We are now almost one year into the war and genocide in Gaza. Despite profound hardship, the Gazan Resistance continues its battles against the enemy, entirely undeterred. Despite Israeli proclamations throughout 2024 that they have cleared out Hamas from various places throughout Gaza, we still see regular attacks and ambushes against Zionist forces. Just today (Monday), Al Qassam fighters ambushed and destroyed another convoy of Israeli vehicles. The predictions early on in the war were that Israel would defeat Hamas in mere months, needing only until December, then January, and so on. This has proven very much untrue. Israel is stuck in the mud; unable to destroy their enemy due to their lack of knowledge about the "Gaza Metro" and, of course, a lack of actual fighting skill, given how many times I've seen Zionists getting shot while they gaze wistfully out of windows.
Attempts to drive wedges between Hezbollah and the rest of Lebanon are also unlikely to succeed. Hezbollah is not just a military force, it is extremely interlinked into various communities throughout Lebanon, drawing upon those communities to recruit soldiers. Throughout its history, it has provided education, healthcare, reconstruction, and dozens of other services one would attribute to a state. Amal Saad's recent suggestion of using "quasi-state actor" as a more respectful replacement for the typical "non-state actor" seems advisable. And the decentralized command structures, compartmented leadership, strong succession planning, and aforementioned community ties almost entirely neutralizes the effectiveness of assassinations. Hezbollah's Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassem has confirmed that Hezbollah's path has been set by Nasrallah, and his martyrdom will not stop nor even pause their efforts. Additionally, he confirmed that despite the recent attacks by Israel which nominally focussed on destroying missile depots, Hezbollah's supply of weapons has not been degraded, and they are still only using the minimum of their capabilities.
Defense Politics Asia's youtube channel and their map. Their youtube channel has substantially diminished in quality but the map is still useful. Moon of Alabama, which tends to have interesting analysis. Avoid the comment section. Understanding War and the Saker: reactionary sources that have occasional insights on the war. Alexander Mercouris, who does daily videos on the conflict. While he is a reactionary and surrounds himself with likeminded people, his daily update videos are relatively brainworm-free and good if you don't want to follow Russian telegram channels to get news. He also co-hosts The Duran, which is more explicitly conservative, racist, sexist, transphobic, anti-communist, etc when guests are invited on, but is just about tolerable when it's just the two of them if you want a little more analysis. Simplicius, who publishes on Substack. Like others, his political analysis should be soundly ignored, but his knowledge of weaponry and military strategy is generally quite good.
On the ground: Patrick Lancaster, an independent and very good journalist reporting in the warzone on the separatists' side.
Unedited videos of Russian/Ukrainian press conferences and speeches.
Pro-Russian Telegram Channels:
Again, CW for anti-LGBT and racist, sexist, etc speech, as well as combat footage.
https://t.me/aleksandr_skif ~ DPR's former Defense Minister and Colonel in the DPR's forces. Russian language. https://t.me/Slavyangrad ~ A few different pro-Russian people gather frequent content for this channel (~100 posts per day), some socialist, but all socially reactionary. If you can only tolerate using one Russian telegram channel, I would recommend this one. https://t.me/s/levigodman ~ Does daily update posts. https://t.me/patricklancasternewstoday ~ Patrick Lancaster's telegram channel. https://t.me/gonzowarr ~ A big Russian commentator. https://t.me/rybar ~ One of, if not the, biggest Russian telegram channels focussing on the war out there. Actually quite balanced, maybe even pessimistic about Russia. Produces interesting and useful maps. https://t.me/epoddubny ~ Russian language. https://t.me/boris_rozhin ~ Russian language. https://t.me/mod_russia_en ~ Russian Ministry of Defense. Does daily, if rather bland updates on the number of Ukrainians killed, etc. The figures appear to be approximately accurate; if you want, reduce all numbers by 25% as a 'propaganda tax', if you don't believe them. Does not cover everything, for obvious reasons, and virtually never details Russian losses. https://t.me/UkraineHumanRightsAbuses ~ Pro-Russian, documents abuses that Ukraine commits.
