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Russian MP seeks university admission perks for young mothers

RT | September 28, 2024

A member of the Russian parliament’s upper chamber, Andrey Kutepov, has proposed simplifying admission to universities for female applicants with children, TASS news agency reported earlier this week.

According to the lawmaker, who heads the Committee on Economic Policy in the Federation Council, Russian universities should award additional points to women who have given birth within a year of applying.

”Having children is proposed to be considered an individual achievement for which it is necessary to accrue the maximum number of additional points for the exam results,” the senator said in a written proposal addressed to Education Minister Valery Falkov.

According to Kutepov, if adopted, the measure would be one more step in “ensuring opportunities for women with children to receive higher education.”

“In addition, the move will be one of the steps towards improving the status of families with children,” Kutepov suggested, adding that the measure would help support the birth rate in the country, as well as further lowering the abortion rates.

The senator noted that the government has recently taken a number of steps to boost the birth rate, including providing the opportunity for female students who have a child while enrolled to switch from having to pay for their education to being able to access state subsidies.

Earlier this year, the Russian Education Ministry proposed introducing a monthly social scholarship amounting to minimum wage for university students with preschool children.

October 2, 2024 Posted by | Economics | | 1 Comment

Economic Collapse & the Post-American World

By Glenn Diesen | October 2, 2024

Washington’s declining fiscal responsibility was not resolved after the Great Financial Crisis of 2008-09 as the US instead kicked the can down the road. The problem has subsequently grown in magnitude as the banking crisis caused by too much borrowing and spending was overcome by borrowing and spending even more to get the economy restarted.

More than 15 years of low interest rates have fueled many asset bubbles, caused malinvestments, ballooned the debt, and laid the foundation for another banking crisis. The US public is deeply indebted, the middle class is shrinking, and the national debt stands at 35,5 trillion dollars. The US now pays 1 trillion dollars a year in interest on this debt.

The contradictions in the economy are evident as the stock market continues a prolonged strong performance as new money is recklessly introduced into the system, while the real economy goes from bad to worse.

The next banking crisis will likely cause a dollar crisis as the US cannot significantly increase the interest rate to save the dollar without sinking the economy, and it cannot significantly reduce the interest rate to save the economy without destroying the dollar. The US simply lacks the tools to deal with the coming economic crisis.

Reversing the Decline Without Addressing the Underlying Problems

The US attempts to revive its economic competitiveness by subsidizing its industries, demanding geoeconomic loyalty from allies, and sabotaging the industries of rivals. Subsidies are financed by debt and there is subsequently a risk that the US will exacerbate the basic problems. The generous subsidies for its industries under the Inflation Reduction Act have encouraged German and other European industries to relocate to the US. Furthermore, disconnecting Europe from cheap Russian energy with sanctions and the destruction of Nord Stream also incentivised energy-intensive European industries to move across the Atlantic. As the war in Ukraine continues and the sense of insecurity in Europe grows, the US can convert European security dependence into geoeconomic loyalty as Europe is also told to decouple from Chinese technologies.

With the future of NATO at risk as the US sets its eyes on Asia, the Europeans attempt to increase their value to Washington by abandoning former ambitions to pursue strategic autonomy and “European sovereignty”, and instead subordinate national interests to the whims of Washington. The gains of Washington’s renewed influence on the old continent will come at a cost as Europe becomes weakened and less relevant, while political alternatives in Europe are increasingly winning elections by challenging Washington and Brussels.

The economic coercion against China to roll back its technological and economic development is failing. The disruptions to supply chains by for example banning the export of computer chips to China resulted in American tech giants such as Intel taking huge losses in terms of revenue and losing thousands of employees as their main customer was China. While the US cannot diversify away from China, China can diversify away from the US by enhancing its technological sovereignty and establishing new technological partnerships. This has striking similarities to the EU’s failure to sever its economic ties with Russia. Russia could diversify away from Europe by reorienting its economy to the East, while Europe could not diversify away from Russia as evidenced by Europe’s economic problems.

American efforts to reshore its production are also disrupted by Chinese counter-sanctions on for example rare earth elements. The US has also discovered that tearing up the supply chains developed over decades creates problems as new competitive supply chains will take many years to establish. The old house is demolished before the new house has been built.

Efforts of “friendshoring” by sourcing supplies from friendly countries such as India also have limited success. India responds to the increased demand by sourcing more materials and technologies from China, which increases the costs to the US and further intensifies India-China economic integration in BRICS. This also has similarities to the EU’s economic coercion against Russia, as the Europeans buy Russian natural resources at a higher cost through third parties. Russia sells some of its resources at a discounted price to its economic partners to make up for the risks of secondary sanctions, and this discount only further increases the competitiveness of Asia vis-à-vis the West.

The US is also unlikely to recover its industrial might due to the heavy financialization of its economy as rent-seeking activities in the economy make it impossible to compete with industrial economies such as China. While China built infrastructure to enhance the economic competitiveness of its companies, the US burdens its companies with many costs that do not contribute to the production process.

