I suppose it depends on how you classify religion, because where do you put personality cults?
2 Likes
Indeed.
Though ideally, in a faeces receptacle with a (more than) adequate flushing mechanismâŚ
The countries in the last 100 or so years ?
If the mindset of the people in power is still in the stone age , it sorta reflects on how the countries are right now.
Very large series of ongoins airstrikes on ammunition depots in South Lebanon (outside Tyre and elsewhere) but also Bekaa valley and now Beirut with what seem more like targeted assassinations of commanders.
Hezbollah also targeting Tel Aviv with some missiles, but resistance is disjointed. Hezbollah seems scared to go all out, but they are losing munition depot after munition depot now all over Lebanon.
This is not the war Hezbollah trained for decades to fight. It is different and they are reeling.
Significant number of this type of videos circulationg, of ammunitio depots blowing up. Seems depots more than launchers are targeted today, but make no mistake, this is a heavy air campaing, going after all sorts of targets:
https://x.com/Joyce_Karam/status/1838243964731670649
Meanwhile, Hezbollah just launched their newest wave:
https://x.com/manniefabian/status/1838246458924888387
But this isnât a lot from Hezbollah, anything less than barrages of at least a 200 rockets at a time, isnât very hard for Israeli air defence to take care of. A few slips through, but they only mostly damage civilian targets or open areas where Iron Dome does not prioritise interception.
I am fairly confident that Hezbollah, even now after getting pummeles, can still launch at least 500 at a time, and certainly larger launches of the sophisticatedd missiles and that they are holding back because they invasion.
1 Like
Iâd celebrate this if I wasnât concerned about the civilian toll and the justification it gives the Netanyahu regime to continue in power, evade justice, and continue its genocide.
1 Like
I agree with Greg:
https://x.com/glcarlstrom/status/1838214858250023003
https://x.com/glcarlstrom/status/1838214860816986593
https://x.com/glcarlstrom/status/1838214863358718063
https://x.com/glcarlstrom/status/1838214865850118183
https://x.com/glcarlstrom/status/1838214868282822665
https://x.com/glcarlstrom/status/1838214870791041204
All of this, the October 7 attack from Hamas, Israels retaliatory campaign, Hezbollahâs intervention; nothing seems to have a good strategy with a goal that is actually achievable. At least Russia wants to conquer Ukraine and annihilate itâs culture; invaded with a clear aim of gaining territorial control of Ukraine and destroying sentiments of Ukrainian nationalism (and due to bad intel had reason to believe it could be achieved very fast with an immediate Ukrainian collapse); while Ukraine fights with the back against the wall to retain their existance. It could and can still be achieved for both sides, but at horrid cost of course.
In this recent war in the Middle East, nothing strategic seems to be achievable for anyone and all sides seem to be losing; with Hamas and Hezbollah losing by far the worst; while israel takes a large hit to itâs Global Standing due to outrageous manner of fighting the Gaza campaign.
1 Like
So what youâre saying is, millions of innocent people are suffering and dying for a dick-swinging contest?
Sounds about right for the world, I suppose. Just donât call me a @cynicaloldgit
2 Likes
Yes, more or less. Hamas launched Oct 7 with the most mindless strategy in recent history leading to an incredibly predictable result given the composition of the Israeli government and how many civilians they murdered. Hamas in several statements seemed to think the entire Arab world would join them in war, when Israel invaded. Of course not. Hezbollah felt it had to respond for various reasons, but were unable to achieve anything. Iran was scared, could do nothing but persuade Ansar Allah, some Iraqi satelite IRGC millitias and Hezbollah to start a low-burn campaign to raise cost to Israel, but predictably Israel would only tolerate the Hezbollah rocket, mortar and ATGM campaign as long as it was busy in Gaza. All of this is very predictable and doesnât take a genious to forecast exactly. Iranâs absence the only surprise so far, but they have so far been completely cowed by detterence. Meanwhile, Israel is stuck in Gaza, killing way too many people in a very predictable brutal punitive campaign where they want to instill trauma into the Palestinian memory so they wonât dare to launch a similiar attack again, turning Gaza into rubble, with no workable plan what so ever as to how to finish the war, since it is absolutely not interested in occupying Gaza and take responsibility for the Gazans. Leading of course to loss of legitimacy for Israel.
No one can win. All of this at the very least shows that the October 7 attacks were NOT planned by Tehran, but by the fanatics in the Hamas military leadership. This war, all of this, has been a disaster for Iran and they have been unable to do anything about their proxies getting battered for no strategic benefit what so ever (possibly loss of Israeli political legitimacy, but itâs a fig leaf since Israel wonât just go away). Disaster for everyone involved; and civilians in the region suffers due to some truly awful chess moves clearly made with too much emotions and too bad calculations of cost-benift and risk.
5 Likes
274 people killed and more than 1000 wounded today. No oneâs stopped their genocide in Gaza so their bloodlust needs satiating in the north
2 Likes
This is why I was dismissive of the concerns around the pager bombs. Very small, highly targeted blasts with a radius of perhaps 2 meters are nothing in the context of the use of artillery shells with a +/- of 5 meters and much larger blasts, let alone the aerial use of iron bombs. Both are inherently more indiscriminate, and we have seen a significant use of both in the past three days.
2 Likes
2 Likes
https://x.com/emile_hokayem/status/1838210102421082450
https://x.com/emile_hokayem/status/1838210105059209256
https://x.com/haningdr/status/1838246628085424225
1 Like
I think the Israeli military gains are probably more than a bit exaggerated. Itâs usually the case with such statements, but there is little doubt that Hezbollah is getting grieviously injuried, that itâs deterrence is in tatters and that itâs leadership does not know what to do (for they have not gone to all out war despite luanching a few hundred rockets and missiles at Israel, yet they are losing launchers and particularly munitions for such a war and getting itâs commanders and troops killed). They must choose very soon.
1 Like
At the base, all wars are a dick-swinging contest imo. Thatâs what makes them so depressing.
1 Like
Itâs not just wars; a lot of human behaviour is, when broken down, based upon fundamental insecurity.
3 Likes
You could probably go further in that it nature to behave in this manner. Male animals fighting - in some cases to their death - over their territory/herd, is as similar as men punching each other for looking apparently looking at someoneâs woman. It is all insecurity, tribalism, not looking weak.
I never quite understood that. Theyâre not your (generic you, not you in particular) woman.
1 Like
I read the NYT summary of the news, which I get on my phone every morning. Not the only thing I receive, but it gives some info. Anyhow, on the escalating conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, the NYT said thousands of Israelis had been displaced from their homes in northern Israel due to Hezbollah strikes from Labanon. Is that true? And that Israel is retaliating back at Hezbollah in Lebanon to stop further attacks so the people can move back home and live without constant bombardment from Hezbollah?
Is that even remotely true?
1 Like
Yes, that is more or less the case. Hezbollah has been launching rocket attacks into northern Israel for most of the past year, and many of the northernmost settlements have been almost completely evacuated. Many residents in the north have been dislocated, because longer range munitions are now making the existing shelter capacity inadequate in places not as close to the border. A significant number of the Israeli strikes are at launch sites and sites where they believe Hezbollah have stored munitions.
However, Hezbollah is definitely not launching those strikes from suburban south Beirut. It is also worth noting that much of the border region on the Lebanese side is also depopulated, and has been for quite some time.
3 Likes