The weekend marked a precipitous escalation in Netanyahu’s promise to attack all perceived “enemies.” From Saturday evening into late Sunday afternoon, Israel carried out strikes against three separate nations, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. By Monday morning, he had also attacked forces from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, as well as Palestinians from the PFLP-GC. That’s a lot of enemies to wage war against all at once.
Rumors of Israeli attacks against targets in Iraq over the last few weeks came to a head last week, when US and Israeli officials confirmed that the attacks were taking place. This led to some complaints from Iraqi officials, but Israel is hardly backing away from this policy.
Indeed, with Israel’s election less than a month away and Prime Minister Netanyahu and his allies trailing substantially in most polls, it appears the policy is to escalate its attacks across the region, hoping to secure more votes from the hawkish right.
The biggest attacks came Saturday, when Israel launched a series of attacks against a village near the Syrian capital of Damascus. The attacks were drone bombings, with Israeli drones laden with explosives flying into the target, crashing and detonating.
Israel attacking Syria is common enough, but the real news was the Israeli military commenting directly, claiming they’d attacked an Iranian site, intending to preempt an Iranian attack on northern Israel on Thursday. Iran denied everything, including that they’d been hit in the strikes.
It makes sense why the Netanyahu government would want to make this the case, as while he’s got mounting political opposition, he likely believes war with Iran is still a platform that would benefit him in the election. Indeed, if the war actually was ongoing against Iran and basically all Shi’ites, it would probably guarantee his reelection.
But it didn’t stop with an attack in Syria, nominally on Iran. On Sunday, Israel carried out attacks against the Lebanese capital of Beirut, targeting Hezbollah. Israeli drones also slammed into Western Iraq, killing at least one member of a Shi’ite militia there.
That bought Israel into engagements in three distinct countries, targeting Iraqi Shi’ite militias, Hezbollah, Syrian, and Iranian forces. Adding a fifth faction, early Monday morning Israel attacked a Palestinian base in northern Lebanon.
That’s almost everyone in the region that Israel could attack, but this week will probably see a continuation of such strikes. Israel has also indicated an interest in starting to attack the Shi’ites in northern Yemen, even though they are not the same type of Shi’ites, so that too is likely to be a priority target.
So far there has been no reaction from Israel’s opposition parties, and it puts them in an awkward position, as historically attacking anything is relatively popular in Israel, and it is considered unthinkable for the opposition to chime in on that in anything but enthusiastic support.
It’s election season. BIBI starts a few more wars to scare his voters. When will this war criminal be brought to justice?
Following its God-granted manifest destiny, Israel will continue to expand its territorial , military, & political control of the Middle East.
Are you serious ?
Based on his/her past comments I’d say that was snark.
The stench of hypocrisy is unbearable.
The World simply sits back and lets this monster spread death and destruction.
Any other country would face sanctions at the very least.
Iran just happens to be a strongest Shia country standing, Israel hates Shia Moslems, even though there have NEVER been any Shia terrorism anywhere. It is as if Sunni countries in the Middle East have been conquered essentially by US wars and diplomacy, thus not a threat to Israel’s eventual eradication of Palestinians. Nor a threat to Israel’s desirable expansion destinations, such as Lebanon and Syria’s Euphrates valley. Why are we hanging on like idiots to those parts of Syria? Place holders. Just like ISIS was a place holder — area to be then “liberated” by Kurds and US, who then let them go. ISIS failed not for the lack of support – from Gulf monarchies, mostly Saudis, but failed once confronted by military force in Iraq and Syria. Iraq suffered loses to ISIS in a shocking manner, having its forces surrounded, soldiers executed. It all stopped once Iraq set up intelligence sharing center in Baghdad that include Iran and Russia. US military advice was no longer listened to. Against US generals’ advice, Iraq went on Falujah, where Islamists had their hub for nearly daily bombings of Baghdad. Once conquered, massive bombing attacks stopped. And from that point on, Iraqi Army was marching confidently against ISIS — so much so, that some media in the West started to “fear” for Mosul, as bad Shia militia is part of the military. Given that Iraq is majority Shia, hardly news. But proposals were swirling in Western “media” on the need to have “international presence” in Mosul, to protect Sunni from Shia militia. Even after it became clear that Sunni tribal leaders of the region under ISIS were working with Baghdad government! Then, it was all the rage suggesting that corridor be open for ISIS to escape from Mosul to Syria’s Raqqa district. Then it was all the rage about US and Kurds hanging on in Sinjar. And when Iraqi PKK was smashed by Iraqi Army without Barzani Peshmega lifting a finger to protect them in Kirkuk and Sinjar — the Iraqi sovereignty over territory was established. With US bombing of Mosul when it was clear that no international , better put European busibodies, were going to bring “peace” to Mosul. From then on, just sour grapes, blaming Shia Iraqis for being only Iran’s tool.