US competitiveness worsens as China continues to increase its competitiveness in high-tech, and the profits from the positive trade gap are reinvested in the form of subsidies. The industrial might of China enables innovations, while the growth of patents increases rapidly. These developments are also seen in the education sector as Chinese universities are becoming more competitive and many Chinese researchers in the US even return to China. While American universities still dominate in areas such as finance, law, psychology and marketing, Chinese universities have begun taking the lead for the real economy and thus attract foreign students. The US economy will likely face growing structural problems as an economy cannot be built on the financial activities from growing debt, suing each other, and treating the growing mental disorders.

Finding Solutions

Many of America’s problems derive from imperial overstretch as its economy cannot sustain its military and strategic commitments around the world. Resources are transferred from the core to the periphery, resulting in the degradation of infrastructure, growing economic inequality, social instability, and political polarisation and decline. The US economy, society and political system are exhausted and need deep restructuring and adjustment to the multipolar realities on the ground. The US is unlikely to make the necessary changes due to the prevailing ideology, demonisation of adversaries, crushing of dissent, and lack of political imagination for alternatives. The US will either default on its debt or pay back in devalued dollars by printing its way out of trouble.

There are no simple solutions to America’s economic problems, and we live in a time when political leaders respond to socio-economic complexities with ideological sloganeering and simplistic solutions. The US could have restructured its economy with for example ambitious industrial policies and restoring fiscal responsibility, without an aggressive economic war with China. However, this solution would have required the US to give up on its objective to preserve global primacy.

Too many economic disputes are instead militarised, and the expensive US military is itself overburdened with responsibilities around the world. As the US military transitions to confronting great powers, rival powers have another reason for why they should not invest in US Treasuries or use the dollar as this entails financing their own military containment. The attacks on China’s tech sector and the theft of Russia’s sovereign funds have sent shock-waves throughout the international system as all rules are seemingly suspended under the so-called international rules-based order.

A Post-American World

The rest of the non-Western world can see the coming disaster and is getting out of the splash zone. This is done by constructing a parallel international economic system with new supply chains, tech hubs, energy pipelines, a grain corridor, new commodity exchanges, new bimodal transportation corridors, development banks, digital currencies, payment systems, insurance systems and other important components of the international economy.

Much of the decoupling from the US, including de-dollarisation, is being facilitated by BRICS which creates the economic institutions for a multipolar world order. Historically, liberal international economic systems and free trade occur under an economic hegemony such as with Britain in the 19th century and the US in the 20th century as it creates incentives for the dominant state to embrace liberal economics to organise the world economy under its administration, which cements its economic and political power. BRICS attempts to form a vastly different economic system by accommodating a multipolar system through a “balance of dependence”, in which a multivector foreign policy and economic diversification enable states to avoid excessive dependence on any one state or region. It remains to be seen if BRICS can create a more benign international economic system that harmonises the interests of rival economies, or if it will descend into neo-mercantilism. Either way, the world is making arrangements for the post-American world.

October 2, 2024 Posted by | Economics, Militarism | , , , | 2 Comments

Iran launches unprovoked attack on country that committed year-long genocide and threatened to destroy it

Laura and Normal Island News | October 1, 2024

In harrowing scenes, Iran has launched a salvo of hypersonic missiles at Israel that have rendered the iron dome useless and caused explosions across the country. This unprovoked attack came after Israel peacefully committed a year-long genocide, bombed an embassy, destroyed schools, universities and hospitals, starved 2.1 million civilians, carried out multiple assassinations, murdered 162 journalists and 222 UN workers, built a centre dedicated to the rape and torture of prisoners, launched large-scale terror attacks in Beirut, and invaded Lebanon. Why is Iran like this?

Among Iran’s targets were military installations located in densely-populated areas of Tel Aviv. Outrageously, Israel has been accused by the worst people of using civilians as human shields. What kind of monster would use such insensitive language when people are dying? Please show some compassion.

In a horrific attack, a large number of Israeli civilians were gunned down in Tel Aviv earlier today. Every decent person should condemn this violence towards civilians, and every decent person has. Even the people who laughed when Lebanese children lost their eyeballs in the pager attack have condemned this violence.

Israelis are understandably terrified, having endured for one day what Palestinians have endured for one year. Everyone knows only Palestinians, and maybe Lebanese, should endure this level of suffering. We couldn’t just have… peace.

As all the sensible people keep telling us, a peace deal wouldn’t achieve peace, only this would: World War III. If you don’t understand this, it’s because you’re an idiot and a terrorist lover.

Thankfully, the newspapers have found their ability to name the attacker, now that someone who is not Israel is firing rockets. For a moment, I was worried they were going to describe this terrorism as “mysterious explosions in militant strongholds” and urge restraint from Israel.

Netanyahu was understood to be in good spirits in his luxury bunker as World War III got underway because sure, millions of innocent people around the world are going to die, but this is his best chance of avoiding those corruption charges. And that’s what matters, isn’t it?

