Reuters November 28, 2024
Gazans Feel Abandoned

Diplomatic efforts will now turn to shattered Gaza, where Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas, which led the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israeli communities. However, there were no hopes of peace returning any time soon to the Palestinian enclave.

Announcing the ceasefire, U.S. President Joe Biden spoke at the White House on Tuesday shortly after Israel's security cabinet approved the agreement in a 10-1 vote.

"This is designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities," Biden said. "What is left of Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations will not be allowed to threaten the security of Israel again."

He said his administration was also pushing for an elusive ceasefire in Gaza.

Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters that the group "appreciates" Lebanon's right to reach an agreement that protects its people, and hopes for a deal to end the Gaza war.

But many Gaza residents said they felt abandoned.

"We hope that all Arab and Western countries, and all people with merciful hearts and consciences ... implement a truce here because we are tired," said displaced Gazan Malak Abu Laila.

Why didn't Israel get the greatly decimated Hezbollah -- get 'em all -- get 'em all now, while they got the muscle -- Finish the job
Why the ceasefire?

The terrorists would “reorganize its ranks” rebuild its military, come back bigger and more lethal, to continue their efforts to exterminate the Jewish state, delivering on their promise to launch more and more attacks like that of 7 October 2023

Déjà vu 18 years -- “historical mistake” another "missed opportunity" to "eradicate Hezbollah,"

The Iran regime is struggling internal, Hezbollah doesn't control Lebanon and Hamas is isolated after October 7 with the help of Trump the Middle East can go to a more peaceful and prosperous time. You can't change a system of ideas and ideals, but to have some kind of agreement is the best for all people.

True. The problem is agreements need to be implemented and monitored.
Just one day in, already violations reported, from both sides

Currently the Peace Keepers are only the Lebanese Army -- Hezbollah eat them for breakfast!

Déjà vu -- The 2024 agreement follows the contours of UN security council resolution 1701 which ended the 36-day Israel-Hezbollah war of 2006 but was never fully implemented.

From: Haaretz November 29, 2024
Israel Achieved Only a Partial Victory Against Hezbollah.

It has landed the heaviest blow in its history on the organization – and Israel itself has suffered quite a few losses.
Even after the cease-fire in Lebanon came into effect Wednesday before dawn, Israel has not defeated Hezbollah.

The damage suffered by Hamas in Gaza is far greater than the destruction caused to Hezbollah's military capabilities in Lebanon.

From: Haaretz November 29, 2024

1. Netanyahu Says Lebanon Cease-fire Not Necessarily End of War;
2. Houthi Leader Calls for Escalation
3. Cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah goes into effect;
4. IDF fires at suspects entering no-go zone in southern Lebanon
5. Iran: Tehran plans uranium-enrichment expansion, IAEA report says
6. Israel: Netanyahu says Lebanon agreement aims to isolate Hamas, focus on Iran

GAZA: Hamas wants its own ceasefire
Egyptian delegation arrives in Israel to discuss Gaza cease-fire, hostage deal as Hamas reportedly ready for truce following Lebanon deal

From: The Times of Israel November 27, 2024
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir tells mother of hostage he’ll block any deal freeing ‘1,000 Sinwars’

Now for the propaganda, facts spinning from both sides...

From: The Guardian November 29, 2024
Hezbollah tries to claim victory as Lebanon mourns its dead

A year of fighting with israel – before a ceasefire was reached,
1. Israel killed thousands
2. and shattered Hezbollah’s air of invincibility

The Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah chose an iconic spot for his victory speech:
the sports stadium in Bint Jbeil, a kilometre from the Israel-Lebanon border where, in 2000 crowds roared as the group’s then leader, Hassan Nasrallah, declared it had ended Israel’s 18-year occupation of south Lebanon.

The MP told journalists on Wednesday, a few hours after a ceasefire with Israel took effect:
“Today we come to announce from Bint Jbeil and with confidence that we have won over the Israeli killing machine,”

Another war with Israel had ended, but this time,
1. there were no crowds in the stands,
2. the stadium was covered in shrapnel
3. and Nasrallah was dead.

