#missile manufacturing site

[eretzyisrael]

[gothhabiba]

St. Paul, MN – During the early morning hours of November 20, 50 pro-Palestine protesters gathered at the site of Lockheed Martin’s new microelectronics subsidiary, ForwardEdge ASIC, in Saint Paul. They unfurled long banners, one reading, “MN, divest from Lockheed,” and blocked the driveway entrances to the facility for almost eight hours.

Police arrived shortly after the activists occupied the space and made their presence throughout the day, but no arrests were made. Due to the protesters’ presence, no employees of ForwardEdge ASIC were able to enter the facility and go to work that morning. The parking lot remained empty save for a lone security guard’s vehicle.

Lockheed Martin is the world’s largest weapons company by revenue and one of the major suppliers to the Israel Defense Forces. Lockheed Martin supplies Israel with a wide variety of weapons, including fighter jets, attack helicopters, and missiles. Lockheed Martin technologies are also integrated into Israel's main weapon systems.

Activists participated in as part of the newly formed Free Palestine Coalition in the Twin Cities, which comprises groups such as the Anti-War Committee (AWC), American Muslims for Palestine – MN, Council on American-Islamic Relations – MN, Students for Justice in Palestine – UMN, Students for a Democratic Society – UMN, Women Against Military Madness (WAMM), Jews Against Genocide, Red Nation, and several others.

Protesters emphasized the role of the state of Minnesota in funding Lockheed as well as other companies that make possible Israel’s violence against Palestinians. “Minnesota granted Lockheed over $1 million to open the Saint Paul facility this year,” explained Wyatt Miller of the AWC. “Meanwhile, the State Board of Investments has invested over $53 million of public pension money it controls in Lockheed. Governor Tim Walz chairs that board, so we also want to send a message that Minnesotans don’t want to see our taxpayer dollars used to fund this massacre in any way.”

After protesters determined that a majority of the workday had been disrupted, they marched in unity towards the facility to plaster the building with the protest signs as a show of victory.

Sarah Martin, a longtime anti-war activist with WAMM who was prepared to be arrested Monday, stated, “Because of our presence, weapons components were not made at the facility today by a manufacturer largely responsible for the murder of Palestinian children.”

“Protesters across the world have been shutting down business as usual as long as this massacre of Gaza continues,” said Miller. “We are proud to do what we can to slow the operations of the U.S. military-industrial complex, which is the backbone of Israel’s oppression of Palestine.”

[ahaura]

(Dec. 1)

Article: Recruiters Drop Elbit Systems after Palestine Action Campaign

After weeks of action, the sole recruiters for the British operations of Israel’s largest weapons company, Elbit Systems, have confirmed via email to Palestine Action that they ended their association with Elbit on the evening of the 29th November. For two months, activists in the Palestine Action network had disrupted iO Associates at their premises across the country, to impede their ability to recruit roles for Israel’s war machine. 

iO Associates recruited the likes of engineers, software developers, and finance staff for positions across the sites of the British branch of Israel’s largest weapons company, Elbit Systems. Elbit are the largest supplier to the occupation military, providing the vast majorities of its drones, munitions, surveillance gear, and parts for its tanks, jets, and precision missiles. From Britain specifically, they manufacture parts for Israel’s killer drones, along with weapons sights, tank parts, and more, exporting these technologies to Israel in great volume yearly. This is the nature of the business that IO was Associates with, and were IO Associates biggest client.

In response to their facilitation of Elbit’s criminal activities, iO’s offices were stormed and occupied in Manchester on the 1st September, and again on the 7th October. Activists painted iO offices red on October 9th in London, Reading, and Manchester. They were forced to vacate their Manchester offices from the 11th October, after the premises were also stormed by the Youth Front For Palestine, and then finally targeted in Edinburgh twice, on the 11th and 17th October. After being forced to vacate their offices, having their online presence tarnished, and (as confirmed to us by former employees) losing their staff who resigned in opposition to their arms trade partnership, iO Associates have finally cut ties with Israel’s weapons trade. 

This is part of an expansive strategy by Palestine Action, by disrupting the suppliers and facilitators of Elbit’s presence in Britain. It has seen Elbit’s accountants (Edwards), haulage providers (Kuehne + Nagel), landlords (JLL) and many other complicit companies targeted, alongside the hundreds of actions at Elbit sites themselves, continuing to resist the presence of Elbit warmongers in Britain, and constantly reminding those associated with them that they have blood on their hands.

As a result of iO Associates dropping Elbit Systems, the recruiters have been removed as a target of Palestine Action’s campaign. All targets who still facilitate Israel’s weapons trade are listed on elbitsites.uk

[zvaigzdelasas]

“Cyprus will be part of this war too” if it opens its airports and bases to Israeli forces, Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised address that came just a day after Israel warned the powerful Iran-backed militant group that the prospect of “all-out war” was “getting very close.”

The comments by the Hezbollah leader are the first time he has threatened Cyprus, a member of the European Union that lies in the Mediterranean sea, roughly 125 miles (200 kilometers) from Lebanon, and which has held joint military exercises with Israel since 2014 and as recently as last year.

Nasrallah’s threat came as part of a fiery response to Israel’s warning that saw him boast of his group’s growing capabilities and threaten to “shake the pillars” of Israel if a war “were to be imposed on Lebanon.[...]

[On Tuesday] Hezbollah flaunted a 9-minute video filmed by a drone showing civilian and military locations in and around one of Israel’s largest cities, Haifa. The video prompted Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz to warn of an “all-out war” in which “Hezbollah will be destroyed, and Lebanon severely beaten.”

On Wednesday, Nassrallah celebrated the video as evidence of its growing ability to gather intelligence.

“The enemy knows that no place in the entire (state) is safe from our missiles, and it won’t be arbitrary. Everything will be deliberately targeted,” Nasrallah said in his speech.

“We have long hours of footage of Haifa, of the outskirts of Haifa, and what comes after Haifa, and after after Haifa,” Nasrallah said, in an apparent reference to a Hezbollah slogan from the 2006 war with Israel, when the group’s rockets hit Haifa for the first time.

