Tag: perpetual war

Israel Pounds South Lebanon Town With White Phosphorous

Amid growing fear of a full-scale invasion, Israeli warplanes carried out airstrikes against the southern Lebanon town of Khiam, using incendiary white phosphorous bombs, according to the National News Agency.

Israel has not commented on the use of white phosphorous in a populated civilian area, nor is it likely to. The extent of any casualties is not known at the present.

In recent weeks, the use of phosphorous, even including flinging fireballs into Lebanon with medieval trebuchets, has become a go-to Israeli strategy. At the time, Israel maintained setting fires was a security measure, clearing brush in the agricultural areas of southern Lebanon.

Employing white phosphorous is not actually illegal, but the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons severely regulates its use against civilian targets. Israel is a signatory to the convention, but in its frequent warfare with neighboring countries, does not appear to view the regulation as restricting its use of the substance.

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The Gaza Project Exposes Israel’s ‘Chilling Pattern’ of Killing Journalists

With more than 100 media professionals – nearly all of them Palestinian – killed in Gaza since October, a group of 50 reporters from 13 international organizations this week shared the results of a new investigative journalism initiative aimed at exposing the deadly toll Israel’s onslaught has taken on those reporting it to the world.

The Gaza Project – led by the Paris-based nonprofit Forbidden Stories – “analyzed nearly 100 cases of journalists and media workers killed in Gaza, as well as other cases in which members of the press have been allegedly targeted, threatened, or injured since October 7,” when Hamas-led attacks on Israel left more than 1,100 people dead and over 240 others kidnapped.

“Faced with what is being reported as the record number of journalists killed, Forbidden Stories, whose mission is to pursue the work of journalists who are killed because of their work, set out to investigate the targeting of journalists,” the group said.

“For four months, Forbidden Stories and its partners investigated the circumstances of their killings, as well as those who have been targeted, threatened, and injured in the West Bank and Gaza,” it added. “These investigations point to a chilling pattern and suggest some journalists may have been targeted even though they were identifiable as press.”

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US Admits Allies in Syria Using Child Soldiers

The State Department has acknowledged that America’s top partner in Syria, the Kurdish-led “Syrian Democratic Forces” (SDF), is still using underage fighters after more than 10 years of similar allegations. The Pentagon continues to work closely with the group regardless, as US troops illegally occupy large swaths of territory in northeastern Syria.

Published Tuesday, the department’s 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report highlighted a number of armed factions employing child soldiers in Syria, among them notorious terrorist outfits like ISIS and al-Qaeda as well as more US-friendly groups.

“The recruitment or use of children in combat and support roles in Syria remains common, and since the beginning of 2018 international observers reported continued incidents of recruitment and use by armed groups,” the report said.

Those include several Kurdish militias, such as the People’s Protection Units (YPG), an affiliated all-female brigade known as the YPJ, as well as the US-backed and armed SDF. The latter org is an umbrella group containing several others, including the YPG, and has long served as Washington’s main proxy force in Syria.

Another related Kurdish faction, the Revolutionary Youth Movement, was said to have tricked minors into joining up using “fraudulent announcements for educational courses in northeast Syria.”

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White House Warns Lebanon: US Can’t Control Or Restrain Israel If Offensive Starts

Among the more interesting positions which the Biden White House has recently articulated to Arab allies in the Middle East is that the Untied States cannot restrain Israel if it decides to launch new offensives, namely against Lebanon.

Axios has revealed that during his trip to Beirut last week, Biden’s special envoy Amos Hochstein warned the Lebanese government, “The US won’t be able to hold Israel back if the situation on the border continues to escalate and that Hezbollah needs to indirectly negotiate with Israel instead of ratcheting up tensions.”

“The situation is serious. What President Biden wants to do is to avoid a further escalation to a greater war,” Hochstein had additionally said. “It will take everyone’s interest in ending this conflict now. And we believe that there is a pathway diplomatically to do it. If the sides agree to it.”

