance capabilities,” the Pentagon said at the time.

The U.S. attacked and killed an important figure in the Iraqi militia who was involved in the planning and execution of attacks against the U.S. military on January 4. American forces also launched attacks in response to direct threats to personnel.

A senior administration official confirm to CNN that the US will not strike inside #Iran - only focusing on targets outside of Iran.

Striking inside Iran would have been a huge escalation, and officials have telegraphed that that was unlikely to happen. #Syria#Iraq

— Hamdi (@HamdiAlkhshali) February 2, 2024

The February 2 attacks did not even attack Iran itself, a measure that some Republican lawmakers have called for as a way to hold Iran responsible for the actions of its representatives and partner forces. Pentagon officials said they hold Iran responsible for the attack on Tower 22, because Iran provided weapons and training to the groups.

Source: Air & Space Forces Magazine

Tags: Military AviationUSAF - United States Air Force / U.S. Air ForceWar Zones - Middle East

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Fernando Valduga

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has works published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. He uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.

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[head-post]

Putin warns of “mirror” response, Zelensky seeks escalation

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke at a press conference following a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council (SEEC), answering questions about the development of the war in Ukraine, according to Russian media.

Speaking on Thursday, 26 December, the Russian leader said that Moscow was ready to use Oreshnik missiles “at any necessary moment.”

We always respond in a mirrored way. They use a certain weapon against us, we use the same weapon. If it is necessary, we see that the use of more powerful medium-range weapons is required, of course we will use them too.

Putin also announced the mass production of Oreshnik missiles and plans to deploy more missiles in Belarus, calling it a “systematic” approach. Answering a question about a possible freezing of the war in Ukraine on condition of a guaranteed postponement of NATO membership for 10-20 years, the president stressed that it was the very fact of Ukraine’s non-admission to the alliance that was important, not the timeline for accession.

Back in 2021, President Biden, who is still in office, proposed to me exactly this – to delay Ukraine’s admission to NATO for 10-15 years, because it is not ready now. (…) For us, what difference does it make, today, tomorrow or ten years from now?

Escalation amid peace efforts

As world leaders seek to persuade the two warring countries to come to the negotiating table, global media are increasingly reporting on the Ukrainian side’s attempts to prolong the war. The administration of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has set a course to escalate the conflict in order to thwart US President-elect Donald Trump’s efforts to end the war.

On Wednesday, 25 December, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) shelled the town of Lgov in Russia’s Kursk region, hitting civilian targets, according to local media citing footage. Earlier strikes hit Taganrog in the Rostov region with US-made long-range ATACMS missiles. Military experts, citing the Russian military, said such actions could provoke retaliatory strikes with Russian Oreshnik missiles.

Trump voiced his readiness for a more decisive foreign policy. Recently, he announced the US intention to acquire Greenland and regain control over the Panama Canal. However, media outlets are increasingly focusing on his pledge to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours following his inauguration on 20 January.

The Ukrainian crisis was exacerbated by Kyiv’s recent announcement of its refusal to extend the agreement on the transit of Russian gas through Ukrainian territories to Europe. As a result, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico travelled to Moscow to discuss gas supplies and peace initiatives with Putin. Fico also offered readiness to provide a platform for talks between Russia and Ukraine.

While leaders are considering negotiations, the Ukrainian military is wondering if Trump can actually end the war, The Washington Post reports. The deputy battalion commander of Ukraine’s 33rd Mechanised Brigade noted a deterioration in soldiers’ morale.

Soldiers in the 33rd Brigade said they would welcome a delay but were sceptical that it would come soon. Many expressed doubt that Putin would agree to peace, as Russian forces continued to make gains and maintain the offensive initiative.

However, most Ukrainian soldiers recognise that the shortage of manpower is now as acute as the lack of weapons. Some specialised positions, such as armoured personnel carrier driver, have been limited to just one person per battalion, complicating the logistics of safely transporting troops back and forth from trench positions, according to The Washington Post quoting Ukrainian soldiers.

