Global condemnations have poured in after the Israeli regime’s offensive, which has resulted in the deaths of nearly 500 Lebanese and left more than 1,600 injured in southern and eastern part of the Arab country. | Israel launched hundreds of airstrikes on southern and eastern Lebanon on Monday, killing at least 492 people, including 35 children, and wounding 1,645 others, the health ministry said. ● China's Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, during a meeting with his Lebanese counterpart in New York on Tuesday voiced strong support for Lebanon and denounced what he described as “indiscriminate attacks against civilians.” [...] He emphasized the importance of monitoring regional developments, particularly the recent explosions of communications equipment in Lebanon, and reiterated China's firm opposition to attacks targeting civilians. [...] Arab foreign ministers also issued a robust condemnation of Israel's increasing aggression against Lebanon, reaffirming their steadfast support for the Lebanese government and its citizens, during the annual Arab League Council meeting held on Monday alongside the 79th United Nations General Assembly. [...] Residents from different villages in southern Lebanon shared images on social media depicting their towns under attack, which prompted thousands of people to flee southern Lebanon, causing significant traffic jam on the main highway leading to Beirut. Lebanon has suspended educational activities in universities and schools, as numerous campuses are set to serve as shelters for individuals in need of refuge. Lebanon's healthcare system is already facing significant pressure as it works to treat the injuries resulting from last week's explosions involving pagers and walkie-talkies.

■ Most of 558 Killed by Israel Were Civilians (Antiwar.com)
■ Hezbollah undefeated, capable of draining 'Israel': Israeli media (Al Mayadeen)
■ NATO member condemns Israel over the bombing of Lebanon (RT.com)
■ International, Arab condemnations of Israeli aggression on Lebanon (Al Mayadeen)
■ Israeli Aggression Targets Beirut’s Dahiyeh Again: Hezbollah Confirms Commander Karaki is Safe (Al Manar TV)
■ Lebanon may 'become another Gaza,' Iranian president warns (TASS)
■ China Firmly Supports Lebanon in Protecting Sovereignty, Security - Foreign Minister (Sputnik)
■ 101st Airborne Division of U.S. Army Arrives in Middle East (wvkms)(September 17, 2024)

It is apparently official: Hezbollah units have, within the past few minutes (11:21 AM EDT Sunday), all begun raising the Red Flag of War. This is taking place over such a widespread area, and at the same time, as to logically be "official." | Given Israeli bombings all across Lebanon for the past three days, and the deliberate detonation of pocket pagers, cell phones, and walkie-talkies in the days prior to that, it has been clear to most observers that war has already been foist upon them. This gesture, with the Red Flags, is apparently acknowledgement of what has been obvious to most people, for days. Where things go from here seems obvious too: Down hill. Fast.

■ Intense "Unrelenting" Air Strikes By Israel Against Lebanon 5:30 AM EDT, Monday 23 September 2024 -- Intensive and unrelenting air strikes are taking place throughout southern Lebanon this morning, where the Israeli Defense Force is attacking. Observers say bombing exceeds that of the 2006 war. | Israeli strikes on the towns of Al-Adisa, Al-Taybeh, and Al-Khiyam in southern Lebanon, as well as in Tyre, the fourth largest city in Lebanon. Al-Manar TV correspondent Ali Shoeib describes the situation this way: "Everywhere you look there has been an airstrike." From the town of Toura in the Tyre District shows secondary explosions following an Israeli airstrike. Several airstrikes have struck Nabatieh, the main city in the Jabal Amel area of southern Lebanon. Lebanese media reports over 80 airstrikes in just Nabatieh, Lebanon. This is a massive bombing operation. After bombing near Jbeil earlier, the first time it has hit that area in the north in this war, Israel has also started bombing bridges in south Lebanon. Hostilities are clearly taking place and escalating fast. More updates as they become available.

