Democratic nominee Kamala Harris has opened up her biggest polling lead yet over former President Donald Trump, according to a top polling tracker.
FiveThirtyEight's poll tracker, which complies the results of national and statewide polls and weights them according to reliability, shows that nationally Harris is on average ahead of Trump by 3.3 points, with 47 percent to the Republican's 43.7 percent.
Since she became the official candidate, the Democrat's position in the polls has steadily improved, with polls moving in her direction after previously showing Trump leading Biden.
[Newsweek on August 22]
Republican candidate Donald Trump and the philosophy of Elon Musk,
Trump's propaganda aide and alleged future member of cabinet, in
case an alliance between big money and fake news should prevail.
Latest Update on 'Regional Terrorism'
included further down on August 21:
Rare interview with Houthi leader Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi:
مقابلة نادرة جدا للسيد عبدالملك الحوثي مع قناة المنار وهو يقول ان الكيان الصـhـيوني هو عدو للإسلام والمسلمين، وداعيًا الأمة إلى استشعار المسؤولية لمواجهته.
وقال أيضاً أن زعماء العرب العملاء يحاولون إقناع شعوبهم بأن العـ.ـدو الإسـ.ـرائيليّي صديق ويمكن التعايش معه
وقال أن الكيان قائم على الفساد الاجرام ولا يمكن التعايش معه على الإطلاق ولن نقبل به أن يكون بيننا
A very rare interview with Mr. Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi on Al-Manar TV [i.e. Lebanese Hezbollah TV], in which he says that the Zionist entity [i.e. the State of Israel] is an enemy of Islam and Muslims, and calls on the [Arab] nation to feel responsible to confront it.
He also said that the Arab client leaders [i.e. essentially the leaders of Saudi Arabia and the Emirates] are trying to convince their people that the Israeli enemy is a friend and can be coexisted with.
He said that the entity is based on corruption and crime and cannot be coexisted with at all and we will not accept it among us.
Abdul-Malik Badruldeen al-Houthi [عبد الملك بدر الدين الحوثي], also known as Abu Jibril, is a Yemeni politician and religious leader who serves as the leader of the Houthi movement, a revolutionary movement principally made up of Zaidi Muslims, a Muslimic minority in Yemen. His five brothers are or were also leaders of the group.
Born in 1979, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi is the leading figure in the Yemeni Civil War which started with the Houthi takeover in Yemen in the Saada Governorate in northern Yemen in January 2015.
US secretary of state Antony J. Blinken revoked the designation of Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.
Political Analysis published by
Israel's liberal paper 'Haaretz'
Some days ago, on August 15, an official Iranian X-account announced that Iran is going to launch their brandnew SAMAN rocket system, intended to transport space payloads between Earth orbits.
Saman is capable of transporting light satellites from an orbit of 300 km to an orbit of 5,000 km. Iran is said having successfully conducted its first launching test of that system on October 3, 2020.
The rocket system 'Saman' [سامان] seems to have been named after
an ancient Iranian nomadic people in the Central Asian region of
Khorasan and Bukhara and who had founded the Samanid dynasty
[الدولة السامانية], such getting independent from the Abassid kingdom.
The Samanids are seen today as the founders of Persian identity,
speech and culture after 900 AC. During the rule of the Samanides,
the 'Holy Quran' was expanded to Central Asia.
An earlier Chinese evaluation from January 30 this year, already discussed the test launch of another system when Iran's carrier rocket PHOENIX successfully positioned three satellites in orbit, a system the Chinese named 'One Arrow and Three Stars' in their own pictorial language.
By the way, the Chinese source appeared to be unusually well informed on this matter, giving a comprising overview on Iran's satellite program, however, without mentioning neither name nor location of the launching site.
Iran's first successful launch of "One Arrow and Three Stars"
can it enhance military space capabilities?
Iran has made a major breakthrough in the development of space technology, and successfully launched "one arrow and three stars" for the first time.
According to a report by Xinhua News Agency on January 28, Iran successfully launched three satellites for the first time using the "Phoenix" carrier rocket on January 28.According to the report, on the same day, the "Phoenix" carrier rocket launched three satellites, "Maheda," "Payam," and "Khatif," into orbits about 1,110 kilometers above the earth's surface.
Some Western countries claim that Iran's satellite program could be used to develop ballistic missiles.A recent United States intelligence assessment suggests that the launch of the satellite "shortened" Iran's time to develop an ICBM.But Iran has repeatedly denied such speculation, saying that the satellite project falls under the category of scientific research.
[澎湃新闻, 'Upcoming News' on January 30, 2024]
.....................................
في صفقة محتملة
إيران تبحث عن مساعدة الصين لزيادة دقة مراقبتها للأهداف العسكرية في الشرق الأوسط
ذكرت صحيفة "واشنطن بوست" نقلا عن مسؤولين أمنيين غربيين، أن إيران طلبت من الصين دعمها في مجال الأقمار الصناعية بهدف تعزيز قدراتها في المراقبة عن بعد وجمع المعلومات الاستخباراتية، بما في ذلك إمكانية الحصول على صور عالية الدقة لأهداف عسكرية في إسرائيل ومناطق أخرى في الشرق الأوسط.
In a possible deal:
Iran looking for China's help to increase the accuracy
of surveillance of military targets in the Middle East.
The Washington Post, citing Western security officials, reported that Iran asked China for its satellite support to enhance its remote surveillance and intelligence-gathering capabilities, including access to high-resolution imagery of military targets in Israel and elsewhere in the Middle East.
وقد شهدت الفترة الأخيرة بحسب مسؤولين غربيين وشرق أوسطيين، تبادل الوفود بين الحرس الثوري الإيراني والشركات الصينية المعنية، والتي تختص في تصنيع وتشغيل أقمار صناعية مزودة بكاميرات متطورة.