Reassuringly, I’m told the prime minister has now been airlifted out of Israel and returned to the safety of his home country, Poland. This is how much Mileikowsky loves his people.

Israel’s de-escalation through escalation strategy is going well, isn’t it? So well, in fact, that I’m having an end of world party tonight. I mean why not? Personally, I think this is much better than the alternative which was not selling arms to Israel. If we’d done that, we wouldn’t have had the pleasure of 12 months of genocide, would we? Thank god the moderates made the right decision!

Anyway, who else can’t wait to be conscripted and used as a meat shield for Israel? If you’re worried you’re too old for conscription, at least your children can be called up. I hope you’re not too attached to them! At least they’ll be sacrificed for the best possible reason: the political career of someone everyone hates.

Netanyahu has reassured us that when Israel loses the war he didn’t start, he is going to push that nuclear button because the tens of thousands he’s killed so far, and the millions he’s about to kill, just aren’t enough. Might as well eradicate every multicellular lifeform on the planet. It’s either that or international arrest warrants and the Hague. I know what I’d choose in his position.

October 2, 2024 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, Militarism | , , , | 9 Comments

Ukraine is making life for its Hungarian minority hell

By Tamás Pilhál | Remix News | October 2, 2024

A Ukrainian politician came up with another great, very European-compatible idea. Natalija Pipa, a representative of the Ukrainian legislature, believes that from now on in schools, teachers and students should only speak Ukrainian during breaks, while standing in line at the cafeteria, or even in the restroom. That’s right, they should not be allowed to speak any other language, even in their free time between classes.

Hungarians from Transcarpathia, Poles from Lviv, Romanians from the Chernivtsi area, or even Russians should not even be able to talk to each other in their mother tongue outside of school hours, because it threatens the existence of Ukraine. Mrs. Pipa also drafted a bill for teaching national minorities to speak Ukrainian.

As we know, Ukrainian lawmakers will certainly accept it without any bone of contention. They did not have any problems with previous deprivations of Ukraine’s ministry populations either, with Brussels and Washington patting their heads and encouraging them throughout the entire process.

It is truly a sight to see. Our eastern neighbor is closing in on European Union membership with full force. Their national hero, Stepan Bandera, who massacred tens of thousands of Polish civilians, would obviously be proud of them.

Let’s just go over the facts. Ukraine has been fighting a life-and-death battle with the Russians for two and a half years, but their main concern is still how to make the lives of their helpless national minorities even more hellish. Their house is on fire, but instead of putting out the fire, out of necessity, they kick those who are forced under the same roof with them. And the neighbors, they spit in our faces and then expect us to applaud them, feel sorry for them, and send even more money, and weapons that they can manage to shoot deeper into Russia, all to see if they can start WW III.

If we look at the recently retired U.S. State Department honcho Victoria Nuland, they have been doing this since the $5 billion CIA coup in 2014. These nationalists have been fomenting unrest, terrorizing their minorities, and beating the crap out of them.

They started with the Education Law of 2017, the detailed rules of which in 2020 divided people living in Ukraine into four castes. According to this, the Ukrainians are first class. (There was already such a thing in history. Only then the word “Aryan” was used.) The second class are the native peoples, for example, the Crimean Tatars, who can study in their mother tongue until they graduate. On the other hand, Hungarians, Romanians and Poles are classified as third class and treated as non-natives and can study in their mother tongue only until the fourth grade of primary school, after which they are forced to learn Ukrainian.

The goal? Complete assimilation and destruction of identity.

Then, the 2019 language law made Ukrainian mandatory everywhere except for private conversations and religious ceremonies. Since the summer of 2021, events can only be held in the state language, and the texts of speakers who do not speak Ukrainian must be translated. The Ukrainian state is operating under total paranoia.

It’s as if the Ukrainian puppet governments have been pulling the strings according to a ready-made script since 2014. Of course, we’ve seen this before. In how many South American, African, and Asian countries has a rainbow revolution “unexpectedly” broken out, have peoples living in peace been incited against each other? The story is the same. Once the “revolution” broke out, the complete looting of the colony could then begin under the command of an agent who did not necessarily speak the native language of the country, but at least was parachuted in to step on their necks from overseas.

However, in the case of Ukraine, the booty was not enough for the United States. They wanted war. Some of their more talkative politicians even blurted it out: they want to weaken Russia, they cannot let the vast mineral wealth fall into their hands. Perhaps even those with a slower understanding could understand what it was about. If they have to make Ukraine war until the last Ukrainian is dead, it’s not a big price either — for them.

When the war is over, maybe only first-class Ukrainians will be left to pick up the pieces.

October 2, 2024 Posted by | Civil Liberties, Full Spectrum Dominance | , | Leave a comment

J.D. Vance, Israel Firster

By Adam Dick | Peace and Prosperity Blog | October 2, 2024

Donald Trump likes to talk about how he puts America first. Last night, Trump’s presidential race running mate J.D. Vance made it clear that Vance has other priorities. In answer to the first question of the vice-presidential debate, Vance asserted that his allegiance is to Israel first. Indeed, he suggested that America does not even come in second.