Fadlallah said, rattling off a list of targets,
1. Hezbollah had deprived Israel, including occupation of south Lebanon
2. and the destruction of the organisation itself

“It is true that there is destruction, martyrs and sacrifices, but in front of the goal set by the enemy [Israel], the price paid was worth the great results that were achieved,”

From: The Guardian November 29, 2024
Hezbollah had set one task for itself when it launched rockets at Israel on 8 October 2023: force a ceasefire in Gaza.

On Wednesday, after more than 13 months of fighting,
1. Hezbollah stopped firing rockets
2. and signed its own ceasefire with Israel
3. and Israel’s campaign in Gaza raged on.

There was no more talk of stopping the war in Gaza.
Hezbollah told western mediators that it wanted its own ceasefire

Israel gave it to them
1. After blowing up more than 30 villages in southern Lebanon
2. and procuring a promise that Hezbollah fighters would retreat north of the Litani River 18 miles from the border

according to the World Bank, a year of fighting,
1. Israel had killed almost 4,000 people in Lebanon,
2. displaced more than a million from their homes
3. and caused more than $8.5bn (£6.7bn) in damages

From: The Guardian November 29, 2024
1. It also shattered Hezbollah’s air of invincibility.
2. If Hezbollah could not claim that it would protect Lebanon from Israel, why did it exist?

Its domestic opponents called for the militia,
1. to disarm
2. and to allow the state to reassert itself in south Lebanon.

Hezbollah has warned its rivals not to overestimate its losses.
In his latest speech the secretary general of the party, Naim Qassem, invoked the 1989 Taif agreement, which ended Lebanon’s 15-year long sectarian civil war, which all parties are keen to avoid.

Karim el-Mufti, a senior lecturer in global affairs at Sciences Po in Paris, said, Hezbollah needs to frame this as a victory:
"just by surviving and not openly surrendering, it considers it has somewhat overcome the invincible Israeli military,”
“It’s also looking after its political future inside Lebanon as difficult and burdening questions will be sure to be raised as to its role.”

In Bint Jbeil, Hezbollah was keen to reassert its presence,
1. Members of its relief wings were clearing rubble-strewn roads
2. and handed out flags to returning residents -- can't eat the flags!
3. The group’s anthems boomed over cars’ speaker systems.

Mohammed, a resident of Bint Jbeil, said,
“It might be hard for Europeans and westerners to understand, but this is victory,”
“As long as the resistance is here – the Israelis will not be able to enter, then we have won.”

Yes I do expect the Lebanese will ask Dutch and others to help some peacekeeping in southern Lebanon so Israelis in the north can go home safely. In Gaza a international peacekeeping could help the palestinian people but the safety of Israel should always be number one.

The 10,000-strong UNIFIL force backed by about 800 civilian staff was drawn from 50 countries including Indonesia the biggest contributor with more than 1,200 uniformed personnel, India, Ghana, Nepal, Italy, Spain, France and Ireland

If international peacekeeping fail again 18 years later -- UN the Peace Keeper!

UN Resolution 1701 prohibits all armed militias from operating anywhere in all of Lebanon and disarmament of armed groups including Hezbollah but... the peacekeepers "said little and did less” while the terrorists were building up their tunnel-based urban warfare terror

UNIFIL failure 18 years on...

From: Al Jazeera November 27, 2024
How and why UNIFIL failed to ‘keep peace’ in Lebanon And will continue to fail unless its mandate and aims change.

If UNIFIL has been unable to fulfil its objectives, why has it stayed in the south?

As yet another Israeli war on Lebanon has taken a painful toll UNIFIL has clearly failed in its mission to “keep peace”.

Although UNIFIL was supposed to protect the civilian population and was given the right to use weapons to defend itself, it was not empowered to use force to fulfil its mandate.

After the 2006 war UNIFIL force was increased from 2,000 to 15,000 soldiers and its mandate was expanded to include disarming all non-state entities in Lebanon -- Yeah, Right!

It is clear that UNIFIL has failed to implement the aspect of its mandate, throughout its existence,
1. its troops have not returned any fire directly at Israel in any of its aggressions against Lebanon
2. and at Hezbollah in any of its aggressions against Israel
3. Hezbollah continues to have access to weapons -- and rains terror on Israel

UNIFIL is a peacekeeping force that has failed to protect civilians and stop violence.