But what do the Lebanese see of US foreign policy? And what do Arab leaders and their population see? Israel has for decades topped the list of US foreign aid recipients, receiving a consistent $3+ billion annually. Washington regularly makes arms deals with Tel Aviv to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars as well.

Some Israeli leaders have lately gone so far as to admit that Israel’s military might not be able to persist in its Gaza operations without the steady flow of US arms and ammo.

But the US has even reached out to Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, via intermediaries, to warn that it can’t hold Israel back in the event of escalation.

“During his meeting with Berri in Beirut, Hochsteim asked the speaker of the Lebanese Parliament to pass a message to Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah, that his assumption that the U.S. controls Israel is wrong, the sources said,” Axios wrote.

“According to the sources, Hochstein said the U.S. won’t be able to hold Israel back if the situation on the border continues to escalate and that Hezbollah needs to indirectly negotiate with Israel instead of ratcheting up tensions,” the report continued.

The US and European partners, especially France, have recently sought to entice and pressure the Lebanese government to reign in Hezbollah, something it has very limited capability in doing. The Lebanese Army is in reality almost powerless in dealing with Hezbollah, also as it has no air force to speak of. 

The US itself has imposed sanctions and limits on what aircraft Lebanon can obtain, fearing that it could be used in a conflict with Israel.

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Don’t Be Fooled, Push for Normalization Is About US Dominance

While Israel continues its military siege of Gaza, the United States is trying to exploit the situation with the goal of strengthening U.S. power in the Middle East.

Rather than seeking a long-term solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, the United States is prioritizing its longstanding goal of normalizing relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia. With such a deal, which would require calm in Gaza to bring Saudi Arabia on board, the United States would further marginalize the Palestinians while more tightly integrating Israel into its regional network of alliances and partnerships.

“I think we’re at a point where the necessary agreements between the United States and Saudi Arabia are very well within reach,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Congress last month.

The U.S. Approach

For decades, the United States has dominated the Middle East. A key to U.S. power has been the U.S.-led network of alliances and partnerships that includes Israel and the Arab states. It enables the United States to station tens of thousands of soldiers across the Middle East and quickly surge additional forces into the area.

“It’s a vast strategic advantage,” Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin explained in 2021, referring to the U.S.-led network. “It is unmatched. It is unparalleled. And it is unrivaled.”

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Ukrainian Anti-War Activist Jailed on Dubious Charges

Zelenskyy’s Ukraine has had a long and egregious history of jailing political dissenters, particularly those opposed to the current “forever war”. From banning opposing political parties to censoring media critical of Zelenskyy’s leadership, it seems indisputable that Ukraine has increasingly resorted to despotic measures to control public opinion.

In a more recent attack on freedom of speech in Ukraine, Bogdan Syrotiuk, a Trotskyist and anti-war activist, was arrested on April 25, 2024. News of the arrest was made public via an article and online petition by the World Socialist Web Site, a website affiliated with the Socialist Equality Party and the International Committee of the Fourth International. Syrotiuk was imprisoned by the Security Service of Ukraine and accused of treason due to his writings for the World Socialist Web Site, which the Ukrainian government considers a spreader of pro-Russian propaganda. This is largely due to its criticism of NATO’s actions in the region which was a major reason why Russia undertook its invasion in the first place.

Nevertheless, criticism of any government does not automatically equate with support for that government’s geopolitical opponents. In fact, the International Committee of the Fourth International made it extremely clear in its “Two years of war: Statement on Ukraine” that it opposes the “logic” of Putin’s invasion and supports a withdrawal of Russian troops.

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Israel’s top court rules army must draft ultra-Orthodox Jews

The Israeli High Court ruled on 25 June that male Haredim (ultra-Orthodox Jews) who are eligible for service must be drafted into the military, a decision that threatens the already fragile unity in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition. 