Here is how Vance responded to debate moderator Margaret Brennan’s question of if Vance would “support or oppose a preemptive strike by Israel on Iran”:

Now, you asked about a preemptive strike, Margaret, and I want to answer the question. Look, it is up to Israel what they think they need to do to keep their country safe, and we should support our allies wherever they are when they are fighting the bad guys. I think that’s the right approach to take with the Israel question.

Vance here supports the US acting as Israel’s devoted servant in support of whatever “fighting” Israel decides to pursue against Iran. According to Vance, the decision-making is all at the discretion of the Israel government. The US just tags along, providing unwavering support.

Note also the use of the plural “allies” by Vance. To how many other foreign governments is Vance supporting US servitude to advance their fights against “bad guys”? Is Vance for America third, twelfth, twenty-fifth? Who knows? What is his current list of allies that he puts before America?

October 2, 2024 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, Militarism, Wars for Israel | , , , | 1 Comment

Iran Showed Restraint for Two Months Amid Israeli Attacks – Russian UN Envoy

Sputnik – 02.10.2024

Iran has shown “exceptional” restraint for two months amid Israeli attacks, Russia’s UN envoy Vassily Nebenzia told a special meeting of the UN Security Council.

“A new victim of the Israeli war machine is Lebanon,” Nebenzia said. “After intense shelling of Lebanese cities, its southern neighbor launched a ground operation in that country.”

He added that Iran only took military action “after a series of political liquidations, including the assassination of Hamas Executive Council Head Haniyeh, Hezbollah Secretary General Nasrallah and a number of other leaders of movements opposing Israel,” and showed “exceptional restraint” for two months.

The Russian diplomat noted that statements from Western countries give the impression that “the only problem facing the Council is the response to Iran’s missile strike.”

“It is hard to imagine what role in the diplomatic process with such an assessment of the situation one can count on. It’s as if this all happened ‘in a vacuum’,” Nebenzia added. “As if nothing is happening and did not happen in Lebanon, Gaza, Syria, Yemen, which led to a new most dangerous round of the growing Middle East conflict.”

There is a strong impression that the US is negotiating the release of hostages held in Gaza and a ceasefire in the enclave with itself, the envoy noted.

“For the sake of its Middle East ally, Washington has already used its veto power five times in the Security Council and since the beginning of July has been deliberately trying to lead us all around by the nose,” Nebenzia charged, “publicizing its notorious ‘plan Biden’ and its quiet diplomacy to broker a deal between Hamas and Israel.”

“Frankly speaking, all this gives the impression that Washington is conducting these indirect negotiations with itself,” he added.

The UN Security Council may consider adopting new resolutions on Lebanon amid the escalating conflict in the region, and given the non-implementation of the 2006 resolution 1701 that was meant to keep the peace following Israel’s last invasion of the country.

“Right after the meeting, we will hold informal consultations and see what documents can be proposed by the members,” Nebenzia told reporters later.

When asked whether Tehran had warned Moscow before Israel’s attack, Nebenzia stressed that Iran is a sovereign state that makes its own decisions.

October 2, 2024 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism | , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Iran missile attack: what we learned last night

Mindless march to World War 3 may have hit a brick wall yesterday

Alex Krainer’s TrendCompass | October 2, 2024

During the night of 2nd October 2024, Iran unleashed their operation “True Promise 2,” launching between 200 and 400 ballistic missiles into Israel. As the video footage coming from Israel has shown, many of these missiles reached their targets inflicting extensive damage on the ground. Apparently, some offshore gas platforms were also struck. Claims and counterclaims are a bit all over the place at the moment: Israelis have claimed that the Iranian attack failed and that most of the missiles were intercepted. Netanyahu’s aide Hananya Naftali even tweeted a “BRAVO” to Israel’s aerial defence systems for intercepting “nearly all the missiles.”

But the footage from last night gives a very different impression; it corroborates those who claimed that many missiles hit their targets. A few of the videos also confirm that the Iranians do indeed possess hypersonic missiles. We also know now that these have a long range and seem accurate enough. This lesson alone could be a game changer.

Why hypersonic missiles are a game changer

Hypersonic missiles can’t be intercepted. The most advanced Western air defence systems can shoot down incoming projectiles flying at up to mach 3. So far as the Patriot Missiles are concerned, their success rate is very poor even at that. Nothing in Western powers’ arsenal can defend against hypersonic missiles and this certainly got the Pentagon’s attention. The implication is that all US Navy assets and military bases in the Middle East are defenceless, and that Iran has the capability to strike them.

During yesterday’s attack, two U.S. destroyers in the eastern Mediterranean launched twelve SM-3 ballistic missile interceptor rockets, their most advanced air defence system. The problem is that the current production rate of SM-3s is down to zero! Thus, even if SM-3s are effective, Western air defence systems are not for the long haul and will deplete rapidly in case of further escalation.