In response to the threat by Nasrallah, Cyprus’ President Nikos Christodoulides said the island was in “no way involved in the war conflicts.”[...]

Parts of the Hezbollah footage, filmed in the daytime, claimed to show Krayot, a cluster of “highly populated” residential cities north of the Israeli city of Haifa and 28 km (17 miles) south of the Lebanese border, along with malls and high rises.

Other parts claimed to show a military complex near Haifa belonging to Israeli weapons manufacturer Rafael – including Iron Dome batteries, missile storage sites and radar sites – and military boats, ships and oil storage depots in the port of Haifa.

CNN analysis has geolocated the video to a number of locations around Haifa. Those locations include a number of sensitive areas, including at least two military installations: a base in northern Haifa and the port of Haifa. The drone also flew over the oil tanks that sit north of Haifa, the Haifa airport and several residential areas.

CNN also analyzed the shadows in the videos, which indicate the drone mission over Haifa lasted multiple hours, or took place over multiple days. The analysis shows parts of the video have been sped up.[...]

Hezbollah has claimed the video was the “first episode,” suggesting more videos would surface from deep inside Israeli territory.[...]

The release of the footage comes as Israel’s military says it has “approved and validated” operational plans for an offensive in Lebanon and made decisions on increasing the readiness of troops in the field.[...]

Hezbollah has fired more than 5,000 rockets, missiles and drones at northern Israel since October 7, claiming that its attacks are in solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Hezbollah has said in the past that it will only stop firing on Israel if Israel stops the war in Gaza.

"Opening Cypriot airports and bases to the Israeli enemy to target Lebanon would mean that the Cypriot government is part of the war, and the resistance will deal with it as part of the war," Nasrallah threatened.[...]

“Hezbollah is not far away at all. If they can target the outskirts of Tel Aviv then they can hit Cyprus. It’s not something that can be excluded,” Haritos said.

Nasrallah’s threat against Cyprus came as its foreign minister, Constantinos Kombos, wrapped up a meeting on Monday in Washington with his counterpart Antony Blinken.

“Cyprus is an important player in the region, and a partnership for the United States that we deeply value,” Blinken said.

Since 7 October, Cyprus has emerged as a hub for US special forces. US Naval Special Warfare Operators conducted joint training with Cypriot counterparts this year. Cyprus also actively billed itself as a staging ground for aid into Gaza and the Port of Larnaca has been the first point of entry for aid traveling to the US-built pier in Gaza. [...]

In the last decade, Israel has grown increasingly close to both Cyprus and Greece.[...]

Cyprus was a founding member of the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum, which sought to deepen energy cooperation with Israel and Arab states, amid maritime tensions with Turkey. Last year, Cyprus pushed to cement its energy ties with Israel by lobbying for a new gas pipeline between the two, MEE reported.

Cyprus, like Greece, has also benefitted from an influx of Israeli real estate investment in recent years, ironically, along with renewed interest from Lebanese investors. [...]

Israel's air force has reportedly also used Cypriot airspace to conduct a drill simulating the scenario of an Iranian attack on Israel.

But Cyprus has been cooperating with Israel on security for years.

Since 2021, it has participated with Greece and the US in annual naval exercises under the moniker "Noble Dina". They also conducted largescale naval exercises in 2023 that saw Israeli naval fleets sail to Cyprus.

Israeli special forces also train in Cyprus where the rocky terrain resembles Lebanon.[...]

Middle East Eye reported on Wednesday, that US envoy Amos Hochstein told Lebanese officials that the US would back an Israeli offensive on Lebanon after five weeks if there was no halt to daily fighting between the Iran-backed group and Israel.

“Throwing Cyprus into the mix means Nasrallah is under pressure and believes Israel may go ahead with an attack,” Harari said.[...]

In 2018, [Cyprus] signed a bilateral security cooperation statement and in 2022, US President Joe Biden's administration lifted a decades-old arms embargo on the island.[...]

Cyprus's burgeoning relations with Israel marks an extraordinary change since its independence from British colonial rule in 1960 when the country's then-leader, Greek Orthodox Archbishop Makarios III, welcomed figures like Gamal Abdel Nasser and the island openly embraced Palestinian resistance fighters.

For years, Cyprus harboured anti-Americanism over lingering frustration that the US quietly backed Turkey’s 1974 invasion of the island after a failed coup attempt to unite it with Greece. Turkey maintains more than 35,000 troops in occupied northern Cyprus.[...]

"[Nasrallah] is saying if you help Israel there will be ramifications."

19 Jun 24

[boinkingbattlemechs]

Trebuchet

The Trebuchet (also jovially referred to as the Trenchbucket) is a mainline medium weight BattleMech considered to be a fine blend of long- and short-range fire support for a unit of its size. Unlike many other pre-Clan 'Mechs, the Trebuchet was designed from the beginning to work as part of a lance instead of functioning as a stand-alone model. The TBT-5N features respectable firepower, ten heat sinks, seven and a half tons of armor and a top speed of 86.4 km/h for good mobility. The main drawback of the design is its endurance: since it was never meant to operate far from supply lines the Trebuchet has a limited amount of munitions for its missile launchers and once these ammunition bins have run dry the 'Mech must defend itself with only its laser weapons, where it is often outgunned compared to other 'Mechs when fighting independently at close range.

The Trebuchet first walked off assembly lines in 2780 for the SLDF in the final years of the Star League, between the liberation of Terra from Stefan Amaris and Aleksandr Kerensky's departure. With the onset of the Succession Wars the Trebuchet would become an almost exclusive staple of the Free Worlds League since its manufacturing site on Stewart fell within their territory. However the original TBT-3C models proved to be too difficult to repair and produce with the disappearance of advanced technology, and in 2799 Corean Enterprises went back to the drawing board to create the TBT-5N using less advanced technology.