Read more HERE

[blastnews]

At the United Nations Security Council, Russia and the United States, Iran and Israel ‘quarrelled’

According to CCTV news reports, on 28th October local time, the United Nations Security Council, at the request of Iran, China, Russia and Algeria, held an emergency meeting on Israel's strikes against Iranian targets. The meeting was heavy with gunpowder: representatives of Iran and Israel ‘fiercely exchanged words’, accusing each other of ‘endangering peace in the Middle East’; Russia and the United States accused each other of supporting the scourge of the Middle East.

Iran's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ilavani (top), and Israel's Permanent Representative to the UN, Danon, in a ‘heated exchange’ (Source: UN official website)

At the meeting, Iran's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ilavani, reportedly said that Israel had launched ‘aggressive attacks’ against Iran and that Israel ‘continues to destabilise the entire region’. He also said that Israel's ‘persistent and systematic violations of international law’ and its military operations in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen should be ‘unequivocally condemned’.

For his part, Israel's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Danon, said that Israel was acting in ‘self-defence’ following the Iranian attack on 1st October, and that ‘we promised that their [Iran's] actions would be met with a response.’ Danon added that ‘Iran has sown the seeds of violence, chaos and destruction throughout the Middle East ……’

Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN, Nebenja (above), and US Permanent Representative, Linda Thomas Greenfield, accuse each other of supporting the scourge of the Middle East (Source: UN official website)

After the exchange of words between Iran and Israel, Russia and the United States continued to speak. Russia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Nebenja, said that the United States and some of its allies not only didn't try to persuade Israel to give up this extremely dangerous idea, but even went so far as to claim, directly or indirectly, that Israel seemed to have the right to launch retaliatory strikes. This extremely irresponsible behaviour on the part of the United States is deliberately provoking a further escalation of tensions in the Middle East, rather than trying to persuade the Israeli leadership not to launch new retaliatory strikes.

For its part, the United States defended Israel on the matter. Thomas Greenfield, the US Permanent Representative to the UN, said, ‘Our message to Iran is also clear: if it chooses to take further action against Israel or US personnel in the region, there will be serious consequences …… We will not hesitate to act in self-defence.’

Greenfield then turned the tables on Russia when she said, ‘Iran requested this meeting today, and its representatives are attempting to cover up and deflect, claiming victimhood while continuing to create chaos in the region, and since Russia is increasingly dependent on Iranian weapons to sustain its illegal and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine, Iran sees no choice for the Council to only to turn a blind eye.’

In response, Nebenja said, ‘In our judgement, the U.S. also provided Israel with the intelligence necessary to strike Iran, an attack that not only violates international law but further undermines the volatile situation in the Middle East, which was already pushed to the brink of war.’

Statement by Fu Cong, Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations (Source: CCTV News)

At the meeting, the Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations, Fu Cong, said that on 26th October, Israel had launched several rounds of air strikes against various places in Iran, causing damage to facilities and casualties on the Iranian side. China condemns any violation of Iran's sovereignty and territorial integrity and opposes acts of sabotage that threaten regional peace and security. At present, Iran-Israel relations and the situation in the entire Middle East region are on the brink of danger. We are gravely concerned about the escalation caused by Israel's actions and urge Israel to effectively cease all provocative behaviour. At the same time, we call on all parties to exercise calm and restraint, jointly abide by the Charter of the United Nations and the principles of international law, and return to the right track of resolving disputes through political and diplomatic means.

At present, the situation in the Middle East has been precarious for a long time, with the Gaza conflict still raging, the outbreak of a new conflict between Lebanon and Israel, and the continuing tensions in Syria, Israel and the Red Sea, said Mr. Fu. At this critical moment, all parties should respond to the international community's overwhelming call for a ceasefire and a halt to the fighting, fully implement Security Council resolutions, and make unremitting efforts to cool down the situation and restore peace and tranquillity in the region. Any reckless provocative behaviour and military adventures to expand the fighting are irresponsible and are likely to lead to miscalculations with disastrous consequences.

