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AK47

Hezbollah declares escalation to 'new phase' of conflict


RT
Fri, 18 Oct 2024 14:48 UTC
Lebanese Hezbollah fighters
© Fadel Itani/Getty ImagesFILE PHOTO. Lebanese Hezbollah fighters.
The Lebanese Shia Islamist militant group Hezbollah has said its military confrontation with Israel is entering a new phase following the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in Gaza earlier this week.

Hezbollah had considerably stepped up its missile strikes on the neighboring country after the start of Israel's military operation against Hamas in the Palestinian enclave last fall. This in turn was launched after Hamas militants staged a deadly incursion into Israeli territory in October 2023, killing around 1,100 people and taking more than 200 hostages.

Last month a series of hand-held pagers and radios exploded across Lebanon, killing dozens and wounding thousands of Hezbollah militants as well as civilians. While Israel has not officially claimed responsibility, many observers believe the country's intelligence services were behind the attack. It has been followed by massive Israeli airstrikes and a limited ground operation in southern Lebanon that kicked off earlier this month.

According to Lebanese authorities, more than 2,000 people have been killed by Israeli attacks on the country since last October.
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Eagle

Beware of war hawks in "America first" clothing

Connor O'Keeffe
Mises Wire
Wed, 16 Oct 2024 13:12 UTC
war hawk, America first
For the past eight years, the two major political parties have been gripped by a messy and ongoing realignment. It began with the election of Donald Trump in 2016, which was a major repudiation of the neoconservative-establishment coalition that had dominated the Republican Party since the presidency of George W. Bush.

Trump's condemnation of the war in Iraq — which he correctly said was sold on lies — and his skepticism of continuing to fund radical Islamists in a misguided attempt to overthrow the government in Syria drove some of the staunchest Bush-era neoconservatives to leave the Republican Party and do everything they could to keep Trump out of power. It didn't work.

Trump's four years in office only accelerated the realignment. By the time the 2020 election rolled around, the political establishment had awakened and thrown its entire weight behind Joe Biden. Of course, Donald Trump stuck around after leaving office and is now, for the third time, the Republican nominee for President.

This election cycle has seen the same establishment support for Trump's opponents that we've seen previously, along with "defections" from former high-level Republicans like W. Bush's own Vice President Dick Cheney. Whether we're seeing a permanent change in the Republican Party or a temporary coalition against one candidate will rest on what happens on and after election day next month. But it's clear that, at least for the time being, the neoconservative domination of the American Right has dissipated.

Comment: The only path forward that can lead to real and lasting prosperity for America is one where the foreign policy of peace is not only the end but also the means of achieving that end. As JFK put it:



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Quenelle - Golden

Macron chides ministers for leaking comment on Israel creation


RT
Fri, 18 Oct 2024 09:51 UTC
Macron
The French president berates officials for leaking his remark that as a creation of the UN, Israel should respect the body's decisions.

French President Emmanuel Macron has slammed his own ministers for leaking a comment concerning Israel that he made during a closed-door Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. The remark drew a sharp rebuke from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Earlier this week, AFP news agency, citing an unnamed meeting attendee, reported President Macron as saying on Tuesday that "Netanyahu must not forget that his country was created by a UN decision." He was referring to a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1947 on a plan to partition Palestine into Jewish and Arab states. According to the media outlet, the French head of state added that "this is not the time to break away from UN decisions."

Israel is currently at odds with the UN over international calls to cease hostilities in Lebanon, where the IDF is engaged in a ground operation against Hezbollah militants.

Comment: Macron, like other leaders may say certain things behind the curtain, but have no wish for those things to be aired in public. They know that Israel can, will and does blackmail them whenever support for 'poor' Israel is needed. Israel can get rid of any politician in the Western world who is not totally behind Israel and the Zionist cause, which helps to explain the silence from Western 'leaders' about the genocide taking place at the moment.

See Psychopaths: Control through Calculated Ferocity

ponerology dark personality attibrutes


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Evil Rays

Will Kiev's backers wake up to the reality of its neo-Nazi problem?

Tarik Cyril Amar
RT
Fri, 18 Oct 2024 08:55 UTC
batallion azov
Ukraine's hyper-nationalists and extremists are supposedly not really there and yet they are strong enough to force the government's hand.

Ukraine under the Zelensky regime is a place that is difficult to comprehend. It has a "democracy" but no functioning opposition. It features the usual "vibrant civil society" that every monoglot Western correspondent loves to hang out with in up-to-date coffeeshops, but it has no independent media to speak of.

Last but not least, its far right is either simply not there or marginal and irrelevant, as multiple Western "experts" have assured us, but it also has a veto on an essential, literally vital question of foreign policy, namely if and how to make peace in order to end a devastating war.

That peculiar power of Ukraine's far right is at the core of a long article recently published by France 24. The head of the Ukrainian parliament's foreign affairs committee, Aleksandr Merezhko, we learn, has caused heated discussions. Also a member of Zelensky's Servant of the People party, Merezhko has triggered some of his compatriots with statements he made in the Financial Times.