وقال المسؤولون، الذين طلبوا عدم الكشف عن هويتهم لمناقشة معلومات استخباراتية حساسة، إن "سعي إيران للتعاون مع الشركتين يتم مراقبته عن كثب بسبب المخاوف من أن أي اتفاق قد يعزز بشكل كبير قدرة إيران على التجسس على المنشآت العسكرية الأميركية والإسرائيلية، بالإضافة إلى المنشآت العسكرية للدول العربية المنافسة في الخليج الفارسي".
وتقدم الشركات الصينية المعنية أقمارا صناعية مزودة بأجهزة بصرية حساسة تفوق في دقتها أقمار إيران الحالية.
وتأتي هذه الزيارات في سياق العلاقات الوثيقة بين بكين وطهران، والتي تعززت بعد توقيع اتفاقية التعاون السياسي والاقتصادي الممتدة لـ 25 عاما بين وزيري خارجية البلدين قبل ثلاث سنوات.
وسعت إيران سابقا للحصول على مساعدة من روسيا لتطوير شبكة من أقمار المراقبة التي تسيطر عليها طهران، وقد توسعت هذه المساعدة مع اعتماد روسيا على إيران كمورد للطائرات المسيرة الهجومية المستخدمة في حربها ضد أوكرانيا.
According to Western and Middle Eastern officials, delegations exchanged delegations between the IRGC and relevant Chinese companies, which specialize in manufacturing and operating satellites equipped with advanced cameras.
The officials, who asked not to be identified to discuss sensitive intelligence, said Iran's quest to cooperate with the two companies is being closely monitored because of concerns that any agreement could significantly enhance the Iran's ability to spy on U.S. and Israeli military facilities, as well as military facilities of rival Arabic countries in the Persian Gulf.
The Chinese companies involved offer satellites with sensitive optical equipment that are more accurate than those of the current Iran.
The visits come in the context of the close relations between Beijing and Tehran, which were strengthened after the signing of the 25-year political and economic cooperation agreement between the foreign ministers of the two countries three years ago.
Iran has previously sought help from Russia to develop a network of Tehran-controlled surveillance satellites, and this assistance has expanded as the Russia relied on Iran as a supplier of attack drones used in its war against the Ukraine.
Added on August 16:
Evaluation of the military situation in
Northern Israel / Galilee according to
Hezbollah near sources => further down
While many Lebanese live in a state of anticipation and concern about the possibility of the expansion of the war with Israel, especially after Hezbollah confirmed that its response to the killing of its senior leader, Fouad Shukr, late last month (July 30) is inevitable, it seems that some Israeli military voices are rising in order to carry out a quick attack south of Lebanon.
The IDF's Northern Command has begun pushing for a more aggressive approach against Hezbollah, current and former Israeli officials have confirmed.
A senior Israeli security official said that "any disproportionate response by Hezbollah could lead to an Israeli attack that creates a new reality on Israel's northern border," according to the New York Times.
"Necessary justification"
Amos Yadlin, a former intelligence official and head of 'Mind Israel', a national security consultancy, said Israel should wait even after Hezbollah attack and its response to Shukr's killing to have the necessary justification for a quick and vigorous campaign that could cripple the Iranian-backed party in a matter of days or weeks with U.S. support.
"With the destruction of the bulk of Hamas's capabilities, it is time to move to the Lebanese-Israeli border," he claimed.
Invasion of southern Lebanon
This analysis is in line with some voices within the Israeli government headed by Benjamin Netanyahu.
The far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has repeatedly called in the past to strike Allah and invade southern Lebanon, as have some members of Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party.
Yoav Kisch, Israel's education minister and a member of Netanyahu's coalition, said in a radio interview Sunday that he saw "no way to return residents to northern Israel without a strong war against Hezbollah within Lebanon."
Even a number of centrist Israeli politicians, such as National Unity Party leader Benny Gantz, have called for hitting Lebanon's infrastructure, an offensive move likely to trigger a wider war.
War between Israel and Hezbollah has long been considered inevitable, and its outbreak is only a matter of timing, according to many security analysts.
But some argued that Hezbollah's response for now could give Tel Aviv the justification it needed to strike hard enough to prevent attacks for many years to come.
The analysis comes as Netanyahu's government is under immense pressure to repatriate more than 60,000 Israelis displaced from northern Israel to escape the Allah's near-daily attacks since Oct. 7.
It also coincides with leaks from officials of Iranian-backed factions and militias who reported that Tehran told them that it does not want to expand the war and confrontation with Israel, fearing that the latter will target nuclear sites inside the Iran.
The region has been witnessing an unprecedented escalation since the assassination of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh Israel on July 31 in Tehran, hours after Shukr's killing in the stronghold of the Allah Party in the Genovese suburb of Beirut, and both Iran and Hezbollah vowed to respond to these assassinations.
[العربية on August 15]
US envoy Hochstein says he thinks Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah can avoid war
..........
Amos Hochstein, a senior adviser to U.S. President Joe Biden, landed in Beirut on Wednesday to deter an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel, after the latter killed a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut's southern suburbs last month.
"We continue to believe that a diplomatic resolution is achievable because we continue to believe that no one truly wants a full-scale war between Lebanon and Israel," Hochstein said after talks with parliament speaker Nabih Berri, a strong Hezbollah ally.
Hochstein's visit coincided with an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon's Tyre district on Wednesday around noon that left 10 people injured, including three in critical condition, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
The U.S. envoy said he talked with Berri about the framework agreement on the table for a Gaza ceasefire, adding that a deal would also help enable a diplomatic resolution in Lebanon that would prevent an outbreak of a wider war.