Fu Cong pointed out that the fundamental reason for the continued deterioration of tensions in the Middle East is that the ceasefire in Gaza has been unattainable. The fact that a number of Security Council resolutions calling for a ceasefire have been put on the back burner undermines the Council's own authority and is not conducive to a fundamental solution to the conflict. China is of the view that, under the current circumstances, the Security Council should make good use of all the means available to it under the Charter to ensure the implementation of the relevant resolutions of the Security Council. We call on those countries that have important influence on Israel to put saving lives and preventing war in the first place, abandon any other political calculations, and support the Council in taking further strong action on the current situation, in order to push for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and a cooling down of the situation in Lebanon and Israel, and in order to effectively curb the widening and spreading of the conflict.

As previously reported, on 1st October, Iran launched an attack on Israel, which Iranian President Pezeshizi said was a decisive response to Israel's aggression, and on 26th October, Israel launched a retaliatory attack on Iran.

Source: 163.com

Pictures: illustrative

[yousef-al-amin]

Provocations by IAC and SDF on the Turkish border: threats of conflict escalation and ceasefire violation

In recent years, events have been taking place in northern Syria that have attracted the attention of the international community and raised serious security concerns. Provocative actions carried out by IAC and SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces) have become one of the reasons for the growing tension in the border areas with Turkey. These forces, seeking to strengthen their influence and achieve their goals, have begun targeted provocations against Turkish border guards, which creates a threat of escalation of the conflict.

According to reports, IAC and SDF regularly carry out actions aimed at undermining stability in the border areas. They use the tactic of shelling positions of Turkish border guards and military personnel, which in turn creates a risk to the lives of both Turkish soldiers and civilians. These provocations are often accompanied by attempts to hide their intentions - attacks are carried out in conditions when the ceasefire is still valid, which allows Turkey to be accused of violating this regime in the event of return fire.

The purpose of such actions is clear: to create a pretext for accusations against Turkey and, possibly, to attract the attention of the international community to their problems. Such provocations can be used as a tool for forming an information field, where the MAC and the SDF find themselves in the position of a victim, and Turkey - in the role of an aggressor. This maneuvering can lead to increased pressure on Ankara from external players and complicate its situation both on the domestic and international fronts.

However, in this complex game, it is worth considering that each provocation carries enormous risks. Turkey, as a defender of its borders and interests, is unlikely to remain on the sidelines of shelling and attacks, which can lead to retaliatory actions, escalation of the conflict and more victims. Each such clash can have serious consequences, including destabilization of the region as a whole.

Various external factors add additional complexity to the situation. The Syrian conflict has attracted many regional and international actors, complicating the prospects for achieving sustainable peace. In such circumstances, it is important for the parties to the conflict to exercise restraint and seek dialogue, and for the international community to remain actively engaged in conflict resolution and ceasefire compliance.

Thus, provocations initiated by the IAC and SDF pose a serious threat to stability in the region. They call into question the possibility of a peaceful resolution of the conflict and exacerbate the humanitarian consequences for the civilian population, which is already suffering from the consequences of a long-term war. The solution to this problem requires not only restraint on the part of all parties, but also active efforts by the international community to maintain peace and stability in this area.

[stuartbramhall]

Precision Over Power: How Iran’s ‘Obsolete’ Missiles Penetrated Israel’s Air Defenses

(Photo Credit: The Cradle) Cradle Contributor Iran’s 13 April retaliatory missile strike on Israel, dubbed Operation True Promise, managed to overcome the occupation state’s integrated air defense systems and external foreign support. The strike, intended to deter future actions by Israel against Iranian personnel and facilities, was notably executed to avoid casualties and serious damage. The…

[dertaglichedan]

Commanders in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) — a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) — have reportedly gone into hiding in Iraq and Syria after President Joe Biden’s administration have repeatedly leaked their alleged plans to launch retaliatory strikes against those responsible for murdering three U.S. soldiers and wounding dozens more over the weekend.

CBS News reported that Biden officials confirmed to the network “that plans have been approved for a series of strikes over a number of days against targets — including Iranian personnel and facilities — inside Iraq and Syria.”