The Free Worlds League Military often partnered the Trebuchet with the Archer, while lances consisting of an Archer, two Trebuchet's and a Centurion became a common configuration used for siege operations by the Regulan Hussars. However the design also found its way into the hands of the other Great Houses and served with distinction during the Succession Wars in nearly every major operation, with a number of variants created to fulfill various needs. The technological renaissance which swept through the Inner Sphere during the 3030s allowed first Kali Yama and then the Irian corporations to begin producing the Trebuchet as well, culminating in upgraded designs debuting several years prior to the Clan Invasion. As late as 3071 advanced Trebuchet variants would continue to be produced and found themselves used by new actors on the galactic stage, most notoriously the Word of Blake.

[milfstalin]

There is much concern that Elon Musk’s Starlink intends to provide satellite internet coverage to the United States following the failure of its Red Sea “Operation Prosperity Guardian” alliance to curb Yemen’s pro-Palestinian front.

This conversation has gained traction since the company’s announcement on 18 September that it would launch services in Yemen after months of informal contracts with the Saudi-backed government in Aden. The timing of this announcement raised eyebrows, especially as it coincided with Israel’s terrorist attacks in Lebanon, involving exploding pagers and walkie-talkies.

[...]

The announcement that Yemen would be the first country in West Asia to have full access to its services surprised many – particularly because the US embassy in Yemen was quick to praise the move as an “achievement” that could unlock new opportunities.

[...]

The rival Sanaa government, under which most of Yemen’s population lives, was quick to warn that the Starlink project may threaten Yemen and its national security. Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of Ansarallah’s political bureau, criticized the US embassy’s stance, which he says:

"Confirms the relationship between the launch of Starlink and the war launched by America on Yemen, which threatens to expand the conflict to the orbits of outer space for the first time in history."

[...]

In March, the Financial Times reported that the US and UK faced intelligence shortfalls in their Red Sea campaign, particularly around the capabilities of the Ansarallah-aligned forces’ arsenal. This intelligence gap underlined the west’s need for a reliable spy network, and Starlink’s role in this context raises serious questions.

A Reuters report revealed that SpaceX had signed secret contracts with the US Department of Defense aimed at developing a spy satellite system capable of detecting global threats in real-time.

[...]

Another concerning aspect is the involvement of Israel. Israel’s spy satellites, OFEK-13 and OFEK-14, are reportedly linked to Starlink’s satellite network. SpaceX, as a third party, may provide critical guidance and intelligence to these satellites, further enhancing Tel Aviv’s surveillance capabilities in the region. This connection between Starlink and Israeli intelligence efforts has heightened fears in Yemen that the satellite network will be used to undermine the country’s security and sovereignty.

Currently, Starlink services are available primarily in Yemeni areas controlled by the Saudi and UAE-led coalition, although roaming packages allow temporary access in other regions. This has prompted concerns about data security, privacy, and the spread of misinformation, as unrestricted satellite internet bypasses local government control.

[...]

Moreover, cybersecurity risks are particularly troubling, as the network might be exploited for dangerous purposes, including facilitating terrorist activities like bombings. The presence of a global satellite internet service that bypasses local regulations raises concerns about its potential to disrupt local internet infrastructure.

Starlink could also introduce unfair competition to local provider Yemen Net, further marginalizing the national telecom provider and hindering local development efforts.

[...]

Dr Youssef al-Hadri, a right-wing political affairs researcher, shared his views with The Cradle on the recent events in Lebanon and the ongoing electronic warfare involving the US and its allies. According to Hadri, intelligence agencies operating in areas under the control of the Sanaa government face challenges in detecting the locations of missiles, drones, and military manufacturing sites.

This shortfall became even more apparent after a major intelligence operation exposed a long-running spy cell in Yemen, with activities spanning across multiple sectors.

From the risk of espionage to the undermining of local telecom providers, the implications of Starlink’s operations extend far beyond providing internet access – they could become a vehicle for foreign influence and control.

[...]

3 Oct 2024

[girlactionfigure]

🟨 SATURDAY after Shabbat - events from Israel  

ISRAEL REALTIME - Connecting to Israel in Realtime

Shavua Tov - blessings for a good week, success for our soldiers, and safe and healthy return of our hostages

▪️INFILTRATOR ARRESTED - RAMAT GAN.. Police arrested a 49-year-old Arab in Ramat Gan Friday who was posing as an Israeli citizen. During the inspection, the suspect, who tried to escape, was found with 4 cell phones, a checkbook, a fake ID, an IDF fighter's card, pepper spray and cash. Arrested.

▪️HEZBOLLAH PUSHING THE ATTACK STORY.. Ibrahim Mousawi, the member of Lebanon’s parliament on behalf of Hezbollah, in an interview with Al Mayadeen channel regarding "Hezbollah's attack on the 8200 base":  "What Al Mayadeen channel published is accurate - we verified it with our sources inside Palestine and outside.  If Israel was so successful in intercepting Hezbollah missiles in the act of revenge for the assassination of Fuad Shukr, then why was the commander of 8200 forced to resign?"

🔷LEBANESE EVAC.. Sources in Lebanon: Residents of the "second line" villages in southern Lebanon have begun evacuating to the north.  The correspondent of the Egyptian Al-Qahara network in southern Lebanon reports that Lebanese residents have begun to evacuate from villages located on the second line in southern Lebanon (not villages near the border but slightly north of them). 

▪️PROTEST - JORDAN.. larger protest demanding the return of the body of the terrorist who murdered 3 Israelis at the Allenby crossing.

▪️THE NEW HARDENED SCHOOL.. Walls are twice as thick as normal, doors do not open directly to the outside, glass protects against ballistic hits, windows are not accessible to students, and shelter areas in the yard. The new Torah elementary school in Sderot is an architectural attempt to normalize the nightmare, create a school that is a complete protected space rockets.  https://bit.ly/3MHcZ7D

▪️AID TAXES.. IDF coordinator COGAT General Aliyan is expected to stop the use of Gazan merchants to transfer aid to Gaza, after it became clear that Hamas is collecting millions from them, taxing aid at 20%, money that goes to rebuilding the terrorist organization.

