Written by Chriss W. Street
| MountainTopTimes Aug 4, 2024 |
Israel facing encirclement by Iranian proxies, demonstrated its ability over just a few hours to kill a top Hezbollah commander in a Beirut airstrike, and kill a top Hamas leader in a Teheran apartment bombing 900 miles away. With Russia airlifting ultra-long-range electronic warfare systems to Teheran, Iran is set to retaliate against Israel.
Senior Hezbollah military commander Fouad Shukur that Israel blames for orchestrating a rocket attack in northern Israel that killed 12 children last weekend, was killed late on July 30th in Beirut. Shukur was also wanted by the United States for the 1983 bombing of the Beirut U.S. Marines barracks that killed241 U.S. Marines, 18 sailors, and 3 soldiers; plus 58 French paratroopers and six Lebanese civilians. The attack was the deadliest day for the U.S. Marine Corps since the 1945 Battle of Iwo Jima.
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Early on July 31st, Ismail Haniyeh a top Palestinian political leader of Hamas, which is designated as terrorists by Israel, Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States, was assassinated by an Israel Defence Forces’ guided missile that hit his hotel room in Teheran. Haniyeh was representing Gaza for the Iranian swearing-in ceremonies of President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian.
Geopolitical Futures Middle East analyst Kamran Bokharidescribed Israel’s tactically coordinated assassinations as anexample of the “escalate to de-escalate” deterrence strategy. The reputation of the once dreaded Israeli intelligence community that includes Aman military intelligence, Mossad overseas intelligence, and Shin Bet internal security intelligence forces had plummeted after failing to prevent Hamas Oct. 7 attack.
Israel retaliated by killing 39,583 and wounding 91,398 Gazan mostly civilians over the next 48 hours. But 10 months later Hamas still holds 115 Israeli hostages, and its combat effectiveness has only modestly been degraded after relentless IDF attacks.
Israel blames Iran for assembling and arming a deadly array of proxies to aid Hamas including Hezbollah rocket attacks from Lebanon and Houthis tribesmen attacking more than 70 vessels with missiles and drones in the Red Sea and in the Jewish state. For the first time since 1985, Israel in late July used midair refueling and reconnaissance aircraft in support of its F-35Lightnings and F-15 Eagles to fly 1,500 miles to the Houthi’s Port of Hodeida stronghold in Yemen.
Following the Teheran attack on Iran presidential inauguration ceremonies, Russia warned all its civilians to leave Iran, and sent a stream of huge Russian Il-96 and Il-76 military transportsinto Tehran. It is believed Russia is delivering ultra-long-range electronic warfare systems that can blind American drones and aircraft up to 3 miles.
The Jerusalem Post reported that Iran will symbolically attack Israel on August 12-13 during the Jewish Tisha B’Av annual day of fasting in remembrance of the destruction of both Solomon’s Temple by the Babylonians and the Second Temple by the Romans.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III has ordered major reinforcements to the region including B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, F-22s, USS Roosevelt Carrier Group, and two Naval amphibious landing ships carrying 4,000 combat assault Marines.
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