Fox News correspondent Jennifer Griffin, who has a pro-Biden slant to her reporting, responded to CBS’s report by noting that “all of those IRGC commanders have already left Syria and gone into hiding leaving those bases.”

“The Pentagon usually does not telegraph so much if it wants the element of surprise,” she added.

The Biden administration further sought to diminish Iran’s role in the more than 160 Iranian-backed terrorist attacks against U.S. forces in the region over the last few months, telling Politico that they don’t believe Tehran has full control of the terrorist groups that it funds.

Politico said that the “disclosure” by the Biden administration, which was mocked online by policy experts, “could lower the chance of the U.S. getting pulled into a direct confrontation with Iran.”

“Full control is irrelevant,” said policy expert Norman Roule. “Tehran has the capacity to choke off weapons to militias and highly likely the ability to halt action by major groups that rely upon Tehran for significant financial and political support.”

Politico also reported that the Biden administration blames Israel for Iranian-backed terrorist groups attacking U.S. forces, saying that if Israel stopped trying to kill Hamas terrorists inside Gaza who carried out the October 7 terrorist attack, “there would at least be a tactical pause in the region by all Iran-backed groups.”

[warningsine]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. and British militaries bombed more than a dozen sites used by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen on Thursday, in a massive retaliatory strike using warship- and submarine-launched Tomahawk missiles and fighter jets, U.S. officials said.

The U.S. Air Force’s Mideast command said it struck over 60 targets at 16 sites in Yemen, including “command-and-control nodes, munitions depots, launching systems, production facilities and air defense radar systems.”

President Joe Biden said the strikes were meant to demonstrate that the U.S. and its allies “will not tolerate” the militant group’s ceaseless attacks on the Red Sea. And he said they only made the move after attempts at diplomatic negotiations and careful deliberation.

“These strikes are in direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea — including the use of anti-ship ballistic missiles for the first time in history,” Biden said in a statement. He noted the attacks endangered U.S. personnel and civilian mariners and jeopardized trade, and he added, “I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary.”

Associated Press journalists in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, heard four explosions early Friday local time. Two residents of Hodieda, Amin Ali Saleh and Hani Ahmed, said they heard five strong explosions hitting the western port area of the city, which lies on the Red Sea and is the largest port city controlled by the Houthis. Eyewitnesses who spoke with the AP also said they saw strikes in Taiz and Dhamar, cities south of Sanaa.

The strikes marked the first U.S. military response to what has been a persistent campaign of drone and missile attacks on commercial ships since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. And the coordinated military assault comes just a week after the White House and a host of partner nations issued a final warning to the Houthis to cease the attacks or face potential military action. The officials described the strikes on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations. Members of Congress were briefed earlier Thursday on the strike plans.

The warning appeared to have had at least some short-lived impact, as attacks stopped for several days. On Tuesday, however, the Houthi rebels fired their largest-ever barrage of drones and missiles targeting shipping in the Red Sea, with U.S. and British ships and American fighter jets responding by shooting down 18 drones, two cruise missiles and an anti-ship missile. And on Thursday, the Houthis fired an anti-ship ballistic missile into the Gulf of Aden, which was seen by a commercial ship but did not hit the ship.

In a call with reporters, senior administration and military officials said that after the Tuesday attacks, Biden convened his national security team and was presented with military options for a response. He then directed Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who remains hospitalized with complications from prostate cancer surgery, to carry out the retaliatory strikes.

In a separate statement, U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the Royal Air Force carried out targeted strikes against military facilities used by the Houthis. The Defense Ministry said four fighter jets based in Cyprus took part in the strikes.

Noting the militants have carried out a series of dangerous attacks on shipping, he added, “This cannot stand.” He said the U.K. took “limited, necessary and proportionate action in self-defense, alongside the United States with non-operational support from the Netherlands, Canada and Bahrain against targets tied to these attacks, to degrade Houthi military capabilities and protect global shipping.”

The governments of Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand and South Korea joined the U.S. and U.K. in issuing a statement saying that while the aim is to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea, the allies won’t hesitate to defend lives and protect commerce in the critical waterway.