♦️GAZA AIRSTRIKE (1).. Two buildings used by Hamas in Gaza City's Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, close to a school used as a shelter, were bombed by Israeli fighter jets earlier today, the IDF says.  The military says the buildings were used by Hamas for attacks and to manufacture weapons.  Demolished.

♦️GAZA AIRSTRIKE (2).. The IDF carried out an airstrike against Hamas operatives in a command room within a former school in Gaza City. Hamas was using the Shuhada al-Zeitoun School to plan and carry out attacks against troops and Israel.  The school has been serving as a shelter, Enemy media report several casualties.  The IDF  accuses Hamas of systematically using civilian sites for terror and civilians as human shields.

♦️GAZA GROUND ATTACK.. Troops have killed more than 100 terrorists during operations in the Tel Sultan neighborhood of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, the IDF says. Amid the operations, soldiers located rocket launchers, weapon caches, and other terror infrastructure.  Captured.

⭕19 rounds of ROCKETS and SUICIDE DRONES from Hezbollah over Shabbat, including multiple attacks on Safed, Rosh Pina, Meron areas.

.. Over Friday night there was 60 rockets in 3 barrages.

⭕HAMAS fires MID-RANGE rockets at ASHKELON over Shabbat.

.. The IDF spokesman published a directive for the evacuation of the neighborhoods of Sheikh Zayed, Manshiyeh and Mashrou Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza, following the latest rocket launch at Israel.

[beardedmrbean]

Britain and Germany have signed what the UK government is calling a "landmark defence agreement" aimed at boosting security, investment and jobs.

Under the agreement, German defence company Rheinmetall will open a new factory in the UK to manufacture barrels for artillery guns – supporting 400 jobs.

Both countries will work together to develop drones and a new long-range missile.

German maritime surveillance aircraft will also periodically fly patrols of the North Atlantic from RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland.

"Today is a significant day for UK and German relations and in the history of our two countries," Defence Secretary John Healey said at a press conference following the signing.

"This is the driving force behind our Nato-first UK defence strategy, behind our reset of UK relations with Europe," he said.

Labour promised to build closer military ties with Germany while in opposition and this is part of a wider push by this government to reset relations with key European allies post Brexit.

The German Ambassador to the UK, Miguel Berger, said the European Commission will have a very strong focus on defence in the next five years, and there is space for the UK to be involved.

"Obviously the question is - what can the role of the British defence industry and of the capacities of the United Kingdom be in this joint endeavour?" he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

The UK already has a defence pact with France – the Lancaster House Treaty signed in 2010 by David Cameron and Nicholas Sarkozy – but this is the first with Germany.

The UK and Germany are the two largest defence spenders in Europe and the biggest European military donors to Ukraine.

Healey said it was a "milestone moment", bringing the two countries' militaries and defence industries closer.

In reality the two nations already co-operate as members of the Nato alliance.

In a joint venture, they are also building new tanks and armoured vehicles for the British Army, Germany’s Rheinmetall and the UK’s BAE Systems-formed RBSL to manufacture the Boxer armoured fighting vehicle and the latest Challenger 3 tank in Telford, Shropshire.

Under the new Trinity House Agreement, Rheinmetall will build a factory in the UK to produce barrels for artillery guns – something the UK stopped doing more than a decade ago.

The site for the factory has not yet been announced, but the Ministry of Defence (MOD) says it will support more than 400 jobs and use British steel produced by Sheffield Forgemasters.

The steelmaker was recently acquired by the UK Government. The first artillery gun barrels are expected to roll off the production line in 2027.

The Trinity House Agreement also includes a commitment to develop a new long-range missile, which the MOD says will be more precise and can be fired further than any current systems – the UK’s Storm Shadow and Germany’s Taurus. Unlike the UK, Germany has refused to supply Ukraine with its Taurus cruise missile.

The UK and Germany will further co-operate on developing drones that might be able to fly alongside Typhoon jets operated by both countries.

German P8 maritime surveillance aircraft will periodically operate out of RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland to help patrol the North Atlantic. Other Nato allies have been doing the same for a number of years.

There is also a promise to bolster the defence of Nato’s eastern flank; both the UK and Germany have already sent hundreds of troops to the Baltic states as part of Nato’s enhanced defence plans following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Germany’s Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said the agreement would strengthen Europe and Nato.

"We must not take security in Europe for granted," he said, adding the projects being undertaken would be open to other partners.

[eretzyisrael]

By Michael Bachner

Israel’s widespread airstrikes in Iran on Saturday crippled Iran’s ability to produce long-range ballistic missiles in a blow that will be hard and time-consuming to recover from, and rendered crucial energy facilities vulnerable to future attacks by destroying air defense batteries protecting them, according to multiple reports citing Israeli, American and Iranian officials, as well as satellite images analyzed by experts.

The strikes, which Israel’s Kan public broadcaster said reflected capabilities developed over two decades, indicated much greater freedom of operation for Israeli warplanes in striking Iran if the current conflict continues to escalate, as well as a setback in Tehran’s ability to continuously fire missiles at the Jewish state, which Jerusalem apparently hopes will serve as a deterrent against further attacks on the Jewish state.

The strikes targeted sites that reportedly include the secretive Parchin base near Tehran, which was used in the past for research and development of nuclear weapons, as well as a factory that manufactures drones.The attacks on the air defenses caused “deep alarm” in Iran, The New York Times reported citing three unnamed Iranian officials — one from the country’s oil ministry — since it rendered defenseless Khuzestan Province’s Abadan oil refinery, Bandar Imam Khomeini petrochemical complex and an adjacent major port, as well as the Tange Bijar gas field in the Ilam Province.

In addition, the report said citing the Iranian officials and three Israeli officials, the strikes disabled three Russian-made S-300 air-defense systems at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport and at the Malad missile base near the capital. This is in addition to a strike in April that took out an additional battery in the Isfahan Province.

[usafphantom2]

French president will authorize Ukraine to use French missiles in the attack of military targets within Russia

"What has changed is that Russia has adapted its practices a little," justified the French president, who believes that Moscow is now bombing the city of Kharkiv and its surroundings from its soil and no longer from the territories it occupies in Ukraine.