■ Intense "Unrelenting" Air Strikes By Israel Against Lebanon (Hal Turner Show)
■ Hezbollah Heavy Missile Launches at Israel -- "Tsav 8" Issued (09/22/24)

Hezbollah in Lebanon has commenced a salvo of heavy missile launches against Israel. These are **not** rockets" but rather ballistic missiles. | One such missile is shown in the image above taking off from inside Lebanon. Israeli Alert Systems are screeching alerts for at least one hundred (100) communities inside Israel, telling citizens take cover or get to shelter immediately. Developing fast . . . check back for updates.

■ Hezbollah fires barrage of rockets at Israel (VIDEOS) (RT.com)
■ Hezbollah rockets penetrate Israeli air defenses, hit IDF air base and civilian targets (Reporter)
■ Hezbollah announces initial response to Israeli massacres in Lebanon (Al Mayadeen)
■ Israeli air force attacks 290 Hezbollah facilities in Lebanon in 24 hours (TASS)
■ Israel Wants War With Lebanon (South Front)

While most injuries are mild, hospitals across Lebanon have been receiving influxes of casualties. | Fourteen citizens have been killed and over 450 others were injured in "Israel's" second terror attack on Lebanon, this time targeting two-way radios, commonly known as walkie-talkies, Al Mayadeen's correspondent announced. ● On Wednesday afternoon, a series of explosions were reported across Beirut, South Lebanon, and Bekaa. Cars, motorbikes, stores, and homes across the country caught fire amid the impact of the blasts, resulting in an influx of casualties. ● Injuries, most of which were mild, were transported to hospitals in Bekaa, whereas hospitals in Nabatieh and the Lebanese South received tens of others. ● In turn, the Lebanese Army urged citizens to refrain from crowding public spaces due to the security operation and to pave the way for ambulances and facilitate their path to the casualties.

■ Casualties as Israeli Enemy Stages Aggression on Beirut’s Dahiyeh (Al Manar TV)
■ IRGC Chief Warns ‘Israel’ of “Crushing Response” For acts of terror in Lebanon (Al Manar TV)

The devices massacres that killed or injured thousands in Lebanon will be met with a difficult reckoning and won’t force the Lebanese resistance group from assuming its religious and moral duty of supporting the oppressed people of Gaza and Palestine. | In an awaited speech after the pager and wireless device blasts in Lebanon, Sayyed Nasrallah stressed that such attacks aimed at pressing Hezbollah to stop its pro-Gaza strikes against the Israeli enemy. ● However, he stressed, “in the name of the martyrs, the wounded and those who lost their eyes along with their families,” that the Lebanese support front will remain unwavering until the aggression against Gaza stops. The Hezbollah chief, meanwhile, didn’t set temporal boundaries to the group’s retaliation for Tuesday and Wednesday’s attacks, stressing that...

💬 “...a difficult reckoning awaits the Israeli enemy.” “Regarding the difficult reckoning, the news (response) is what you will see, not what you hear about, because we are in the most delicate, sensitive and profound phase of the confrontation.”

Responding to Israeli threats of establishing a so-called security zone in south Lebanon, Sayyed Nasrallah affirmed that any Israeli incursion into the Lebanese territory is a wish and a historic opportunity for Hezbollah. ● As he extended congratulations and warmest condolences to the families of martyrs who fell in the past two day in pager and wireless device attacks, Sayyed Nasrallah lauded the national unity in face of the Israeli aggression and thanked the Lebanese government and the entire health sector in Lebanon. His eminence also thanked countries who offered and provided support to the Lebanese government.

■ New warfare era: Israelis weaponise consumer goods in terror attacks (Al Mayadeen)
■ Israeli-tampered device blasts raise war crime concerns: The Intercept (Al Mayadeen)
■ Lebanon to Seek Arrest of Israel’s Netanyahu, Gallant in International Court (Sputnik News)

The IDF has said it hit buildings used by Hezbollah operatives on Wednesday | The "Israel Defense Forces" (IDF) has said it carried out airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon on Wednesday. This comes after "Defense Minister" Yoav Gallant announced “a new phase” of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza and pro-Palestinian militants in Lebanon. ● According to the IDF, warplanes struck a rocket launcher and several buildings used by Hezbollah operatives in Jebbayn, Haltam Kafr Kila, Odaisseh, and Chama.

