Qassem is currently living in Tehran, Iran, after fleeing Lebanon on a plane with the country’s foreign minister on October 5, 2024
UAE-based Erem News outlet reports -- at least Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar stayed put in Gaza

Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian’s website said,

The current and previous government of Israel, under prime ministers Benjamin Netanyahu and Naftali Bennett respectively, sent humanitarian aid, to Ukraine

However, Israel has refused calls to,
1. impose sanctions on Russia
2. provide lethal military aid or to send missile defense technology to Ukraine

Ukraine has voted for UN resolutions against Israel

Israel's arsenal

• The US is by far the biggest supplier of arms to Israel, having helped Israel build one of the most technologically sophisticated militaries in the world
• In addition to weapons purchased overseas and indigenous products, Israel also operates and maintains large stockpiles of
  Soviet-made equipment, captured from Arab armies over the course of the Arab–Israeli conflict
• Israel is also generally understood to have nuclear weapons but does not acknowledge it, maintaining a policy of deliberate ambiguity Israel is estimated to possess somewhere between 75 and 400 nuclear warheads
• The rapid deployment of the American THAAD system to Israel complete with around 100 US personnel to operate it, demonstrates Washington’s continued "ironclad" military commitment to Israel

No wonder Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky is jealous

White House Explains Difference Between Ukraine and Israel Military Support
Newsweek by Kaitlin Lewis 16 April 2024

Old article but....

The State Department told reporters that Washington's relationship with Ukraine is "entirely different" than its partnership with Israel amid questions over the United States' involvement in both nations' conflicts

Kyiv officials have asked its Western allies for more direct support in its fight against Russia after a coalition of militaries—including the US United Kingdom and France—helped Israel defend itself, against a barrage of missiles launched by Iran on Saturday 01 April 2024

• The majority of the 300 drones shot by Tehran were intercepted before they could reach Israeli territory, partially in thanks to the aircraft and air defense systems mobilized by US President Joe Biden to the region

But while the Biden administration remains adamant in continuing to support Ukraine's military amid its more than two-year war, Washington has stopped short of sending its own troops to battle in Eastern Europe and that line does not appear to be crossed anytime soon

US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, who fielded questions during a press briefing Tuesday, said,Miller continued adding,Miller also highlighted Biden's promise to not put the US in a "combat role" against Russia and that
White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby gave a similar answer during a press briefing on Monday when asked why:
Asked why the West could not help Ukraine shoot down Russian missiles as it did during Iran's recent attack on Israel, the Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary in the Department of Defense Sabrina Singh said,
So Iran is small potatoes?!

curiouser! and curiouser!!

IDF chief: If Iran attacks Israel again, we’ll hit ‘places we spared this time’
The Times of Israel by Emanuel Fabian 30 October 2024

Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi says,
Halevi on Tuesday warned Iran not to pursue further attacks against Israel following targeted Israeli strikes on Iranian military targets over the weekend which were themselves a response to a massive ballistic missile attack launched by Tehran on October 1, 2024

Speaking to aircrews at the Ramon Air Base in southern Israel, Halevi said,Should Iran again attack, Halevi warned,
In an hourslong operation early Saturday morning, dozens of Israeli aircraft targeted strategic military sites across Iran — specifically drone and ballistic missile manufacturing and launch sites as well as air defense batteries — with explosions reported in the Tehran, Karaj, Isfahan and Shiraz areas

A series of satellite images analyzed by the Associated Press on Tuesday also found that Israel likely struck a base run by the Revolutionary Guards for ballistic missile construction in Shahroud although the Israel Defense Forces did not identify it as a targeted location

Updated 3 hours ago -
World
Iran preparing major retaliatory strike from Iraq within days, Israeli intel suggests

Barak Ravid

A view of fighter jet being prepared ahead of Israeli army's attack on Iran, on October 26, 2024 in Israel. Photo: Israel Defense Forces (IDF)/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images

Israeli intelligence suggests Iran is preparing to attack Israel from Iraqi territory in the coming days, possibly before the U.S. presidential election, two Israeli sources tell Axios.

Why it matters: Israel and Iran have been engaged in an escalating tit-for-tat for weeks. Carrying the attack out through pro-Iranian militias in Iraq and not directly from Iranian territory could be an attempt by Iran to avoid another Israeli attack against strategic targets in Iran.

Driving the news: The sources said Israeli intelligence suggests the attack is expected to be carried out from Iraq using a large number of drones and ballistic missiles.