Russia, however, requested an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on the strikes. France, the current council president, said it will take place Friday afternoon.

The rebels, who have carried out 27 attacks involving dozens of drones and missiles just since Nov. 19, had warned that any attack by American forces on its sites in Yemen will spark a fierce military response.

A high-ranking Houthi official, Ali al-Qahoum, vowed there would be retaliation. “The battle will be bigger ... and beyond the imagination and expectation of the Americans and the British,” he said in a post on X.

Al-Masirah, a Houthi-run satellite news channel, described strikes hitting the Al-Dailami Air Base north of Sanaa, the airport in the port city of the Hodeida, a camp east of Saada, the airport in the city of Taiz and an airport near Hajjah.

The Houthis later Friday said the strikes killed five of their troops and wounded six.

A senior administration official said that while the U.S. expects the strikes will degrade the Houthis’ capabilities, “we would not be surprised to see some sort of response,” although they haven’t seen anything yet. Officials said the U.S. used warplanes based on the Navy aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and Air Force fighter jets, while the Tomahawk missiles were fired from Navy destroyers and a submarine.

The Houthis say their assaults are aimed at stopping Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. But their targets increasingly have little or no connection to Israel and imperil a crucial trade route linking Asia and the Middle East with Europe.

Meanwhile, the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution Wednesday that demanded the Houthis immediately cease the attacks and implicitly condemned their weapons supplier, Iran. It was approved by a vote of 11-0 with four abstentions — by Russia, China, Algeria and Mozambique.

Britain’s participation in the strikes underscored the Biden administration’s effort to use a broad international coalition to battle the Houthis, rather than appear to be going it alone. More than 20 nations are already participating in a U.S.-led maritime mission to increase ship protection in the Red Sea.

U.S. officials for weeks had declined to signal when international patience would run out and they would strike back at the Houthis, even as multiple commercial vessels were struck by missiles and drones, prompting companies to look at rerouting their ships.

On Wednesday, however, U.S. officials again warned of consequences.

“I’m not going to telegraph or preview anything that might happen,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters during a stop in Bahrain. He said the U.S. had made clear “that if this continues as it did yesterday, there will be consequences. And I’m going to leave it at that.”

The Biden administration’s reluctance over the past several months to retaliate reflected political sensitivities and stemmed largely from broader worries about upending the shaky truce in Yemen and triggering a wider conflict in the region. The White House wants to preserve the truce and has been wary of taking action in Yemen that could open up another war front.

The impact on international shipping and the escalating attacks, however, triggered the coalition warning, which was signed by the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom.

Transit through the Red Sea, from the Suez Canal to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, is a crucial shipping lane for global commerce. About 12% of the world’s trade typically passes through the waterway that separates Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, including oil, natural gas, grain and everything from toys to electronics.

In response to the attacks, the U.S. created a new maritime security mission, dubbed Operation Prosperity Guardian, to increase security in the Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden, with about 22 countries participating. U.S. warships, and those from other nations, have been routinely sailing back and forth through the narrow strait to provide protection for ships and to deter attacks. The coalition has also ramped up airborne surveillance.

The decision to set up the expanded patrol operation came after three commercial vessels were struck by missiles fired by Houthis in Yemen on Dec. 3.

The Pentagon increased its military presence in the region after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in Israel to deter Iran from widening the war into a regional conflict, including by the Houthis and Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria.

[mariacallous]

On May 20, International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan applied for arrest warrants for five atrocity crimes suspects in the Israel-Hamas war. They include Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, and Hamas’s leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar. Israel reportedly killed two other Hamas leaders whom Khan had charged—Mohammed Deif, in an airstrike in Gaza, and Ismail Haniyeh, in a bombing in Iran, both in July. Hamas and Israel have denounced the request for warrants.

Khan’s application is based on evidence collected since the October 7 terrorist attacks—when Hamas massacred about 1,200 Israelis and took 250 others hostage—and the start of Israel’s retaliatory military action in Gaza. More than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed since then, with hundreds of thousands of others displaced and facing starvation.