Lebanon is at war – PM (RT.com) The detonation of electronic devices across the country is an indescribable crime, Najib Mikati has said| Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati has said his nation is at war after electronic devices exploded across the country for two days in a row, killing more than 30 people and injuring thousands of others. ● On Tuesday, pagers used by members of the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah detonated simultaneously, killing 12 people and wounding nearly 3,000, according to the health authorities. Another 20 people lost their lives and 450 others were injured the following day when thousands of other electronic devices, including walkie-talkies, laptops, and radios, blew up. ● Hezbollah and the government in Beirut have blamed Israel for the attacks. The Jewish state has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility. Media reports have claimed that the Israeli secret service, Mossad, rigged thousands of electronic devices with small explosive charges, which were triggered via a remote signal. “This mass crime... against defenseless people in their homes, who are being killed in this way, is indescribable,” Mikati told journalists.

■ Lebanon’s pager bombings: CIA working hand in glove with Mossad (Tehran Times)
■ Israel ‘treacherous mass assassination’ won’t go unpunished (Press TV)
■ Iranian President Slams West for Backing Israel’s Blind Crimes (Tasnim News Agency)
■ NYT узнала об отправке Израилем сообщений на пейджеры в Ливане перед взрывами (Известия)
✅ Analyzing Israel’s Audacious Pager Attack Against Hezbollah (Andrew Korybko)

Здравствуй, дорогая Русская Цивилизация | Navy Corabel пишет: 💬 "После визита на Кубу 27-31 июля с. г. СКР "Неустрашимый" БФ пересёк Атлантику и, по данным из X, 18.08 прошёл Гибралтарский пролив (см. фото), пополнив собой ОпС в СЗМ. ● Дальнейший мониторинг СКР основан на его предполагаемой связи с танкером "Академик Пашин", которого, судя по нечётким спутниковым снимкам, сопровождал корабль длиной 125-135 м (у 11540 Lнб=129,5 м). ● Согласно VesselFinder, 3 сентября "Пашин" прошёл Суэцким каналом в Красное море, и по последним данным (с MarineTraffic от 06.09, после чего AIS был отключён) двигался на юг на 11 узлах.

Numerous reports: "Round 2" of electronic device explosions has begun in beirut | As of 10:56 AM EDT on 18 September, numerous reports are flooding-in, saying electronic devices are AGAIN exploding in Beirut, and throughout other areas of Lebanon. It __appears__ this may be a "Round 2" of Israeli attack. What makes these reports different from yesterday is that they are saying "electronic DEVICES"" (not necessarily just pocket-pagers) are exploding all over the city. UPDATE 11:03 AM EDT: Apparently, many of the devices exploding were left at home and in cars. Buildings and cars throughout Beirut are now erupting in fires after the devices explode. Info coming in now points to WALKIE-TALKIES among the devices being detonated!

CONTEXT: It is important to make clear the following: The pagers that exploded in Lebanon were not solely used by Hezbollah resistance fighters; employees of Hezbollah's institutions, which include civilians, also used them. It's important to note that Hezbollah is a political party (part of the Lebanese government) and it operates various civilian institutions, such as schools, hospitals, and media outlets. Consequently, this attack did not target soldiers exclusively, but civilians as well. Moreover, there are reports that some individuals purchased and used these pagers, USED, from the market, further highlighting that this was an indiscriminate attack, not limited to military personnel.

■ Hezbollah Launches Rocketry Attacks on Israeli Military Barracks in North of Occupied Palestine (Al Manar TV)
■ New wave of explosions in Lebanon affects personal devices, including phones — TV (TASS)
✅ Israel's Pager Attack - A Sophisticated One-Times Shot With Little Effect (Moon of Alabama)
✅ Analyzing Israel’s Audacious Pager Attack Against Hezbollah (Andrew Korybko)