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 05/29/2024 - 08:31in Military, War Zones

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Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz still seem very interested in avoiding an escalation with Russia, but on Tuesday, May 28, they both took a new step in their military support for Ukraine. On the occasion of a council of Franco-German ministers, the French head of state agreed for the first time to authorize Kiev to attack military targets on Russian territory, with French missiles, while the German Chancellor made a more cautious but new opening on the issue.

“We must allow [Ukrainians] to neutralize the military sites from which missiles are fired, the military sites from which Ukraine is attacked,” Emmanuel Macron said during a press conference at Meseberg Castle, near Berlin, on the last day of his state visit to Germany. "But we should not allow other targets in Russia to be hit and, obviously, civilian capabilities," he said. "What has changed is that Russia has adapted its practices a little," justified the French president, noting, with support maps, that he is bombing the city of Kharkiv and its surroundings from its soil and no longer from the occupied territories: "If we say [to the Ukrainians] "you do not have the right to get to the point from where the missiles are fired," in fact, we say to them "we are handing them weapons, but you cannot defend yourself".

France and the United Kingdom provided Ukraine with SCALP-EG/Storm Shadow cruise missiles during the summer of 2023. The Franco-British weapon was developed in the 1990s by Matra and British Aerospace and is now manufactured by the European missile manufacturer MBDA. The SCALP-EG/Storm Shadow cruise missile has a maximum range of 560 kilometers (350 miles), but the exported models delivered are modified to operate at a reduced range of 250 kilometers (155 miles).

Germany still refuses to deliver its long-range Taurus missiles to Kiev, but Olaf Scholz opened the door to tanks transferred by Berlin forward to reach Russian territory. “Ukraine has every possibility to do this, under international law,” he said. It must be said clearly, she is attacked and can defend herself."

The issue embarrassed Ukraine's allies for weeks, and its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, repeatedly appealed to the possibility of attacking Russian territory, despite the restrictions imposed by the West on the weapons they provide. "Our position has not changed at this stage. We do not encourage or allow the use of weapons provided by the United States to attack Russian soil," commented John Kirby, spokesman for the American National Security Council, after Macron's announcement. NATO is, on the contrary, encouraging Western capitals to lift the restrictions that “tie the hands of Ukrainians behind their backs,” according to its Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.

So far, Ukraine has relied on its own capabilities to attack targets in Russia. On April 2, 2024, an attack was carried out on a factory complex in Alabuga, Tartaristan, located more than 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) away from Ukrainian soil.

For this, the Ukrainian military converted an ultralight Aeroprakt A-22 Foxbat aircraft, with a range of about 1,100 km (684 miles), to be controlled remotely and equipped with an explosive charge. It is not clear from where the aircraft was launched and if it was modified to increase its range.

Source: Le Monde

Tags: Military AviationUkraine Air ForceSCALP-EGSu-24 FencerWar Zones - Russia/Ukraine

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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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[leonhorn]

In 2054 Capitalism Dies in Space | In 20xx Scifi and Futurism by In 20xx Futurism When people in space are cut off from Earth an imbalance of owner vs. customers comes to a breaking point. The people in space believe no one is left alive on Earth. As far as they know, the (around) 12,000 in space is all that's left of humanity. Those living on and near the moon form Luna Nation. Space refugees scattered near Earth must find a way to insure a future for themselves and their children. AI that in many ways exceed human intelligence play a part in a skirmish for resources. What does it take to outsmart an AI that can make you think you're having a video call with a co-conspirator when it's the AI you are talking to? An finally, if AI can make a six part miniseries staring Drew Barrymore and Crispin Glover about using DNA banks to spawn a new human race, what parts would the two actors play? Here's a list of the technology mentioned in the story: 1. Orbital stations and space habitats 2. Micro-gravity adapting robots (e.g., vacuum bots) 3. Smart glass walls 4. Satellite cameras 5. AI assistants (e.g., Butler AI) 6. Augmented Reality (AR) glasses 7. Canal links (brain-computer interfaces) 8. Virtual Reality (VR) equipment 9. Life support systems for space 10. Automated mining and manufacturing in space 11. Fusion-powered spaceships 12. Electric thrusters for spacecraft 13. Legacy tracking systems for spacecraft 14. Ejection systems for spacecraft 15. Motion stabilizers for space suits 16. Emergency beacons in space suits 17. Artificial wombs 18. DNA banks 19. Brain scanning and digital copying technology 20. Robots capable of performing complex tasks 21. Centrifuges for simulating gravity 22. Terraforming technology (theoretical, for Venus) 23. Advanced medical automation 24. Custom cell cultivators 25. Organ printing technology 26. Stasis technology for long space journeys 27. Laser tight-beam communication 28. Rockets and missiles (mentioned as being disabled) 29. Closed-circuit TVs in spacecraft 30. Space construction vehicles (e.g., "spider") 31. Delivery cruisers 32. Research ships 33. Hologram-producing screens Many of the characters in this project appear in future episodes. Using storytelling to place you in a time period, this series takes you, year by year, into the future. If you like emerging tech, eco-tech, futurism, perma-culture, apocalyptic survival scenarios, and disruptive science, sit back and enjoy short stories that showcase my research into how the future may play out. This is Episode 56 of the podcast "In 20xx Scifi and Futurism." The companion site is https://in20xx.com where you can find a timeline of the future, descriptions of future development, and printed fiction. These are works of fiction. Characters and groups are made-up and influenced by current events but not reporting facts about people or groups in the real world. Copyright © Leon Horn 2024. All rights reserved. Episode link: https://ift.tt/k06LA7S (video made with https://ift.tt/pO3bjSh) via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tFJVPfQw2k

[soon-palestine]

