Israel-Hamas Conflict: Updates & Discussions
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US Navy seizes attackers who held Israel-linked tanker. Missiles from rebel-controlled Yemen follow
Armed assailants seized and later let go of a tanker linked to Israel off the coast of Yemen on Sunday before being apprehended by the United States Navy, officials said. Two ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-controlled Yemen then landed near a U.S. warship aiding the tanker in the Gulf of...
It's fashionable.
Don't know where that picture was taken but not anywhere local to me.Thats pretty rich larping coming from a cntry which locks up cheap essential food items like milk , cheese.
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A lot of young Muslims are giving up on Islam in India.
Why Muslims in Kerala are Leaving Islam - News18
Clerics are now expressing their concern about people, particularly youngsters, leaving the fold of Islam.
The Democrats shot themselves in the foot with that one.
Lethal Pair Of F-15 & Rafale Fighters Harass Syria’s Russia-Controlled Airspace; Reports Claim 43 Times In Just November
In signs of the civil war in Syria continuing to flicker, Russia accused the US-led coalition of violating Damascus’s airspace six times in a single day with six aircraft, including F-15, Dassault Rafale fighters, reconnaissance aircraft, and a drone on December 3 in the Al-Tanf region.
While encounters between Russian and US aircraft trying to deter and stare down at each other in the region are standard, that this is happening amid a raging Israel-Hamas war makes it problematic.
As Israel routinely strikes Iranian-backed Shia militias in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon even before the war while also being targeted by the Yemen-based Houthis, it is creating fertile ground for an expanded regional conflict.
In Syria, Russia has “deconfliction mechanisms” with the US and Israel, which essentially involves not interfering with each other’s interests in the Levantine country, despite being on the opposite sides of the civil war there.
This means the three can attack each other’s proxy actors — the Syrian Arab Republic; the Syrian opposition/Free Syrian Army; the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the People’s Protection Units (YPG); and the Iranian-linked Shia militias — without directly striking the other.
Russia-US Deconfliction Mechanism Being Tested?
Russian and US forces have been drawn into accidental tense confrontations before. But the direct hotline and military-to-military communication channels — local middle-level, senior-mid level, higher-rank mission commanders and the top military leadership like the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff (US) and the Chief of General Staff (Russia) — have prevented escalations.
But of late, Russia has been loudly complaining about the US and its coalition’s aircraft breaching the Syrian airspace it controls multiple times a day. It claimed 43 cases of violations in Syria in general and 206 violations in the Al-Tanf in November. Syria’s south-central Al-Tanf region houses a US base just on the tri-junction of its border with Iraq and Jordan, where the Russians have been noting violations.
The latest breach was on December 3, which the Russian Center for Reconciliation of Opposing Parties in Syria (RCROPS) said occurred six times. According to a report on TASS, over the al-Tanf area, Rear Admiral Vadim Kulit, deputy chief of the RCROPS, said, “Aircraft of the so-called international anti-terrorist coalition led by the United States continue to create dangerous situations that may cause air accidents or incidents and escalate the situation in Syria’s airspace.”
He noted “a pair” each of the coalition’s F-15 and Rafale fighter jets, an MS-12W reconnaissance aircraft, and an MQ-1C multi-role unmanned aerial vehicle violating Syria’s airspace in the al-Tanf area.” This was “six times during the day,” despite the presence of international air routes that lie in the zone. It also brings the total number of coalition aircraft involved to six.
This was apart from the “eight” shelling attacks on the positions of government forces during the day from the ranks of the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist group and Turkistan Islamic Party (both outlawed in Russia) in the “Idlib de-escalation zone.”
The TASS report naming the involvement of these two extremist groups has been consistent with long-running Russian (and, by extension, Syrian and Iranian) accusations about the US role in the region. They claim Washington has at some point either directly supported or its policies have benefited radical Islamist outfits in pursuit of opposing a secular Basher al-Assad government.
“In the province of Latakia, as a result of mortar shelling attacks by illegal armed groups on positions of Syrian government forces, three Syrian soldiers were wounded,” Kulit added. The report separately said that one soldier was also injured.