There, he admitted that Ukraine's society is "exhausted." Another (presumably) anonymous "senior official" drew the logical conclusion, namely that "most players want de-escalation here." That is transparent code for admitting de facto defeat and seeking a compromise peace with Russia. It would, of course, require substantial concessions from Kiev, as Moscow is winning the war against Ukraine and its Western supporters.

Comment: It is a curious thing that any opposition in the West is quickly labelled far right and even nazism, whereas the West rejects any talk of nazism in Ukraine (and the Baltic states).

See also:

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Arrow Down

Secrets and Lies: This is how the West doomed Ukraine

Glenn Diesen
RT
Wed, 16 Oct 2024 16:28 UTC
BorisVlad
© Alexey Furman/Getty ImagesBoris Johnson and Vladimir Zelensky
The desire of the US and UK to conduct a proxy war destroyed the Istanbul+ process.

In February 2022, Russia started its military operation against Ukraine to impose a settlement after a group of NATO countries had undermined the Minsk II peace agreement for seven years. On the first day after the start of hostilities, Vladimir Zelensky confirmed that Moscow had contacted him to discuss negotiations based on restoring Ukrainian neutrality. On the third day, Russia and Ukraine agreed to start peace negotiations based on a Russian military withdrawal in return for this. Zelensky responded favorably to this condition, and he even called for a "collective security agreement" to include Russia to mitigate the security competition that had sparked the war.

The talks that followed are referred to as the Istanbul negotiations, in which Russia and Ukraine were close to an agreement before the US and UK sabotaged it, according to numerous claims by people close to the process.

Comment: A plethora of promises, a tragedy of errors. Ukraine helped build its own sinkhole on the deception of enemies.

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Target

Zelensky aide reveals secret clauses of 'victory plan'


RT
Wed, 16 Oct 2024 21:25 UTC
Podoliak
© Aleksandr Gusev/SOPA Images/LightRocketMikhail Podoliak
The classified component details attack plans on Russia and a weaponry wish list, according to Mikhail Podoliak.

The secret component of the "victory plan" unveiled by Vladimir Zelensky on Wednesday includes Kiev's targets for long-range attacks on Russian soil, Mikhail Podoliak, a top aide to the Ukrainian leader, has revealed.

The parts of the plan that were not disclosed to the public consist of a list of targets, a plan of action, and a detailing of the weapons needed to carry out such attacks against Russia, Podoliak told RBC Ukraine in an interview on Wednesday.
"There, in the appendices, it is precisely said what kind of weapons should be used to destroy logistics very far from the front line... what targets will be hit and how many weapons are needed for this."
Zelensky revealed the so-called "victory plan" earlier in the day in an address to the country's parliament. The Ukrainian leader toured Western capitals in recent weeks to show the plan to his backers in private and try to generate support for it.

Comment: And Moscow's response? Zakarova goes all out! bites back!
Moscow has dismissed Vladimir Zelensky's much-touted eight-point 'victory plan' as nothing but a "plan for the misfortune of Ukraine," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said in a statement.

Spokeswoman Zakharova responded to the five points of Zelensky's plan at a press conference, calling them nothing more than a "set of incoherent slogans" and "bloody foam on the lips of a neo-Nazi killer."

Commenting on Kiev's "hysteria" about being invited into NATO, the she alleged:
"The only place the West sees for Ukraine in its "security architecture" is "in a coffin and Ukrainian citizens in graves. That is why they brought this clown to power, who was supposed to finish off Ukraine as a state and kill as many Ukrainians as possible."
She also questioned Zelensky's intent to strengthen Ukrainian defenses by "targeted operations in specific places." The spokeswoman asked why the Ukrainian leader shied away from naming the places and said:
"Kiev has been "pushing NATO members towards a direct conflict" with Russia by insisting on obtaining permission to use long-range weapons on Russian territory.
"Taken together, all of those points and secret sub-points are not a 'plan' for Zelensky's victory. This is a plan for the misfortune of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, yet another extortion of money and a presentation of [Kiev's] terrorist capabilities."

"Today, Zelensky has finally proven to everyone that he hates Ukrainians to such an extent that can be described as Ukrainophobia."
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has responded to Zelensky's plan by calling it nothing more than a roadmap for the continuation of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. He insisted that the only way to achieve peace was for the Ukrainian leader to "sober up" and "reflect on the causes which have led to the Ukraine conflict."


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Jet3

NATO country allows Ukraine to use F-16s against targets in Russia


RT
Thu, 17 Oct 2024 13:20 UTC
Brekelmans.
© Bernd von Jutrczenka/Getty ImagesDutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans
Dutch defense chief Ruben Brekelmans says Kiev has the right to strike military facilities using jets provided by his country.

Ukraine can use Dutch-supplied F-16 fighter jets against military targets deep inside internationally recognized Russian territory, the NATO country's defense minister has said. Ruben Brekelmans claimed that such strikes would constitute legitimate self-defense under international law.