After weeks of action, the sole recruiters for the British operations of Israel’s largest weapons company, Elbit Systems, have confirmed via email to Palestine Action that they ended their association with Elbit on the evening of the 29th November. For two months, activists in the Palestine Action network had disrupted iO Associates at their premises across the country, to impede their ability to recruit roles for Israel’s war machine.  iO Associates recruited the likes of engineers, software developers, and finance staff for positions across the sites of the British branch of Israel’s largest weapons company, Elbit Systems. Elbit are the largest supplier to the occupation military, providing the vast majorities of its drones, munitions, surveillance gear, and parts for its tanks, jets, and precision missiles. From Britain specifically, they manufacture parts for Israel’s killer drones, along with weapons sights, tank parts, and more, exporting these technologies to Israel in great volume yearly. This is the nature of the business that IO was Associates with, and were IO Associates biggest client. In response to their facilitation of Elbit’s criminal activities, iO’s offices were stormed and occupied in Manchester on the 1st September, and again on the 7th October. Activists painted iO offices red on October 9th in London, Reading, and Manchester. They were forced to vacate their Manchester offices from the 11th October, after the premises were also stormed by the Youth Front For Palestine, and then finally targeted in Edinburgh twice, on the 11th and 17th October. After being forced to vacate their offices, having their online presence tarnished, and (as confirmed to us by former employees) losing their staff who resigned in opposition to their arms trade partnership, iO Associates have finally cut ties with Israel’s weapons trade.  This is part of an expansive strategy by Palestine Action, by disrupting the suppliers and facilitators of Elbit’s presence in Britain. It has seen Elbit’s accountants (Edwards), haulage providers (Kuehne + Nagel), landlords (JLL) and many other complicit companies targeted, alongside the hundreds of actions at Elbit sites themselves, continuing to resist the presence of Elbit warmongers in Britain, and constantly reminding those associated with them that they have blood on their hands. As a result of iO Associates dropping Elbit Systems, the recruiters have been removed as a target of Palestine Action’s campaign. All targets who still facilitate Israel’s weapons trade are listed on elbitsites.uk

[bopinion]

2024 / 09

Aperçu of the Week:

"Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without."

(Siddhārtha Gautama, Indian wisdom teacher and founder of religion)

Bad News of the Week:

Various military scandals are currently rocking Germany. On the one hand, Russian (state) media have published a recording of a confidential conversation between senior air force officers that has been intercepted. And at a sensitive time. It concerns Taurus cruise missiles, which Ukraine desperately wants and which the German government, in particular Chancellor Olaf Scholz, is refusing. His official reason: German personnel were needed on site to ensure the weapon's functionality and, above all, its target settings. And Germany would therefore be a "direct participant in the war". This is precisely what the air force contradicts in this conversation, which was intended to coordinate a briefing on this topic for Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.

Was Scholz just misinformed or did he deliberately give a false reason and hope that nobody would find out? The former would be amateurish, the latter an unworthy political spectacle - and both are out of the question. The fact that the Federal Chancellor also revealed in the same context that the US and British military were already active in Ukraine is just as questionable and raises the same questions. Scholz is often accused of communicating too little. In these cases, less would have been more.

The circumstances of this confidential conversation are also alarming. It appears that the conversation was actually a WebEx meeting to which an unknown (apparently Russian) participant had dialed in. Just like that. And nobody noticed. I was fully aware that cyber espionage is dominated by the Russians. And that Germany is lagging behind in pretty much every aspect of digitalization. But the fact that it seems to be so easy to obtain secret military information should really only be a bad joke. It will be interesting to see what other recordings of confidential conversations the Kremlin still has in the drawer. And when and with what ulterior motives they will be released to the (western) public.

And on the other hand, in the last few days, an investigative team has brought to light an arms deal that fell through ten years ago. In a deal worth billions, the German armaments company Rheinmetall would have built state-of-the-art combat training centers in Russia to train Russian soldiers. Excuse me? You need to know that no German arms manufacturer is allowed to deliver abroad (outside NATO) without the approval of the German government. This has always been a source of debate in the case of Leopard II tanks for Saudi Arabia, for example. And the conservative-liberal coalition in power at the time (yes: Angela Merkel) had actually approved the Russia deal. Excuse me? When Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, Sigmar Gabriel, the then Social Democrat Minister of Economic Affairs, fortunately pulled the ripcord. Whereupon Rheinmetall actually wanted to sue the federal government for lost profits. Since then, the issue has been on ice.

Both scandals show one thing very clearly: Defense is not a normal business and weapons are not just any export goods. This goes hand in hand with an immense responsibility. After all, human lives are at stake - protecting the lives of one's own population and killing (at least) the soldiers of another population. Apparently, not everyone involved is aware of this fundamental importance. Otherwise they would not treat it so lightly.

Good News of the Week:

Addison Mitchell McConnell Jr. ("Junior" - really?) will be history. Finally. In the dawn of his political career, the 82-year-old turtle from Capitol hill has shown astonishing wisdom of age - for example, "There is no doubt, none, that former President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the storming of the Capitol" - but that does not change the overall balance of his political life's work. Which, from a European perspective, is questionable to say the least.

In my memory, the long-time leader of the Republican caucus in the US Senate stands for one thing above all: rejection. Holding China accountable for human rights violations? Rejected. Allowing the Democrats' social programs? Rejected. Reappoint judges if you can't nominate them yourself (over 1,000 times!)? Rejected. Not only favor the super-rich in tax reforms? Rejected. And so on...

So now Mitch McConnell has announced that he "only" wants to be a simple senator after the next presidential election. Well. Anyone remember his cognitive failures in several press conferences when he simply freezed? Like his Democratic opponent Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro Pelosi (who is two years older), McConnell is an argument for the urgent need for an age limit for full-time politicians. But that argument obviously doesn't apply to the top job either...

PS: The above criticism of Donald Jessica Trump came just minutes after the Republican caucus under his leadership acquitted him in his second impeachment trial precisely because of the storming of the Capitol. So much for consistency. But never mind: he's gone. And that's good.