Iran could quickly put its preparations into action if Tehran decides to strike soon, but the U.S. doesn't know if that decision has been made, a U.S. official told Axios.
What they're saying: Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Hossein Salami said on Thursday that Israel made a mistake when it attacked Iran last week and stressed that Iran's response will be "different from any scenario" Israel might expect.

A high-ranking Iranian source told CNN that Iran is planning a "definitive and painful" response that will likely come before the election, the network reported Wednesday.
Mohammad Mohammadi Golpayegani, chief of staff to Iran's supreme leader, told TV network al-Mayadeen on Thursday Iranian retaliation was "certain." He said the Iranian response will be "strong" and will "make our enemy regret" its attack.

Kataib Hezbollah, the most powerful of the armed factions, said Israel and the US would have to pay a price for Israel’s strikes on Iran last week

From: Arab News November 1, 2024
Iraq attempts to avoid regional fight as semiautonomous militias fire at Israel

Nervously watching Israel’s destructive campaigns in Gaza and Lebanon, Iraq is working to avoid being drawn into the growing regional conflict as Iran-backed armed groups launch attacks on Israel from Iraqi soil, sources familiar with the matter say.

In recent weeks, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a loose network of pro-Iran armed groups, has claimed launching several drones targeting Israel in support of Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

From: Al Jazeera October 31, 2024
Iran warns of ‘unimaginable’ response to Israel attack

Iran promised a “harsh and regretful” response to the deadly Israeli attack on Iranian military facilities.

“The recent action of the Zionist regime in attacking parts of our country was a desperate move and the Islamic Republic of Iran will give it a harsh and regretful response,” Mohammad Mohammadi Golpayegani, a senior aide to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency.

He praised Iran’s air defence performance in “preventing the entry of the Zionist regime fighters into the territory” and said damage from the strikes was “minimal”.

Also on Thursday, General Hossein Salami, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, warned:
of an “unimaginable” response to Israel. “Israel has reached the stage of collapse and these days it acts blindly and without abiding to any rules it commits every crime,” said Salami.

1. Is it deadly or “minimal”?
2. Iran abides by the rules?

Netanyahu: Israel can strike any location in Iran if necessary. Netanyahu, in a speech to new military officers, says:
"Israel has unprecedented freedom of action after its recent air strikes against Iran"

“Israel today has more freedom of action in Iran than ever. We can reach any place in Iran as necessary,” Netanyahu said. “The supreme goal, I gave to the Israeli [military] and the security branches is to prevent Iran from achieving a nuclear weapon.”

Israeli army says it has killed the deputy head of Hezbollah's special forces unit Mustafa Ahmad Shadadi during an "intelligence-directed" strike in Lebanon.

It added that he was second-in-command of Hezbollah's Radwan Force and was responsible for operations in Syria and overseeing terror attacks in southern Lebanon.

From: Al Jazeera October 31, 2024
Israel kills 6 Lebanese paramedics;
The Israeli army bombs and kills six Lebanese medics and wounds four others in multiple attacks

At least 95 people killed in Gaza since dawn
an Israeli attack struck two houses near the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. 
The death toll from that attack has now risen from nine to 16

Medical sources told Al Jazeera that Israeli air raids killed at least 95 people since dawn today, the vast majority in the north of the Strip.

Air strikes in Syria kill at least 10 people, mostly civilians
At least 10 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in air strikes on Syria’s Qusayr region bordering Lebanon, where Israel said it hit a Hezbollah weapons depot.

“An Israeli aggression targeted the Qusayr area in the southern Homs countryside,” causing “material damage to the industrial city and some residential neighborhoods”, the official SANA news agency said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a Britain-based war monitor, said three strikes targeted the town of Qusayr, where Hezbollah operates, and later reported further attacks on the area.

One strike targeted “a weapons depot and a fuel storage facility for Hezbollah in the industrial city of Qusayr”, killing seven civilians and three Syrian fighters working for the Lebanese group, SOHR said. At least 11 other people were wounded.

From: Al Jazeera October 31, 2024
7 civilian deaths in northern Israel as Hezbollah rockets get through
Hezbollah rockets leave seven civilians dead in northern Israel – one of the deadliest days since its military invaded southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah claimed, to destroy 2 tanks using guided missiles and to have targeted Israeli troops south and southwest of Khiam with rockets and artillery

Israeli troops attacked after entering Tulkarem refugee camp
Palestinian fighters are battling Israeli troops in Tulkarem in the occupied West Bank.