A brief recap of events for today (September 30, 2024) on the Palestine/Lebanon front.
Zionist genocidal attacks on Lebanon killed 136 people (including six paramedics) over the past 24 hours. In response to the attacks, Hezbollah resistance forces conducted a Nour missile strike on the northern Zionist settlement of Kafr Giladi. In addition, the resistance also conducted rocket strikes on Safed, the Katsarin military base, and the Naqoura military base (using Fadi-2 rockets).
Islamic Resistance in Iraq forces conducted drone strikes on targets in Haifa.
Yemeni air defenses shot down another US MQ-9 Reaper drone.
At the very end of the day, the fascist Tel Aviv regime started invading parts of southern Lebanon.
The U.S. is sending a “few thousand” troops to the Middle East to bolster security and to defend Israel if necessary, the Pentagon said Monday. The announcement follows word that Israel has already launched limited raids across the border into Lebanon.
The additional forces would raise the total number of troops in the region to as many as 43,000...
The additional personnel includes squadrons of F-15E, F-16, and F-22 fighter jets and A-10 attack aircraft, and the personnel needed to support them. The jets were supposed to rotate in and replace the squadrons already there. Instead, both the existing and new squadrons will remain in place to double the airpower on hand.
Looking at that force, which will obviously be supplemented by EA-18G Growler Electronic Warfare (EW) aircraft from aircraft carriers in the region, it is a very diverse force capable of carrying out a first strike on any country in the region and bypassing their air defences, or being capable of supporting strikes, close air support with air superiority being secured, or intercepting ballistic missile attacks.
The F-15E Strike Eagle is a two seat, twin engine multirole jet very capable at air interdiction missions. This was the type of jet that shot down quite a few Iranian drones during the Iranian retaliation earlier this year. It can carry out air to air and air to ground missions.
The F-16 is a single seat, single engine multirole aircraft capable of air to air and air to ground missions. It is a jet that also has a variant and squadrons trained exclusively for "wild weasel" tactics, which involve baiting air defences and shooting anti radiation missiles at their location.
The F-22 is a twin engine, single seat stealth fighter jet, designed for air superiority, but is also capable of limited air to ground missions. Should be able to fly over the entire region without having to worry about being detected or shot down, gives the option for a stealth first strike on any country.
The A-10 is a ground attack aircraft designed exclusively for Close Air Support (CAS) missions. It is very venerable to enemy air defences and even MANPADS, requires complete air superiority to be used. But it is good at that role, designed around it's 30mm Gatling gun.
In other dying empire news, the US Navy's recently released Navigation Plan has the primary goal of preparing the Navy for war with the PRC by 2027. The plan also reads like a hybrid between marketing speak and a r/worldnews comment
It appears that Syrian news broadcaster Safaa Ahmed has died as a result of Israeli airstrikes in Damascus tonight.
The General Authority for Radio and Television mourns the great broadcaster Safaa Ahmed, a martyr, as a result of the treacherous #Israeli aggression that the capital, #Damascus, was subjected to.
Last week in the news mega, I made a comment about how state department narratives get laundered through network news by having incompetent "journalists" asks terrible questions with no follow up to state dept pros. The fact these news anchors don't actually know anything is the point. The people they have on to interview just work them over and reinforce the narratives that they want Americans to fully accept. Was watching another clip today of the same news anchor team (CBS Mornings) give a somewhat hostile interview to Ta-Nehisi Coates. I was getting annoyed so I decided to look up the bios of these three news anchors. The point isn't to pick on them specifically, they are just indicative of a wider issue in one the main ways Americans get their news (I would suspect more Americans watch network news than cable news).
First of the three anchors is Gayle King. She has some professional experience as a local news reporter but what she's really famous for - and presumably why she's an anchor on CBS' morning news show - is being Oprah Winfrey's best friend. By the way, I was acquainted with a local news reporter. She was a very nice person but would make Ron Burgundy look like Walter Kronkite.