At the same time, Iran has many thousands of missiles ready. Here’s what CSIS says about Irans’ arsenal:

“Iran possesses the largest and most diverse missile arsenal in the Middle East, with thousands of ballistic and cruise missiles, some capable of striking as far as Israel and southeast Europe. For the past decade, Iran has invested significantly to improve these weapons’ precision and lethality. Such developments have made Iran’s missile forces… a credible threat to U.S. and partner military forces in the region.”

Hezbollah can shoot 3,000 missiles a day?

Then there’s Hezbollah. According to a 130-page report titled, “The Most Deadly War of All,” compiled by a group of six Israeli think-tanks and based on three years of research and the opinions of over 100 Israeli defence experts and IDF commanders, war on Hezbollah would be, as the report’s title suggests, the most deadly war of all for Israel. According to the report, Hezbollah would be capable of launching 2,500 to 3,000 missiles per day, a combination of long-range precision guided and unguided rockets.

The barrages would be launched toward specific targets in Israel with the potential of destroying the Iron Dome air-defence capability. IDF’s reserves of Iron Dome and David’s Sling interceptor missiles would likely be depleted within a few days from the start of a full-scale war with Hezbollah, leaving Israel exposed to thousands of missiles and drones launched by Hezbollah. This all could result in thousands of casualties and widespread panic among the settlement populations (already an estimated 200,000 settlers have abandoned their settlements  in the north of Israel since the start of hostilities).

Not to mention, both Iran and Hezbollah have been preparing for this outbreak for over two decades now, and the Iranians now promised a much more painful strike if Israel decides to escalate further. Western powers won’t be able to stem the tsunami that Netanyahu is working to unleash, any more than the Operation Prosperity Guardian in the Red Sea has been able to restrain the Ansarallah in Yemen. But therein lies the good news, I think.

The good news, inshallah!

Certain political factions in Israel and in the West have been working overtime to provoke a major war and draw in both Iran and the United States. Some of the pro-Israel voices are utterly rapturous about the prospect; the things they say sound utterly deranged and surreal. It’s as though they convinced themselves that Israel is somehow endowed with superpowers and that it can instantly turn anyone they wish into a smoldering heap of ashes. They also seem to think that by killing Hassan Nasrallah, Israel eliminated Hezbollah. They ignore the fact that Hezbollah is a very extensive military and political organization. If the Israelis bombed the Vatican tomorrow and killed the pope, that wouldn’t be the end of Catholic Church.

Indeed, very childish and dangerous delusions gripped the most fanatical cohort of Israel supporters and saner heads must by now be aware of the extremely reckless adventure they’re dragging us all into. If a wider war erupts, all of US, UK and NATO assets in the Middle East are sitting ducks and will be destroyed or expelled from the region.

Furthermore, an interruption of crude oil traffic from the Persian Gulf would inflict a devastating blow to G7 economies at a time when they least need it. In addition, all of this could be hitting the proverbial fan just ahead of the elections, and they haven’t even managed to assassinate Trump yet! It is all reckless in the extreme; the odds of victory (which is yet to be defined) are slim to none, while a cataclysmic failure is nearly certain.

I may be succumbing to wishful thinking myself, but I believe that we will shortly see leaders in the West pull hard on the handbrake and effect the quickest 180 degree turn yet! In the end, perhaps they will arrive at the calculation that sacrificing Benjamin Netanyahu and allowing Israel a break so they can sober up and reassess their predicament is a much better deal than following the unhinged fanatics and committing a collective suicide. We’ll know soon enough. Who knows, maybe we can avoid World War 3.

October 2, 2024 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, Wars for Israel | , , , , | 1 Comment

Yemeni Armed Forces struck deep into ‘Israel’ with Quds-5 cruise missiles

Al Mayadeen | October 2, 2024

The missile force of the Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) struck military sites deep into the Israeli occupation entity using three Quds-5 cruise missiles that successfully reached their targets, YAF spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree announced on Wednesday.

Saree pointed out that the Israeli occupation authorities remain tight-lipped about the outcomes of the latest operation, adding that it comes in support of the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples and in solidarity with their Resistance.

He extended the YAF’s congratulations on Iran’s Operation True Promise 2 against the Israeli occupation entity and affirmed their readiness to participate in any joint military operations in support of the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples, as well as in response to any Israeli aggression targeting support fronts.

The spokesperson warned that the continued American and British support for “Israel” places US and British interests in the region under fire.

The Brigadier General also underlined that the YAF will not hesitate to expand their military operations against “Israel” and those backing it until the aggression on Gaza ceases and the blockade imposed on the Strip is lifted and the aggression on Lebanon is ended.

Quds-5; one of Yemen’s advanced missiles

The Quds-5 cruise missile has entered service and is part of the long-range Quds system, a senior Yemeni military source told Al Mayadeen on Wednesday.

