US deploys B-52 strategic bombers to the Middle East, while Hezbollah unveils Imad 5 facility

All the while the political and military situation in Israel keeps getting worse and worse every day...

From Al-Mayadeen.

As reported last Saturday (2nd November 2024) by Al Mayadeen, the Pentagon announced the deployment to the Middle East of a vast array of assets, including destroyers for ballistic missile defense, tanker aircraft, fighter jets and even strategic bombers, such as the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, while the Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group is about to leave the region. All this with the apparent goal of responding to an Iranian “threat”, according to Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder, Pentagon spokesperson, who was quoted by Al Mayadeen as saying:

Should Iran, its partners, or its proxies choose to target American personnel or interests in the region during this time, the United States will take every measure necessary to defend our people.

Let's be honest: Great Satan (a.k.a. the Outlaw US Empire) is merely consolidating its presence in the region while maintaining a constant cover for Little Satan (a.k.a. Israel). The message is clear: Little Satan has carte blanche in its operations, backed by military protection that Great Satana unconditionally guarantees.

Each US deployment is justified with the risk to “American personnel and interests”, but in reality it is ensuring that Little Satan acts without any backlash, despite growing international criticism. But this new deployment is not without consequences: each new military move increases tension and moves the Middle East further away from any hope of peace and stability, with civilians paying the highest price. American officials keep talking about defense and security, but completely ignore the need for dialogue involving all parties, with diplomatic efforts relegated to the background, while a military approach is favoured, benefitting Israel and causing escalation with Iran and other actors in the region.

Iran's attacks are distorted on purpose by ignoring that the Islamic Republic is actually responding to previous Israeli provocations and the perceived threat from Iran is magnified to justify disproportionate military engagement, without considering that it is precisely this type of intervention that pushes the region into a spiral of instability. What is needed is diplomacy and respect for international law. Instead, the Outlaw US Empire continues to throw gasoline on the fire and unilaterally supports a regional power at the expense of the stability of other nations, a behaviour that only fuels tension.

From Al Mayadeen.

Speaking of diplomacy, ~500 Israeli settlers, together with hostages’ families, gathered in Tel Aviv last weekend demanding a ceasefire deal to release all remaining captives, with protesters chanting “Netanyahu don’t forget, history won’t forgive”, holding banners saying “A spy in my office? I didn’t see anything. Netanyahu – a useful idiot” (referring to the latest scandal - see the latest Richard Silverstein’s post on his Tikun Olam blog for an update on the intelligence leak, which was intended exactly to sabotage a hostage deal and save Netanyahu’s skin) and telling Netanyahu:

You have betrayed the hostages. You have betrayed us. You have deliberately sabotaged the goals of the war, and you’ve lost the last scraps of mandate you had to manage the negotiations for a deal.

…as reported in this article by Al Mayadeen, which, in another one, quoted an Israeli political source, cited by the Israeli news outlet Yedioth Ahronoth, as saying that Prime Minister (PM) Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu is afraid of a prisoner exchange deal with the Palestinian Resistance in Gaza, as it could lead to demands for early elections and calls for an official investigation, which he wants to avoid; that’s why Netanyahu is focused on keeping his government intact and avoiding scrutiny rather than retrieving Israeli captives or ending the war.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid - from Al Mayadeen.

Referring to the aforementioned intelligence leak, Israeli opposition leaders Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz held a press conference shaming Netanyahu for the umpteenth scandal, as reported by Al Mayadeen. In particular, the former said (emphasis mine):

Netanyahu’s defense is that he has no influence or control over the system he heads. If that’s true, he’s ineligible. He is not qualified to lead the State of Israel in the most difficult war in its history.

This case came out of the Prime Minister’s Office, and the investigation should check if it was not on the Prime Minister’s orders. If Netanyahu knew, he is complicit in one of the most serious security offenses in the law book.

The latter defined the theft of vital security information for political objectives a “criminal and a national crime”, emphasizing that the issue is not much about the consequences of the leak or who is responsible for it, but rather that any theft or leak of classified intelligence by someone in the PM's office is a “black line, period”.

From Al Mayadeen.

Meanwhile, Little Satan has failed to capture a single Lebanese village, despite the deployment of more than 50,000 Israeli troops in southern Lebanon, as reported by the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, quoted in this Al Mayadeen article. According to Colonel Jack Neriya, former advisor to Israeli occupation Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Hezbollah fighters “are deliberately allowing Israeli occupation forces to advance before trapping them in ambushes, creating significant challenges for even elite units like Golani”, an approach that “could lead to higher casualties for Israeli forces than in any war since the late 1940s”!