Harold Turner | Israel's bombing of literally THOUSANDS of people in Lebanon, under the guise of attacking Hezbollah, is the single worst act of State-TERRORISM in our modern world. Israel has (again) violated the Geneva Convention. | Specifically, Article 51 , Section 4 (b) and (c) and Section 5 (b) of the Geneva convention were INTENTIONALLY violated. These are crimes subject to the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice at the Hague in The Netherlands. ■ In [this] attack, Israeli Pocket-Pagers modified by Israel to include explosives, blew up children, Doctors, Nurses, innocent By-standers and others who have no connection whatsoever to Hezbollah. The devices detonated in stores, supermarkets, in cars being driven on public roads in busy traffic. ■ Lebanon Intelligence revealed that the shipment of Pocket Pagers arrived in Lebanon FIVE MONTHS AGO. The Pagers were distributed to Hezbollah (and apparently many others) beginning THREE MONTHS AGO. According to Intelligence sources, the Israeli Mossad injected a military high explosive, PETN, into the lithium battery inside the pocket pager which was then setup so that at the reception of a specific code, the PETN would be detonated by the Pocket Pager. ■ That means the Israelis deliberately worked on these devices for two months, knowing they would be used in open civilian areas. ■ Israel knew - or should have known - these devices could indiscriminately hit very many civilians unconnected to Hezbollah, but they distributed the bombs nonetheless. That makes the Israeli actions criminal and the Book Definition of "terrorism." If anyone else did something like this, or if this type of incident took place against Israel, the entire Western Media would be up in arms describing this as an evil act of terrorism. Yet when Israel commits this same act, they get cheered. The Israeli government is a Terrorist entity. It's time it be arrested.

■ Mossad planted explosives in Hezbollah pagers – media (RT.com)
■ 'Israel' detonated pagers early fearing Hezbollah would expose plot (Al Mayadeen)
■ Hezbollah vows to punish Israel after deadly pager blasts (Naharnet)
■ Lebanese government puts blame for mass pager explosion on Israel (TASS)
■ Au lendemain de l'explosion des bipeurs, incrédulité et choc face à une opération israélienne « inimaginable»
■ L'Iran et la Russie condamnent Israël pour l'attaque des bipeurs du Hezbollah (L'Orient-Le Jour)
■ Several people are dead on the streets in Beirut after Israel hacked Hezbollah communication devices (09/17/24)
■ Комментарий официального представителя МИД России М.В.Захаровой) (Telegram)

Houthis in Yemen fired a new, undetectable, ballistic missile at Israel, hitting a power plant near Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv. The missile flew 1800km, was airborne for 15 minutes, flew through Saudi Air Space UNDETECTED, actively evaded Israeli jamming and other defenses, including fighter jets, and struck the power plant it was aimed at.

The death toll from a series of Israeli airstrikes against multiple military installations and buildings in Syria’s central province of Hama has risen to 14, as the Tel Aviv regime continues its acts of aggression on Syria concurrent with its bloody war against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. | Syria’s official news agency SANA, citing the Director of Masyaf National Hospital Dr. Faisal Haidar, reported that at least 14 people were killed as a result of overnight Israeli air strikes on a number of sites in the vicinity of Masyaf, located approximately 40 kilometers (24 miles) west of the provincial capital city of Hama. He added that at least 43 people were also wounded in the strikes, including six in critical condition. The update raises the toll of five dead and 19 wounded reported earlier.

Shiite movement Ansar Allah (the Houthis) ruling northern Yemen s shot down US reconnaissance drone MQ-9 Reaper in northwestern Yemen, which was carrying out reconnaissance over Marib province, the eighth since last fall, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saria said on Saturday.

💬 "An American MQ-9 drone was shot down while carrying out enemy missions in the skies over Marib province. This drone was the eighth aircraft of this type shot down during the battle and holy jihad in support of Gaza," Saria told Al-Masirah broadcaster.

Earlier, Ansar Allah leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi threatened to expand operations against Israel and Western countries supporting it on land. He stressed that "enemies will be caught off guard on land just as they were caught off guard at sea with the help of new technologies that will help to harm them." Al-Houthi also said that the response to the Israeli bombing of the port of Hodeidah in western Yemen is approaching.

The Iranian foreign minister has warned that the continuation of Israel’s crimes against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank is causing a “dangerous crisis” in West Asia. | In an X post on Monday, Abbas Araqchi said Israel’s Western supporters bear responsibility for their failure to end “criminal provocations” by the occupying regime in the region.