Personal happy moment of the week:

My daughter has a student job in addition to her studies in political science and communications and her involvement in the student organization. The money for the 37th pair of sneakers has to come from somewhere. She currently works in the political department of a leading social media agency. She had doubts at first. Whether she would be able to meet the requirements. And whether the job would meet her expectations. Both seem to be working out. At the weekend, she was praised for her performance by both her agency and its clients. As if she wasn't just an inexperienced young student who didn't need to be taken seriously. But a fully-fledged contributor in the department. Her contract was also extended. Including a pay rise - just one euro, but it's all about the symbolism. After her social year in a kindergarten, this is the second time she has scored points in a job. That makes a clean 100%. And a very proud dad.

I couldn't care less...

...that there will be strikes on our national rail company again. Company co-determination in all its glory - but the behavior of this union (of train drivers) seems increasingly unprofessional. And anything but solution-oriented.

It's fine with me...

...that when setting hashtags, the first suggestion for Donald is still Duck - and not Trump.

As I write this...

...I still have to empty half the cellar. Because one of the many difficult-to-understand regulations in Germany apparently requires a gas meter to be replaced every eight years. And it's in the worst possible place in our house. Thank you, bureaucracy!

Post Scriptum

Even if AfD & Co. don't want to admit it in their general xenophobia, the German labor market would no longer be able to function without immigrants and their children. According to the Federal Statistical Office, for example, nothing would work in cleaning professions with 60%, in gastronomy with 46% or in construction with 38% of the workforce having foreign roots.

The fact that the general proportion on the labor market is then only just under 25% is explained by the dominance of these - with the exception of medical professions - rather low-skilled occupations. For example, the proportion of apprenticeships is only 11%. The proportion is even lower for government occupations. Here, citizens with a migration background still play a very small role, with less than 6% in the police and judiciary.

Demographic change and the imminent retirement of the baby boomers are exacerbating the situation on the labor market. The shortage of skilled workers is already seen as a key risk for Germany as a business location. Society also has a role to play here. After all, together with the difficult German language and excessive bureaucracy, the widespread lack of a welcoming culture is the main reason why very few people consider Germany to be an attractive destination.

[mariacallous]

French President Emmanuel Macron surprised fellow European leaders this week with his suggestion that some European countries might send troops to Ukraine to prevent Russia from winning its war of aggression there. Taken at face value, Macron’s remarks—made at a newly created European Union-Ukraine summit in Paris—put him immediately at the more forward-leaning end of the spectrum of Western leaders. Even U.S. President Joe Biden, who raised eyebrows with his apparent call for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ouster in a speech in Warsaw in March 2022, has been careful since the start of the war to rule out sending U.S. troops and to calibrate U.S. military aid to Ukraine to avoid any possible appearance of inviting direct confrontation with Russia.

Perhaps Macron meant what he said, and the rubber of strategic autonomy is finally hitting the road of European security. Perhaps France is finally ready to take up the empty mantle of European leadership to do what it takes to ensure Russia is stopped before it presents Europe with a far-reaching strategic defeat and risk to its long-term security. Keeping future options open—and Putin guessing—could be a way to signal to the Kremlin that Europe is taking deterrence seriously. Indeed, Macron said after the summit that all his comments about deterring Russia were carefully thought out.

But Macron may have had other objectives. Infamous in Europe for rushing ahead with radical lone-wolf proposals, his intention may have been just to move the debate forward. In his comments, he bemoaned some countries’ tendency to initially reject most proposals for Ukrainian support before eventually acquiescing. This was one of several thinly veiled digs at German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who this week once again ruled out supplying Ukraine with Taurus long-range missiles, mirroring last year’s painful debate over Leopard tanks and F-16s—despite widespread domestic German support for increasing military aid for Ukraine.

If Macron really was serious about the possibility of European troops on the ground, his approach left much to be desired. He should, for one, have coordinated with at least a few key allies. While he may have succeeded in grabbing headlines, he has in the process alienated fellow European leaders: His suggestion was shot down not only by the Kremlin but by various NATO allies within the first 24 hours.

If Macron were serious, he might also have chosen to be much clearer about scenarios in which European troops might be moved to Ukraine and perhaps outlined a concrete French role. Ukraine’s economic reconstruction—or joint manufacturing sites of Ukrainian and European defense firms—might in the future well require European troops to secure them. Similarly, the European Union’s military training mission for Ukraine, which is currently hosted on EU soil, might be moved to Ukrainian territory. So far, however, these steps have been widely rejected by European leaders, who will have to be convinced behind the scenes or even forced into action by a country like France leading by example. To this end, public chiding and Macron-style grandstanding will do little good.

Perhaps Macron had other motives. In the halls of NATO headquarters in Brussels and in a number of European capitals in recent months, complaints about French inaction have grown louder. Indeed, there is a gaping gulf between France’s meager support for Ukraine and its aspirations to play a leadership role on the continent. According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy’s Ukraine Support Tracker, France ranks 22nd among the EU’s 27 members in terms of aid commitments to Ukraine as a share of GDP. Whereas Germany this month committed another 7.1 billion euros ($7.7 billion) to Ukraine, a recent bilateral security agreement between France and Ukraine promises French military assistance of only “up to” 3 billion euros—which puts France in the range of much smaller European countries, such as the Netherlands with its pledge of more than 2 billion euros. A more cynical observer might see Macron’s comments as an attempt to distract from his country’s failure to make anything close to the contributions of other large European powers—precisely at a moment when the situation on the ground in Ukraine has grown desperate and dire and despite the fact that France is the most capable and well-equipped military power on the continent.

A more charitable reading of Macron’s comments is that, faced with the looming U.S. election and a potential vacuum created by the United States’ failure to provide leadership, he intended to mentally prepare Europeans for the potential imperative of mustering their own troops to contain the Russian threat. This makes sense not only given Europe’s return to conquest and war but also against the backdrop of U.S. politics: NATO’s leading power now has a presidential candidate inviting Russia to invade European allies and a Congress that cannot separate domestic politics from urgent and critical U.S. national security interests. Even if Biden stays in power, Washington’s rejection of NATO membership for Ukraine remains unlikely to change in the near term. No matter what happens, Europeans must think through the security and defense implications of offering Ukraine EU membership in several years’ time. So perhaps Macron was offering a longer-term perspective.