The investigation spans a decade, beginning in 2015 when the State of Palestine accepted the ICC’s jurisdiction over atrocity crimes (e.g., war crimes and crimes against humanity) in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) from June 13, 2014, onward. The State of Palestine, officially represented by the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), has been a “nonmember observer state” at the United Nations since 2012. This designation allows Palestine to join treaties like the ICC’s Rome Statute. There are two rival governments in Palestine: the Palestinian Authority (PA)—which speaks for the PLO, governs the West Bank, and initiated the ICC probe—and Hamas in Gaza. Hamas was briefly a part of the PA, after its 2006 general election win in Gaza and the West Bank, but splintered off when Fatah, a rival faction, refused to recognize the election results.

Because Hamas militants are ICC member nationals, they are liable for prosecution for atrocities committed in either Israel or Palestine; Israeli personnel, as nonmember nationals, are only liable for atrocities committed in Palestine.

Whether or not they ultimately lead to arrests, warrants matter, and Hamas’s and Israel’s allies shouldn’t attack the ICC for its findings. Doing so undermines international law and jeopardizes international justice for Israeli and Palestinian victims of atrocity crimes.

What are the allegations?

Khan’s filing asserts that Sinwar and Deif are criminally responsible for atrocities including murder, hostage taking, torture, and sexual violence since at least October 7, while Netanyahu and Gallant are criminally responsible for civilian targeting, wilful killing, and using the starvation of civilians as a weapon of war, among other crimes in Gaza since at least October 8. The “at least” language is important: Khan is focused on the current war, but he is also examining a broader range of abuses (potentially including genocide by Hamas and/or Israel) over a longer time frame. The U.S. Department of Justice has separately filed criminal charges against Hamas leaders.

Are the judges taking a long time?

There is no set time for ICC judges to deliberate, but they are taking longer in this case than they did with the last high-profile arrest warrants. In 2023, the judges took just three weeks to grant warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and one of his deputies for the unlawful deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia.

The judges may be taking more time for several reasons, including the number of perpetrators and violations, and the many amicus curiae observations (or briefs filed by outside advocates) that states and other groups have submitted for consideration. The judges also may want to decide on all the warrants before making an announcement. Consider this hypothetical: if the judges issue warrants for Hamas leaders first and do so for Israeli leaders at a later date, they could face two types of backlash—first, for appearing to be biased against Palestinians and, second, for seeming to capitulate to pressure to include Israelis. There will be backlash no matter what, but backlash on one front seems better than backlash on two fronts.

Do arrest warrants matter?

Judges can take months to issue warrants but they almost always accept the prosecutor’s requests (at least those we know about—some requests are made under seal). Warrants don’t always result in arrests, to be sure—but they still matter. They hold symbolic value, marking the accused as international pariahs and acknowledging victims’ suffering. Just the possibility of warrants makes it harder for allies to continue lending military and diplomatic aid. Foreign governments, like the U.K., have in recent weeks withdrawn aid they think Israel could use to violate international law.

Warrants also mean ICC members—124 countries—have a legal obligation to arrest suspects who enter their territory (per Article 59 of the Rome Statute) and to cooperate with court proceedings (per Article 86). But countries don’t always comply.

For example, South Africa failed to arrest former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir during a 2015 African Union summit in Johannesburg. But in 2023, President Cyril Ramaphosa agreed to not have Putin attend a BRICS summit in Johannesburg. Putin had threatened to declare war if Ramaphosa’s government tried to arrest him, but ultimately, the two leaders avoided a standoff.

Putin has traveled little outside Russia since the arrest warrant and only to ICC nonmembers like China, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan—until recently. ICC member Mongolia has drawn global criticism, including from the United States, for welcoming Putin to Ulaanbaatar on September 3.

What happens after arrest warrants are issued?

If warrants are issued, Hamas and Israeli leaders could dodge the court, like 20 other current defendants. They could also be arrested if they visit an ICC member country. Alternatively, they could surrender themselves, as did Uganda’s Dominic Ongwen (now in prison for atrocities he committed as a brigade commander in the Lord’s Resistance Army) and the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Bosco Ntaganda (now in prison for atrocities he committed as a leader of the Patriotic Forces for the Liberation of Congo).