💬 “By persisting in Gaza genocide and now dispatching its killing machine to West Bank, Israel's pushing region to brink of dangerous crisis,” he said. “If Bibi's Western enablers fail to curb these criminal provocations, they'll share responsibility for consequences—and be held accountable,” he added, referring to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israel launched a genocidal war on the besieged Gaza on October 7, 2023 after the Hamas resistance group carried out a surprise operation against the usurping entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people. So far, however, the Tel Aviv regime has failed to achieve any of its declared objectives in the Gaza Strip despite killing at least 40,786 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 94,224 others.

■ Iran urges ‘swift, effective’ measures to end Israeli atrocities in Gaza (PressTV)

The French Ministry of Defense reacted to some news about the UAE freezing the implementation of the contract of purchasing 80 fighter jets from this country. | The statement of the French Ministry of Defense said that the claims published on social networks about the UAE's opposition to the purchase of 80 fighter jets due to the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in France are baseless. [...] "The United Arab Emirates is considering the possibility of a complete blockade of military-technical cooperation with France after being detained in Paris of Telegram founder Pavel Durov," Avia.pro reported with reference to the media. The media also report that after Durov's arrest, the UAE has already frozen the implementation of the contract for the purchase of 80 fighters from France, the portal noted.

■ Kremlin monitoring developments surrounding Telegram CEO Durov's arrest, charges brought against him (Anadolu)
■ Serbia inks 'Rafale' deal with France while dodging Western pressure for Russia ties (Drago Bosnic)

Hezbollah’s Islamic Resistance conducted multiple operations on Saturday, striking several Israeli occupation sites and intensifying strikes on spy equipment with rockets and attack drones. | First Operation: The initial statement reported that at 08:30 on Saturday morning, August 24, 2024, the Islamic Resistance fighters directly struck a gathering of Zionist soldiers at the Harmon Israeli site using an attack drone. Second Operation: The second statement reported that, at 12:00 pm., Hezbollah’s fighters targeted the Al-Raheb Israeli occupation site, with artillery shells achieving a direct hit. Third Operation: According to the third statement, at 12:15 pm, the group’s fighters targeted the spy equipment at the Al-Raheb site with a suicide bomber and hit it directly. Fourth Operation: At 10:15 a.m., Hezbollah fighters targeted Zionist soldiers deployed around the Misgav Am Israeli occupation site with appropriate weapons, scoring a direct hit. Fifth Operation: Aerial Attack - The fifth statement declared that in response to the Israeli enemy’s attacks on steadfast southern villages and peaceful homes, Islamic Resistance fighters launched an aerial attack on Saturday using an explosive-laden drone. The attack targeted the newly established command headquarters of the Western Brigade, located south of the Ya’ara Israeli settlement, precisely hitting the positions of its officers and soldiers. Sixth Operation: The sixth statement indicated that at 2:10 p.m., the group’s fighters targeted a deployment of enemy soldiers around the Hadab Yaroun site with artillery shells, achieving a direct hit. Seventh Operation: According to the seventh statement, at 4:45 p.m., Islamic Resistance fighters targeted the Al-Ramtha Israeli site in the occupied Lebanese Kfar Shuba hills with rockets, scoring a direct hit. Hezbollah’s military media eighth statement reported that at 4:40 p.m. on Saturday, Islamic Resistance fighters targeted the Zibdin Israeli occupation site in the occupied Lebanese Shebaa Farms with rockets, achieving a direct hit. At 5:15 p.m., the group’s fighters carried out their ninth operation of the day by directly targeting a deployment of enemy soldiers at the Bayad Blida Israeli site with appropriate weapons. The tenth statement declared that at 5:25 p.m., the fighters targeted a gathering of Zionist soldiers in the vicinity of the Hanita Israeli site with artillery shells. The eleventhth statement for the day reported that at 7:10 p.m. on Saturday, Hezbollah fighters targeted a military intelligence unit and war force near the Al-Raheb Israeli site with rockets, achieving a direct hit.