Syria’s game is the one of patience. US is hanging on, because to do otherwise would be to abandon God’s mission. God promised Euphrates. That nice pagan God people negotiate with, promises are exchanged , and being chosen confirmed. But God has little input over the fact that we cannot pretend forever that we are doing it — for Kurds. Because Kurds do not live there, just Syrian Arabs. So if those Arab majority regions rebel against a handful if Kurdish overlords— they will be declared ISIS, and smashed, But how long can this charade go? Until Turkey makes it crystal clear that there will be no Kurdish autonomy over the region. And the point will be made soon —. Kurds need to chose between American promise of vast lands from Turkish border to Iraqi and Jordan borders, or defending the one and only majority Kurd Kobane region from Turkey. This chapter has only begun. Without US, YPG will not be supported as Kurds would rather reintegrate with Damascus. Exactly how YPG fell in Afrin.
Kurds from Afrin and other parts of Syria have a place at Constitutional convention today, and they meet in September — with or without Kobane Kurds. It is Kurds who are by far more numerous outside Kobane — that will have a say in forming the future. That is, if US — up until now pushing for Geneva format — will let it happen. Geneva is no good if parties themselves can reach consensus on how to live.
Israel hates all Muslims. The Shia are just the target for today. It is useful to Israel that the Saudis will pile on.
The Nuttyahoo must have forgotten the bloody nose Israel got in 2006 when Hezbollah responded to their aggression then. He may be, like his buddy Don the Con suffering from dementia.
Unfortunately for Israel the situation today is very different.
Hezobollah has over 100,000 missiles ready to strike targets all over Israel and over 25,000 battle-hardened seasoned troops (thanks to their deployment to Syria to assist against the Sunni jihadists) ready to take on the Zionist war criminals. Nasrallah has warned the Nuttyahoo that these latest attacks on Lebanon have crossed a ‘red line’ and further strikes could lead to all out retaliation.
There’s just one little problem, over 1000 American military assets are now deployed at an Israeli Air Force base basically as a trip wire to ensure that the USA comes to Israel’s rescue if and when Hezobollah strikes back.
So my fellow Americans be prepared since more of our blood and resources will be wasted to defend our so-called precious ally.
That’s precisely the goal – get the US to join Israel in attacking Hezbollah. Only the US has the firepower to do significant damage to Hezbollah. There’s no guarantee it will work in terms of destroying, but there’s little doubt that the US can do serious damage.
The goal for Israel is to damage Hezbollah’s missile arsenal enough to enable a war with Iran – destroying Hezbollah is probably impossible and I think Israel has given up on that goal due to Hezbollah’s importance in Lebanon.
I completely agree that Israel’s goal is to involve the USA but the American public’s general disdain for an Iranian war (and after 18 years of endless ME wars) will not be an easy sell even for the Zionist controlled media.
Remember what the Nuttyahoo said after the 911 attacks.
From the NYTimes:
Asked tonight what the attack meant for relations between the United States and Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, the former prime minister, replied, “It’s very good.” Then he edited himself: “Well, not very good, but it will generate immediate sympathy.” He predicted that the attack would “strengthen the bond between our two peoples, because we’ve experienced terror over so many decades, but the United States has now experienced a massive hemorrhaging of terror.”
There are many Americans who do not want our blood and treasures to continue the endless wars regardless of the “bond between our two people”.