[Reuters on August 14]
In depth translation of an X-Post
provided by 'Al-Menassa' [Tribune],
pro-Hezbollah news center in Lebanon
"Report broadcast by Channel #المنار [Al-Manar] detailing with numbers and information the importance of the northern region, industrially and economically, for Israel, especially for the advanced technology industry, which Secretary General of #حزب_الله [Hezbollah] Mr. #حسن_نصر_الله [Hassan Nasrallah] indicated could be destroyed within an hour or half an hour."
Editor's Note:
Al-Manar is a Hezbollah related TV station in Lebanon and
source of the reconnaissance video below. As to Hezbollah's
armory, Israel's liberal paper 'Haaretz' is estimating their
inventory to comprise 150,000 rockets.
Official propaganda video transmitted via Arabic news channels
is showing an extended underground missile armory containing
precision and non-precision rockets for every occasion:
Latest News of the Day:
دبي / بيروت (رويترز) - قال ثلاثة من كبارمسؤولون إيرانيون: وقف إطلاق النار في غزة هو فقط ما قد يؤجل الرد على إسرائيل
Dubai / Beirut (Reuters) - Only a ceasefire in Gaza could delay a response to Israel three senior Iranian officials said.
Here a related article published the next day (August 14):
اعتبر الرئيس الأميركي جو بايدن الثلاثاء، أن التوصل إلى اتفاق لوقف إطلاق النار في غزة قد يدفع إيران الى الامتناع عن شن هجوم على إسرائيل، رداً على اغتيال رئيس المكتب السياسي لحركة حماس إسماعيل هنية في طهران، الذي أجج التوترات الإقليمية.
رفض إيراني
جاءت تعليقات بايدن إثر رفض إيران الثلاثاء، دعوات غربية للتراجع عن تهديدها بالردّ على إسرائيل بعد اغتيال هنية، في وقت تسود المخاوف من توسّع الحرب في قطاع غزة إلى المنطقة. وتعهّدت الانتقام لاستشهاد هنية، الذي جاء بعد ساعات من ضربة إسرائيلية في الضاحية الجنوبية لبيروت قتلت القائد العسكري في حزب الله فؤاد شكر. وتوعّد حزب الله بالردّ.
ولدى سؤاله الثلاثاء عما إذا كانت هدنة بين إسرائيل وحماس قد تحول دون وقوع هجوم إيراني، قال بايدن للصحافيين "هذا ما أتوقعه"، وأضاف في نيو أورلينز إنه على الرغم من أن المفاوضات "أصبحت صعبة"، إلا أنه "لن يستسلم".
إلا أن وكالة "رويترز" نقلت عن ثلاثة مصادر إيرانية في وقت سابق، تأكيدهم أن اتفاق وقف إطلاق النار في غزة هو وحده الذي سيمنع رداً مباشراً إيرانياً على إسرائيل.
US President Joe Biden said Tuesday that reaching a ceasefire agreement in Gaza could prompt Iran to refrain from launching an attack on Israel, in response to the assassination of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, which has inflamed regional tensions.
Iranian refusal
Biden's comments came after Iran on Tuesday rejected Western calls to back down from its threat to retaliate against Israel after Haniyeh's assassination, at a time of fears that the war in the Gaza Strip could expand to the region. It vowed revenge for Haniyeh's death, which came hours after an Israeli strike in Beirut's southern suburbs killed Hezbollah's military commander Fouad Shukr. Hezbollah vowed to respond.
Asked Tuesday whether a truce between Israel and Hamas might prevent an Iranian attack, Biden told reporters that "that's what I expect," adding in New Orleans that although negotiations were "becoming difficult," he "won't give up."
However, Reuters quoted three Iranian sources earlier as confirming that only the ceasefire agreement in Gaza would prevent a direct Iranian response to Israel.
[المدن, Lebanese online news on August 14]
.........................
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke on Monday with the Iranian president as part of international efforts to calm tensions in the Middle East.
The 30-minute phone conversation with Massoud Bizeshkian followed a joint statement issued Monday with France, the United States and Germany calling on Iran and its allies not to "jeopardize the chance of agreeing on a ceasefire and the release of hostages" in Gaza.
There are growing fears that Iran will retaliate against Israel over the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, prompting the United States to order the deployment of a guided missile submarine to the Middle East.
[إيلاف, independent Arabic news center, London, on August 12]
عاجل| أمريكا: إيران ستشن هجوما كبيرا على إسرائيل ومستعدون لها
تتصاعد التوترات بين إيران وإسرائيل بشكل ملحوظ، حيث تشير تقارير عديدة إلى احتمالية وقوع هجمات كبيرة من الجانب الإيراني ضد إسرائيل في الأيام المقبلة، يأتي هذا التصعيد في ظل تبادل التحذيرات بين الأطراف المعنية وتزايد المخاوف الدولية من اندلاع صراع واسع النطاق في الشرق الأوسط.
تحذيرات البيت الأبيض واستعدادات دولية
أعلن البيت الأبيض أن هناك ضرورة للاستعداد لما قد يكون "هجمات كبيرة" من إيران. هذا التحذير يأتي بعد تقارير استخباراتية مشتركة بين الولايات المتحدة وإسرائيل تشير إلى أن الهجوم الإيراني قد يكون وشيكًا، على الرغم من التقييم الحالي الذي يفيد بأن الهجوم لن يحدث الليلة. فيما أكد مصدر أميركي أن إيران عازمة على تنفيذ هجوم أكبر من الذي نفذته في أبريل الماضي.
Urgent | America: Iran will launch a major attack on Israel and we are ready for it.
Tensions between Iran and Israel are escalating significantly, with numerous reports indicating the possibility of major attacks by the Iranian side against Israel in the coming days, this escalation comes in light of the exchange of warnings between the parties concerned and growing international fears of a large-scale conflict in the Middle East.