■ Ex-minister of military affairs: Israel lost war in north to Hezbollah (PressTV)
■ Hezbollah: Mission Complete, Sayyed Nasrallah to Refute Israeli Claims in Later Speech (Mehr News)
■ Hezbollah drone hits Israeli warship, leaves casualties (Mehr News)
■ Lebanon’s Hezbollah paralyzes Ben Gurion airport (Mehr News)
■ 10 foreign airlines cancel flights to Israel amid cross-border escalation with Hezbollah (Anadolu)
■ Au moins trois morts dans des frappes israéliennes sur le Liban-Sud | Notre direct (L'Orient-Le Jour)
■ Israel launches massive strikes on southern Lebanon (Anadolu)
■ The Zionist Entity Was Never Prepared For A War Of Attrition (Robert Inlakesh)

● Overnight Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed at least 37 Palestinians, mostly in south and central Gaza. Medical sources say at least 32 of those killed have arrived at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.
● Israel’s military issues fresh orders for residents to evacuate neighbourhoods in northern Gaza amid intense Israeli attacks in the north, centre and south of the Palestinian territory.
● White House says talks in Cairo to reach Gaza ceasefire have been “constructive”, but all sides must come together to implement proposed deal as US delegation plans to meet with mediators again on Sunday to try and close negotiation gaps.
● A 10-month-old baby in Gaza is now paralysed due to polio – the first case in the enclave in more than 25 years – the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees has confirmed.
● UN official says Palestinian children are “paying the heaviest price” as Gaza faces critical humanitarian aid shortages and spike in malnutrition.
● At least 40,265 people have been killed and 93,144 wounded in Israel’s war on Gaza. An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks on October 7 and more than 200 were taken captive.

■ Live blog: Overnight Israeli attacks in Gaza kills 14, including children (TRT World)
■ IOF bombard Gaza, kill 11 Palestinians after striking their home (Al Mayadeen)
■ Seven civilians injured in Israeli aggression on Syria (Al Mayadeen)

Lebanon's Hezbollah says it carried out a strike on the Meron military base, targeting Israel's spying devices. | In a brief statement, the resistance group said it destroyed espionage equipment inside the headquarters of the air surveillance unit and the air operations command at the base on Friday morning. ● The operation, it said, came in support of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and their resistance fighters, and in response to Israeli strikes on the towns and villages in southern Lebanon. ● Additionally, the Lebanese resistance fighters shelled the Israeli al-Malikiyah military site and precisely struck the designated targets. ● The Lebanese health ministry announced on Thursday that 564 deaths and 1,848 injuries had been recorded from last October to August 20 as a result of Israeli raids and shelling of southern Lebanon. ● The ministry said in a report that 84 percent of the injuries were males, and 93 percent of them were Lebanese nationals, adding that 53 percent of the injuries were under the age of 44.

■ Yemen army targets Israel-linked ships in Red Sea, Gulf of Aden (PressTV)

A reconnaissance drone belonging to the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah has infiltrated the northern part of the occupied territories, filming the private villa of the Israeli regime's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. | According to the Israel Hayom daily newspaper, the Israeli regime’s defense systems issued a warning message on the presence of a drone near Netanyahu’s private residence in Caesarea, located 37 km south of Haifa on the Mediterranean coast, on Sunday. ● The newspaper further speculated that the drone had been launched from Lebanon and had managed to take footage of Netanyahu's place of residence. Israeli fighter jets were dispatched to the area but were unable to detect the exact location of the suspected drone, it added. ● The Israeli military claimed that the warning may have been a false alarm, adding that the radar and defense systems sometimes issue such warnings due to an error. However, it did not completely rule out the possibility of a small drone launched by Hezbollah.

BEIRUT: Around 10 people were killed, including two children, and five were wounded by an Israeli strike on a residential building in the city of Nabatieh city in south Lebanon, state news agency NNA said on Saturday. | The victims were all Syrian citizens, NNA said, adding that a final toll of the strike would be announced after DNA tests were conducted to determine the identity of the victims. The Israeli military said the airstrike targeted a weapons depot used by Hezbollah. The strike came after ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel in Doha paused on Friday with negotiators due to meet again next week.

