Rolodex wrote: ↑Sat Apr 13, 2024 11:15 pm
The Middle East is such a confusing and complicated place that I tend to zone it out. Add to that all the disinfo as exemplified in posts above.
Did Israel give a reason as to why they attacked the embassy?
When one hears that they eliminated high ranking members of the Republican Guard there is no extra explanation required. Those guys were running the spy network within Syria and Lebanon and directed the support of the Hezbollah.
PS. while formally "the embassy", the operation was run out of a separate building on the embassy compound. Israel surgically only demolished that annex, not the embassy proper.
Oh, if they only demolished the Embassy Annex and not the Embassy proper then that is weird that Iran would have a problem with it.
“Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” —John Adams
“Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” —John Adams
יאיר לפיד - Yair Lapid
@yairlapid
This morning we thank our friends across the world, led by the United States and
@POTUS
Biden, who stood by us and helped protect the people of Israel.
The world is strongest when we stand united against the threat of terror, extremism and the fanatical regime in Iran.
“If everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war.” ― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
‘Delusional’: Bolton blasts Trump for saying Iranian attacks wouldn’t have happened on his watch
“It’s a point that nobody can refute or confirm one way or the other. He doesn’t have any idea what to do in the Middle East in this situation,” John Bolton said.
Former President Donald Trump told supporters Saturday that Iran’s attack on Israel over the weekend “would not have happened if we were in office.” His former national security adviser says it was a ridiculous statement.
“I just think Trump is delusional on this point,” John Bolton said during an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday. “It’s a point that nobody can refute or confirm one way or the other. He doesn’t have any idea what to do in the Middle East in this situation.”
At a rally in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, Trump said that both Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack and the Iranian aerial attacks on Israel “would not have happened if we were in office,” casting blame on what he described as President Joe Biden’s “weakness” abroad. He has previously said that about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“If everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war.” ― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
All of Iranian drones of various kinds were shot down before they reached Israel.
All of Iranian cruise missiles were shot down before reaching any target.
All but 3 ballistic missiles got destroyed before reaching any targets. The three ballistic missiles hit random points at the Negev airfield. Satellite imagerry suggest one taxiway may have taken a superficial hit, one maintenance building may have taken some damage from a nearby explosion, while the third churned up some desert patch.
Number of object sent to Israel vary between 200 to an upper of 300.
One side effect of the Israeli attack on the embassy in Syria was that they forced the hands of Iran: with the strike they can decuct the quality of the Iranian future threats. It gives insight into the Iranian technological prowess (or lack thereof). It's likely difficult to tell what part of the Iranian arsenal was actually used up in this strike, but the replacement will take some time. Of course there is a certain danger there. Iran may have used its oldest generation and the stock in hiding may have more potential. Also too, they may replace the emtpy stock with a more modern and better generation of flying monkeys.
To add one of my thoughts - Iran was posed with a difficult task to retaliate in a form that met the approval of their voters. While they had a bad loss of intelligence knowledge and contacts with the premature demise of the upper echelons among the Republican Guard, the physical damage was very limited. Attempting to bombard Israel in the manner they did sent a message with little damage in the end. One of the political leadership in Teheran said they would not pursue any other measures. I believe Israel will let gras grow over the event, I don't expect any further action from their side.
I would predict that the general failure of this attack will persuade the Hizbollah in Lebanon to lie low as it has been demonstrated that their masters are unable to back them up if things turn nasty. Even the Hutis in Yemen may get the message.
Iran’s missiles were shot down – but they still delivered what Tehran was hoping for The attack exposed the limits of the US’s willingness to be dragged into a wider conflict. This may moderate Israel’s next move
Esfandyar Batmanghelidj
Mon 15 Apr 2024 11.05 CEST
Earlier this month, after an Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus killed several military commanders, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, used his sermon to mark Eid al-Fitr to equate Israel’s attack on the diplomatic facility to an attack on Iranian soil, and vowed that Israel’s “mistake” would be punished. At just that moment, the broadcast of the sermon cut to a face in the crowd – Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh. Hajizadeh commands the aerospace forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). His grin was knowing.