White House warnings and international preparations
The White House has said it is necessary to prepare for what may be "major attacks" from Iran. The warning follows joint U.S.-Israeli intelligence reports suggesting an Iranian attack may be imminent, despite the current assessment that the attack will not happen tonight. A U.S. source confirmed that Iran was determined to carry out a larger attack than the one it carried out in April.
With ballistic missiles and swooping drones. Israel prepares for 'unprecedented' Iranian response
Amid a major state of alert in the Israel and assurances that a response is inevitable, Hebrew media reported that there are several scenarios about the nature of that response, the latest of which was reported by the newspaper "Israel Hayom", which said that estimates go to the likelihood of Tehran launching an "unprecedented" attack through "huge" missile barrages.
The Hebrew Broadcasting Corporation reported that the state of alert is at its highest, especially with expectations that the Iranian response will not exclude camps or strategic sites amid Israel.
[إرم on August 3, 04:49 AM]
Iranian official sends message to Israel residents
Iranian Foreign Ministry adviser Mohamed Marandi said in a tweet on the X website:
"They left for Israel, they (the missiles) are coming."
قال مستشار وزارة الخارجية الإيرانية محمد مرندي، في تغريدة عبر موقع إكس: غادروا إسرائيل إنها (الصواريخ) قادمة
The US Navy announced the arrival of the aircraft carrier "Roosevelt" to the Strait of Hormuz off Iran today.
Earlier, Israel's Channel 12 reported that the website of Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport was disrupted due to heavy pressure from travelers, in light of security tensions, airlines canceling flights to Israel and Israelis seeking to travel.
Israeli media reported that the official website of the Airports Authority was disrupted on Israel on Friday and a cyber attack was suspected.
This comes at a time of high alert in Israel in preparation for possible attacks by Iran and its proxies in the region.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei vowed to inflict "the most severe punishment" on Israel in response to the assassination of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh.
[خبرني on August 3, 06:14 AM]
Israel asks for "friends and allies" help to counter multi-front offensive
Along with the Iran's threat of a harsh response to any "disproportionate attack," political sources in Tel Aviv revealed that the Israeli government is in contact with friendly and allied countries to rally cooperation in the face of a multi-front offensive.
In this context, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the White House, where he held a call with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on ways to jointly respond to a ballistic missile and drone attack, and Biden told him that US forces in the region have made new equipment for their forces to abort any attack that threatens Israel, but asked him to cooperate with US efforts to reduce tension in the region and refrain from sliding into a regional war.
Netanyahu asked to increase the quantities of weapons and ammunition, and to release smart bombs, which Biden promised him without expressing reservations about the smart bombs that he [Biden] had decided to delay sending to Israel.
[المركزية,Lebanon, on August 3, 06:20 AM]
...........................
Rare visitors from
Iran and Lebanon
August 1-4, 2024
“In an ever-changing, incomprehensible world the masses had reached the point where they would, at the same time, believe everything and nothing, think that everything was possible and that nothing was true. ...
Mass propaganda discovered that its audience was ready at all times to believe the worst, no matter how absurd, and did not particularly object to being deceived because it held every statement to be a lie anyhow.
The totalitarian mass leaders based their propaganda on the correct psychological assumption that, under such conditions, one could make people believe the most fantastic statements one day, and trust that if the next day they were given irrefutable proof of their falsehood, they would take refuge in cynicism.
Instead of deserting the leaders who had lied to them, they would protest that they had known all along that the statement was a lie and would admire the leaders for their superior tactical cleverness.”
On Stability and Chaos ...
“The point is that both Hitler and Stalin held out promises of stability in order to hide their intention of creating a state of permanent instability.”
On the Quality of Followers ...
“Totalitarianism in power invariably replaces all first-rate talents, regardless of their sympathies, with those crackpots and fools whose lack of intelligence and creativity is still the best guarantee of their loyalty.”
Hannah Arendt, a Jewish activist
from Germany, in her famous book
'The Origins of Totalitarianism'
A rather reluctant position takes China's Global Times, not being acquainted to surprise actions of high-ranking political leaders. The photo shows an allegation to VOX News, the voice of Trump's Republican supporters, fitting with Trump's subliminal stance of 'bringing them behind bars'.
During the last days, Chinese social media have gone viral with remarks running down Kamala Harris while, at the same time, rather praising Donald Trump who, in reality, has never been China's friend.
While Chinese social media trended toward insulting personal attacks on Harris, state media remained focused on criticizing her professional qualifications.
One of the most-read articles from the nationalistic Global Times called her “mediocre” and said Harris — who previously served as San Francisco’s district attorney, California’s attorney general and a U.S. senator before being elected vice president — lacks the experience to serve as president. It asserted that she would continue to deepen alliances in Asia “in the face of China’s geopolitical ascendence.”
An article on Baidu’s news channel said former President Barack Obama’s lack of an immediate endorsement for Harris was “equivalent to expressing a lack of support.”
Another said, “Harris has not achieved any political achievements worth mentioning in the more than three years since she became vice president, her governing ability is limited, and she often laughs for no reason.”
Meanwhile, China’s lively social-media landscape was rife with sexist and disparaging posts.
[WSJ Market Watch on July 24]
Chinese netizen making fun of Harris' cheerful nature in his tweet posted on X on July 25, 2024.
Here an excerpt from the Global Times article presented above:
拜登宣布退选震惊各方！美媒：他成为56年来第一位放弃连任机会的现任美国总统
Biden's announcement of his withdrawal from the election shocked all sides! US media: He became the first current president of the United States in 56 years to give up the chance to be re-elected.