Second, we have Nate Burleson. Nate is not in any way a journalist. He is actually... a former American football player (WR for the Minnesota Vikings). I am not making that up.
Finally, we have ostensibly the most qualified "journalist" Tony Dokoupil. He was the one who was asking the hasbara questions to Ta-Nehisi ("why have the Palestinians turned down every offer for peace?" and "Does Israel have a right to defend itself?") By the way he has two kids and an ex-wife who live in Israel, no bias there. He did get a degree in "Media Studies" and wrote for Newsweek for a few years... but honestly so have a lot of people. This guy seems completely unremarkable as a journalist and he doesn't seem to have won any awards or written anything memorable other than a book about what is was like to have a father who was a drug dealer. But he's in control (to an extent) of how millions of Americans get their news.
Having incompetent journalists who don't ask hard questions is just how capitalism and imperialism reproduces itself in the minds of Americans.
So what are Zionists expecting out of this? For the IOF to storm in, start effortlessly gunning down every resistance fighter to the last man, and annex Lebanon in a matter of weeks or less with no casualties?
Lula traveled to the North American country to attend the inauguration of Claudia Sheinbaum. Lula praised Mexico for electing a woman and defended new bilateral agreements.
Article (Translated)
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) once again condemned Israel's actions, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, in the Middle East. The PT president classified the Israeli offensives against the Hamas and Hezbollah groups in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, respectively, as “unnecessary killing”.
Lula made the statements during the Mexico-Brazil Business Forum in Mexico City. He said he was against conflicts, such as those in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, because war “doesn't bring any benefits”.
“That's why I am against, and condemn, what Israel is doing in Lebanon right now, attacking and killing innocent people. Because only the leaders they want to kill appear in the newspapers, but the innocent people who die don't appear,” said Lula.
“That's why I'm against the slaughter in the Gaza Strip. Because more than 41,000 women and children have already died. And then you have to rebuild what took centuries to build,” he added.
The president also criticized what he called the “unnecessary killing” taking place in the Middle East. Israel says the actions are a response to Hamas and Hezbollah.
“War is proof of a citizen's incapacity for civilization, who thinks he can, in the explanation that he has to take revenge for an attack, go on an unnecessary killing spree with people who have no way of defending themselves,” he said.
Lula reaffirmed that Brazil wants “to be a zone of peace” and that it is willing to hold the necessary meetings to help end conflicts.
The conflict in the Middle East began in October 2023, when Hammas carried out a terrorist attack in Israel. Since then, Israeli troops have attacked and occupied the Gaza Strip.
The tension and conflict has spread to Lebanon, with Israeli attacks against Hezbollah, and risks reaching Iran. Brazil is evaluating a plan to remove Brazilians from Lebanon who want to leave the conflict zone, as happened in the Gaza Strip. The Brazilian community on Lebanese soil is large. Two young Brazilians have already died in attacks.
Last week in New York, where he attended the United Nations General Assembly, Lula had already raised his voice against Israel's prime minister. On that occasion, when asked about the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, he said that the prime minister was promoting “genocide”.
Last week, in an offensive against the extremist group Hezbollah, Israel carried out an air strike in Lebanon. According to Lebanese authorities, around 500 people died and more than 1,600 were injured. It was the bloodiest day in Lebanon since the 2006 war. Leaders from other countries fear that the conflict will turn into a “total war”.
A total war is an armed conflict in which two adversaries mobilize all their military and civilian resources for the sake of a complete victory over the other, which can widely affect the society and economy of the parties involved.
⚡️⭕️ IOF announces the start of the invasion of #Lebanon:
In accordance with the decision of the political echelon, a few hours ago, the IOF began limited, localized, and targeted ground raids based on precise intelligence against Hezbullah targets and infrastructure in southern Lebanon.