According to the source, Quds-5 is capable of traveling more than 2,000 kilometers and enjoys high stealth and maneuverability features.

It is also considered one of Yemen’s advanced missiles, designed for surface-to-surface strikes against military and vital targets.

The senior military source emphasized that the Quds-5 is characterized by its high speed, immense destructive power, and ability to penetrate all types of air defenses deployed in the region.

“The enemy was previously taken by surprise with the Quds-3 missile, and we say today that the fifth generation [of this missile] has entered the battlefield.”

“More is yet to come,” they added.

The latest top-tier attack comes a day after Saree announced that the YAF’s naval, missile, and UAV forces carried out three military operations in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.

The first operation targeted the Cordelia Moon British oil tanker in the Red Sea using eight ballistic and cruise missiles, a drone, and an uncrewed surface boat, resulting in severe damages.

The second and third operations targeted the Marathopolis tanker in the Indian Ocean with a cruise missile and a drone for violating the maritime ban imposed by the YAF on ships sailing in the designated operations zone toward the occupied ports of Palestine, Saree said.

Earlier, the spokesperson confirmed that the YAF’s UAV force struck an Israeli military target in occupied Yafa (Eilat) using a Yafa-type drone, as well as other military targets in occupied Umm al-Rashrash (Eilat) with four Samad-4 drones, pointing out that the two operations achieved their objectives precisely.

October 2, 2024 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, Wars for Israel | , , , , , | 1 Comment

Hezbollah kills over a dozen Israeli soldiers attempting to invade south Lebanon

The Cradle | October 2, 2024

Israeli forces continued to take heavy losses during their attempts at infiltrating southern Lebanon on 2 October, forcing them to retreat a number of times.

Lebanon’s Armed Forces (LAF) confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that an Israeli force withdrew from the Blue Line back to the Israeli side of the border after penetrating 400 meters into Lebanon’s territory.

“While an Israeli enemy force was trying to encircle the town of Yaroun from the forest side, the Islamic Resistance fighters surprised them at 2:00 pm on Wednesday 10/2/2024 by detonating a special explosive device, killing and wounding all members of the force,” Hezbollah said on Wednesday afternoon.

“In defense of Lebanon and its people, the Islamic Resistance is engaging in clashes with the Israeli enemy soldiers who have infiltrated the town of Maroun al-Ras from the eastern side, inflicting several casualties among them, and the clashes are still ongoing,” it said earlier.

Video footage showed Israeli forces carrying several dead or wounded soldiers in order to evacuate them via helicopter.

According to Israeli sources cited by Sky News Arabia, 14 soldiers have been killed so far by Hezbollah fighters since Wednesday morning. Al-Arabiya and Al-Hadath previously reported that four have been killed and around 20 others injured.

Among those killed by Hezbollah fighters is Lieutenant Eitan Oster from Israel’s elite Egoz unit. Israel admitted his death as the “first” killed in clashes with Hezbollah.

Early on Wednesday morning, Hezbollah thwarted an attempt by Israeli soldiers to penetrate Lebanese territory via the town of Odaisseh, targeting them and forcing them to retreat after inflicting casualties.

“The number of enemy casualties in today’s battles is very large, and there is a media blackout imposed by the enemy,” the head of Hezbollah’s media relations office, Mohammad Afif, said on 2 October.

The Israeli army claims its ground operation aims to push Hezbollah away from the border and return tens of thousands of Israeli settlers evacuated from the northern settlements as a result of the Lebanese resistance’s operations, which began on 8 October last year.

In his last speech prior to his sudden assassination last week, Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah promised that any ground invasion of Lebanon would be “hell” for Israel and that the settlers “will not return” to the north.

October 2, 2024 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism | , , , | Leave a comment

‘Iron Dome Proved to Be a Bust’: Iran Strikes Israel in Retaliation for Assassinations

By John Miles – Sputnik – October 2, 2024

Iran launched a significant retaliatory attack against Israel late Tuesday night, ending months of speculation about how or whether the country would strike back after its provocative killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

The United States reportedly provided Iran with assurances after the attack against Haniyeh in July that Israel and the US would move constructively towards the establishment of a Palestinian state, ending Israel’s military aggression against its neighbors and Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where over 42,000 have died according to figures reported by the territory’s health ministry. Tel Aviv’s deadly attack against Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon last week dashed hopes of a cessation of violence as Israel claims it is preparing for a broader invasion of Lebanon.

“I’ve seen the videos and you can see the missiles continue to rain down and hit targets. Israel is imposing a news blackout,” former CIA analyst Larry Johnson said. “They don’t want the knowledge out there about what happened. But Iran made sure that it was not going to hit and run the risk of killing hundreds or thousands of Israeli civilians.”

“They were not going to act like the Israelis,” the analyst claimed. “They really consider themselves, if you will, more humane, more honorable, and by virtue of their action, I think they can make that case.”