Under strong internal pressure, U.S. President Biden announced in a statement on July 21 afternoon local time that he withdrew from the 2024 U.S. presidential campaign,and expressed support for Vice President Harris received the Democratic Party nomination,candidate for president. U.S. media said this decision marked the rapid and shocking end of Biden’s 52 year election political life. Biden also became the first renounced re-election opportunity incumbent president in 56 years. The last relinquished re-election was that of President Lyndon Johnson, who announced in March 1968 that he did not seek another term. For Biden's resignation, former U.S. President Barack Obama praised his decision, and called "Biden is a top-ranking patriot." Democratic Senator Bennet specifically called Biden’s exit as giving Democrats a “defeating Trump opportunity”. However, Republican presidential candidate Trump criticized Biden as the worst president in U.S. history. He also described Harris as being more easily to defeat than Biden. The New York Times review said Biden mastered the U.S. outbreak of the epidemic and the resulting economic turmoil. However, the fractured hopes of U.S. expansion during the Trump administration have been dashed and America's society remains highly polarized. At the same time, Biden's decision subverted the campaign, laying the foundation for the noisy and unpredictable campaign activities unprecedented in modern history. Harris has only 107 days left to consolidate Democratic support, establishing herself as a credible national leader.
[Global Times on July 23, 2024. The article was published at a time when VP Kamala Harris already enjoyed broad support for her own nomination campaign within the Democratic Party.]
Israel has been attacked by a Yemeni Houthi drone. The attack seems to be partly successful. Here is how this became possible.
Let's begin with the US attacks on Houthi installations using America's MQ-9 'Reaper' drones.
Six of these drones were grounded by the Houthis, one of them probably belonging to an upgraded version able to intrude enemy territory without being observed.
So, US technology might have become available to their enemies, the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
I would just like to mention recent unnoted intrusions of Hezbollah surveillance drones into Israeli territory, making photos of the Haifa region and the Golan Heights. Another intrusion of a Houthi drone could now be responsible for the attack on Tel Aviv.
.........................................
MQ-9 'Reaper' drone equipped with new EW pod that makes it a 'black hole' that can 'disappear off of enemy radar,' top Marine general says.
The US Marine Corps has equipped its MQ-9 'Reaper' drones with a new electronic warfare pod. The pod "can mimic things that are sent to it," Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith said.
The announcement follows the drone's struggles against the Houthi Rebels.
The US Marine Corps has equipped its MQ-9 'Reaper' drones with a new electronic warfare pod that can 'mimic' signals to help hide them from enemy sensors, a top US Marine Corps general has said, The War Zone reported.
According to Associated Press [AP], a video released by the Yemeni Houthi armed forces shows that a U. S. MQ-9 'Reaper' drone crashes after a surface-to-air missile attack on the desert area of Malib province in central Yemen. This is the third such incident this month.
Based on exposure image analysis, AP informs about the MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle in the desert that its tail component is separated from other parts of the fuselage. After the drone was shot down, at least one hatch on the fuselage seems to have been opened, but the main part of the drone is basically intact, and there is no obvious damage from explosion. It is worth noting that the drone does not appear to have any markings.
A senior U. S. defense official told Associated Press, “The U. S. Air Force has not lost any aircraft within the jurisdiction of U. S. Central Command. "The official refused to disclose more details. Associated Press said it came to believe that the CIA once dispatched a 'Reaper' drone over Yemen. When AP contacted U. S. Central Intelligence Agency, the agency refused to comment.
According to a Turkish Anadolu News Agency report, the Yemeni Houthi organization announced on [May] 29 that it shot down a U. S. drone in Malib province. Houthi spokesman Yahya Sarri said his militants shot down a U. S. MQ-9 'Reaper' drone in northern Yemen. Another statement said: "This drone was shot down by a surface-to-air missile while carrying out a hostile mission over Malib province. Others added: "This drone is the sixth drone to be shot down."
[SINA 新浪财经 on May 30, 2024]
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Yemeni Houthi rebels attacked near the US embassy in Tel Aviv. Here's how they managed to slip through the world's best-protected city.
For many years, Israel has been targeted by Hamas fighters from the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah from Lebanese territory. This has led to the creation of the world's most advanced anti-air and anti-missile defense system.
It's multi-layered and challenging to penetrate, but the Yemeni Houthi rebels demonstrated it is possible. They claimed responsibility for the attack on the night of July 18-19, 2024. The attack using the new Yafa drone was intended as a gesture of solidarity and support for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Additionally, the Houthis have announced more attacks in their declaration.
It's also worth noting that the drone's target was most likely the nearby American embassy, but the drone missed its intended target due to the precision of commercial navigation modules.
[Essanews, Warsaw / Poland on July 19, 2024]
THE FULL YEMENI ARMED FORCES STATEMENT:
In the name of Allah, the most gracious, the most merciful:
In support of the oppressed Palestinian people and their mujahideen, and in retaliation to the Zionist enemy's massacres against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.
The UAV force of the Yemeni Armed Forces, with the help of Allah Almighty, carried out a specific military operation, which consisted of targeting one of the important targets in the occupied Yafa region, what is now called Israeli Tel Aviv.
The operation was carried out with a new drone called "Yafa", which is capable of bypassing the enemy's interception systems and undetectable by radars. The operation has achieved its goals successfully.
The Yemeni Armed Forces declare the occupied Yafa region an unsafe area and will be a primary target within the range of our weapons. and will focus on targeting the Zionist enemy's internal front and reaching the depths.
In announcing this specific operation, the Yemeni Armed Forces confirm that they have a bank of targets in occupied Palestine, including sensitive military and security targets, and will continue, with the help of Allah Almighty, to strike those targets in response to the enemy's massacres and daily crimes against our people in the Gaza Strip.
The operations of the Yemeni Armed Forces continue to support the heroic mujahideen in Gaza who are defending all our people and countries of our Arab and Islamic Ummah, and their operations will not stop unless the aggression and the siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is lifted.
Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best disposer of affairs, the best protector, and the best helper.
Long live Yemen, free, beloved and independent.
Victory belongs to Yemen and to all the free people of the Ummah.