They add that these targets are located in villages close to the border and pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel.
so far no incursiona reported in Lebanon
It's official now. I have an horrible pit in my stomach
So if we run with the idea that both Epstein and Diddy are/were assets, it starts seeming weird that they're both going down one after another (I guess 5 years apart but still)
It's not like metoo did it, that movement was gutted the second it threatened power. And I don't think it's a matter of public attention finally shifting to them, or some final bit of irrefutable evidence, because to some degree the info was already out there.
Is blackmail no longer valuable to state agencies, in an age of deepfakes? Were these people just getting old and too well-known, so they were turned into sin eaters and disposed of, while other operations continue or replace them?
In a traitorous assassination attempt, the treacherous “Palestinian Authority” targeted a car in #Tubas with gunfire and abducted the wounded Tubas Brigade fighter who was in the vehicle.
Security Forces of the PA began firing indiscriminately at people gathered around the Martyr’s Mosque.
According to local reports, fierce armed clashes have erupted between the resistance fighters of Tubas and the Security Forces
After this, I will never again fail to mercilessly dunk on any liberal who blathers on about how DPRK, Russia, Iran, and Venezuela are rogue, irrational states. Not while Israel continues to exist in any capacity other than as a terrible memory. This apex reactionary state is the perfect definition of everything liberals complain about in US state enemies, yet Israel's inalienable right to commit war crimes and genocide galore with US weapons and funding is forever unquestioned.
At what point does it become comical even to the unobservant libs who think Russia invaded Ukraine out of nowhere in 2022? How can one think that is a moral black hole beyond the point of no return, yet also apparently that the Israeli invasion of Lebanon is complex and nuanced?
I'm sorry, I hardly use non-Hexbear social media anymore, and day by day I get more incredulous that the garden variety western libs continue to exist like this with no sign of slowing down.
DEATH TO ISRAEL, a trillion 9/11s upon the genocidal state
⚡️⭕️ Israeli evacuation orders to a whole neighborhood in Beirut.
This is Sayyed Shuhada compound area. They are evacuating this whole area and the area near Al-Qaem mosque (which several assassinations took place in)
United Nations peacekeepers from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, Unifil, are no longer able to move in southern Lebanon as a result of fighting between Hezbollah and Israel, the UN said.
“Our UNIFIL Blue Helmets remain in position in the mission’s area of responsibility, while the intensity of fighting is preventing their movements and ability to undertake their mandated tasks,” Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, told a media briefing.
“Given the intensity of the rockets going back and forth, they are not able to do patrolling".
Sounds like some heavy fighting has started.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on the UN to recommend the use of force to stop Israeli strikes on Lebanon and Gaza.
Erdogan invoked a six-decade-old Security Council resolution.
“The UN General Assembly should rapidly implement the authority to recommend the use of force, as it did with the 1950 Uniting for Peace resolution, if the Security Council can’t show the necessary will,” Erdogan says after a cabinet meeting in Ankara.
If Israel starts shooting Turkish soldiers does that mean the US has a NATO obligation to nuke Tel Aviv?
Lebanese troops have pulled back 5km north of the border with Israel, a Lebanese security source tells Reuters
Flares going up now on the border, constant artillery fire, attack helicopters in the air, reports Lebanese army is withdrawing from positions in this area, no word re: UNIFIL peacekeepers if they remain. Artillery is so constant and loud it is setting off car alarms in the city.
IDF are firing phosphorus bombs at Kfar Shuba and Khalta in southern Lebanon. The US military in the Middle East has also been put on heightened combat alert.
Japan's future prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba, has announced the dissolution of the lower house of parliament, with early elections scheduled for October 27. The dissolution measure is seen as a strategy to secure popular support for his policies.
Ishiba advocates strengthening Japan's military and reducing its dependence on the US. He believes that the country must adjust its policies to face modern threats, such as those from North Korea and China, promoting a more assertive and autonomous defense.