Johnson claimed Iran was forced to strike Israel after false assurances from the United States that Israel would cease attacks on its neighbors after its killing of Haniyeh. Iran previously launched a retaliatory attack on Israel in April after Tel Aviv’s bombing of the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria killed two Iranian generals. The codename Operation True Promise was announced for the strike.

Iran’s Tuesday attack, dubbed Operation True Promise II, appears significantly more substantial than April’s strike in which the vast majority of Iranian missiles, rockets and drones were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome. Iran was reportedly able to successfully strike Israeli military targets Tuesday, including an Israeli air base where multiple US-provided F-35 aircraft were hit. Johnson claimed Israel’s attack against Nasrallah would’ve been launched from an F-35; the fighter jet would be key to any Israeli invasion of Lebanon.

The commentator compared Israel’s Iron Dome to the US Patriot missile system, claiming the US is unable to replenish the defense system rapidly enough to allow Israel to fight a long war of attrition.

“Lockheed Martin… can make about one and a half, one and a quarter [missiles] a day,” said Johnson. “I think Israel’s in a similar situation… [Iran] put Israel on notice, ‘If you launch any further strikes against us in any retaliation, we’re going to hit you harder next time and with more lethality.’ So this right now has a chance to really get out of control.”

“I cannot rule out that Israel is going to try to launch some conventional weapons at Iran, but I think they’re going to be defeated,” Johnson claimed.

“Israel may be tempted to try to use a nuclear device against an Iranian target,” he warned. “If that happens then we’re going to really be into another dimension, and this is going to get very, very serious. It’s already a serious situation, but it will get absolutely dangerous.”

The analyst suggested Israel would not be able to support military engagement against multiple enemies, even with the United States backing it up.

“Israel is not in a position to fight a multi-front war and it does not have the strategic depth to fight wars of attrition. And that’s exactly what it’s got itself into now,” Johnson pointed out. “It’s not going to be able to finish off Hezbollah in a week. It couldn’t even finish off Hamas in 12 months. It’s not going to be able to finish off Syria, finish off the Houthis or finish off Iran… That’s what Israel fails to understand. It does not have the ability to sustain itself in these kinds of operations for an extended period of time.”

“If US ships are involved that are off the coast of Iran, then we’ll see Iran react and they may even end up attacking some US ships,” he continued. “But they’ll certainly retaliate against Israel. Israel is not out of the woods at all, despite all the delusional nonsense that the extreme Zionist supporters are saying when they say, ‘oh, Iran didn’t touch us, Iran didn’t hurt us at all.’ Nonsense.”

The development comes as Democrats attempt to hold onto the White House in November’s presidential election, with former President Donald Trump casting himself as a defender of Israel. Vice President Kamala Harris will attempt to do the same, Johnson claimed, while also trying to prevent a regional conflagration in the Middle East before the election.

“The politics are going to dictate a lot of strategic military decisions, unfortunately,” said Johnson.

October 2, 2024 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, Militarism, Wars for Israel | , , , , | Leave a comment

Explainer: Which Israeli military and intel bases did Iran hit in ‘Op. True Promise-II’?

By Ivan Kesic – Press TV – October 2, 2024

On Tuesday evening, Iranian armed forces launched a massive retaliatory operation against Israeli-occupied territories using hundreds of ballistic missiles.

According to the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), 90 percent of missiles struck the targets – military and intelligence sites in Tel Aviv and other occupied areas – evading air defense systems.

Among the main targets were the “Tel Nof” airbase near Tel Aviv, the “Nevatim” airbase that houses F-35 warplanes, the “Ramon” airbase, and the “Hatzerim” airbase among others.

Chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, in a statement after the operation offered details and lauded the heroic efforts of the country’s military forces.

“Tonight, the IRGC’s aerospace force took revenge for many Zionist crimes with its heroic operations,” he said, appreciating the seamless coordination between the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), the Iranian army and the ministry of defense in carrying out the successful operation.

Major General Bagheri emphasized that the IRGC chose three locations as primary targets of ‘Operation True Promise II’, specifically the Mossad headquarters, Nevatim Airbase and Hatzerim Airbase.

The first was chosen because the spy center has been found responsible for several assassinations, the second because F-35 jet fighters are stationed there, and the third because it was used to assassinate Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in a devastating attack in Beirut on Friday.

He further underscored that the economic and industrial centers of the Israeli regime and the people in the occupied territories were not targeted in this operation, although this was completely possible.

He added that the IRGC and the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran are ready for any scenario and that in the case of any violation of territorial integrity and sovereignty of Iran, the missile operation will be repeated on a larger scale, and that they will target the entire enemy infrastructure.

Mossad headquarters

Centers linked to the Israeli spy agency Mossad were correctly assumed to be the target of a retaliatory strike in a Press TV website report from mid-August following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in an Israeli airstrike in Tehran.

Among one of these mentioned centers was the operational headquarters of military intelligence unit 8200 at the Glilot Mizrah Interchange, located in the north of Tel Aviv, near the city of “Herzliya.”