A few days later, on Sunday, 300 drones and long-range missiles were launched from Iran toward Israel. The attack marked the first time Iran had attacked Israel directly from its own territory, rather than relying on its proxies in Iraq, Syria or Lebanon. Though Israeli jets and air defences responded, with the support of American, British, French and Jordanian forces, and successfully intercepted most of the drones and missiles, the spectacle of missiles flying above the Dome of the Rock – the third holiest shrine in Islam – seemed to portend a full-blown war.
“Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” —John Adams
Israeli missiles have hit a site in Iran, ABC News reported late on Thursday, citing a U.S. official, days after Iran launched a drone strike on Israel in response to an attack at the Iranian embassy in Syria.
Iran's Fars news agency said an explosion were heard at an airport in the Iranian city of Isafahan but the cause was not immediately known. Several Iranian nuclear sites are located in Isfahan province, including Natanz, centerpiece of Iran’s uranium enrichment program.
Helicopter Carrying Iran’s President Has Crashed, State Media Reports Rescuers are trying to locate the helicopter on which President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian were traveling, state media reported. Their status is unknown.
By Farnaz Fassihi
May 19, 2024 Updated 10:46 a.m. ET
A helicopter carrying President Ebrahim Raisi crashed on Sunday, according to Iran’s state media and the country’s mission to the United Nations, but has yet to be found by search-and-rescue workers because of heavy fog.
The helicopter was also carrying Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Iran’s foreign minister.
The state news agency IRNA reported that an enormous search operation involving 16 teams was underway to locate the helicopter. Inclement weather, the reports said, was hampering the effort. The teams had yet to locate the crash site after almost five hours.
State media has yet to report on casualties or confirm the whereabouts or condition of the president. The cause of the crash is also unknown.
“Given the complexities of the region, connection has been difficult, and we are hoping that the rescue teams reach the helicopter and can give us more information,” Ahmad Vahidi, Iran’s interior minister, told state television.
05.07 CEST 'No sign of life' at crash site, state TV says
Iranian state television is reporting that there is “no sign of life” at the helicopter crash site, according to Associated Press and Reuters.
Reuters said the head of the Red Crescent, Pir Hossein Kolivand, had told state TV there was no sign of life at the scene.
The site was across a steep valley and rescuers had yet to reach it, state media reported.
An Iranian official also told Reuters that the helicopter carrying the president was completely burned and that expectations are low that he has survived the crash.
There has been no official statement from the Iranian government yet.
From other sources, apart from the Prime Minister the Foreign Minister was also abord amidst the six passengers.
I wonder how the reported phone calls from a passenger and or a pilot came from, perhaps perished after the calls, or moved from the wreck and not yet located?
So now I'm curious as to the 'no signs of life' followup.
But the sunshine aye shall light the sky,
As round and round we run;
And the truth shall ever come uppermost,
And justice shall be done.
- Charles Mackay, "Eternal Justice"
Iran’s president and foreign minister die in helicopter crash at moment of high tensions in Mideast
BY JON GAMBRELL
Updated 5:33 PM CEST, May 20, 2024
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and the country’s foreign minister were found dead Monday hours after their helicopter crashed in fog, leaving the Islamic Republic without two key leaders as extraordinary tensions grip the wider Middle East.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say in the Shiite theocracy, quickly named a little-known vice president as caretaker and insisted the government was in control, but the deaths mark yet another blow to a country beset by pressures both at home and abroad.
Iran has offered no cause for the crash nor suggested sabotage brought down the helicopter, which fell in mountainous terrain in a sudden, intense fog.
In Tehran, Iran’s capital, businesses were open and children attended school Monday. However, there was a noticeable presence of both uniformed and plainclothes security forces.
Later in the day, hundreds of mourners crowded into downtown Vali-e-Asr square holding posters of Raisi and waving Palestinian flags. Some men clutched prayers beads and were visibly crying. Women wearin
Shortly after the crash was reported I read a tweet speculating that the accident was weather related. The person tweeting stated that it's more difficult for pilots to say no to VIPs - politicians, entertainers, etc., so they end up flying in more dangerous situations.
I wonder how the reported phone calls from a passenger and or a pilot came from, perhaps perished after the calls, or moved from the wreck and not yet located?
--> pilot error