Ishiba wants to revise Article 9 of the Constitution, which prevents Japan from having a military force for offensive purposes. He seeks more freedom of military action, adopting a hardline stance, in contrast to other leaders who prefer to maintain the pacifist character of the Constitution.
On one hand, it is comforting to know that this will be the death of Israel and contribute to the death of the American empire. On the other, we will bear witness to many monstrous events and it may take decades still to come to fruition. May the victory for the oppressed be as swift and bloodless as could be possible.
So what's the actual likelihood of tactical nukes being used in the near term and where would they be used? Because I've seen a few people here and elsewhere voicing concerns about that. I'm just curious what gives people the impression that it's happening soon beyond the fact that Israel and the West are deranged fascist demons.
0:05 - Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in his most recent speech: "If your tanks come to Lebanon and southern Lebanon, you will not suffer from a shortage of tanks. Because you will have no more tanks left."
I've never felt much need for spirituality, but not only has empathizing with the martyrs shone a light on their connection with their religion, I'm also feeling a need to say some sort of prayer later today, before or after catching up.
May Allah have mercy on Palestinians, Lebanese, and all the rest of them.
Anyone Jewish, Christian, grew up that way, or have otherwise read Exodus or at least seen Prince of Egypt?
In Exodus, God repeatedly "hardens pharaohs heart" against letting the Hebrews free. Idk why God specifically needed to harden it, but then again God was a vindictive bitch those days. But his heart was hardened until the final, ultimate loss of his entire army as they pursued Moses and the Hebrews across the Red Sea. This is after every egyptian incl. Pharaoh losing their first born son, in addition to the economic disaster and famine from the previous plagues.
God is hardening the Zionist heart again and again. Their economy is in shambles, their homes and families are increasingly less and less safe. But he hardened their heart to provoke again and again. He hardened their hearts to make them foolishly attack Lebanon, and now he has hardened their heart further to march their troops and drive their tanks across the border.
May the resistance close in on their northern army from all sides, missiles and bullets raining down on them just as the waters of the Red Sea crashed upon Pharaoh's chariots. May the tide of resistance flood the Levant and clean it of the zionist entity. May God continue to harden their hearts until Zionism itseld meets its final demise. And may the palestinian people finally be liberated and allowed to return to their land.
Israel Channel 14: In a message from Tel Aviv to Tehran via Washington, Israeli Government informed the Iranian side that it will level and destroy every single Iranian facilities in the event of any attack by Iran against the Jewish State
SOUTH LEBANON (Al-Akhbar) — “Israeli” raids target the outskirts of the town of Barghaliyeh and the town of Adloun (Tyre District), the towns of Mahmoudiyah (Jezzine District), Zoutar al-Sharqiya (Nabatiyeh District), Deir Siryan (Marjeyoun District), and the areas of Wadi Barghoz (Hasbaya District), Khardali (Nabatiyeh District), and Jabal al-Rayhan (Jezzine District)
No idea about the quality of some of these reports, discovering new accounts that are posting as I go along. Take everything I post with a pinch of salt right now.
Lebanese media has reported that Israel has been shelling and firing tanks at border villages adjacent from the area it announced was a closed military border a few hours before, ahead of a reported Israeli land incursion of south Lebanon. The area around Khiam and Wizani, both facing the Lebanon-Israel border, have been shelled for at least two hours. They are both directly east of the closed military area specified by Israel’s military spokesperson late on Monday night.
If Israel did intend to conduct a land invasion across the Lebanese border, shelling and tank fire would likely precede their entry.
Kfarkela, Hourah and Deir Mimas are probably where the Israelis are invading right now. To a lesser extent perhaps Qlayaa? This would give them control of the gap between the Israeli border and the Litant river.