“Our brave fighters are engaged in fierce clashes with the Zionist enemy forces that have penetrated Tulkarem camp using machineguns and explosive devices,” the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades said in a statement on Telegram.

Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades is the armed wing of Fatah, the movement that controls the Palestinian Authority, which has limited self-rule in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli forces have conducted near-daily operations in the West Bank in recent months.

From: The Times of Israel October 29, 2024
777 Israeli soldiers and 68 Police officers killed since October 2023
Six colonels among the dead, the most senior officers killed in combat in recent memory

some suspect the real figure is higher, being concealed by military censorship

UK’s PM declines to label Israel’s war on Gaza ‘genocide’

Green Party parliamentarian Carla Denyer urged the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer to label the Gaza crisis as “genocide” after Israel’s parliament banned UNRWA and blocked UN aid.

Starmer expressed concern about what is taking place in Gaza but refused to describe it as genocide.

I agree.
BTW

The term "genocide" was introduced into international law by the Polish-Jewish legal scholar Raphael Lemkin , who became involved in the Nuremberg Tribunal after fleeing Poland.

What is happening in Gaza is horrible, so many innocent people die, but to call it genocide is to put it on the same level as the Holocaust and the Nazis.

True -- not the same level as the Holocaust and the Nazis.

From: The Times of Israel March 20, 2022 and The Jerusalem Post March 24, 2022

Zelensky’s misfired speech
The vast majority of Israelis watching Zelensky’s address understood where he was coming from, just not where he was going.
Perhaps desperation and frustration overtook him.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s speech to the Knesset on Sunday evening, delivered via Zoom was received with mixed responses from Israeli lawmakers, with some calling it “outrageous” and others supporting the “distressed” president.

Several MKs harshly criticized Zelensky for drawing comparisons between the Holocaust and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and seemingly ignoring some Ukrainians’ complicity in the Nazi-led genocide.

“I admire the Ukraine president and support the Ukrainian people in heart and deed, but the terrible history of the Holocaust cannot be rewritten,” Communications Minister Yoaz Hendel tweeted.

Hendel noted that part of Nazi Germany’s genocide of Jews “was also carried out on Ukrainian land.”
He added that while “the war is terrible, the comparison to the horrors of the Holocaust and the Final Solution is outrageous.”

The war coming to 1,000 days -- if Russia needs North Korea's help...

How good Herzi Halevi was -- However...

"It ain't over till the fat lady sings" and Iran hasn't sung yet
They are still making up their mind whether the Israeli attack was deadly or “minimal”?

Iran warns of ‘unimaginable’ response to Israel attack and promised a “harsh and regretful” response

From: The Australian November 1, 2024

Aid funds can’t be left in hands of terrorists
Rather than denouncing Israel, the government should work with it to devise an alternative to UNRWA that doesn’t sustain terrorism.

Israel and Hamas at War
Israel says it kills one of Hamas' last senior officials
By Reuters
November 1, 20247:30 PM GMT+1Updated 8 hours ago

Nov 1 (Reuters) - The Israeli military said on Friday it killed senior Hamas official Izz al-Din Kassab, describing him as one of the last high-ranking members of Hamas responsible for coordinating with other groups in the Gaza Strip, in an airstrike in Khan Younis.
The Palestinian group mourned the death of Kassab in a statement, adding that he was killed along with another Hamas official named Ayman Ayesh in an Israeli attack on their car in the enclave.

Hamas sources told Reuters that Kassab was a local group official in Gaza but not a member of its decision-making political office.

Hezbollah commander surrenders to Israeli troops in tunnel raid
News.com.au by Brielle Burns and New York Post 30 October 2024

Extracts:
A Hezbollah commander was captured by Israeli troops in his underwear during a tunnel raid in Lebanon earlier this month, officials said

Hassan Aqil Jawad, the leader of Hezbollah’s forces in Ayta ash Shab, was confronted by Israel Defense Force soldiers inside a tunnel shaft in the terrorist group’s command centre in the village, in October The Times of Israel reported

Footage released by the IDF shows the surprised terrorist leader, who was only wearing underwear at the time of the raid, slowly walking down a dark corridor before raising his hands and surrendering to the soldiers

Jawad then drops to the ground and proceeds to slowly crawl toward the IDF troops before the IDF take him into custody

Jawad and several of his other operatives hiding in the compound – who were also detained in their underwear – were brought back to Israel for interrogation

IDF officials said,
The IDF said, IDF has captured several more Hezbollah operatives since its ground operation began in southern Lebanon at the start of October 2024

The Jewish state has not revealed how many terrorists it has detained since the incursion began

More leaders, More commanders, More tunnels, More.... than in a ball game!