The Netherlands has pledged to provide Ukraine with 24 of the US-made fighter jets as part of a group of NATO member states which last year established the so-called 'F-16 coalition'. Fellow members Denmark and Norway have promised to supply 19 and six aircraft respectively, while other nations in the group - which includes Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Greece, Bulgaria, and France - have been training Ukrainian pilots.

The first batch of F-16s, which reportedly included fewer than a dozen fighter jets, arrived in Ukraine in August.

Comment: One last tick of the clock? One small step to oblivion. There are no do-overs on this timeline.

Meanwhile, back in September:
Ukraine's loss of an F-16 fighter jet weeks after a handful of the aircraft arrived in the country is making Western officials wonder if the decision to accelerate pilot training was correct.

The jet was destroyed last week during a Russian drone and missile barrage, killing one of Ukraine's most experienced pilots. Ukrainian investigators have yet to reveal the cause.

Kiev lobbied Western donors to provide dozens of F-16s to bolster its dwindling Soviet-era air fleet. A small cadre of pilots was selected to undergo training courses in Denmark, the US, and Romania, though Kiev is months away from having enough men to deploy a full squadron.

The training focused on the types of missions Ukraine intends to give to F-16s, primarily interception of Russian cruise missiles. There are no plans to adjust the program.

Before being given combat missions pilots normally train with their units for months, but the Ukrainian airmen engaged in the conflict right away. The rationale was that their pilots experienced with Soviet jets would have an edge over rookies.

There have been claims in Ukraine that the F-16 was shot down by a Patriot missile system, another weapon provided by the country's Western donors. The commander of the Air Force was fired days after the incident.

A source told the WSJ that the aircraft disappeared from radar shortly after a Russian missile exploded near it, possibly damaging the F-16. General Aleksandr Syrsky, the top commander of the armed forces, admitted in an interview with CNN:
"Of course, everyone wants the level of training to be the best. At the same time, the dynamics of the front requires us to constantly put conscripted servicemen as soon as possible."


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Attention

Zelensky shows his victory plan to mixed reviews

Larry C.Johnson
Sonar21
Wed, 16 Oct 2024 16:05 UTC
Victory Plan
© Sonar21
Zelensky's speech today was his version of The Full Monty, where he exposed his long awaited "victory plan" to a world bored with his antics. Tiny man, tiny ideas, totally delusional. Is that all there is (hat tip to Peggy Lee)? Zelensky's speech went over like wet flatulence in a religious setting. Check out the mugs on the Ukrainian military chiefs who attended Zelensky's speech.

Victory Plan Response
© Sonar21Note the enthusiasm. The unbridled joy. Yeah, neither did I. Those guys look like the doctor just informed them they may have colon cancer and he is going to have to do another prostate exam. Ouch!
Zelensky's only remaining option is to launch some crazy false flag operation in hopes of persuading an increasingly reluctant West to enter the fray and risk the wrath of Russia. I think events in Israel and Iran — especially if Israel acts on its threat to strike Iran — will seal Ukraine's fate. The West will be too busy trying to keep oil flowing from the Persian Gulf to indulge the increasingly hysterical pleas of a floundering Zelensky.
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Bad Guys

EU's 'arm-twisting' making Serbia turn to BRICS - Kremlin


RT
Wed, 16 Oct 2024 12:44 UTC
Belgrade, Serbia
© Getty Images/m-gucciBelgrade, Serbia.
BRICS is a more welcoming and member-oriented group than the European Union, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said, commenting on the possibility that Serbia could seek to join the economic bloc.

His comments came after Belgrade said that instead of EU membership, it would explore the option of joining BRICS, which is currently chaired by Russia.

"Serbia has been having its arm twisted. They [the EU] always lay down conditions for cooperation and demand certain actions," Peskov told the Mayak radio station. "We are certain that Serbia will make decisions that are most beneficial to its people," he added.

The Balkan country applied to join the EU in 2009 and has been a candidate for membership since 2012. In an interview on Sunday, Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin accused Brussels of moving the goalposts for accession, most recently by linking Belgrade's membership to severing relations with Moscow.
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Handcuffs

EU makes 'slaves' out of member states - Moscow


RT
Thu, 17 Oct 2024 12:38 UTC
Chisinau protester, Maia Sandu
© Sputnik / Rodion ProcaFILE PHOTO: A protester in Chisinau tramples a portrait of Moldovan President Maia Sandu, February 28, 2023.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has likened the EU to a 'fruit press' for countries, which strips them of their sovereignty and gives back nothing in return. Zakharova made the remark in an interview on Sputnik Radio on Wednesday, commenting on the upcoming referendum on EU integration in Moldova.

Moldova is a former Soviet republic sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine. The country has taken a distinctively pro-Western course since 2020, when President Maia Sandu came to power. Her government has been actively pushing for EU and NATO membership, going as far as banning critics and calling on Brussels to sanction those opposed to the idea.

Despite protests and widespread criticism of Sandu's policies, she is currently seeking reelection in the upcoming presidential election on October 20, which coincides with a referendum on EU accession.

According to Zakharova, Moldova should think twice before joining the bloc.
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