In another Al Mayadeen article Kobi Marom, security expert and reserve colonel in the Israeli occupation army, was quoted as saying to Israeli Channel 12 that…

Israel is facing a challenging battle in Lebanon, characterized by drone activity and missile barrages.

There is no doubt that there is a well-coordinated and sophisticated operation in place to challenge our systems.

Hezbollah's command and control system is being enhanced, along with its fire formation.

The latest Israeli strike does not deter Iran nor does it dissuade the US administration.

This American administration will not attack Iran, period.

Israel's priority is to bring an end to the cycle of strikes with Iran.

Israel does not possess the capability to dismantle the Iranian nuclear program on its own.

Haifa - from Al Mayadeen.

Another Israeli official, reserve Major General Moshe Elad, in an interview with Israeli news channel Kan TV quoted by Al Mayadeen, said:

Hezbollah will not surrender, kneel, or raise the white flag.

Hezbollah feels they are in good shape; they are firing, hitting targets, and causing damage.

The same Al Mayadeen article quotes the Israeli site Walla! as saying that

Hezbollah’s rate of fire toward Haifa is escalating, and residents fear that the worst is yet to come

…with the head of Haifa local authority, Yona Yahav, stating:

The atmosphere on the streets is disheartening — everything is empty, traffic is minimal, commerce is nowhere near normal, and people are afraid to leave their homes. Small hotels in the city are on the brink of collapse.

Negative migration from Haifa is beginning to surface.

War has brought nothing good, and I don’t know where it will lead us.

…and Israeli officials quoted by Walla! describing Haifa as a “city under constant rocket fire” and confirming that “places are empty, people are desperate, and they live in existential fear, feeling despondent and voicing complaints”, further noting that “businesses along Haifa’s coastline are shut down, and people are seeking alternatives as emigration to other countries rises”.

Although unreported in Western media, Haifa is becoming the new Kiryat Shmona, a city in the North of Israel which has been constantly shelled and significantly damaged by Hezbollah missile attacks since July 2024. In practice, by pounding the major seaport city of Israel, Hezbollah will bring the already suffering Israeli economy to its knees.

To understand the scale of Hezbollah’s attacks, just think that, according to an analysis of the Israeli Alma Institute, quoted in this other Al Mayadeen article, Hezbollah conducted a total of 3,235 operations in one year, corresponding to an average of approximately 270 attacks per month; however, according to the Israeli newspaper Maariv, Hezbollah has executed a total of 1,158 operations against Israel only in the last month, thus marking a dramatic escalation!

Yoav Gallant (L) and Herzi Halevi (R) - from Al Mayadeen.

Given the grim picture described above by the Israeli media, analysts and military officials, it is not surprising to read that Herzi Halevi, Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army, and Yoav Gallant, the Israeli Defense Minister, are putting pressure on Netanyahu to secure a ceasefire agreement, as reported by Israeli media such as The Jerusalem Post: the two were quoted in this Al Mayadeen article as saying:

Time is of the essence to return the hostages, which most officials now agree will only happen, if at all, through a deal of some kind with Hamas.

---

---

Finally, over the weekend Hezbollah released on its Telegram channel a barrage of videos showing different attacks and military operations carried out against Israel within the last few days. They have also released the following 3 videos:

• the first one, titled “You Will Not Have Any Tanks Left”, shows Hezbollah fighters setting up ATGM (Anti-Tank Guided Missile) launchers and features Nasrallah’s voice saying the line above. In his speech on 17th July 2024, in commemoration of Ashura, he said that “Israel won’t face a shortage of tanks if they attempt to invade southern Lebanon — because it will have no tanks left”, a statement that followed the Israeli army’s first acknowledgment of a tank shortage, due to damages sustained on both the Gaza and northern fronts.

• The second video is titled “Keep Looking Up” and features Hezbollah’s drones driving Israelis crazy!

• Last, but not least, the third video, titled “We Will Not Leave The Battlefield... We Will Not Lay Down Our Arms”, unveils Hezbollah’s new Imad 5 missile facility and features Nasrallah’s voice saying “We will never be weakened, we shall never be afraid, and we shall never surrender! From here [we say]... we will never leave the battlefield... We will never lay down our weapons”. (See also this Al Mayadeen article).

---