UNFIL clearly does not have the trust of the local Lebanese population or the respect of the Israeli authorities.

A ceasefire has now been announced that will focus on implementing UNSC Resolution 1701 and keeping the territory between the border with Israel and the Litani River free from Hezbollah presence -- Déjà vu

Only by enforcing accountability can the international community put enough pressure on Israel to stop its aggressive behaviour and commit to peace.

And Hezbollah and other terrorists -- free rein...

From: Middle East Monitor November 29, 2024

Refuseniks sent to Military Prison
Two Israeli teenagers, Iddo Elam and Soul Behar Tsalik, were sentenced to 30 days in military prison this week for refusing mandatory conscription in protest of Israel’s war in Gaza and its ongoing Occupation of Palestinian Territories.

The 18-year-olds from Tel Aviv joined a growing group of young Israelis who have publicly refused to enlist in the military for political reasons since the start of the war on 7 October.

After their declaration, they were transferred to Neve Tzedek military prison to begin their sentences, which may be extended.

Military service is mandatory for Israeli citizens over the age of 18; conscientious objection is rare and often punished harshly.

Refuseniks are frequently subjected to multiple prison sentences before being released.
Moreover, since 7 October, the Israeli military has increased penalties for refusal.

Elam and Behar Tsalik are among eight teenagers who have publicly refused the draft since the war began.

Their refusal follows the imprisonment of other Israeli teenagers who have also refused military service in recent months including Tal Mitnick, Sophia Orr, Ben Arad, Yuval Moav and Oryan Mueller.

“I refuse because I believe that as long as we continue to comply with the government, the war and this agenda of death and more death, that’s exactly what we’ll get: death and more death.

We must use every tool to resist, to make it stop — including refusing and paying a personal price.”

You gotta do, you gotta do... the safety of Israel should always be number one.
October 7 coordinated armed incursion, murder, hostages -- now in a time of war refusing mandatory conscription

Israel created and surviving not without wars, sacrifice, death and more death, personal price

Refuseniks will not have Israel if not for the sacrifice and personal price by countless Hero Israelis

Nasrallah's final speech before his demise:
"If we stop the campaign for Gaza, all the sacrifices we made in the last year will be in vain." He was right. They were in vain.

Terrorists have destroyed the lives of the Lebanese people and the people of Gaza, all while destroying itself from within.

Shame Nasrallah and Sinwar are dead and not see their fateful strategic blunders and what they brought upon their own people
Shame on them

Terrorists' belief of their cause and their own people,
1. “We make the headlines only with blood,” “No blood, no news.”
2. even hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths are a “necessary sacrifice”

Very costly, heavy losses, brutal human cost for Israel too destroying itself from within.
October 7 failures have led Israel to the terrible place they are now in including Global pariah on the world stage

From: BBC December 1, 2024
Syria's rebel offensive is astonishing - but don't write off Assad

Who are the rebels seizing control of "large parts" of Syria's second city, Aleppo?

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham HTS was set up under a different name, Jabhat al-Nusra, in 2011 as a direct affiliate of Al Qaeda.
The leader of the self-styled Islamic State (IS) group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was also involved in its formation.

It was regarded as one of the most effective and deadly of the groups ranged against President Assad.

Its jihadist ideology appeared to be its driving force rather than revolutionary zeal - and it was seen at the time as at odds with the main rebel coalition under the banner of Free Syria.

And in 2016 the group’s leader, Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani, publicly broke ranks with Al Qaeda, dissolved Jabhat al-Nusra and set up a new organisation, which took the name Hayat Tahrir al-Sham when it merged with several other similar groups a year later.

From: The Times of Israel December 2, 2024
Rebels in Syria take advantage of Israel’s successes against a weakened Iran axis

Lightning advance on Aleppo by anti-Assad jihadist force could be start of wider uprising against Tehran and its proxies

the primary reason for the success of the rebel offensive and the collapse of the regime forces is the effectiveness of Israel’s military operations against Hezbollah and Iran since October 8, 2023

“The timing is not coincidental,” Carmit Valensi, head of the Northern Arena Program at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, told The Times of Israel.