I'm just struggling with the feeling that we're living in Bizarro World when it comes to Israel. They've been starving and massacring Palestine nonstop for coming up on a year, Lebanon starts attacking in solidarity with Gaza, and now Israel is invading Lebanon like they're the victim and need to defend themselves. Meanwhile Syria and Iran are potentially in Israel's sights, and us Westerners are supposed to support Israel? It's so blatantly obvious that they are the aggressors and main destabilizing force in the region, and all of this is completely their fault. Yet you talk to any lib or turn on the TV, and Israel is just the smol lil bean who's encircled by enemies on all sides. I fucking hate all of it.
A hypothetical plan I've seen people mention could be to blow the bridges across the Litant River which runs east-west across a piece of the country, then to mass troops in the remaining region that the river doesn't cut across. This would effectively slice a piece of the country off using natural geography.
"Following a situational assessment, the areas of Metula, Misgav Am, and Kfar Giladi in northern Israel have been declared a closed military zone. Entry to this area is prohibited."
Ed note: metula is one of the most northernmost settlements in Israel, also my god there are so many “national parks” and “nature reserves” that the colonists have used to encroach on their neighbors
This will be the ground invasion of Lebanon megathread. May God protect everyone. My aunt and her little kids are on their way to the Syrian border now, the plan is that they make their way to Damascus by tomorrow and then stay with my cousin outside of Damascus. Plan B is that they make it to Damascus then register their names with one of the Iraqi refugee settling programs then go to Iraq which will be safer and the kids can actually go to school there without any bureaucratic nightmares. They're resettling Lebanese families in the pilgrim hotels outside of Karbala and Najaf, so that sounds like a more manageable life than my cousin's farm in the Damascus countryside.
There are rumors that Israel struck Maher Al Assad, brother of Bashar Al Assad yesterday, some of the Resistance sources are notoriously silent on that, so right now I'm assuming he's dead. That's someone that I won't mourn at all, I'm not happy about the Israelis killing people, but Maher is such a notorious piece of shit so he's better off dead. One day when I'm more emotionally stable and focused, you'll get a full breakdown of Syria and how bad Assad's rule really is. We like the Assad memes, but I do really hate him and his leech family. He's better than the Jihadis, but that's not a high bar tbh.
The Pentagon said an unspecified number of American troops have been put on prepare to deploy orders. Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh told reporters on Monday:
"[US secretary of state Lloyd] Austin increased the readiness of additional US forces to deploy, elevating our preparedness to respond to various contingencies. I’m just not going to get into specifics for [operational security] reasons, but these forces cover a wide range of capabilities and missions."
The US and Israel are still in discussions “about the best way forward”, Singh said in response to questions about whether Israel was planning a ground invasion in Lebanon. She said:
" We’re continuing to engage with them, trying to learn more. We continue discussions on the best way forward."
Fuck, if the October surprise is really tactical nuke, then things will rapidly degrade from very bad to very worse.
There is also a BRICS meeting coming up in October. Are Russia and China going to pretend as though business is usual? Oh, look, we are committed to even more multi-lateral trade that will finally displace our trade with the US in about 52 years. Here are some record trade turnover numbers for you to cheer on.
BRICS is already proving to be a disappointment on the dedollarization front, are they going to fumble an international crisis, when one of their newest members Iran is directly in the imperialist war path as well? If that is the case, what is the use of this Global Majority bloc (yes I know it’s an economic bloc) if it’s not going to wield its political influence to stop the madness?
An article from a few weeks ago about the Pentagon allegedly putting their foot down over the President. i agree with Yves that this does not count as a coup. The current zionist escalations can be seen as either taking advantage of the lack of leadership or driving hard to get the Pentagon in the war. i can imagine General John Quartermaster looking at USamerican arms supply, production, and recruitment rates and saying, “We cannot do all of that shit, please stop.” i also know that liberalism can easily detach itself from negative numbers. The CIA (and the gang, i don’t have a better umbrella term) has operated as an independent arm of military and foreign policy since its inception. Additionally, the professionalism and competence of the federal bureaucracy, already a joke on account of the career path into lobbying, has been seriously upended by waves of inter-liberal partisan purges. i believe the Biden administration made it past the first year with hundreds of positions not filled across the government, including ambassadors and assistant secretaries of state. The military, intelligence, and state departments are pulling three different ways. i believe the role of the President is to wrangle and command the different branches of the federal government. Intellectually, many liberals declared victory in ‘91, which led to complacency. “We’re America, who cares about diplomatic decorum or procedure, let’s start a 30 year long invasion of Iraq.” Complacency has led to an empire running on fumes, and now that our alleged drivers can hear the engine sputtering, they assume they have all the diplomatic power in the world. i’d like to say they are wrong, but i have no words or explanations for the gullibility of the President of Iran.