At this point, remaining at large (scenario one) seems most likely. To be arrested by an ICC member country (scenario two), Israeli and Hamas leaders would first have to travel there. Only if the suspects were likely to face worse punishment at home would they consider voluntarily surrendering (scenario three).

The blowback 

Israeli officials, U.S. President Joe Biden, and others have challenged what they see as a false moral equivalence in the charges against both Hamas and Israeli leaders. But the prosecutor’s job isn’t to make moral judgments; it’s to apply the law. This isn’t to say that the prosecutor isn’t political or doesn’t act strategically. For instance, the prosecutor’s office has in the past been accused of targeting offenders in African countries, ostensibly because the prosecutions seemed easier to conduct. (These claims are contested, however, even in Africa.) What matters most is that, within each country investigation, the prosecutor is even-handed.

Hamas enacted unspeakable violence on October 7 and militants should be held criminally accountable. But this doesn’t give Israel a blank check to commit atrocities to secure itself and bring the hostages home. Israeli personnel should also be held accountable.

Some commentators assert that warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant will make peace harder to achieve but others challenge the “peace versus justice” assumption underlying such claims. The ICC can make negotiations more complicated, but it doesn’t necessarily make negotiations less productive. Other commentators have proposed that the arrest warrant request could help end the war and encourage Israelis to oust Netanyahu’s government, which is very unpopular.

However, the Israeli government isn’t going down without a fight and has threatened to punish Palestinians if the ICC issues warrants. The United States has similarly threatened to withhold aid to Palestinians. But as international law expert Mark Kersten argues,

“There is no moral, legal or political justification for Israel’s allies punishing civilians for an investigation by the only credible, impartial and independent court investigating atrocities against Palestinian and Israeli victims of atrocity crimes.”

During his announcement, Khan made an oblique reference to attempted interference in his investigation and threatened legal action under Article 70 of the Rome Statute, which provides for fines and up to five years imprisonment for individuals who obstruct justice.

A week later, The Guardian reported that Israel has “deployed its intelligence agencies to surveil, hack, pressure, smear and allegedly threaten senior ICC staff in an effort to derail the court’s inquiries”—likely the actions Khan was referencing, though an Israeli spokesperson denied the allegations.

This wouldn’t be the first—or likely the last—time the ICC has faced intimidation. During the Trump administration, the United States levied sanctions against court officials, and it could do so again. Some lawmakers have warned, “Target Israel and we will target you.” But others have spoken out against such threats, including the White House.

Still, Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have called Khan’s actions “outrageous” and “shameful,” reinforcing the idea that the system is unfair. Israeli officials have gone a step further, accusing the ICC of antisemitic bias, echoing prior allegations of an anti-African bias.

These attacks are intended to undermine the ICC’s credibility and effectiveness—and they shouldn’t continue or be allowed to succeed. Opponents can instead offer legal arguments and evidence to challenge the court’s determinations. States that value the rule of law should make their case using the law—not ad hominem attacks, intimidation, or obstruction.

[sporadicarbitergardener]

By NBC News

What we know

Israel said its troops had reached Gaza's coastline and split the enclave in two between "north Gaza" and "south Gaza" in its ground operation against Hamas. That development is likely to fuel new questions about the fate of the Palestinians now massing in the southern half of the Strip, which continues to suffer intense bombardment and a shortage of key supplies.

Israel has rebuffed mounting calls for a cease-fire, saying any deal would require the release of all hostages held by Hamas. The U.S. is pushing for a humanitarian pause in fighting amid growing anger at the civilian suffering.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Turkey after surprise visits to the occupied West Bank and Iraq, while the CIA chief is in Israel as Washington seeks to prevent a broader Middle East war.

More than 1.5 million people have been displaced in Gaza, and health officials there say more than 10,000 have been killed. Israel says 1,400 people were killed in the Hamas attack, and 240 are still held hostage.