“They identify well the critical, even historical, weakness that the ‘Resistance Axis,’ primarily Hezbollah and Iran, find themselves in,”

To make matters worse for Assad’s government,
1. while Hezbollah is diminished, so is Russia
2. Its focus has been on the long Ukraine fight for almost 3 years
3. Russia has fewer troops and assets in Syria.
Maybe so -- but Russian jets been striking Syria after rebels seize Aleppo in shock offensive

What’s more, with the Donald Trump administration set to take office in a matter of weeks, Iran will likely face increased sanctions and stepped-up pressure on its battered economy.

Speaking to Israel’s Channel 12 on Sunday, a rebel commander made no effort to hide the connection between the offensive and Israel’s military success.

“We looked at the [ceasefire] agreement with Hezbollah and understood that this is the time to liberate our lands,” said the officer.

“This operation was critical.
1. We will not let Hezbollah fight in our areas
2. and we will not let the Iranians take root there.”

The rebel commander added that the goal is,
1. to topple the Assad regime
2. and set up a government that has good relations with all its neighbors, including Israel.

Some Hezbollah and Iran-backed Shiite militia fighters were moved from Syria to contend with the Israeli ground invasion in Lebanon in October.

Thousands more were killed and wounded by Israeli air raids, ground forces, and special operations like the stunning attacks in September in which thousands of Hezbollah pagers exploded on their owners..

Still, it’s unlikely that this offensive will be enough in and of itself to bring Assad down.

HTS will need other groups to attack as well, especially from southern Syria.
And they will have to learn to cooperate, something they were unable to do at the height of the civil war almost a decade ago.

Moreover, there is no guarantee that recent success will continue, especially if Iran, Russia, and Hezbollah wake up to the threat and find a way to throw real resources at the attack.

“If so, we could see this end very quickly,” said Valensi.

boon for Israel
Seeing the Assad regime fade into history would be a massive and unexpected boon for Israel, the next pillar holding up the Iranian facade across the region to crumble.

It would come as Israel shifts its focus in the north to preventing Hezbollah from replenishing its supply of arms, the bulk of which comes through Syria to Lebanon.

Speaking to The Times of Israel, an Israel official wouldn’t say whether Israel saw the rebel success as a positive development, noting only that Israel is “paying close attention all the time to what is happening in Syria, and is ready for any scenario.”

Israel, it is assessed, would likely only get involved directly if it sees Syrian chemical weapons falling into the wrong hands, or if the Golan Heights were threatened.

Iran badly eroded
Regardless of what happens next — whether Russia and Iran figure out a way to stem the rebel advance, or if HTS sparks a broad offensive against the regime — the timing and success of the attack shows how badly eroded the Iranian position has become.

For years, it was the most aggressive force in the region, and attacks from its proxies spooked pro-Western Gulf states into opening diplomatic dialogue with Tehran.

With its massive October 7 attack, Hamas thought it could inspire a flood of violence against Israel from the Iranian axis.

Instead, Israel has moved to the strategic offensive against Iran, and it could be that Hamas inadvertently unleashed a flood against its patrons in Tehran.

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today, 17:06
Assad receives support from pro-Iranian fighters as rebels advance

Syria's army is receiving support from pro-Iranian militant groups in Iraq in its fight against Islamic rebels in the northwest of the country. At least 300 fighters crossed the border overnight, Iraqi and Syrian sources told news agencies.

"These are fresh reinforcements for our comrades on the front," a source in the Syrian army told Reuters news agency. To avoid airstrikes, they reportedly entered Syria in small groups and through an unofficial border crossing, rather than all at once.

That these pro-Iranian militias are coming to the aid of the Syrian army is not unexpected. Iran is an ally of the Syrian dictator Assad. Pro-Iranian militias helped Assad suppress the uprising against him that broke out in 2011.

The government army is also being helped by Russian warplanes that have been stationed in Syria for almost a decade. According to Syrian human rights groups, the Russian planes are not only attacking rebels, but also residential areas and hospitals in urban areas in Aleppo and Idlib.

Unexpected
Fighters from the Islamic rebel movement HTS broke the ceasefire with the government army in the northwestern province of Idlib last week. They took control of Aleppo, the country's second city that they had to abandon in 2016 after a long battle. They then began an advance on the province of Hama. It is unclear how that will go.