The High Court ruling stipulated that in the absence of a law distinguishing Haredi seminary students from other eligible military draftees, mandatory service applies to the ultra-Orthodox just as it does to all other Israeli citizens. 

According to the court, there is no longer any legal basis for the Israeli government to grant blanket exemptions to Haredim students nor to instruct the military not to draft them.

“This is a historic victory for the rule of law and the principle of equality in the burden of military service,” said the Movement for Quality Government in Israel, which has been petitioning for the court to rule in favor of ending Haredi exemption from army service.

“We call on the government and the defense minister to implement the decision without delay, to comply with the High Court’s order, and to work immediately to draft yeshiva students,” the statement added. 

Ultra-Orthodox Israeli Jews of military age have been able to avoid compulsory enlistment into the army for decades by enrolling in yeshivas (religious schools) and obtaining repeated one-year service deferrals until they reach the age of military exemption.

The issue has been a source of great tension in Israel lately, particularly following the start of the war – as many in the government believe that the burden of service falls on all Israelis. Others, namely the leaders of far-right religious parties on which the coalition relies, have been pushing for continued exemptions of the Haredim. The government has for months been attempting to reach a consensus on the matter. 

Opposition leaders from both right-wing and left-wing parties praised the Supreme Court ruling. 

Head of the Yisrael Beytenu party, Avigdor Lieberman, congratulated the court for taking “a significant step on the way to historical change,” noting that the army’s losses from the fighting in Gaza will require more personnel. 

“Congratulations on a just decision of the High Court of Justice. Where there is no government there is justice,” said the leader of the Israeli Labor Party, Yair Golan. 

Benny Gantz, National Unity leader and former war cabinet member, blamed Netanyahu for seeking “solutions for maintaining the coalition” rather than dealing with the severe enlistment crisis Israel currently faces as a result of the war. 

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Terror from all sides: The U.S.’ new bet against the Russian Federation

June 23, 2024 will be remembered by future generations as one of the saddest days in the history of the Russian Federation. Another tragic day added to the long list of heartbreaking dates in recent times.

Russia’s enemies want to resume the days of terror of the 1990s and 2000s. At the time, separatists from the Caucasus killed or injured thousands of victims in cowardly attacks across Russian territory with the sole intention of generating chaos, insecurity and social instability. Decades later, some extremists plan to do the same. Just like the terrorists of the past, today’s assassins are armed and financed by the Collective West and serve as instruments in NATO’s constant attempt to destroy the Russian Federation.

On June 23, two major terrorist attacks took place in different regions of Russia. In Sevastopol, the capital of Crimea, the Kiev regime launched American missiles at a beach, killing civilians, including children. Hours later, in Dagestan, Russia’s Muslim-majority region in the Caucasus, Salafist radicals attacked Orthodox churches and synagogues, killing dozens of civilian worshipers. As it was Pentecost Sunday, one of the most important dates in Orthodox Christianity, many believers prayed in churches and became easy targets for terrorists.

For those unfamiliar with the reality of anti-Russian terrorism , the cases may appear to have different reasons and actors. But, in fact, both events are deeply connected.

Recently, there have been a series of attempted terrorist attacks on Russian territory. Few of these attacks are successful , as the Russian security service efficiently neutralizes most threats. However, some criminal operations unfortunately occur, generating victims, such as the recent Crocus City Hall Massacre, as well as the latest case in Dagestan.

It is naive to think that the attacks in Crocus or Dagestan are a simple action by “ISIS” or any other radical Islamic militia. These terrorist groups do not act alone, being only proxies for Western powers and serving as false flags to disguise the involvement of intelligence agencies linked to NATO. In practice, it is possible to say that every attack by a radical Salafist in Russia means precisely an intelligence operation conducted by Western agents.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian armed forces and Kiev’s neo-Nazi militias continue daily to carry out terrorist incursions across Russian borders, bringing panic to ordinary people in peaceful, demilitarized regions such as Crimea, Belgorod and Kursk. In practice, Russia’s enemies seem to want to promote terror from all sides, attacking Russian civilians on the borders, in the capital and in the provinces.