Other Violations In November 2023
On November 29, RCROPS recorded nine violations over Al-Tanf with nine aircraft that comprised “a pair of F-15 fighters, a pair of F-16 fighters, a pair of Rafale fighters and three MQ-1C multi-role unmanned aerial vehicles.”
With the total aircraft numbering nine, it also appears that the number of aircraft directly corresponds to the number of violations, where each aircraft or the “pair” constitutes one single breach. Kulit also noted “three shellings” on Syrian Arab Army positions from JAN and TIP. November 28 had two Rafales and a B-350 reconnaissance violating Syrian airspace over Al-Tanf three times.
November 26 saw the Russians complaining about “eight” airspace violations over Al-Tanf. “A pair of F-15 fighters, a pair of F-16 fighters, two pairs of coalition Rafale fighters” (eight aircraft) were involved. A day prior, on November 25, witnessed “two” violations of Syrian airspace by “a pair” of Rafale fighters over Al-Tanf.
In signs of the civil war in Syria continuing to flicker, Russia accused the US-led coalition of violating Damascus’s airspace six times in a single day with six aircraft, including F-15, Dassault Rafale fighters, reconnaissance aircraft, and a drone on December 3 in the Al-Tanf region.
While encounters between Russian and US aircraft trying to deter and stare down at each other in the region are standard, that this is happening amid a raging Israel-Hamas war makes it problematic.
As Israel routinely strikes Iranian-backed Shia militias in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon even before the war while also being targeted by the Yemen-based Houthis, it is creating fertile ground for an expanded regional conflict.
In Syria, Russia has “deconfliction mechanisms” with the US and Israel, which essentially involves not interfering with each other’s interests in the Levantine country, despite being on the opposite sides of the civil war there.
This means the three can attack each other’s proxy actors — the Syrian Arab Republic; the Syrian opposition/Free Syrian Army; the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the People’s Protection Units (YPG); and the Iranian-linked Shia militias — without directly striking the other.
Russia-US Deconfliction Mechanism Being Tested?
Russian and US forces have been drawn into accidental tense confrontations before. But the direct hotline and military-to-military communication channels — local middle-level, senior-mid level, higher-rank mission commanders and the top military leadership like the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff (US) and the Chief of General Staff (Russia) — have prevented escalations.
But of late, Russia has been loudly complaining about the US and its coalition’s aircraft breaching the Syrian airspace it controls multiple times a day. It claimed 43 cases of violations in Syria in general and 206 violations in the Al-Tanf in November. Syria’s south-central Al-Tanf region houses a US base just on the tri-junction of its border with Iraq and Jordan, where the Russians have been noting violations.
The latest breach was on December 3, which the Russian Center for Reconciliation of Opposing Parties in Syria (RCROPS) said occurred six times. According to a report on TASS, over the al-Tanf area, Rear Admiral Vadim Kulit, deputy chief of the RCROPS, said, “Aircraft of the so-called international anti-terrorist coalition led by the United States continue to create dangerous situations that may cause air accidents or incidents and escalate the situation in Syria’s airspace.”
He noted “a pair” each of the coalition’s F-15 and Rafale fighter jets, an MS-12W reconnaissance aircraft, and an MQ-1C multi-role unmanned aerial vehicle violating Syria’s airspace in the al-Tanf area.” This was “six times during the day,” despite the presence of international air routes that lie in the zone. It also brings the total number of coalition aircraft involved to six.
This was apart from the “eight” shelling attacks on the positions of government forces during the day from the ranks of the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist group and Turkistan Islamic Party (both outlawed in Russia) in the “Idlib de-escalation zone.”
The TASS report naming the involvement of these two extremist groups has been consistent with long-running Russian (and, by extension, Syrian and Iranian) accusations about the US role in the region. They claim Washington has at some point either directly supported or its policies have benefited radical Islamist outfits in pursuit of opposing a secular Basher al-Assad government.
“In the province of Latakia, as a result of mortar shelling attacks by illegal armed groups on positions of Syrian government forces, three Syrian soldiers were wounded,” Kulit added. The report separately said that one soldier was also injured.