Sanaa,
Muharram 13, 1446 AH
July 19, 2024 AD
Issued by the Yemeni Armed Forces
Citizen Trump posing
for the perfect shot
before the cameras.
Editor's Comment:
When we experienced incompetent George Bush jun. and the useless wars he started, we thought it couldn't come worse. Then we learnt about Trump and his "ability" to invent reality and incite American hillbillies. What comes next ? Lincoln 2.0 and the American Civil War ?
كيف تخترق مسيّرات حزب الله الدفاعات الجوية الإسرائيلية؟
مما يستدلّ به على العجز الإسرائيلي إزاء الجبهة الشمالية، هو ما سُرّب عن مصدر في الجيش إلى الإعلام، وتحديدًا صحيفة "يديعوت أحرونوت"، تعقيبًا على الاختراق الذي حققته مسيّرة حزب الله "الهدهد" في حيفا، من أن عدم إسقاطها كان لـ"تفادي إحداث حالة من الهلع في المدينة، أو التسبب بأضرار من أثر الصاروخ الاعتراضي
لا تفضح هذا الادعاء حقيقة أن طائرات أف- 16 الإسرائيلية تدخّلت في عام 2013 لإسقاط طائرة وصلت إلى ميناء حيفا ذاته الذي شوهد في الصور، ولا أن مسيّرة قبلها، اسمها "أيوب"، وصلت حتى مفاعل ديمونا في أقصى الجنوب وأقرّ الاحتلال في حينها أنها ربّما تكون قد التقطت صورًا حساسة للمنشأة النووية، وحسب، بل أن جيش الاحتلال ما زال يتلقّى الضربة تلو الأخرى من مسيّرات حزب الله اللبناني، من قصف قاعدة المطلة بصاروخين موجّهين قبل انقضاض المسيّرة الناقلة على الهدف، إلى ضرب بالون "طال هشمايم" -وأحد مهامه رصد الطائرات بدون طيار- في مفترق غولاني، إلى الإجهاز على بطارية قبة حديدية في ثكنة "راموت نفتالي" في السابع من هذا الشهر
لكلّ ذلك، يمكن القول إن الحرب الحالية سجّلت إخفاقًا غير مسبوق لما ظلّت تفاخر به إسرائيل على أنه أحد أكثر أنظمة الدفاع في العالم تقدّما، وتشابكًا، وكلفة، من القبة الحديدية، إلى "مقلاع داود" التي دخلت الخدمة حديثًا خلال جولة التصعيد مع حركة الجهاد الإسلامي، ثم إلى سائر ما تملكه من طائرات متفوّقة. كيف إذًا يمكن لطائرات لا يتجاوز ثمن إحداها بضع مئات من الدولارات، وربما يشتريها أشخاص هواة للتسلية، على حد وصف مقال في مجلة Air and Space Power، أن تُعجز نظامًا دفاعيًّا بكل تلك التقانة؟
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How do Hezbollah rallies penetrate Israeli air defenses?
An indication of Israel's inability on the northern front is what was leaked by an army source to the media, specifically the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, commenting on the breakthrough achieved by the march of Hezbollah's "Hudhud" in Haifa, that not shooting it down was to "avoid causing panic in the city, or causing damage from the impact of the interceptor missile. "
This claim not only exposes the fact that Israeli F-16s intervened in 2013 to shoot down a plane that arrived at the same Haifa port seen in the photos, nor that a drone before it, called "Ayoub", reached the Dimona reactor in the far south and the occupation admitted at the time that it may have taken sensitive photos of the nuclear facility, but that the occupation army is still receiving one blow after another from Lebanese Hezbollah marches, from the bombing of the Metulla base with two guided missiles before. A drone pounced on the target hitting the [radar dome of] "Tal Hashimim" - one of [the dome's tasks] being to monitor drones - at the Golani junction, [another one] finished off an Iron Dome battery in the "Ramot Naftali" barracks on the seventh of this month.
For all this, it can be said that the current war has recorded an unprecedented failure of what Israel has been boasting of as one of the most advanced, intertwined, and expensive defense systems in the world, from the Iron Dome to the newly entered David's Sling during the round of escalation with Islamic Jihad, and then to all its superior aircraft. How, then, can planes that cost only a few hundred dollars and may be bought by amateurs for entertainment, as an article in Air and Space Power put it, fail to have a defense system with all that technology?
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Beyond the defensive gap
With the threat of drones being a reality, their impact in any close battle may go beyond providing images and data to Hezbollah in real time, and enabling its forces to gather field information on the deployment and location of enemy units. In a scenario of "roof without roof and without controls," as the party's secretary-general Hassan Nasr Allah said in his recent speech, a scenario like the one warned of by the American think tank Alma two years before the current war became possible: The party's drone swarms attack the air defense systems in northern Israel, which could neutralize them or cause them severe damage, and then the entire north becomes exposed to the heavier warheads in the party's arsenal.
[العربي الجديد two weeks ago]
Editor's Note: Alma Research and Education Center is an
Israel based organization rather than a US think tank. As
Alma is known to maintain close contact with high-ranking
US officials, it cannot be excluded that they are being
supported by the US government as well.
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Data passing through New York / Manhattan
probably via some Australian internet node.
The largest source of missile technology for Yemen's Houthi rebels is Iran, which has also successfully tested hypersonic missiles. So, where did Iran's advanced missile technology come from?
To develop hypersonic missiles, there are three main difficulties, the first is computer control capabilities. When a missile is flying at a high speed of more than 5 times the speed of sound, the radio signal can be severely affected. Therefore, in order to control the missile's flight trajectory at high speed without the slightest deviation, computer processing power is very important.
Secondly, hypersonic missiles can reach extremely high speeds, and it is necessary to conduct repeated wind tunnel tests of aerodynamic shapes. It is necessary to have a variety of wind tunnel systems to make the measurements. Finally, high-performance rocket engines can soar at high speeds.
