OF THE
TIMES
Legend has it that a frog placed in a shallow pot of water heating on a stove will remain happily in the pot of water as the temperature continues to climb, and will not jump out even as the water slowly reaches the boiling point and kills the frog. The change of one degree of temperature at a time is so gradual that the frog doesn't realize he is being boiled until it is too late.While the story is an apologue - a pretty fable meant to convey a meaningful lesson - it is one frequently invoked by militaries and geopoliticians to describe the "long game" of reaching strategic objectives.
🇫🇷🇺🇦 FRANCE - UKRAINE
The French Foreign Legion getting ready to deploy in Ukraine - Documentary Eng subtitles.
According to http://Southfront.press, one of the best media on contemporary conflicts, French military leaders have already begun training combat units to send to the Ukrainian front.
At the end of February, President Macron instructed the Ministry of the Armed Forces to study the question of sending French Foreign Legion forces to Ukraine.
On February 27, 2024, by order of the Legion command, the formation of three companies of Legion fighters began.
On March 5, 2024, the French military command and Legion command approved the personnel numbers of the battalion tactical group, which is expected to include 1,500 military personnel. This battalion tactical group contains three Legion companies, which were assigned for this purpose in advance.
These are :
- a material support company;
- two engineering companies.
- The battalion tactical group should also include: up to 6 companies of motorized and armored infantry as well as the operational team.
The French command failed to assure the number of declared personnel of the battalion tactical group to the members of the Legion.
The assumed ratio of members of the Foreign Legion to regular military personnel of the Ministry of the Armed Forces in the battalion tactical group is approximately 1:2.
During the first half of March, the battalion tactical group began combat coordination at the Courtine training camp in the "Creuse" region of France.
March 8 to 14, 2024, the 2nd regiment of the Foreign Legion based in Nîmes was reported preparing for a large-scale exercise throughout the "Creuse" region of France. 800 legionnaires and their 120 vehicles were trained in the countryside and the streets of the quiet town of "Guéret" including 40 armoured vehicles.
The staff was tasked with completing combat coordination by mid-April. Personnel should wait for the order and be ready to be sent to the front in Ukraine.
The deployment of the group to Ukraine could take place in the second half of April as suggested by the Russian MFA press secretary Mari Zakharova
Documentary of the exercise from Objective Gard: 2nd Foreign Infantry (foreign legion) Regiment of Nîmes for full-scale training at the Courtine camp (Creuse).
An Opinion Piece on March 27, 2024 in the WSJ, Openly Called for US-Israeli Strikes on Iranian Interests in Lebanon and Syria... "Israel and the U.S. have the tools to strike Iranian military capacity in Syria and Lebanon. This is the operational decisive point of Iran's campaign — not Gaza and Yemen, despite the public focus on Hamas and the Houthis. The U.S. and Israel can rapidly degrade state capacity in Lebanon and Syria, forcing Iran to assume direct control of both territories, or to shrink its defense perimeter to Iraq, thereby essentially abandoning its ability to pressure Israel and the U.S. in the short term."
IIsrael targeted the Iranian consulate in Damascus❗️Vanessa Beely:
The Israeli attacks killed Abu Mahdi Zahidi, a high-ranking commander of the IRGC, his second-in-command, and three military advisors.
MY TAKE
This marks a significant escalation by Israel towards Iran, specifically targeting the 'axis of resistance'. The strikes targeted a high-ranking IRGC officer who plays a crucial role in Iran's operations in Syria.
Moreover, the attack specifically aimed at the Iranian Consulate, which holds the status of a sovereign Iranian territory. Consequently, Israel's strike can be interpreted as a direct attack on Iran, rather than targeting targets that are "Iranian-linked" or "Iranian-affiliated," as the US and Israel have previously concealed using such terms.
WHAT DOES ISRAEL WANT?
Israel seeks to intensify and expand the scale of the conflict in order to compel direct involvement from the United States. American people need to understand the seriousness of the situation. Israel is actively attempting to involve their nation in another costly and dangerous conflict in the Middle East.
HOW WILL IRAN RETALIATE?
It is not easy to provide an answer to this question as Iran operates based on strategic decisions rather than emotions. Tehran aims to manage the tense situation in the region as the 'axis of resistance' continues to make slow but effective progress against the US/Israeli influence in West Asia.
Iran's response is not to be underestimated but the extent of their reaction is contingent upon various factors, including the location and nature of the response.
On the other hand, the ongoing Israeli assaults on Syria demonstrate that, despite the war and devastation caused by neocons and Zionists, Damascus remains a focal point in the conflict with Israel. The primary goal of weakening the pan-Arabist country was to ultimately eliminate the Palestinian cause by cutting off the main military support route for non-state actors opposing Israel in the region.
'Both aggressions targeted Hezbollah sites. The attack on Aleppo was unexpected - it is far away from the southern Lebanon front..can only be interpreted as an Israeli attempt to expand the war ..while triggering an escalation from the north-western Al Qaeda groups'
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