Tag: perpetual war

Ukrainian drones target Moscow as foreign leaders arrive for Red Square parade

Attacks by Ukrainian long-range drones caused flight disruption at Moscow’s main airports for a third straight day on Wednesday as Russia prepared to receive the Chinese president and other foreign leaders for the annual Victory Day military parade in Red Square.

Russian flag carrier Aeroflot on Wednesday morning canceled more than 100 flights to and from Moscow. More than 140 Aeroflot flights also were delayed because of what officials described as the Ukrainian drone threat and amid heightened security measures around the Victory Day events.

Russian air defenses repelled an attack by nine drones close to the Russian capital, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in the early hours of Wednesday. In the evening, Sobyanin reported thwarting 15 more drones targeting Moscow, as flights were restricted in Moscow’s airports once again.

Though Ukrainian drones have targeted Moscow in the past, the sustained attacks appeared designed to disrupt preparations for the 80th anniversary celebrations marking victory over Nazi Germany in World War II — Russia’s biggest secular holiday of the year.

The repeated assaults could unnerve Russians, who have been told by President Vladimir Putin that the more than three-year war with Ukraine is going well, as well as potentially embarrass him in front of his illustrious guests.

Security is expected to be tight for Friday’s centerpiece parade. Foreign dignitaries, including China’s President Xi Jinping and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, arrived on Wednesday.

Russia plans a unilateral 72-hour ceasefire to coincide with the celebrations in Moscow. In March, the United States proposed a 30-day truce in the war, which Ukraine accepted, but the Kremlin has held out for ceasefire terms more to its liking.

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22 YEARS AGO, BUSH ANNOUNCED THE END OF MAJOR COMBAT OPERATIONS IN IRAQ – OOPS…

Last week marked the 22nd anniversary of one of the greatest strategic blunders of the 21st Century United States. On May 1, 2003 aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, then President George W Bush made the following proclamation marking the end of ‘major combat operations’ in Iraq:

“THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much. Admiral Kelly, Captain Card, officers and sailors of the USS Abraham Lincoln, my fellow Americans: Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed. (Applause.) And now our coalition is engaged in securing and reconstructing that country.

In this battle, we have fought for the cause of liberty, and for the peace of the world. Our nation and our coalition are proud of this accomplishment — yet, it is you, the members of the United States military, who achieved it. Your courage, your willingness to face danger for your country and for each other, made this day possible. Because of you, our nation is more secure. Because of you, the tyrant has fallen, and Iraq is free. (Applause.)

Operation Iraqi Freedom was carried out with a combination of precision and speed and boldness the enemy did not expect, and the world had not seen before. From distant bases or ships at sea, we sent planes and missiles that could destroy an enemy division, or strike a single bunker. Marines and soldiers charged to Baghdad across 350 miles of hostile ground, in one of the swiftest advances of heavy arms in history. You have shown the world the skill and the might of the American Armed Forces.”1

Similarly, GEN (Ret) Tommy Franks took a bow for what he saw as a victory. He now has a museum in his name called the General Tommy Franks Leadership Institute and Museum (www.tommyfranksmuseum.org) and was the subject of his very own biography American Soldier. His museum webpage brags:

“The Commander in Chief of the United States Central Command from July 2000 through July 2003, General Tommy Franks made history by leading American and Coalition forces to victory in Afghanistan and Iraq—the decisive battles that launched the war on terrorism.”2

The US went on to infamously lose the Afghanistan war in front of news cameras in August 2021. The Iraq war was far from “won.” In fact, the ultimate outcome is still in doubt. The war went on to cost the US $1-$3 Trillion and goes on today under the guise of the Inherent Resolve Operation where US troops are still in Iraq in the year 2025. Over 4,400 US servicemembers and nearly 300,000 Iraqi civilians would die in Iraq, the vast majority AFTER Bush’s proclamation and the publication of Franks’ biography.

The US State Department as of 6 May 2025 has the following travel advisory concerning Iraq, indicating that 22 years later, Iraq is anything but the victory Bush and Frank described:

“Country Summary: U.S. citizens in Iraq face high risks, including violence and kidnapping. Terrorist and insurgent groups regularly attack Iraqi security forces and civilians. Anti-U.S. militias threaten U.S. citizens and international companies. Attacks using improvised explosive devices, indirect fire, and unmanned aerial vehicles occur in many areas, including major cities. Consular officers may not always able to assist U.S. citizens. The Department of State requires U.S. government personnel in Iraq to live and work under strict security due to serious threats.”3

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Israeli Military Lists Returning Hostages as Least Important Goal for Gaza

The Israeli military has listed the return of the remaining Israeli captives in Gaza as its least important goal in its plans for an escalated assault on the Strip, Haaretz reported on Wednesday.

According to the report, retrieving the hostages was placed last in a list of six objectives. Those goals include:

  1. Defeating Hamas
  2. Operational control over the territory
  3. Demilitarizing the territory
  4. Striking Hamas government targets
  5. Concentrating and moving the population
  6. Returning the captives

News of the Israeli military’s goals comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted that retrieving the hostages was not his priority, something that’s been clear for a long time but hasn’t been explicitly stated by the Israeli leader until last week.