Around 75 rockets fired at Israel from Lebanon today, says IDF
The Times of Israel by Emanuel Fabian AFP and ToI Staff 29 October 2024

Extracts:

• Israel's deepest incursion into Lebanon

Israeli tanks said to enter deepest point in southern Lebanon so far in fighting

Lebanese state media reports,Israel's deepest incursion yet into south Lebanon in a ground operation launched last month

The official National News Agency reports the entry of “a large number of tanks belonging to the Israeli occupation army” into the eastern outskirts of Khiam, some six kilometers (nearly four miles) from the border with Israel

Lebanon’s National News Agency says Israeli forces carried out a series of air attacks on Khiam today and launched a large-scale sweep “using heavy and medium weaponry” There was no immediate comment from the IDF on any operations in that area

Earlier today, the IDF said,
More underground command centers, More tunnels, More bunker explosive storage, More.... than in a ball game!

How far is Hezbollah willing to go for a ceasefire?
Al Jazeera by Zaheena Rasheed, Alastair Mccready, Maziar Motamedi, Ylenia Gostoli and Virginia Pietromarchi 31 October 2024

Extracts:

• Hezbollah Willing To Bend, Not Break For A Truce: Analysts

Hezbollah says it is ready for a “suitable” truce but there are limits to what it can accept after suffering devastating Israeli attacks, analysts say

Qassim Qassir, a Lebanese analyst close to the group said,Sure thing ceasefire so that the terrorists can “reorganize its ranks” come back bigger and more lethal

Qassir said, referring to Israeli demands for Hezbollah to retreat 30km (20 miles) from the frontier,
On the ground, Israeli forces have advanced as far as the town of Khiam, six kilometres (4 miles) from the border
Hezbollah says the Israelis have yet to fully control any frontier village

How far is Hezbollah willing to go for a ceasefire?
Al Jazeera by Zaheena Rasheed, Alastair Mccready, Maziar Motamedi, Ylenia Gostoli and Virginia Pietromarchi 31 October 2024

Extracts:

• Hezbollah faces internal pressure ‘to end this carnage’

David Wood, senior Lebanon analyst at the International Crisis Group says,
According to Wood,
However while Hezbollah is open to a truce, Wood noted,

How far is Hezbollah willing to go for a ceasefire?
Al Jazeera by Zaheena Rasheed, Alastair Mccready, Maziar Motamedi, Ylenia Gostoli and Virginia Pietromarchi 31 October 2024

Extracts:

• Hezbollah ‘are the sons of these southern towns’

Mounir Shehadeh, a former Lebanese government coordinator for the UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL, says,
1. It is Hezbollah that has no interest in implementing the UN Resolution 1701
2. and it is Hezbolloh that has been violating the Resolution since it was signed in 2006
3. Hezbollah was to disarm as per the UN Resolution 1701 following the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah conflict
4. but 18 years on, Hezbollah has not disarmed....
5. raising concerns about the effectiveness of UN resolutions aimed at disarming terror outfits
6. UNIFIL didn't do their peace keeping job and we now have a full blown war
7. terrorists "Hezbollah “still feels like it has a seat at the table and could reach a negotiated settlement without total surrender”
8. Thanks! UN

Shehadeh added,
Sure thing Otherwise how can these terrorists fire their rockets, missiles etc. into Israel

‘Destroy’: Iran’s leader orders strike on Israel
News.com.au by Ronny Reyes 01 November 2024

Extracts:
according to a news report,

• Iran’s Ayatollah orders retaliatory attack against Israel after IDF strike deemed too big to ignore:
• Iran’s Supreme Leader has ‘instructed his forces to prepare a direct attack against Israel’ after deeming the Jewish nation’s strike last week too big to ignore

While Khamenei attempted to downplay to the public the extent of Israel’s attack on Tehran’s military facilities, privately, Khamenei greenlit plans for a counter-attack in a meeting with his Supreme National Security Council, Iranian officials told The New York Times