■ Israeli strike on the south of Lebanon kills 10 (Gulf Times)
■ Israel Attacks ‘Civilian Area’ In Southern Lebanon, Woman And Two Children Among 10 Killed (Outlook India)

Nicholas Brumfield | On July 20, after an unprecedented Houthi drone strike killed a civilian in Tel Aviv the day before, Israel launched a series of airstrikes on Houthi-held Hodeidah Port on Yemen’s Red Sea coast. | Beyond reportedly killing at least nine people and injuring dozens more, the aerial bombardment destroyed several pieces of vital infrastructure—including a major fuel storage site. While much of the international coverage of the incident has focused on the context of the wider regional dynamics of the Gaza war, the destruction of such infrastructure also stands to have significant economic, political, and potentially even military impacts within Yemen.

Mary Manley | The US is continuing to stock the Middle East with military arsenal including additional US destroyers. Israel, which has waged a war in the Gaza Strip that has killed tens of thousands since October, has provoked Iran with attacks in April as well as recently. Iran has said it plans to retaliate, while the US has failed to put out the flames. | On Monday, James Carey, the host of the Left is Dead podcast joined Sputnik's The Critical Hour to discuss these recent developments in the Middle East.

💬 “Striking the capital of Beirut, which is technically a US ally, and then, just stepping away from it. [As in], 'oh, please don't respond to this'. That's an absurd request, right? And I think the Iranian response earlier this year when the drone strike was launched, basically to mildly penetrate the Iron Dome, to show that they could do it. I think, in my opinion, that Iran could penetrate the Iron Dome, if they chose to,” Carey explained. ● “Israel's getting a free hand to strike, like I said, American allies like Lebanon. These are countries that are allegedly allied with the US, whether Hezbollah operates in them or not, or whether Iran is looking to strike or not. But the obvious aggression has come from Israel. So that's why I think it's very absurd to see it framed this way,” he added.

US ground troops began trickling into Syria in November 2015, two months after Russia kicked off an air campaign targeting foreign-backed terrorists attempting to topple the Syrian government. Washington initially claimed that the deployments were meant to help fight terror. In practice, they have amounted to an illegal occupation. | Syria’s Foreign Ministry has reiterated its call on the US to end its “blatant violation of [Syria’s] sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity,” end its support for the separatist Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militias, and “immediately withdraw” its troops. ● In a statement provided to local media on Saturday, Damascus slammed Washington for its use of the SDF as a “cheap tool to implement its anti-Syrian schemes,” and accused the predominantly Kurdish militia, which occupies eastern Syria alongside US forces, of carrying out “criminal attacks on local residents in Deir ez-Zor, Hasakah and Qamishli, in addition to other villages in the eastern and northeastern regions,” leading to numerous casualties among civilians, including women and children.

💬 “Syria calls on the United States to stop these practices, withdraw immediately from Syrian territory, and respect the will of the Syrians, who reject the presence and role of such separatist militias. Syria also stresses the will of its people to liberate their land and preserve their sovereignty, which will be achieved no matter how great the sacrifice, and that the terrorism and crimes of these militias will not weaken their resolve.”

■ US Base at CONOCO Oil Field and Mission Support Service (MSS) Euphrates ON FIRE in Syria (07/28/24)
■ Major US Military Bases in Eastern Syria Attacked by Missiles, Drones (04/22/24)
■ US Wants ‘Another Kosovo’ in Syria’s Northwest, Keep Control of Oil, Wheat in Northeast (04/04/24)
■ The US Bombs Syria...Again (03/26/24)
■ Missiles strike US-occupied base in eastern Syria: Report (02/16/24)
■ US base in Syria comes under drone attack from Iranian-backed groups (02/05/24)
■ US hits 85 targets in Syria and Iraq (02/03/24)
■ Explosions rock the US largest base in Syria (02/02/24)
■ Drones destroy illegal US “Kharab al-Jir” base in eastern Syria (01/09/24)
■ China [correctly] accuses US of oil theft (01/19/23)
■ China Criticizes the U.S. Over Syria, Urges Washington to Stop Stealing the Oil (09/23/22)
■ Studying Outcrops and Landforms... (11/17/22)

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered the USS Georgia nuclear submarine to be deployed to the Middle East and the deployment of the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier to the region to be accelerated, the Pentagon said on Sunday following Austin’s conversation with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

💬 "Secretary Austin has ordered the USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN Carrier Strike Group, equipped with F-35C fighters, to accelerate its transit to the Central Command area of responsibility, adding to the capabilities already provided by the USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT Carrier Strike Group. Additionally, the Secretary has ordered the USS Georgia (SSGN 729) guided missile submarine to the Central Command region," the Pentagon said.