In this military intelligence complex the collected information is processed and further forwarded to military strategists and other Israeli intelligence agencies, including Mossad.

This location was hit by several Iranian ballistic missiles on Tuesday night, as evidenced not only by official statements but also by private video recordings that appeared on social networks.

At least two such videos, the first taken from a balcony on Arik Einstein Street in Herzliya and the second taken from Route 482 near Ayalon Mall in Bnei Brak, show a direct hit to the compound.

Many videos verified by social media users showed the impact of Iranian strikes at the Mossad headquarters with some even documenting the crater following the attack.

Airbases

Nevatim, Hatzerim and Tel Nof airbases were also correctly identified as potential targets of a retaliatory operation in a Press TV website report from both April and August, with the explanation that the planes that attacked the Iranian consulate in Damascus in April took off from there.

This huge airbase with four runways covers about 50 square kilometers and is located in the Negev desert, 15 km east of Beersheba and 12 km north of Dimona.

It hosts three squadrons of US-made F-35 stealth fighter jets, the 140th, 116th and 117th, as well as C-130 transport aircraft, Boeing 707 tanker aircraft and other reconnaissance aircraft.

At least seven different videos show direct hits from 20 to 30 Iranian ballistic missiles, which caused extensive damage to the base and, according to some sources, destroyed over 20 jet fighters.

A video from Beersheba also showed strikes on Hatzerim air base, with reports of destroyed F-15 jet fighters, and another three direct strikes on Tel Nof air base with secondary explosions, possibly a weapons depot or air defense system.

The attack on Nevatim airbase, according to military analysts, was “one of the heaviest documented so far” as it showed plumes of smoke and fire in dark sky.

Many users posted videos verifying the attack on Nevatim and other Israeli military bases.

October 2, 2024 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism | , , , | Leave a comment

Iran’s Foreign Minister on Missile Strike on Israel: Tehran Warned US Not to Interfere

Sputnik – 02.10.2024

TEHRAN – Tehran has sent Sweden a message for Washington saying that Iran’s missile attack on Israel on October 1 was Iran’s right to self-defense, while the Iranian side has separately warned the US not to interfere, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Iran launched several hundred ballistic missiles toward Israel in response to the killings of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, and senior IRGC commander Abbas Nilforoushan. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that his government was not seeking a war with Israel but would confront any threat in a resolute manner.

“An exchange of messages does not mean [the existence] of agreements, and before the response [of Iran to Israel’s actions in the region] there was no exchange of messages. After the response, a warning was issued to Sweden to pass it on to the United States, and it was said [in this message] that this [missile attack against Israel] was our right to self-defense, and we have no intention of continuing [the strikes]. We also issued a warning to the United States to step aside and not to interfere,” Araghchi was quoted as saying by the Tasnim news agency.

There is a possibility of conflict in the Middle East, but Tehran believes that the situation in the region will stabilize in the coming days, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday.

“I see the coming days as bright. The possibility of conflict exists, but our forces are fully prepared. Last night, we only hit military and security targets and, unlike the Israeli side, did not affect the civilian sphere. We believe that we will see a kind of gradual stabilization of the situation in the region in the coming days,” Araghchi was quoted as saying by the Tasnim news agency.

Iran’s armed forces are ready for any possible actions of Israel, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday.

“Our armed forces are prepared for possible actions by the Israeli regime. If any new steps are taken by the [Israeli] regime and those who support it, they will face a tougher response from Iran,” Araghchi was quoted as saying by the Tasnim news agency.

Possible Escalation Scenarios

Iran has prepared hundreds of missiles that it could use if Israel or the United States decide to strike back, The New York Times reported, citing two members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps familiar with the matter.

Iran is ready to launch these missiles from western borders, the newspaper said.

Israel may strike oil production facilities inside Iran and other strategic targets within days in response to Tehran’s massive missile attack and will consider other options, including hitting its nuclear facilities, if Tehran attacks again, the Axios news portal reported, citing Israeli officials.

At the same time, Israel has not yet decided on specific steps to respond to Iran’s missile strike, as it wants to coordinate these measures with the US, the news portal reported.

According to a US official, Washington has made it clear to Israel that it supports its intention to respond to Iran’s shelling, but believes the response must be measured, Axios said.

US warships in the Mediterranean Sea shot down a handful of missiles during Iran’s attack on Israel, The Washington Post reported.

On Tuesday, the IRNA news agency reported that US Navy ships failed to intercept missiles fired by Iran towards Israel.

Flights Cancellation

All flights in Iran have been canceled until Thursday morning in connection with the situation in the Middle East, Jafar Yazerlu, a spokesperson for Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization, said on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the spokesperson said that Iran had grounded all flights until Wednesday morning over security concerns.

“In order to maintain flight safety and [taking into account] the situation in the region, all flights throughout the country are canceled until 5 a.m. [local time, 01:30 GMT] tomorrow,” Yazerlu was qouted as saying by the Tasnim news agency.

October 2, 2024 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism | , , , , | 1 Comment

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