America’s infrastructure is in terrible decay, homelessness is blown out of proportion thru-out the US, and over 40% of the America people do not even have $400 handy for any emergency that may hit them.Our debt is over $22 Trillion in our current situation another war would spell the ruin of America.
I believe that only the success of a devastating false flag, God-forbid, like an American city being nuked and all blame falling on Iran regardless of the real evidence can America be once again led to war.
Don’t mistake the need for the government to “sell” a war for the inability to actually start the war.
The US public may grumble about wars in polls, but in the end they vote in more war mongers the next election. Polls also show that foreign policy is a low priority for Americans precisely because of the economic problems they face. But they don’t realize how those economic problems are largely caused by bad foreign policy.
There really aren’t many people who understand that the US will go to war with Iran for the benefit of Israel *and* the benefit of the military-industrial complex and the oil companies. How many people even understand the military-industrial complex influence on policy?
The only reason the government needs to “sell” the war is to keep the grumbling down to a minimum and avoid any immediate backlash in the *next* election. The government also knows that the majority of the population will support the war – at least until it turns really sour – at which point it is too late and becomes a question of how long they can drag it out.
Bottom line: Don’t count on the US electorate preventing any major war short of WWIII.
I would love it if Russia and China got involved against Israel
Trump’s butt-buddy … Another sociopathic, egomaniacal murderer.
Attacking other countries to get re-elected with brainwashed voters…Typical Zionist strategy!
We can’t allow peace in the Middle East, people would get along, integrate, inter-marry etc. Jews would be absorbed by the Arab majority, loose their identity, nope we can’t allow that, never ending war is the solution, keep them at each others throats, get the White House support, they’re a bunch of dummy’s anyway, easy to manipulate.
Israel has always been a decidedly despicable imperial project, but with Heir Bibi they have entered the realm of becoming an international menace on par with regimes ten times their size. The temptation is to put all the blame on Bibi. That’s certainly a lot more politically correct than calling out Zionism for what it really is, a violent school of racial fascism. Bibi did not create Israel. Israel created Bibi. And the US and the UK created Israel. That is why the fight against this menace demands leadership in Gaza, Beirut, London and Washington. We need to slay this Kraken together, once and for all. I don’t believe in sanctions, but by all means, boycott and divest and support the Arab resistance openly, from Hezbollah to the PFLP. Enough is enough.
Well, if it isn’t obvious now that Israel intends to start a war with Hezbollah – and get the US to join in – the new attacks on Lebanon should be enough to convince anyone.
The other attacks on “Iranian proxies” in Iraq and Syria are just to “justify” the eventual attack on Hezbollah as the main “Iranian proxy”. So-called “proxies” in Iraq and Syria are little threat to Israel. Hezbollah, however, can devastate the Israeli economy in the event of a war with Iran.
Even if the immediate attacks are just to bolster Netanyahu in the elections, they serve a longer term purpose of ramping up for the next war on Hezbollah. Whoever wins the Israeli elections will continue to prosecute those plans because Israel depends on getting the US to destroy Iran.
This should also mention Israeli jets coming in low and breaking the sound barrier over Lebanese cities. This is as hostile as a small explosive drone that doesn’t kill anyone.
Israel thinks it hits first. It hits first again and again, constantly. That becomes not first, but ongoing war with everyone.
The ancient Romans termed this, “Hostis humani generis,” an enemy of all mankind. That phrase was revived to apply to pirates in the Caribbean. It can be applied to Israel now.
To Israel’s / Bibi’s dismay, Israel attacking everyone has somehow not yet resulted in a war to suck the US into. Maybe soon.
Oh, by the way…See that article on the front page about Netanyahu giving his political rival Gantz a security update? Which is described as “rare” and means Netanyahu is serious about getting a war started.
This quote is from that article:
Quote:
Gantz refused to comment on the briefing, with his office issuing a
statement saying he doesn’t comment on his security meetings.
The centrist former IDF general is seen as a security hawk whose views mostly dovetail with Netanyahu’s on defense matters.
End Quote
So who cares – other than Netanyahu – whether he wins the election or not? Israel under Gantz – a former IDF general – will go right ahead with Netanyahu’s war plans anyway.