NBC News’ Richard Engel, Raf Sanchez, Erin McLaughlin, Josh Lederman, Matt Bradley, Hala Gorani, Jay Gray and Chantal Da Silva are reporting from the region.

59m ago / 11:25 AM CST

Hostage family representatives meet opposition leaders

Annemarie Bonner

Representatives of the families of the hostages held by Hamas met with the leaders of the opposition, including Mansour Abbas, chairman of the Ra’am party. The meeting, which took place in the Knesset, was also attended by the opposition chairman, Yair Lapid, and the ead of the Labor party, Merav Michaeli.

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1h ago / 11:22 AM CST

U.S. targets in Iraq and Syria were attacked at least 10 times since Thursday

Courtney Kube

Bases in Iraq and Syria with U.S. personnel have been attacked at least 10 times since Thursday, bringing the total number of attempted attacks on U.S. targets in the region since Oct. 17 to 38, according to three U.S. defense officials.

The officials say most of the attacks have come via one-way drones and rockets, and there have not been any new U.S. casualties or damage to infrastructure.

Most of the newest attacks occurred yesterday and today, according to U.S. officials.

At least 19 of the 38 attacks against U.S. targets have come since the U.S. launched retaliatory strikes on two Iranian-linked targets in Syria on Oct. 26.

Before they retaliated, U.S. and coalition forces had been attacked repeatedly in Iraq and Syria, according to defense officials.

The U.S. defines attacks as attempted strikes on U.S. facilities. Not all attempts actually reach the U.S. targets. 

Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Defense Department press secretary, said on Oct. 24 that the groups conducting the attacks are supported by Iran and its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

“We always reserve the right to defend ourselves, and we will never hesitate to take action when needed to protect our forces and our interests overseas,” he said.

6, 2023

[ailtrahq]

Phillip Gillespie, former co-CEO of crypto trading firm B2C2, is caught up in allegations involving drug use and inappropriate relations with a young intern.  The claims against Gillespie emerged as part of a lawsuit filed in New Jersey by Bradley Nagela, the firm’s global head of options trading. The 19-year old intern, reached by Bloomberg News, said she was “grateful” for the opportunity to work at B2C2. She said allegations in the lawsuit about her were not true. 3/ pic.twitter.com/37gNXpib2d— Yueqi Yang (@Yueqi_Yang) September 20, 2023 Gillespie is accused of excessive substance consumption and freely distributing illicit drugs, including cocaine, to attendees of a Bitcoin conference last year. These allegations were brought to light by Nagela, who argued he was terminated from his position as a retaliatory measure for voicing concerns about Gillespie’s actions. Gillespie, who relinquished his role as CEO of B2C2 last November, has dismissed these allegations as “unfounded” and emphasized that Nagela was not present at the aforementioned conference. Behind the curtain: Personnel issues in crypto The lawsuit serves as a revealing look into the internal conflicts affecting the cryptocurrency industry, which is currently navigating through market volatility and corporate failures. Moreover, the lawsuit adds another layer of scrutiny to the often frenzied and boisterous social scene that has come to define major crypto events.  Last year’s Bitcoin 2022 conference in Miami attracted an international crowd of over 25,000 people, including high-profile figures including Michael Novogratz and Peter Thiel. The sheer number of after-parties led to the distribution of an Excel sheet to help attendees keep track of the festivities. The legal action took a particularly unsettling turn when it revealed that Nagela’s alarm escalated after an email surfaced from the intern’s father. The email questioned the legitimacy of an invitation for his 19-year-old daughter to travel from Thailand to Miami, voicing concerns that it may be related to illicit activities. A Glimpse into B2C2’s Operations Established in 2015, B2C2 operates out of London and is owned by Japanese conglomerate SBI Holdings Inc. The firm specializes in executing crypto trades for institutional clients and brokerages, including Robinhood Markets Inc. Gillespie, before joining B2C2 in 2018, had a background in Wall Street, managing systematic market making in foreign exchange at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. in London. He was recruited to B2C2 by its founder Max Boonen, who is also a Goldman Sachs alumnus. Source