The Israeli military finalized plans for the expanded offensive, dubbed “Gideon’s Chariot,” on Tuesday and Wednesday after the government approved the escalation.

The purpose of the expanded assault is to achieve the full Israeli military occupation of Gaza and concentrate the entire civilian population into a tiny area of southern Gaza with the goal of forcing them to leave to achieve ethnic cleansing.

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US Intel Agencies Ordered To Target Greenland As Takeover Plotting Intensifies

In the latest indicator of President Trump’s determination to close America’s biggest-ever land acquisition by whatever means necessary, US intelligence agencies have been directed to step up their efforts to gather information about Greenland, Denmark and their internal political dynamics, according to two people “familiar with the effort” who leaked the news to The Wall Street Journal.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard lashed out at the leaks: “The Wall Street Journal should be ashamed of aiding deep state actors who seek to undermine the President by politicizing and leaking classified information. They are breaking the law and undermining our nation’s security and democracy.” Opting against similar fire-breathing, National Security Council spokesman James Hewitt was restrained: “The president has been very clear that the U.S. is concerned about the security of Greenland and the Arctic,” he told the Journal.

According to the Journal’s sources, the directive came last week by way of a “collection emphasis message,” sent by several senior intelligence officials to subordinate agency leaders. As its name implies, this type of message shapes the priorities with which assets are assigned to various intelligence missions. The agencies are now tasked with:

  • Gathering information about Greenland’s independence movement
  • Assessing Greenlanders’ sentiments about US extraction of its wealth of resources
  • Identifying backers of a US takeover of the island — in both Greenland and Denmark 

It’s not clear which of the intel community’s many tools — which include spy satellites, drones, communications surveillance and covert operatives — will be used to harvest information about political movements and individuals in Greenland and Denmark. 

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Trump ramps up push for U.S. strikes in Mexico as drug cartels fight each other

President Donald Trump has escalated his public calls for military action against the Mexican drug cartels as they face intense infighting and struggle to adapt to his military buildup at the southern border. Though Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has resisted direct American military intervention, Trump has renewed the push as the situation appears ripe for some kind of decisive action.

American troops have not been deployed to Mexico for combat purposes since 1916, in pursuit of Mexican bandit/revolutionary Pancho Villa following his attack on Columbus, New Mexico. Led by Brigadier General John J. “Blackjack” Pershing, the 10,000-strong expeditionary force failed to capture Villa and withdrew in 1917.

Sheinbaum, over the weekend, said that Trump had offered to deploy American military personnel to Mexico to help her combat the cartels, but that she had refused him.

“How can we help you fight drug trafficking? I propose that the United States military come in and help you,” she quoted him as saying. “And you know what I said to him? ‘No, President Trump.’” She further said that Mexican “sovereignty is not for sale” and that she had told him “we can work together, but you in your territory and us in ours.”

Trump himself confirmed that he had made the offer on Monday, but said “she is so afraid of the cartels she can’t even think straight.”

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Palantir Partners with NATO on Controversial AI Project Maven

In late March, the North American Treaty Organization (NATO) Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) and Palantir Technologies Inc. announced a new agreement for the Palantir Maven Smart System NATO (MSS NATO) to be deployed by NATO’s Allied Command Operations (ACO).

Palantir was co-founded by Alex Karp and Peter Thiel, the Technocrat-Zionists who also happen to be Steering Committee members of the Bilderberg Group.

The new deal will see NCIA partner with Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) and Palantir to deliver Maven Smart System NATO to the Warfighter. A move which NCIA general manger Ludwig Decamps says will provide “customized state-of-the-art AI capabilities to the Alliance” and allow NATO to “operate effectively and decisively.”

The Maven Smart System (MSS) uses AI-generated algorithms and memory learning capabilities to scan and identify enemy systems.

Palantir’s MSS NATO makes use of “cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI)” for core military operations, including using large language models (LLMs) for generative and machine learning.

Shon Manasco, Senior Counselor at Palantir Technologies, said the arrangement with NCIA and SHAPE will “bolster deterrence by deploying an AI-enabled warfighting platform”.

General Markus Laubenthal, SHAPE Chief of Staff, said Maven will allow NATO to be “more agile, adaptable, and responsive to emerging threats”.

SHAPE is the headquarters and commander of NATO’s ACO based near Mons, Belgium.

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India Confirms Strikes On Pakistan’s “Terrorist Camps”; Pakistan Claims 5 Jets Shot-Down

India confirmed early Wednesday that it had conducted strikes on Pakistan, two weeks after more than two dozen civilians were killed in a terrorist attack in Indian-administered Kashmir.

India said it had struck Pakistan after gathering evidence “pointing towards the clear involvement of Pakistan-based terrorists” in last month’s attack on civilians in a tourist area in Kashmir.

It said that its military actions on Wednesday had been “measured, responsible and designed to be nonescalatory in nature.” 

