So spoke Sheikh Naim Qassem
and the deadliest Hezbollah attack against Israel ever + Israel burning people alive in Gaza + Spain calling for halt to free trade agreement with Israel + Outlaw US Empire deploying THAAD in Israel
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Lots of events worth reporting in the last few days, so I will introduce chapters in this article, to make navigation easier, but I will try to be more consistent from this week, to avoid making such long articles.
So spoke Sheikh Naim Qassem
Let’s start with the what is probably the least reported item in the news of the last ~72 hours, i.e. the meaningful and powerful speech1 that Hezbollah's Deputy Secretary General, Sheikh Naim Qassem gave this afternoon, as reported by Al Mayadeen in its Short News, with a summary in this article (all emphasis mine):
"Israel" and those behind it kill and commit massacres, we must take a stand against this.
We in the Resistance have been raised by the great leader, Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
Sayyed Nasrallah's positions are the principles by which we work, his words the light of our path, and his speech the pillar of our movement.
"Israel" dependent on crimes that terrorize others, and on unbridled support of the US.
Lebanon cannot be separated from Palestine, nor the region from Palestine.
Sayyed Nasrallah has not left us, as we have fighters conducting battles through his will, and his people continues steadfast out of love for him, our hope in victory knows no bounds.
Al-Aqsa Flood aimed at delivering a message to the world after more than 75 years of occupation, massacres, and assaults.
Al-Aqsa Flood a legitimate right for Palestinians and all who support them; Lebanon and region cannot be separated from Palestine.
Occupation only left Lebanon because of resistance; our country lies within the scope of "Israel's" expansionist project.
Our support for Palestinians is a support for justice; as they have been wronged, as such we are capping the Israeli expansionist project by doing so.
If it weren't for the US, the Greater Satan, "Israel" would not have been able to gain control like this, pursuing a "New Middle East."
The genocide being conducted by "Israel" and the US means they are both partners in implementing a new Middle East, in the Israeli fashion.
We were asked to put an end to the war and move more than 10 km from the border so as not to provoke "Israel", however we insisted on a ceasefire in Gaza.
For those talking about the damage that has been inflicted upon Lebanon we say, "Who is causing it? Is it not the aggression? Is the person defending [the land] causing this destruction?"
We are fighting honorably, but they are targeting civilians, women and children and hospitals, because the Israeli project is a destructive one.
Where are the UN and West now that "Israel" has asked UNIFIL forces to leave? Where are the international resolutions that they call to implement?
We are the ones who will grab the enemy by its leash and take it back to the barn.
We are no longer in the phase of support, rather we now face an Israeli war against us.
What has been accomplished on the field these past two weeks has been greater and better than expected, because the mission of the Resistance was not only to halt advance, but to pursue.
Our youthful fighters await the enemy to fight against it, our new equation is to "hurt the enemy".
Since enemy has targeted all of Lebanon, we have the right to target any location in the entity, we will choose as we see fit.
Enemy aiding us in striking it through its interceptors, the remains of which are falling on settlements.
Israelis must not believe their government regarding our capabilities, the legend that is Gaza stands as an example of this.
We have regained our footing and restored our executive leadership; there are no positions left to be filled; each position even has a deputy.
I also recommend this Al Mayadeen article on Sayyed Nasrallah's martyrdom.
Now, let’s have a look at the main events since last weekend, in a more-or-less chronological order:
Hezbollah drone attack hits Israeli soldiers
In the evening of Sunday 13th October 2024, a drone attack carried out by Hezbollah hit an Israeli military base south of Haifa, killing at least three soldiers and injuring dozens of others, according to the first reports (e.g. Al Mayadeen - the death toll was later updated to 4), thus resulting in one of the bloodiest attacks on Israel in more than one year. The attack took place in a Golani Brigade barracks in the Binyamina district, during a time when several soldiers were gathered in the facility for dinner.
According to Israeli media, cited by Al Mayadeen, the explosion left at least 67 people injured, some seriously. Hezbollah claimed the attack with the following statement:
The Islamic Resistance carried out an operation on the evening of Sunday, October 13, 2024, launching a squadron of attack drones at a training camp of the Golani Brigade in Binyamina, south of Haifa.
The Islamic Resistance will remain present and ready to defend our country and our proud, oppressed people, and will not hesitate to fulfill its duty in deterring the enemy.
A significant detail is that the Israeli Chief of Staff, Herzi Halevi, had recently been at the struck base to celebrate Yom Kippur, but was not present at the time of the attack. According to some sources, Halevi himself may have been the target, which shows the effectiveness of Hezbollah's espionage operations, which gathered crucial information before striking.
Yesterday, Monday 14th October 2024, Hezbollah released a statement revealing the details of its complex operation and warning Little Satan of the dire consequences it would suffer if it continues its attacks against Lebanon. There have been some speculations about how Hezbollah carried out its attack, but the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon explained it quite clearly in its statement, which has been summarized by Al Mayadeen in this article:
In a complex operation, Hezbollah's missile force launched tens of missiles at various targets in Nahariya and Akka to trigger the occupation's Air Defense systems. Hezbollah's air force then simultaneously deployed swarms of drones of various types, including some that were employed for the first time, toward Akka and Nahariya as well.