There is information that the hypersonic missiles of the Houthis in Yemen are also solid rocket engines, and the maximum speed can be 8 times the speed of sound. It can be directly hit at Israeli dominion.
To this end, Yemen's Houthi leader Malik Houthi said that now our enemies should see all this, and Yemen's Houthi missile strike capabilities have become among the best in the world.
Where did the Yemeni Houthis come from with this alien technology? In addition to Iran's Persian Gulf anti-ship ballistic missiles and Fatah 110 tactical missiles, the other missiles of the Yemeni Houthis are Qahe ballistic missiles modified from SAM-2 anti-aircraft missiles, and Badr-1, Badr-P1 and Badr-F ballistic missiles modified from Scud missiles.
[腾讯网 on July 1st, 2024]
So Russia and China seem to be the most important 'suspects'.
As to me, it makes sense to compare the Yemenite Houthis with North Korea, known to have recently carried out hypersonic missile tests itself. The recently proclaimed 'deepening of bilateral friendship' between Russia and N-Korea is serving the extensive delivery of munitions and weapons from N-Korea to Russia needed to fuel Russia's war on Ukraine.
On the other hand, China has undergone a massive technological leap in the development of sophisticated weaponry, hypersonic missiles included, such that both, the Yemenite Houthis and N-Korea, could benefit from there. China's foreign policies could establish an ideal basis for some discrete 'help from their friends'.
Here are two additional articles related to the subject:
North Korean airborne "garbage balloon" and projectile picture protest Korea-Japan Joint Military Exercice
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said that North Korea launched a ballistic missile from around Pyongyang towards the eastern waters of the Korean Peninsula at 5. 30 a. m. on Wednesday (June 26), flying more than 250 kilometers. It is likely that North Korea conducted a forced test-launch in order to improve solid-fuel hypersonic missile performance, but ultimately failed.
South Korean military personnel pointed out,North Korea this year announced a successful test launch of a solid-fuel hypersonic missile,this time may be for further testing missile.
Analysis believes,North Korea this provocation may be against South Korea,U. S. and Japan held joint military exercises,Arrival of South Korea's USThe aircraft carrier is not only North Korea vigilant U. S. military strategic assets, but also will participate in military exercises, so North Korea is very sensitive
Picture: The South Korean military said North Korea failed to launch a ballistic missile from Pyongyang into the eastern waters of the Korean peninsula early on Wednesday, June 26. Near the North Korean border on the maritime border of Yontsun Island can be seen one article believed to be a North Korean ballistic missile-producing vapor trail.
Founded in 2019, Tianbing Science & Technology is a Chinese private commercial aerospace company. The company is mainly dedicated to the development of new generation liquid rocket engines and medium and large liquid carrier rockets. In April last year, Tianbing Science Tenlong No. 2 remote carrier rocket was successfully launched from China Sake Spring Satellite Launch Center. Many of its core teams come from China Aerospace Technology (.....) and China Aerospace Engineering.
Tianbing Scientific and Technological Founder and Chairman of the Board Kang YongLai, has been engaged in rocket launch technology research and development and project management for nearly 20 years, is a typical scientific entrepreneur.
Kang YongLai was Director of the Rocket Launch General Laboratory, Deputy Chief Model Officer, and Chief Engineer of the China Rocket Launch Technology Research Institute. As the youngest head of the research laboratory in the history of the institute, Kang YongLai presided over the overall demonstration design of the Tongfeng-17 hypersonic missile and the Long March 11 launch vehicle.
On 19 June, Hezbollah's leader warned Cyprus that it would become a target if it assisted Israel in attacking Lebanon. Causing Cyprus’ government spokesman to stress that ‘Cyprus has never, and will never, facilitate or support any aggressive actions against any country.’
So where have these accusations come from?
Cyprus was under British colonial rule until it won its independence in 1960 but the UK still has two military bases in Akrotiri and Dhekelia which have seen a lot of activity over the past eight months.
It is not clear if the Cypriot government is told what the bases are used for or what they’re transporting and the UK is not required to give them that information.
[Middle East Eye on June 29. Middle East Eye is a UK-based news website that covers the Middle East and North Africa. It is reportedly funded by the government of Qatar.]
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Israeli PM Netanyahu and Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades (center)
عن قبرص الغارقة تحت الهيمنة الإسرائيلية
المصارف الإسرائيلية باتت تهيمن على القطاع المصرفي في قبرص، ناهيك بسيطرة شركات الأمن الإسرائيلية وشركات الذكاء الاصطناعي الإسرائيلية على كل مرافق الأمن السيبراني وكاميرات المراقبة
About Cyprus under Israeli domination
Israeli banks now dominate the banking sector in Cyprus, not to mention the control of all cybersecurity facilities and surveillance cameras by Israeli security companies and artificial intelligence companies.
In a speech during the memorial service for the martyr Taleb Sami Abdullah, Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah issued a stern warning to Cyprus, warning it against opening its territory, airspace and airports to Israeli forces from where they launched hostilities against Lebanon in the event of an expansion of the confrontation between the Israeli occupation forces and the Lebanese resistance.
The extent of Israeli penetration
Sayyid Nasrallah revealed that the resistance has information that the Israeli enemy is conducting maneuvers in Cyprus in Cypriot areas and airports, and that it intends to use these airports in its aggression against Lebanon, in the event that its airports and facilities in occupied Palestine are targeted.