However, long-term perspectives are not missing from the debate. At the Munich Security Conference this month, there were endless panel discussions focused on European security in five or 10 years but that what Europe really needs right now is short-term action that impacts Russia’s war. In the short term, even though European arms production is increasing, Ukraine has only received one-third of the 1 million artillery shells it was promised by the EU. In fact, it was Paris that initially blocked the procurement of shells from outside the EU to make up for the shortfall, making critics wonder whether French industrial policy is more important to Macron than whether Ukraine loses or wins. Only at this week’s summit did he appear to have changed his mind.

Without fast action, Ukraine is going to lose the war. Precious few people in Western capitals are focused on the very real possibility that if the U.S. House of Representatives fails to act on the lagging aid bill and European powers don’t do more—not in 10 years but now—NATO leaders could gather at their summit in Washington in July as Russian troops make steady progress across Ukraine, capture more Ukrainian cities, and call into question NATO’s capabilities and will.

“Nothing that came out of that dinner will help Ukraine,” a frustrated senior U.S. official told us in reference to Macron’s remarks. If France wants to lead on European security, it should focus less on trial-ballooning the idea of troops on the ground and more on working with the existing Ukraine Defense Contact Group to send more military support to Ukraine, including French weapons and materiel. Before it’s too late.

[darkmaga-returns]

After Israel’s attack on Iran Hal Turner wrote the following.

As this went against the grain of what other commenters was saying I decided not to post it here but to wait until the dust settled.

It is important to note that the only sources that have been claiming such success in destroying Iranian facilities.

The first thing that hit me was that there were about 100 Israeli jets involved so this was all they were able to achieve?!

The main contention of Hal Turner was (stated authoritatively), is that Parchin is a Rocket Motor Casting facility and that, ass part of  that facility, there are buildings that mix solid rocket fuel and that is what was damaged.

I did a fact check with an AI search engine (which, as is known, only reflects the mainstream western view) and asked it if it is a rocket motor fasting facility. The response I got back was:

Based on the information available, while Parchin is associated with military activities and has been linked to Iran’s past nuclear weapons program, there is insufficient evidence to categorize it definitively as a rocket motor casting facility. The site’s primary association remains with high explosive testing rather than specific missile component manufacturing. Answer: No, Parchin is not definitively categorized as a rocket motor casting facility; it is primarily linked to high explosive testing related to nuclear weapons development.

Only the Israelis would persevere with that allegation so I have to assume that Hal Turner is basing his information on Israeli sources, - strange given his distaste for the Israelis.

[girlactionfigure]

🟪 ANTI-DRONE - Real time from Israel

 

ISRAEL REALTIME - Connecting to Israel in Realtime

( VIDEO - IDF soldiers on a break in a HEZBOLLAH UNDERGROUND AMMUNITION WAREHOUSE. )

▪️IRAN ATTACK FINAL.. 12 production facilities for rocket fuel mixers, the Russian S-300 air defense systems protecting Tehran, a drone manufacturing plant and a nuclear research site in Perchin were attacked.  US: During the attack on Saturday night, Israeli Air Force planes entered Iranian airspace and carried out deep strikes.  The attack ELIMINATED Iran’s air defense system, completely in western Iran and Tehran.  Anti-aircraft batteries and long range radars.

▪️DEFENSE.. The US is deploying a 2nd THAAD anti-ballistic-missile battery in Israel.  They have also stationed 3 AEGIS missile defense ships offshore from Israel.  While Israel’s Arrow ballistic missile interceptor system is very effective, apparently Israel has requested American coverage for additional capacity vs very large barrages.

▪️ANTI-DRONE.. the IDF has placed the first Vulcan cannon (very high rate of fire anti-aircraft gun) on the northern border, with the goal of intercepting drones launched by Hezbollah at Israel. The cannon was created by the Israeli Tamar company, and the IDF will mark the effectiveness of the cannon in its operational area in the north.

▪️A CIVILIAN HAS BEEN MURDERED.. in the Glilot terror ramming attack: Betzalel Karmi, 72, from Rishon L’Ziyon.  May his family be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem, and may G-d avenge his blood!

▪️OH THE ICC.. The Guardian: The prosecutor at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, who is trying to bring warrants against PM Netanyahu and Def. Min. Gallant, tried to (allegedly) prevent the employee who was sexually harassed by him from complaining against him.

▪️SHELTERS IN ISRAELI ARAB TOWNS.. several social commentators were stating that Israeli Arab towns, which have been hit several times recently with casualties, are not provided shelters.  The Ministry of Social Equality notes it has been delivering protective shelters to Israeli Arab towns within 20 km of the Lebanese border over the past year, including 14 different towns.  The town that was recently hit, Majd al-Khorum, has received 6 shelters to date.  

▪️MILITARY DRILL - AFULA, YOKNEAM, BEIT SHEAN AREAS.. exercise, from 16:00 to 19:00, active movement of police and security forces in the following places: Beit Shean and the nearby towns, Afula, Yokneam, Migdal HaEmek , Ramat Yishai and the Galilee. During the exercise, a partial blockage of traffic lanes is expected.

🔹Reuters: Iraq filed a complaint with the United Nations about Israel's use of its airspace in an attack on Iran.

🔸HOSTAGE DEAL NEWS.. Hamas has rejected the Egyptian deal, then hinted maybe not, or with changes.  A report on the Saudi Al-Arabiya channel: the US supports the Egyptian proposal for a fierce ceasefire and calls for it to be pushed through quickly.

.. With Netanyahu's intervention - the summit moved from Egypt to Qatar. Negotiation professionals recommended that it is a better center of gravity.

.. Saudi Al-Arabiya channel: Hamas is ready to accept the new proposal if it is part of the agreement proposed on July 2. “…We want guarantees of commitment to the Egyptian proposal and the agreement for a comprehensive ceasefire and not a partial deal.”

.. LEBANON SIDE - The office of the Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament Navia Berri: "What is attributed to him regarding the negotiations is not accurate.”