A translation of an interesting article about why and how Asia is shaping to be a theatre of global conflict. The comparison between the rapid economic growth and militarism in Europe in the 30 years before 1914 and the last 30 years in Asia is particularly fascinating to me. i don’t know how anyone can say “China is the main enabler of Russia’s war aggression against Ukraine,” with a straight face, let alone the Secretary General of NATO. The West can issue out a constant stream of actions and threats to froth up the water, but certainly it will be the mendacious and dangerous Other who starts this conflict. In terms of nationalist tensions, i believe the South Koreans dropped all complaints about Japanese actions in World War Two in order to start military drilling and training together. That is nothing other than provocation towards the Chinese and Korean people. How to respond to these changes is an imminent and serious question.
A Science article about which policies in the last twenty years have actually led to emissions reductions. Broadly, in the studied countries, most actual reductions in emissions occur when two or more policy or enforcement mechanisms overlap. Successful policies include carbon price floors, phasing out coal, requiring renewables in a portfolio, stricter air pollution standards, and “strengthening financing mechanisms for energy efficiency investments” (it’s one of those articles). Labeling standards, reducing fossil fuel subsidies, building code reforms, and energy efficiency mandates all only work to reduce emissions when combined with other policies. The standalone policies pretty much double in effectiveness when used in a package. In developed countries, the most effective type of reform is pricing. In developing countries, the most effective type of reform is regulation. The paper cautions that all of these are only effective when pricing, regulation, information, and subsidy reforms are used together. i don’t know how exactly those categories are defined. Now, to translate that, climate change reform is good, and it has the most effect on emissions when we do a lot of it. Doing a lot of it entails multiple kinds of climate reform in multiple countries and multiple industries within a country. The policies that are enacted and that people are asking for work, they just aren’t being implemented enough. Now there’s a Science article that confirms what most of us would probably call common sense.
How is it that zionist intelligence has been effective in Lebanon(pager terror attack, Nasrallah assassination) but failed so completely in Gaza, that they were blind to al-Aqsa Flood before it happened?
I can't help but feel so guilty this week seeing the horrors that are about to start in Lebanon. Solidarity forever to everyone in the region, may we see a free Palestine and a free Arab people in our lifetimes.
Can someone summarize the latest with what's going on in Lebanon? People here are talking like the invasion is now imminent, but I don't know what's happened beyond the assassinations.
"I'm more aware than you might know..."? Draw a clock, motherfucker.
"We should have a ceasefire now." [Redacted]
US president Joe Biden called for a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, as he indicated he was opposed to a potential Israeli ground invasion of Lebanon. Asked if he was comfortable with Israel's plan for a limited ground invasion of Lebanon, Biden replied:
"I'm more aware than you might know and I'm comfortable with them stopping. We should have a ceasefire now."