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Will Biden Drag Americans Into a War in Lebanon?

It was September 1983, and a young senator named Joe Biden had a message for President Ronald Reagan. “I would not support any authorization for troops in Lebanon of any duration absent much more clearly defined goals and a reasonable prospect of attaining those goals,” Biden said, commenting on a proposed congressional war powers resolution.

U.S. Marines had been deployed to Lebanon as part of peacekeeping mission in the wake of an Israeli invasion aimed at destroying Palestinian militias, and Congress was debating whether to continue the mission. A month after Biden’s warning, a truck bomb killed 241 American and 58 French peacekeepers in their barracks, and Reagan pulled out the Americans.

Today, Biden is considering sending U.S. forces back into the fray—not as bystanders but as direct combatants—with far less permission from Congress.

Since the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza, a parallel border conflict has been raging in the north. The Lebanese militia Hezbollah and the Israeli army are shelling into each other’s territory, forcing around 100,000 people on each side of the border out of their homes. Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, has said that it will continue until an Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire is reached in Gaza. Israeli officials are considering a “blitzkrieg” offensive to neuter Hezbollah.

Last year, Biden dissuaded Israel from launching an invasion of Lebanon. He has also dispatched U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein, an Israeli army veteran who previously secured an Israeli-Lebanese border agreement, to mediate between the two sides. But while he’s discouraging an Israeli invasion, Biden is also promising to back one up if it happens.

CNN reported on Friday that the Biden administration was offering “assurances” of U.S. military support to Israel if a major war breaks out, “though the US would not deploy American troops to the ground in such a scenario.” Then, on Monday, Politico reported that Biden was contemplating “more direct military support” if Israel comes under “severe duress.”

And that’s a real likelihood. Separately, a U.S. official told CNN last week that Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system “will be overwhelmed” in the event of a full-on missile war, according to U.S. assessments. A week ago, Hezbollah published a video of one of its drones hovering over the Israeli port city of Haifa.

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Why Putin Sent Russian Ships to Cuba

On June 17, Russian naval vessels left Cuba without incident, concluding a five-day visit. The visit may have been without incident, but it wasn’t without meaning. Frustrated that their diplomatic messages were not being heard, Russia sent a louder message. But that message may not have simply been about projecting power as the West has presented it.

On June 12, four Russian naval vessels docked at Havana Bay in Cuba, just 90 miles from the coast of Florida. The vessels included the Admiral Gorshkov frigate and the Kazan submarine. Though they can both carry advanced weapons, neither were carrying nuclear weapons.

The two vessels make a strong statement. The Russian frigate Admiral Gorshkov, “one of the Russian Navy’s most modern ships,” is capable of being armed with Zircon hypersonic missiles. The Kazan submarine is a nuclear-powered submarine that is one of the Yasen-class submarines “that has worried the US and Western militaries for years due to its stealth and strike capabilities.” It is quiet and tough to track and can carry cruise missiles.

Though the Pentagon has said that the Russian fleet does not pose a threat to the United States, the U.S. has deployed ships, reconnaissance planes and sea drones to monitor and track the vessels. The U.S. also sent a fast-attack submarine to Guantanamo Bay and their Canadian ally sent a navy patrol ship into Havana.

Though saying they do not pose an actual threat, the mainstream media has portrayed the arrival of the ships as a Russian demonstration of its ability to project power into America’s hemisphere and backyard.

It is not possible to divine Russia’s intention. The official Russian statement is that “Naval exercises are standard practice in very varied parts of the world, and are standard practice for states – in particular those that are major naval powers like the Russian Federation. The carrying out of such visits is also a widespread practice.”

But, though it is impossible to read Russia’s intention in sending the ships, it is not difficult to see the effect. There are two significant messages to be read in the arrival of the Russian fleet.

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