It added that it had targeted only “known terror camps.”

India’s defense ministry said in the statement that nine sites had been targeted in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. 

“Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature,” it said in a statement, calling it “Operation Sindoor.”

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Joint US-Israeli air raids hit major Yemeni cities

US and Israeli airplanes conducted joint airstrikes late on 5 May on the Yemeni cities of Sanaa and Hodeidah, in response to the Yemeni Armed Forces’ (YAF) attack on Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on Sunday.

“The United States bombed Sanaa and Israel bombed Hodeidah,” Israel’s Channel 12 reported, citing officials who said that the Israeli raids in Yemen are being coordinated with Washington “while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is overseeing the Israeli attack from the Ministry of Defense building.”

Dozens of warplanes reportedly took part in the western aggression against Yemen.

Despite the intensity of the attacks, a security official told Channel 13 News that Monday’s operation is “merely a repetition of the past.”

“We do not expect the airstrikes to stop Houthi missile launches, and the Air Force is also preparing for a possible Houthi response,” the unnamed official is quoted as saying.

Earlier in the day, US and British warplanes carried out seven airstrikes in Al-Hazm District, located in Yemen’s Al-Jawf Governorate, northeast of Sanaa. Additionally, US aircraft carried out three strikes in the Al-Sawad area of Sanhan District within Sanaa Governorate.

Monday’s blitz against the Arab world’s poorest nation occurred one day after the YAF targeted Ben Gurion Airport with a hypersonic ballistic missile and announced the start of an aerial blockade until Israel ends its siege of Gaza.

“The blessed strike proves the development that [Ansarallah leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi] spoke of, confirms the failure of the defense systems in the region and the entity, and confirms the continued failure of the US aggression to stop the Yemeni support for Gaza,” Member of Yemen’s Supreme Political Council Mohammed Ali al-Houthi declared on Monday.

This is the sixth Israeli air strike against Yemen since July 2024, following over 400 attacks by the YAF on Israel since the start of the genocide in Gaza.

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It Was Never About Hostages. It Was Never About Hamas.

Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that freeing the Israeli hostages in Gaza was not his top priority, suggesting instead that defeating Hamas should take precedence over a hostage deal.

“We have many objectives, many goals in this war,” Netanyahu said. “We want to bring back all of our hostages. That is a very important goal. In war, there is a supreme objective. And that supreme objective is victory over our enemies. And that is what we will achieve.”

Nothing the prime minister said here is true or valid — unless by “enemies” he means “all Palestinians in the Gaza Strip”.

Netanyahu has been fairly transparent about the fact that Israel’s ultimate goal in Gaza is neither freeing the hostages nor defeating Hamas, but seizing Palestinian territory and removing its Palestinian inhabitants. He has openly said that Israel will occupy Gaza via military force, completely ruling out the possibility of any form of Palestinian government for the enclave. He has openly said he wants to enact President Donald Trump’s ethnic cleansing plan for Gaza, which explicitly entails removing “all” Palestinians and never allowing them to return.

So they’ve made this perfectly clear. This isn’t about Hamas, except insofar as an armed resistance group will make it difficult to forcibly remove all Palestinians from Gaza. And it certainly isn’t about hostages.

And yet, bizarrely, this is how the western political-media class continues to frame this onslaught. They call it Israel’s “war with Hamas”, when it’s nothing other than an undisguised ethnic cleansing operation. They prattle on about October 7, hostages, and terrorism, even though it has already been made abundantly clear that this has nothing to do with any of those things. They act as though the admission was simply never made.

There is absolutely no excuse for continuing to babble about hostages and Hamas after the US and Israel said the goal is the complete ethnic cleansing of Gaza. They told you what this is really about. They said it. With their face holes. They said it right to you. End of debate.

Israel has been seeking ways to purge Gaza of Palestinians for generations. That’s all this has ever been about. Not October 7. Not hostages. Not Hamas. Not terrorism. Everything about Israel’s operations in Gaza have indicated that their real goal is to remove Palestinians from a Palestinian territory and not to free hostages or defeat Hamas. And then when Trump took office, they started openly admitting it.

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Ukraine’s battlefield position is deteriorating fast

The election of U.S. President Donald Trump changed U.S. policy toward Ukraine from “as long as it takes” to seeking a negotiated peace settlement. These negotiations will be driven by the battlefield reality. The side holding the biggest advantage gets to dictate the terms. This gets more complicated if there is no ceasefire during the negotiations and the battlefield remains dynamic. Belligerents may conduct offensive operations while negotiations are progressing to improve their bargaining position. Historically in many conflicts, peace negotiations lasted years, even as the war raged on, such as during the Korean and Vietnam wars. Thus, the balance of power, measured in resources, losses and quality of strategic leadership are critical to the outcome of negotiations.

For Western powers, this carries serious consequences. They have staked their reputation on this conflict and with it, the fate of the rules-based world order. The Global South and the multipolar world order is waiting in the wings to take over. Failure to achieve victory has the potential to fatally undermine that order and remove the West from global leadership, which it has enjoyed for the last several centuries.

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