RANT: GAZAGAZAGAZA

 

LEST WE FORGET, Gaza is still the world’s first live-streamed genocide, brought to you by WEAPONS “Я” US^©, a division of EthniCleanse Inc. where quality ethnic-cleansing products and services are to be found.

In business since the Stone Age.💀

 

ISRAEL IS LICKING its wounds and beginning repairs to the extensive damage done to its infrastructure in the “Twelve Day War”, as June’s air barrages between Iran and Israel is called. It’s fair to say that both sides took hits to military bases, missile launching sites, ports, air ports, energy systems, etc. Death tolls of over 600 in Iran were recorded (including dozens of military commanders and nuclear scientists assassinated in Israel’s “decapitation”strike of June 13). The Jewish state says 65 people were killed during the same period by Iranian missiles. Who knows the actual numbers, but the relatively ‘low’ death counts suggest to me that infrastructure and not populations were the primary targets of both militaries, as each attempted to degrade their opponent’s abilities to function as a cohesive state and to remain a significant military threat.

ISRAEL BEGAN THE UNPROVOKED war with Iran on June 13 with ballistic missiles, cruise missiles fired from “stand off” jets and ground launchers, as well as drone and cyber attacks. Iran responded with heavy missile bombardments and drones*. This back-and forth, tit-for-tat confrontation continued until June 24 when a ceasefire was announced by President Trump to go into effect the next day.

The cessation of hostilities came after the June 22 U.S. bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites followed by, in short order, Iran’s calibrated (i.e., staged) ‘counterattack’ against an American air force base across the Persian Gulf in Qatar ending the exchange. Iran’s counterattacking barrage of 14 missiles struck the Al Udide Base in Qatar causing only minor damage and no casualties. It demonstrated Iran’s ability to ‘reach out’ and target American bases should they choose, but the Qatari strike drew a line under the conflict: You hit us. We hit you. One and done. The Iranians attacked the Qatari base after informing the U.S. of their intentions and allowing the evacuation of American personnel and equipment. It was a face-saving performance so Iran could claim it responded to the American attacks on its nuclear facilities, but without escalating the hostilities.

 

    What goes around, comes around.

Some commentators say the June 22 nuclear site strikes in Iran  by the Americans were also a bit of ‘kabuki  theatre’. How else to explain the fact that lines of trucks were seen at the Fordow facility⁺ in the days preceding the June 22 attacks? This suggests equipment and enriched nuclear fuel were removed prior to the U.S. bombers dropping 30,000-pound “bunker-buster” bombs on Fordow and sending submarine-launched cruise missiles into two other sites. They suggest the U.S. gave into Israeli PM Netanyahu’s demand to back Israel up, but made the strike a “one off” event calibrated so that President Trump could claim he still supported Israel without igniting further conflict with Iran.

 

IT IS QUITE POSSIBLE, as the daily barrages continued in the war, that Israel ‘cried uncle’ to Uncle Sam and sought an end to the conflict because it was taking a beating and its aerial defences (the “Iron Dome”, “Patriot Missile” batteries, etc.) were being overwhelmed by incoming Iranian missile fire.¹  Thus, a temporary ceasefire was arranged by the Trump White House. I say “temporary” because no outstanding issues were addressed, like increasing Israeli belligerence against Iran and in the region, and the elephant in the room, namely, Gaza and Israel’s genocide there against the Palestinian people. So, we’ll see how long Israel lasts before it again lashes out against its neighbours, near and far. Don’t touch that dial, folks!

 

AND JUST BECAUSE Israel took a licking from Iran and got a taste of its own medicine, doesn’t mean it can’t continue its genocide and ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip. After all, God’s chosen people can do whatever the fuck they want.

 

 

Cheers, Jake.  ____________________________________

* Israel’s drone attacks mimicked Ukraine’s June 1 drone attacks on Russian airfields hosting its heavy-bomber fleets. Hmmm. Could there be an Israeli-Ukraine connection? There's a match made in hell!

 

+ For interesting discussions on the Fordow strike see the “Daniel Davis Deep Dive” podcast with MIT professor Ted Postal, here and the “Dialogue Works” podcast, here. 

 

1. Even with the assistance of interceptor fire from nearby American warships and aircraft, Israel was hard put to stop most incoming Iranian missiles. Significant damage was done to the country’s infrastructure, so much so that the government banned any photography of the bomb sites and instigated a news blackout. It must be said that Iran, also, suffered significant damage during the twelve days of aerial bombardments, with its air defence system badly degraded by Israeli missile attacks. But the question remains: In a war of attrition, who could last longer? Which country has more resilience and social cohesion?

 

FUN FACT: Israel now restricts its citizens from leaving the country. I guess those who have dual (or more) passports are taking the opportunity to jump ship before it hits the iceberg. And will the last person exiting please remember to turn out the lights.