Accordingly, Nasrallah sent a strongly worded message to the Cypriot government, saying: "The Cypriot government must know that when Cypriot airports and bases are opened for the war on Lebanon, we will treat Cyprus as if it were a party to the war. Whoever should be afraid in light of the current situation is the enemy, but we will continue to support Gaza and at the same time we are ready for all possibilities. "
This prompted Cypriot President Nicos Christodoulides to declar, stressing that "the Republic of Cyprus is in no way involved in war conflicts, it is not part of the problem, it is part of the solution. "
"This rhetoric is not pleasant, does not in any way correspond to reality, and presents Cyprus as involved in war activities. This is completely contrary to reality," stressing that "the Republic of Cyprus is not involved in any way in the war on Gaza," stressing that his country is "part of the solution and not the problem," and stressing that Cyprus has played a role "recognized by the Arab world and the entire international community" in opening a sea corridor that allows the delivery of humanitarian aid from Cyprus to Gaza, from the port of Larnaca.
This presents the reality of the port of Larnaca and covers the fact that this port is under Israeli administration, knowing that there are complex relations between the Zionist entity and Cyprus, especially at the level of security, military and investment coordination.
Port of Larnaca. . . Cypriot or Israeli?
One of the most prominent examples of Israeli domination of the island is the domination of the port of Larnaca, from which aid will be transported by sea to the Gaza Strip, by an Israeli capital company.
Managed by Kition Ocean Holding, which was created by Prosperity Group Ltd. and Reem International, Mirfa has the exclusive long-term right to design, build and finance development, manage, operate and maintain the port and marina in Larnaca, and market real estate in the region. BCS revealed details of the ownership structure of the controlled entity and signed the concession agreement with Kition Holding, which operates a special purpose vehicle for the conclusion of the concession agreement with the Republic of Cyprus.
Prosperity Group is a company registered in Cyprus and belongs to Alexandru Kuroporit Services, a company licensed by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission, which was established for the purpose of performing "administrative services".
Reem International is a company duly registered in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Cyprus, and the purposes for which it is incorporated are to operate as a holding company. As such, it has 50 percent partial ownership of its parent company, Eldman.
Eldman was founded to manage, operate and promote businesses and companies, and to participate in investments, including land development, as well as investments and development of large-scale mixed-use properties.
The objective of this merger is to manage the port of Larnaca. The port is versatile and serves all types of cargo, with the provision of related port services including maintaining safe maritime access to the port, navigation, navigational aids, provision of cargo handling services and transit trade management, facilitation of the provision of essential port ship services by third parties, and other sea-related services.
The company owns Prospirite Group, a real estate investment and development company, with offices in the UK and Cyprus. The company was founded in 2006 by Panos Alexandru, who in 2006 began buying 3 and 4-bedroom townhouses in Guildford for rental to students studying at the University of Surrey. Since then, the group has become a mixed-use organisation, aiming to invest in real estate in the UK, Cyprus and Croatia, and then move to investing across Europe, with a focus on the UK, Cyprus, Croatia and the Netherlands.
Who is Yakir Gabbay?!
So far, things seem unsuspected, until the name of Israeli businessman Yakir Gabbay, a Cypriot citizen who invests billions of dollars on the island, appears as the founder, vice chairman and major shareholder of RoundTown, a global real estate giant with a $30 billion real estate portfolio.
Roundtown acquired a stake in Kition Ocean, giving it control of the management of the port of Larnaca. Yakir Gabbay's name also comes to light when talking about a huge investment of €856 million in the Aya Villa project, which includes the construction of a private school, a medical institution and a research and innovation center.
Yakir Gabbay is listed on Forbes magazine's list of real estate entrepreneurs, with an estimated net worth of $3. 4 billion, and he owns 40 percent of the shares of Grand City Properties, a subsidiary of Roundtown, which owns about 65,000 apartments in Germany and London.
Roundtown is a real estate company duly registered under the laws of Luxembourg and listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and was founded by Yakir Gabbay in 2004 and currently serves as Vice Chairman. The company has investments in Central European cities, with most of them in Germany, the Netherlands and London.
In the summer of 2021, Yakir Gabbay began acquiring large areas of real estate land near Limassol in Cyprus, amounting to 949,916 square meters, for an estimated amount of 28 million euros. These lands are located in the Ayia Villa area, 250 meters east of the Limassol-Platrice road, specifically on the eastern side of the highway under construction, which will connect Limassol to Moniatis.
Yakir Gabbay plans to develop a residential complex on the plot, through Rufino Real Estate Ltd. The proposed project will include a private school, a rehabilitation centre for a European-branded medical institution, which will support subsidized living units, a research and innovation centre, a business park, a multi-activity sports centre, a green area for the business park, and an individual and structured residential project with a structure.
The proposed project is expected to be built gradually, with construction to be completed by 2030.
Born in 1966 in occupied Jerusalem, Yakir Gabbay is the son of Meir Gabbay, the former director general of the Israeli Ministry of Justice, who also served as Israel's civil service commissioner. His father was elected President of the United Nations Administrative Tribunal while his mother was a senior official in the Israeli Attorney General's Office and Director of the Amnesty Department at the Israeli Ministry of Justice.
Yakir Gabbay holds a degree in economics and accounting, as well as an MBA from the Hebrew University. He began his life in the Israeli public sector and later became involved in investment banking.
Among other things, he served as CEO of the investment banking division of Bank Leumi, one of Israel's largest banks, and as chairman of the Israeli company Gamol Investment, which manages a pension fund and real estate and securities investments, with a total value of $30 billion.
The aforementioned is only the tip of the iceberg of the extent to which the Israelis have penetrated the island of Cyprus in various fields. Information indicates that Israeli companies have made extensive purchases of real estate in southern and northern Cyprus.
At the same time, Israeli banks have come to dominate the island's banking sector, not to mention that Israeli security companies and artificial intelligence companies control all cybersecurity facilities and surveillance cameras on the island.
[Al-Mayadeen on June 23. Al Mayadeen is an Iran-aligned Lebanese pan-Arabist satellite TV channel based in Beirut.]
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Will Israel launch a full-scale attack on Lebanon’s Hezbollah? - Analysis