(idk if this is a good source but its happening to me at the worst possible time lol, my roommate went on a walk or something earlier while i was half asleep and i cant send or receive texts to find out whats up, idk if theres tracking stuff to fix with the link either)
Most recent analysis on Hezbollah by Amal Saad. I have some quibbles but I think it's fairly balanced overall.
expand
Some preliminary thoughts on this new phase in the war focusing on key developments: 1) Israel’s act of state terrorism which killed Seyyid Hasan Nasrallah and its impact on Hizbullah, 2) The impact of Israel’s elimination of Hizbullah’s military command, 3) The current transition phase and Hizbullah’s strategic recalibration. It’s evident that Israel, with the full backing and partnership of the US, aimed to dismantle Hizbullah in one decisive strike. This effort began with the assassination of Fuad Shukr in late July, followed by the pager attacks, but it was Nasrallah’s killing that served as the key trigger intended to spark Hizbullah’s expected implosion. While Israel's push for a regional war seems evident, it's still uncertain whether the US is fully prepared to commit to such a course.
It is difficult to quantify the magnitude of Nasrallah's loss for Hizbullah and the Axis as a whole. However, this does not mean Hizbullah is anywhere near the verge of collapse. Israel and the US misunderstand the nature of his leadership—people didn’t support the cause because of him; they supported him because he personified their cause of justice and liberation, and while he was a revered figure, the cause he embodied will outlive him. Nasrallah will live on not just as a model of resistance or political consciousness, but as a rationality—a kind of 'Nasrallah raison'. To think the group would crumble without Nasrallah is a fundamental misreading, and a racist assumption that reduces Hizbullah—a complex and deeply-rooted movement—to a single individual, reinforcing a stereotype that such groups in the Middle East rely on charismatic "strongmen" rather than institutional strength, resilience, or popular grass-roots support. It reflects a broader Orientalist view that discounts the ability of non-Western organizations to function as sophisticated political or military entities, capable of enduring beyond the loss of one leader.
Similarly, while Israel’s elimination of Hizbullah’s entire military command [has this been confirmed? I was under the impression that Hezbollah denied this and that only a small number of officials were present with Nasrallah] was a devastating blow that would have crippled most states, Hizbullah's ability to continue launching sustained strikes against Israel highlights its operational continuity and the resilience of its command-and-control structure. The reason Hizbullah has been able to withstand such significant losses is its exceptionally robust continuity of command, enabling a seamless transition of leadership even in times of severe crisis.
It's important to recall that Hizbullah was born out of war and invasion, shaping it into an organization with built-in resilience. It’s designed to continually regenerate its leadership, producing new generations of military commanders. This resilience was most evident in 2008 when Hizbullah lost its senior military commander, Hajj Imad Mughnieh, who was not just a foundational figure but the pioneer of the Resistance’s “New School of [hybrid] Warfare”. Far from being weakened by his assassination, and the killing of his successor, Mustafa Badereddine in 2013, Hizbullah’s military capabilities have since grown exponentially, with its tactics being adopted by allies across the Resistance Axis. Since Mughnieh’s assassination, Hizbullah has implemented a sophisticated system of knowledge distribution at the operational level. This distributed expertise ensures that the loss of any single leader, even one in a high-ranking position, does not create a critical gap in the group’s operational capabilities, allowing for rapid reorganization and continuity of operations. Hizbullah has made contingencies for multiple lines of commanders, so if the first is killed and replaced, the second can immediately step in, and if he too is killed, a third will take over, and so on. Several men are delegated with overlapping roles and tasks, ensuring that any void left by a fallen leader is quickly filled, allowing for rapid reorganization and seamless continuity of operations.
None of this suggests that Hizbullah hasn't been severely bruised and momentarily weakened—more so than at any point in its history. This is undeniably a turning point. The organization is navigating a critical transition phase, absorbing consecutive shocks while attempting to recuperate, reconfigure, and reorganize. It is likely revising both its grand strategy and military approach, shifting from its previous support front with Gaza to developing a new defense strategy that will likely focus on repelling Israel’s seemingly imminent ground invasion and forcing it to end its aerial aggression. At the same time, Hizbullah is likely drawing up contingency plans for a broader "Great War" strategy—one that would be offensively driven, should Israel and the U.S. seek to engulf the entire region in war.
Life peace and safety to the people of Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria, protection for all fighters for the resistance, and death to isn'treal, of course