During the phone call, the parties discussed efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and measures to protect Israel. In particular, Austin emphasized the US readiness to take all necessary steps to protect its Middle Eastern ally.

■ US sends reinforcements to ‘defend Israel’ (04/13/24)

The United Kingdom, France, and Germany issue a joint statement calling on Iran to refrain from attacking the Israeli occupation after the latter violated its sovereignty. | The leaders of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement in which they expressed their support for ongoing diplomatic efforts led by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States to secure a ceasefire and release the captives in Gaza, in light of the ongoing genocide. [...] Moreover, they went on to call on Iran and its allies, likely the Ansar Allah movement in Yemen and the Hezbollah Resistance movement in Lebanon, to refrain from taking any actions that would "further escalate regional tensions and jeopardize the opportunity to agree a ceasefire and the release of hostages." The statement held them responsible "for actions that jeopardize this opportunity for peace and stability" while completely disregarding the actions of the Israeli occupation that forced the hand of Iran and its allies to respond to it, to begin with.

■ US president’s terse warning to Iran about possible Israel attack: ‘Don’t’ (Dawn)

The country of Yemen, run by a group called Ansar Allah, and populated with a tribe called "Houthis" has shot down ANOTHER U.S. MQ-9 "Reaper Drone." | The $32 Million drone is the seventh or eighth shot down over Yemen this year alone.

Iran or its proxies in Syria have, for the first time, shot down a US Military Spy Balloon over the Al-Omar Oil Field. | The balloon was aloft to protect the (unauthorized) US military base at the oil field; a base which the Syrian Government has repeatedly told the US it cannot have and must close and leave. These platforms allow persistent high altitude surveillance around US bases in hostile territory. Its loss will limit the US militaries ability to identify and respond to threats nearby. This shoot-down of a US Military Surveillance Balloon is a first for Iran or its proxies.

■ Syria President Flies to Moscow - Second Time in One Week (Hal Turner)

Air raid sirens went off in 15 Israeli settlements, the Al Mayadeen TV channel reported | Armed formations of Lebanon’s Shiite group Hezbollah have launched a massive rocket attack on Israeli settlements in the Upper Galilee, the Al Mayadeen TV channel reported. According to it, the Shiite fighters fired more than 50 rockets from multiple rocket launchers. Air raid sirens went off in 15 Israeli settlements.

The Genocide Continues: Yesterday at least 15 displaced civilians were massacred in an lsraeli airstrike by the lsraeli occupation on a school in Al-Shuja'iyya neighborhood, Northern Gaza. pic.twitter.com/MSZr2hiwch

— TIMES OF GAZA (@Timesofgaza) August 1, 2024

Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah says the fighting has entered “a new phase” after Israel’s assassination of its top military commander Fouad Shukr and Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, Press TV reported. | In a speech broadcast at the funeral of Hezbollah Shukr on Thursday, the Hezbollah chief said Israel has “crossed red lines” in the assassinations and that it must expect “rage and revenge on all the fronts supporting Gaza.” Nasrallah said he had ordered Hezbollah forces in southern Lebanon to curb operations on Wednesday and Thursday but that they would resume with higher intensity on Friday. A number of countries had asked Hezbollah to retaliate in an “acceptable” way or not at all. But he said it would be “impossible” for the group not to respond, he added.

👉 "The Window is Now Open" - Breakout of Kinetic War Expected "Any moment TODAY" (Hal Turner)
■ Ismail Haniyeh killing: Netanyahu's only goal is to set the region on fire (David Hearst)