The Ayatollah allegedly made his decision on Monday after reviewing the damage report from his military officials, which detailed the strikes across Tehran’s missile production plants and defence systems

Khamenei told his generals,
according to Iranian media, General Ali Fadavi, the Iran Revolutionary Guards Corps deputy commander said,
*This article originally appeared on New York Post and was reproduced with permission

‘Destroy’: Iran’s leader orders strike on Israel
News.com.au by Ronny Reyes 01 November 2024

Extracts:

• Israel and Iran tit-for-tat cycle

Israel carried out a four-hour operation last Friday consisting of 100 jets, spy planes and refuelling aircraft to conduct its largest-ever strike on Iran, bombing military facilities tied to the Islamic Republic’s own ballistic missile barrages against the Jewish state

The tit-for-tat cycle has raised fears that an all-out war is inevitable in the Middle East between Israel and Iran and its terror proxies

The attacks so far have targeted military facilities but Iran has previously warned that it would do anything to ensure the safety of its people Despite the warning, officials told The Times that Iran’s response would stick to dozens of military targets inside Israel

A repeated exchange of fire however, may not benefit Tehran given that Israel has bolstered its defences since the last attack on October 1, 2024 including the delivery of an American Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system

Iran however is poised to suffer greater damage after Israel’s strike last week destroyed several of its missile defence systems, a warning to Tehran not to retaliate

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said of the attack on Thursday
*This article originally appeared on New York Post and was reproduced with permission

According to the IDF Kassab was part of the Political Bureau.

https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-827187

2 hr 25 min ago
Rockets hit central Israel, eleven injured, several rescued from damaged building
Several people were trapped in a building in Tira and had to be reduced by firefighting teams.
By YUVAL BARNEA
Footage of a rocket strike on Tira, November 2, 2024. (photo credit: SCREENSHOT/X)Enlrage image

Several people were injured after sirens sounded in central Israel early on Saturday morning, according to Israeli media.

Sirens sounded across central Israel in Herzilya, Ranana, Kfar Saba, and Tira.

Magen David Adom reported eleven injuries, all of which were evacuated to Meir and Bellinson Medical Centers.

Why hasn't THAAD including Israel's own antimissile defenses -- Iron Dome, Arrow and David’s Sling systems intercepted and neutralized these rockets before they hit Israel

Reuters November 2, 2024
Seventy-one people in Israel and Israeli-occupied territories have been killed by Hezbollah's fire, according to Israeli authorities.

1. Hezbollah's special forces unit Mustafa Ahmad Shadadi
2. Hassan Aqil Jawad, the leader of Hezbollah’s forces in Ayta ash Shab
3. senior Hamas official Izz al-Din Kassab

high-ranking members already replaced “reorganize its ranks” come back bigger and more lethal

?United? antisemitism Nations What a joke it is -- dismal failure indeed

Trying to influence US Elections?

Iran’s supreme leader vows ‘teeth-breaking’ response to Israel and US after strikes on military sites

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/02/middleeast/iran-supreme-leader-response-israel-intl/index.html

He is cutting it very fine

Days before the presidential election in the United States — Israel's main military supplier — Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran's response would cover attacks on both the Islamic republic and its allies.

The US and Israel will "definitely receive a crushing response" for what they do against his country, Iran's supreme leader has warned.

US arms shipment and Israeli “Iron Beam” -- Too late Too far down the track

From: The Washington Post November 2, 2024

On Friday, the Pentagon announced that it is sending, to the Middle East, which are expected to arrive in the coming months more
1. U.S. ballistic missile defense destroyers,
2, fighter squadron and tanker aircraft,
3. and B-52 long-range strike bombers

“Should Iran, its partners, or its proxies use this moment to target American personnel or interests in the region, the United States will take every measure necessary to defend our people,” the Pentagon statement said.

From: CNN November 1, 2024
Israel expects its “Iron Beam” laser defense system to be operational within one year saying it will bring “a new era of warfare” as it engages in a war of drones and missiles with Iran and its regional partners.

The Jewish state spent more than $500 million on deals this week with Israeli developers Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, architect of Israel’s Iron Dome, and Elbit Systems to expand production of the shield.

Dubbed the "Iron Beam" the shield aims to use high-power lasers to counter an array of projectiles, including missiles, drones, rockets and mortars, Israel’s defense ministry said this week.

How will these help with the immediate Horror ‘Swarm of drones’: