A Funny Thing Happened on the Way To Jerusalem: Gaza/Israel conflict

[frank ryan]

He deserves jt for shre

Hostage Deal just gpt harder though

I'm not sure this makes things safer. I don't mourn that guy's loss. But the Middle East getting lit on fire isn't great.

The war of words between Turkey and Israel continues. Israel has called on NATO to kick Turkey out. I don't blame them. Erdogan is an ass, and basically a non-ally. There is no mechanism to do that. It sounds like Israel crossing into Lebanon could actively bring Turkey into the equation and Erdogan has shown he isn't above doing that sort of thing.

I don't think Bibi is the guy to best maintain Israel's soft power in the midst of this, and even in wartimes, states need soft power. Israel is very reliant on it. They need to US and Europe. I also can't fault him for wanting to wipe out Hamas after what happened. These are scary times.

[frank ryan]

Russia is pissed about Hamas' leader being killed. Just a reminder that Trump is subservient to Putin so don't expect to have Israel's back if gets in power.

Russia also has treated Iran as more of a peer since they've relied on Tehran more for weaponry in this war with Ukraine

[Uncle Ted]

Russia is pissed about Hamas' leader being killed. Just a reminder that Trump is subservient to Putin so don't expect to have Israel's back if gets in power.

Russia also has treated Iran as more of a peer since they've relied on Tehran more for weaponry in this war with Ukraine

Yeah, looks like this war is going to get larger...

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh killed in Tehran by Israeli airstrike as Iran’s supreme leader vows revenge, terror group says

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Iran by what the terror group said was an airstrike carried out by Israel early Wednesday as Iran’s supreme leader has vowed revenge.

Haniyeh, who was one of Hamas’ most senior officials, was in Tehran to attend the inauguration ceremony of Iran’s new president when he was killed, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard announced.

The Revolutionary Guard did not comment on who killed Haniyeh or how, but Hamas pointed the finger at Israel, stating that its leader was killed “in a Zionist airstrike on his residence in Tehran after he participated in the inauguration of Iran’s new president.”
[...]

https://nypost.com/2024/07/30/world-...ran-iran-says/

Well, so much for Harris hoping that oil prices going down for the election.

[frank ryan]

Yeah, looks like this war is going to get larger...


https://nypost.com/2024/07/30/world-...ran-iran-says/

Well, so much for Harris hoping that oil prices going down for the election.

Yeah, she was supposed to be in control of a justifiably angry Israel led by a reckless Bibi and terroristic Iran and their proxies.

[Maximus]

I'm not sure this makes things safer. I don't mourn that guy's loss. But the Middle East getting lit on fire isn't great.

The war of words between Turkey and Israel continues. Israel has called on NATO to kick Turkey out. I don't blame them. Erdogan is an ass, and basically a non-ally. There is no mechanism to do that. It sounds like Israel crossing into Lebanon could actively bring Turkey into the equation and Erdogan has shown he isn't above doing that sort of thing.

I don't think Bibi is the guy to best maintain Israel's soft power in the midst of this, and even in wartimes, states need soft power. Israel is very reliant on it. They need to US and Europe. I also can't fault him for wanting to wipe out Hamas after what happened. These are scary times.

bibi is the main thing on the israeli side preventing this war from being over for months. just to stay in power.

he doesnt care about the hostages at this point.

the entire IDF leadership supports stopping it for the hostages but shrug.

[Uncle Ted]

Here we go...

Embedded Tweet

[Uncle Ted]

Hey, has anyone seen Grandpa Joe?

Embedded Tweet

[Jeff Lebowski]

That is what I call an "FAFO" diplomatic message.

[Uncle Ted]

That is what I call an "FAFO" diplomatic message.

LOL.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Hamas guy was killed in Iran by a bomb that had been smuggled into a guest house two months ago. Sheesh, that is impressive.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/01/w...095be609c290aa

Ismail Haniyeh, a top leader of Hamas, was assassinated on Wednesday by an explosive device covertly smuggled into the Tehran guesthouse where he was staying, according to seven Middle Eastern officials, including two Iranians, and an American official.

The bomb had been hidden approximately two months ago in the guesthouse, according to five of the Middle Eastern officials. The guesthouse is run and protected by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and is part of a large compound, known as Neshat, in an upscale neighborhood of northern Tehran.

Mr. Haniyeh was in Iran’s capital for the presidential inauguration. The bomb was detonated remotely, the five officials said, once it was confirmed that he was inside his room at the guesthouse. The blast also killed a bodyguard.

[Pelado]

Hamas guy was killed in Iran by a bomb that had been smuggled into a guest house two months ago. Sheesh, that is impressive.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/01/w...095be609c290aa

Damn.

[myboynoah]

IRG going through all of its guest houses with dogs and other bomb detection systems. Probably should check their offices, desks, training facilities. So crazy Mossad has such access.

[frank ryan]

This is another reason to support the Ukrainians and care about supporting them. It's not surprising to me, but it sounds like Russian military intel have been helping the Houthi rebels


Bibi has had a somewhat public detente with the Russians for sometime. Israel, to their shame did not sanction or condemn Russia for its invasion of Ukraine for strategic reasons, but as Russia has increasingly needed Iran, Putin has not kept the Iranians and their proxies muzzled.


Russian military intelligence officers are believed to have been deployed to Yemen to assist the Iran-backed Houthis with targeting commercial vessels in the Red Sea, Middle East Eye can reveal.

Members of Russia’s GRU military intelligence are operating in the Houthi-controlled territory of Yemen in an advisory role, a senior USofficial told MEE, speaking on condition of anonymity and citing US intelligence.

The exact nature of the Russians’ role is murky, but the US official said that GRU officers have been operating in Yemen for “several months” to assist the Houthis in their targeting of commercial shipping, which the Houthis say is in solidarity with besieged Palestinians in Gaza.

The sensitive deployment comes as Russia has been eyeing ways to step up its support for the Iran-backed Houthis.

President Vladimir Putin mulled providing the Houthis with sophisticated anti-ship cruise missiles, but was dissuaded from doing so after the direct intervention of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, MEE revealed in June.


The Wall Street Journal confirmed the report in July but added that the US is still concerned Putin could arm the Houthis, potentially as a way to dissuade the US from allowing Ukraine to strike deeper into Russian territory.

“If Russia were to give the Houthis arms, putting technical advisors on the ground would be the first step to doing so,” Samuel Ramani, an expert on Russia's foreign policy in the Middle East and Africa at the Royal United Services Institute, told MEE.

....



Current and former US officials have told MEE they believe Putin sees the rising tensions in the Middle East as a weak spot to pressure the US over its support for Ukraine.

“There is a connection between Russia's war on Ukraine and the Red Sea," General Frank Mckenzie, the retired commander of US Central Command, previously told MEE.

"Putin sees the US responsible for Ukrainian attacks on Russian vessels in the Black Sea. It is possible he could see doing something in the Red Sea as payback,” he said.

The US says the Houthis are relying on Iranian support to conduct their strikes, but the group also appears to be leaning heavily on open-source shipping data to draw up their target lists.

Putin’s decision to dispatch GRU officials on the ground in Yemen could be motivated by a desire to better organise the Houthis' intelligence capabilities.

Russia is not shy about putting boots on the ground in the Middle East.

Russia’s Wagner mercenary group operates in Libya and the arid Sahel region. Russia’s military is also deployed in Syria where it supports President Bashar al-Assad. Meanwhile, in Sudan, Russia is pushing ahead with plans for a Red Sea naval base, MEE has reported.

“It makes sense Putin would want people on the ground to see how the Houthis are targeting and make sure Russian vessels aren’t hit,” Ramani said.


https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/e...gence-suggests

[frank ryan]

US citizens being told to bounce out of Lebanon ASAP. That's not a good sign.

[Maximus]

So uh iran actually winning to go to war with Israel?