The drones successfully pierced through defense radars without being detected, reaching its military target: the training camp of the Golani Brigade in Binyamina, south of the occupied city of Haifa, and detonated in rooms where tens of Israeli occupation soldiers, including senior officers, were preparing participate in the aggression against Lebanon. Tens were confirmed killed and injured.
In summary: saturation of air defences.
What is remarkable is not much the number of casualties, rather the fact that drone managed to get into the base undetected, with no air raid sirens or advanced warnings of the incoming drone strike, thus exposing gaps in Israeli air defences, as reported in another Al Mayadeen article. The radars probably missed the drone either because it reduced its altitude in its flight path or because of its composite material or a combination of both. Is the drone used by Hezbollah to hit the Israeli military base in Binyamina the same as one of those showed in the video below, which Hezbollah released last night with the title “Our Capabilities Are in Excellent Shape”?
In any case, as mentioned by Al Mayadeen in this article…
By releasing this video, Hezbollah effectively counters Israeli claims of having successfully struck the resistance's strategic capabilities, particularly its drone air force.
It is also worth remembering that Hezbollah has always had good reconnaissance drones in the air over Israel, taking nice pictures of military bases, as shown in one of their latest videos taken with a Hudhud (Hoopoe) drone flying over “military bases, headquarters and vital facilities in the Haifa-Carmel” - see this post on the Telegram channel of the Resistance News Network (I reported about the 1st episode of the “Hoopoe” series here):
Israel burning people alive in Gaza
In the night between 13th and 14th October 2024, Little Satan bombed a tent city near the al-Aqsa hospital in Gaza. In the videos (like the one below), which are horrifying, people can be seen burning alive - watch it at your peril:
The guy at the end says:
People are burning alive in front of me. I swear to God they are burning in front of me. No one is able to do anything. Men, women, the little girl, are on fire before my eyes... No one was able to do anything, to pull them out. We tried but we couldn't. The fires are too strong... They burned alive... the crimes of the Zionist occupation are intensifying, in the south, in the north, everywhere... The occupation is committing massacres like nothing we've ever seen, that humanity has never seen... I will never forget these scenes in my life, a child burning in front of me and nobody is able to help him.
Initial reports, like this one by Al Mayadeen, gave an initial toll of 3 Palestinians killed and more than 40 injured. Western mainstream media (MSM) also reported about it, but how? Please read this article by Caitlin Johnstone to see how the Western MSM treat Israeli and Palestinian casualties:
I do not normally share gruelling videos like the one above, but, if I do, it is because I believe it is important that we do not get desensitized.
Some time ago, someone built the crematoriums and did so in secret. Today we see the world's largest crematorium live streamed. We see people burning in live streaming.
And in this shitty world, the problem has become not who burns people alive, but who is going out of his mind to see and not put up with these things.
In this shitty world, those whose duty it is to work to stop criminals work to silence those who oppose criminals.
The day of judgement will come, and it will be terrible for these criminals… in this life or in the next!
Spain calling for halt to free trade agreement with Israel
After a third deliberate Israeli attack in 3 days against a base of UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) in Lebanon on Sunday 13th October 2024, as reported in these two Al Mayadeen articles (1 and 2), Pedro Sanchez, the Prime Minister of Spain, called on other EU countries to support Madrid and Dublin's request to halt arm sales and suspend the bloc's free trade agreement with Little Stana due to its actions in Gaza and Lebanon. After meeting with Pope Francis in Rome, Pedro Sanchez released the following statements:
Given the current events in the Middle East, it is urgent that the international community cease arms exports to the Israeli government.
I want to criticize and condemn the attacks by the Israeli armed forces on the United Nations mission in Lebanon.
It is also worth reporting that, despite continuous Israeli attacks and pressure from the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu, none of the countries contributing to UNIFIL is considering withdrawal of the peacekeeping force from South Lebanon.
On Monday 14th October 2024 Lebanon filed a complaint with both UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) over Israeli aggression against it and UNIFIL forces, as reported by Al Mayadeen.
Outlaw US Empire deploying THAAD in Israel
On Sunday 13th October 2024 the Outlaw US Empire finally decided to deploy the so-called THAAD (Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense) to bolster the Israeli systems (Iron Dome, David’s Sling and Arrow - aren’t they enough???), as reported by the Pentagon itself. Quoting the Financial Times, which cites “industry leaders, former military officials, and analysts”, Al Mayadeen has reported today that this move is due to a “looming shortage of interceptor missiles while enhancing its air defenses in response to increasing threats from Iran and its allies”. Former senior US defense official Dana Stroul was quoted as saying:
Israel’s munitions issue is serious.
If Iran responds to an Israel attack [with a massive air strike campaign], and Hizbollah joins in too, Israel air defenses will be stretched.
The US can’t continue supplying Ukraine and Israel at the same pace. We are reaching a tipping point.
Boaz Levy, CEO of Israel Aerospace Industries, which manufactures the Arrow interceptors, was also quoted as saying:
Some of our lines are working 24 hours, seven days a week. Our goal is to meet all our obligations.