In their offensive, the rebels also captured Tel Rifaat, a town north of Aleppo that had been held by the Syrian Democratic Forces. This Kurdish-led group managed to defeat the terrorist group Islamic State in northeastern Syria in 2019.

AFP
Turkish Minister Fidan and his Iranian counterpart Araghchi

Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi traveled to Damascus yesterday for talks with the Assad government. He said today that the Syrian army is capable of dealing with the rebels on its own, but also that Iran will give the Syrian army all the support it needs.

Araghchi also spoke with Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan in Ankara today. The rebels from Idlib are supported by Turkey.

Fidan said afterwards that Turkey does not want the civil war that has been going on for fourteen years to flare up further and a new flow of refugees to start. He also said that the developments show that the Assad government must reach an agreement with the opposition.

Civil war
As in other Arab countries, an uprising against the dictatorial regime broke out in Syria in 2011. This led to a bloody civil war that cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Millions of people fled.

With the help of Russia and Iran, Assad managed to push back the Arab and Kurdish rebel groups, but they still managed to hold large areas. In 2020, after mediation by Russia and Turkey, a ceasefire with the rebels in Idlib was reached that held until last week.

From: StratNews Global November 30, 2024
Sovereignty Violated

The Syrian military said it continued to confront the attack, saying in a statement it had inflicted heavy losses on the insurgents in the countryside of Aleppo and Idlib.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia, which has forces in Syria backing Assad, regarded the rebel attack as a violation of Syria’s sovereignty and wanted the authorities to act fast to regain control.

Bombing
Russian and Syrian warplanes bombed the area near the border with Turkey on Thursday to try to push back an insurgent offensive that has captured territory for the first time in years, Syrian army and rebel sources said.

“As for the situation around Aleppo, we are in favour of the Syrian authorities bringing order to the area and restoring constitutional order as soon as possible,” said Peskov.

Israel -– Thanks! allies
Syria's allies hands-on, from Day One unlike Israel's... still fighting 7 front tunnel-based urban warfare terror Day 423 because no such direct help. It could have been 'All over red over' in no time if Israel's allies had stepped up like Syria's

1. Syria's army is receiving support from pro-Iranian militant groups
2. Russian warplanes attacking rebels, also residential areas and hospitals in urban areas in Aleppo and Idlib.

From: StratNews Global November 30, 2024

Relentless Attacks On Syria
Fighting and attacks in northwestern Syria over the last three days has killed 27 civilians, including eight children, a U.N. official said on Friday, in some of the worst violence in years between Syrian government forces and rebels.

David Carden, U.N. Deputy Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis, said:
“We’re deeply alarmed by the situation unfolding in northwest Syria.”

“Relentless attacks over the past three days have claimed the lives of at least 27 civilians, including children as young as eight years old,” he told Reuters. “Civilians and civilian infrastructure are not targets and must be protected under International Humanitarian Law.”

double standards and hypocrisy of Iran and Russia, right under Humanitarian UN's nose

From: Haaretz December 3, 2024
101 Hostages 423 Days in Captivity

'Those Who Are Alive Sit and Rot, and the Dead Are Decaying'

Uriel, a father of two from the West Bank settlement of Giv'on, was abducted from the Nova festival.

His family was notified after seven months that he was murdered, and that his body is in Gaza.
Decision-makers must 'decide what they want and do it,' says his older brother, Roy

Last Saturday, Israeli hostage Uriel Baruch was supposed to celebrate his 36th birthday.

From: Herald Sun December 3, 2024
Trump warns ‘all hell to pay’ as hostage confirmed dead

Donald Trump has warned of consequences if Israeli hostages taken by Hamas are not released by the time he takes office, as the Israel Defense Force confirmed another captive was dead.

Syria is crazy Bashar al-Assad is a bad man, but when he was in control it was peaceful he could make peace with the Kurds terrorist groups like IS and Al-Qaeda are no good anyway..

Israel should support the Kurds like the West.

One time at Gold's Gym I got into a deep discussion with a Syrian American who told me some harrowing details about the atrocities committed by Assad. I used to believe Tulsi's lies about what went on over there, but boy was I wrong lol. Assad is a truly evil human being