Other Violations In November 2023
On November 29, RCROPS recorded nine violations over Al-Tanf with nine aircraft that comprised “a pair of F-15 fighters, a pair of F-16 fighters, a pair of Rafale fighters and three MQ-1C multi-role unmanned aerial vehicles.”
With the total aircraft numbering nine, it also appears that the number of aircraft directly corresponds to the number of violations, where each aircraft or the “pair” constitutes one single breach. Kulit also noted “three shellings” on Syrian Arab Army positions from JAN and TIP. November 28 had two Rafales and a B-350 reconnaissance violating Syrian airspace over Al-Tanf three times.
November 26 saw the Russians complaining about “eight” airspace violations over Al-Tanf. “A pair of F-15 fighters, a pair of F-16 fighters, two pairs of coalition Rafale fighters” (eight aircraft) were involved. A day prior, on November 25, witnessed “two” violations of Syrian airspace by “a pair” of Rafale fighters over Al-Tanf.
Israeli aviation continues to actively use Spice-2000 precision-guided bombs in the Gaza Strip. The video shows such a bomb hitting a building where, according to the Older Forum, members of Hamas units were seen. The Israeli air bomb "Spice-2000" is guided by GPS and dropped at a distance of up to 60 kilometers from the target. The Spice-2000 glide bomb is produced by the Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defense and weighs 907 kilograms
Unnecessarily dangerous moves. It could trigger some elements in the Hezbollah.
There are more dangerous things: for example we could attack Russia to dislodge it from Syria, this would be a tactic to relieve the Ukrainian front, but that requires reflection.
There are more dangerous things: for example we could attack Russia to dislodge it from Syria, this would be a tactic to relieve the Ukrainian front, but that requires reflection.
They can mobilize faster than the US and France can. And they are the ones with a production and mobilization advantage right now. They have 400k extra troops as well. To make matters worse, they can arm Syria with advanced missiles.
In case Russia is kicked out, Iran will fill the void. And in case Iran is also kicked out, France will only serve in making Turkey stronger. There are no good options.
It's too late to relieve the Ukrainian front. The Russians now have enough strength the open up the entire border to attacks. This war was over the minute the UAF began their counteroffensive. After all, they are raising 17 new divisions.
There was US report that Russia has already deployed advance air defence in Iran out of fear of Syrian air space or Iraqi airspace used for striking Iran
No clue about that, but the Russians (and Chinese with JY-14 AESA radar) are helping Iran develop their own IADS.
Something like an S-300 PMU2 but with AESA radars.
Bavar 373 Long-Range Air Defense Missile System | MilitaryToday.com
The Bavar 373 is an Iranian air defense missile system. It was designed to engage important enemy targets at long ranges and high altitudes.
www.militarytoday.com
Other than that, they have received supplies of Russia's S-300 PMU2. It's a normal export program, delayed by a decade due to JCPOA sanctions.
Iran has a bunch of other indigenous SAMs too, mostly based off of an old Russian missile design (Buk copy called Raad and 3rd Khordad), apart from the American derived Bavar-373 long range system and Khordad-15 medium range system (shot down a Global Hawk from 70 km), both based on derivatives of the RIM-66. And a Hawk derived short range missile as well called Mersad. And another short range system called Herz-9 derived from the Chinese H-7, which in turn is basically the French Crotale. So their SAMs are already somewhat capable. They have combined old missiles with new sensors. And there's plenty of room for improvement.
The Russians have recently signed a deal to supply fighter jets and other aircraft to Iran. Earlier the Russians were blocked by the UNSC from arming Iran, but they are gonna ignore that from here on. So Iran could soon receive the Su-35 and Mi-28 and that could gradually be upgraded to Su-57. Iran may get CMs and BMs too. There is naturally a possibility of export of the S-400 and S-500. The Russians are at a point they will sell to anybody.
There were reports that the Russians will supply Hezbollah with Pantsirs via Wagner. That could happen. Which means Syria could get advanced SAMs to form the higher tier, perhaps from Iran as well, while Hezbollah moves around with Pantsirs.
The ME is gonna be a pain in the a** to deal with by 2030. It's probably the more dangerous nuclear flashpoint in the world.
Where's the UN vote demanding Hamas release the hostages?
It's also the the only place that would look roughly the same afterwards.