It is no secret that we need to replenish stocks.
Former Israeli brigadier general and head of strategy at the Israeli army Assaf Orion also stated:
We are not seeing Hezbollah’s full capability yet. It has only been firing at around a tenth of its estimated prewar launching capacity, a few hundred rockets a day instead of as many as 2,000.
Some of that gap is a choice by Hezbollah not to go full out, and some of it is due to degradation by the IDF... But Hezbollah has enough left to mount a strong operation.
Former researcher at the Israeli Ministry of Security Ehud Eilam said:
During the October 1 attack, there was a sense the IDF reserved some Arrow interceptors in case Iran fired its next salvo at Tel Aviv.
It’s only a matter of time before Israel starts to run out of interceptors and has to prioritize how they are deployed.
To sum up, it looks like Little Satan is at least knee-deep in $hit…
…and the THAAD will not help, as pointed out by Larry C. Johnson in his latest blog post and by Julian Macfarlane in his penultimate article, which I recommend that you read (both of them - they are quite short):
In short, thinking of countering swarms of drones and a volley of rockets and hypersonic missiles launched by the Axis of Resistance (Iran, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Houthis in Yemen and the Islamic Resistance in Iraq) with just an extra battery of air defense missiles2 is plain stupid. But… what can you do?
Following the Pentagon announcement of the THAAD deployment in Israel, which requires ~100 US soldiers for operation, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned the Outlaw US Empire that it is “putting the lives of its troops at risk”, as reported by Al Mayadeen… but maybe this is exactly what Great and Little Satan want: to have some US soldiers returning to their country within coffins, so that they can finally declare war against Iran. In a post on X (formerly Twitter) Araghchi wrote the following:
As reported in the aforementioned Al Mayadeen article and in another one, while visiting Baghdad (Iraq) last Sunday, Araghchi also released the following statements, just to make things clear:
As we have stated so many times, we are fully prepared for any situation and scenario. Nobody wants war in the region except the Zionist regime.
We are fully prepared for a war situation. We are not afraid of war, but we do not want war, and we will make efforts for a just peace in Gaza and Lebanon.
The Islamic Republic of Iran does not seek an escalation of tension, conflict, and war, although it is ready for any situation. We are prepared for war as we are prepared for peace.
The Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein also said:
The continuation of the war and its expansion towards the Islamic Republic of Iran, and Israel's exploitation of Iraqi airspace as a corridor, is completely unacceptable and rejected.
Today it has been reported that Netanyahu has decided to target Iranian military bases instead of nuclear enrichment and oil production facilities in its response to Tehran's recent missile attack, in order to avoid escalation. However, the Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani responded with the following statements, as reported by Al Mayadeen (emphasis mine):
Iran is unwavering in its commitment to defending its interests, and its history demonstrates that it never compromises on national security with anyone.
Iran has never started any war. Frankly, we tell everyone not to twist the lion's tail.
Iran, regardless of the events unfolding behind the scenes in Israel and the United States, is fully prepared to respond to any aggression and will not waver in its commitment to defending its interests.
As the Leader ordered us, we will not rush, nor will we delay responding to any attack, and we will respond to it at the necessary time and place.
Al Mayadeen also quoted an Iranian source cited by CNN as saying (emphasis mine):
Contrary to some misinformation, Tehran has communicated to Washington and countries in the Middle East that it will respond to any new Israeli attack.
AOB (Any Other Business)
Before concluding it is worth reporting that The Washington Post has suddenly discovered the Israeli “surrender or starve” strategy in Northern Gaza, as reported by Al Mayadeen in this article. This was followed by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin have warning Little Satan that they may withhold some military aid if there are no improvements in the delivery of aid to Palestinians in Gaza within a month (roughly soon after the US Presidential elections - what a coincidence!), as reported in another Al Mayadeen article. Don’t believe them. It’s just kabuki theatre for the US elections! [UPDATE (16/10/2024: On this matter, see also the latest blog post by Larry C. Johnson and this article by Caitlin Johnstone].
Finally, the ongoing war in the Middle East is hitting the Israeli economy really hard, with thousands of people leaving Israel for good (see here and here), big investors abandoning the Israeli real estate sector (as reported here) and the Israeli Finance Ministry and Central Bank reducing Israel's estimated annual GDP growth rate for 2024 to 1.1% and 0.5% respectively (read this Al Mayadeen article for more details). Will Israel survive the war it declared against its enemies… and against its own economy?
Of the whole speech The Guardian reported only this:
Hezbollah’s deputy secretary general Sheikh Naim Qassem said on Tuesday the militant group has adopted a new calculation so that Israel feels ‘pain’, even though he called for a ceasefire.
A THAAD battery includes six truck-mounted launchers, 48 interceptors, radio, and radar equipment and requires a crew of 95 soldiers to operate.
great article - thanks - especially for that longer excerpt from the Hezbollah leadership
Really excellent article, thank you! And I do appreciate it when you provide the full text of various leaders statements. So often when such speeches are edited, emphasis can be misplaced or lost. Thank you again.