Hamas strike on Israel - mod warning in OP updated 19/10/23

this whataboutery doesn’t obviate the empirical fact that Israel is stealing land - and well after the advent of the Geneva conventions.

It’s not that difficult to look up.

Yoav Gallant, the Minister of Defense, said that "Israel is working to make it clear to everyone who acts against us, all over the Middle East, that the price for acting against Israel will be a heavy price."

 Israel: Daniel Hagari, the IDF spokesman, told reporters: "According to our intelligence, this is neither a consulate nor an embassy." He further added that the target struck was a "military building of Quds forces disguised as a civilian structure in Damascus".

or in the West Bank- Israeli Illegal Colonizers spit on Christians:

Antisemitic being trotted out again to try to deflect from the murderous War on Children. Right on cue too.

Compared to what Hamas do?

So all muslims are the same then?

”Hamas is very bad so it’s okay if the Israelis spit on Christians a little” is that what you’re saying?

What kind of people murder an innocent 14-year old kid, just because of his nationality?

https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/08/28/west-bank-spike-israeli-killings-palestinian-children

great question.

Mass launches are the usual Hezbollah/Hamas AN Other approach to overwhelming defences. It's pretty much an attritional strategy. Iranian proxies can and do launch hundreds of rockets at a time on occasion. Its a cheap means to deplete Tamir missile stocks and even intercepted Iranian/Hamas/Hezbollah rockets have the "benefit" of costing Israel/US both money and long lead time Tamir stockpiles.

Don't make the mistake of conflating actual ballistic missiles of even the basic Scud type, with the vast majority of the rockets launched by Hamas and Hezbollah. There is a world of difference between the damage and the tech in a Shaheb or Iskander ballistic missiles, and the damage that and accuracy of unguided and short ranged rockets that fly a ballistic parabola to their target.

The former are expensive, complex and require a lot of logistical support, the latter can be built in basic workshops and are far easier to defend against.

Similarly with the Hezbollah use of Konkurs, Koronet and other guided ATGM, they are advanced weapons capable of defeating most Israeli armoured vehicles. However, they are expensive, again require training and are short range, line of sight weapons.

Israel has quite effective defense against the unguided short range rockets in Iron Dome and various other CRAM systems and it's counter battery fire is effective too, often to the point of levelling city blocks in the vicinity of identified launch sites.

Israel also has effective defence against actual ballistic missiles in the layered David's Sling medium range, and Arrow long range systems. That said, Israel faces 2 huge issues with it's advanced missile defence. Cost, David's Sling is $1 million a shot, and Arrow 3 is $3 million a shot, and scope of defended areas. Israel is small, with a small population and quite dense urban areas. It means a single unsuccessful intercept of an actual ballistic missile carries outsized risk of high casualties. It cannot afford to miss an intercept and it also cannot indefinitely afford to launch interceptors.

To be clear, Iron Dome is capable against short ranged unguided rockets. Think of it as a goalkeeper for a Sunday league team, defending against Sunday league strikers. Whereas Israel's actual layered missile defence systems are world class and highly capable but are limited by economic constraints of cost and stockpile depth, with the added problem of Iran or AN other only needing to land 1 missile in Haifa, Tel Aviv ir even Jerusalem to cause outsize impact and, force an escalatory response from Israel.

Who is more of a worry, Netanyahu, or Putin. I believe Putin by far. For one thing, he stirs up Hamas and Iran. For another, he threatens Europe on a regular basis.

Not exonerating Netanyahu by any means, he needs to go, the sooner, the better, along with his maniacal Likudniks.

Where have Hamas killed 13,000 children?

then go post about it in the Russia thread. Zzz

What incidentally is Vlad’s Ukrainian child body count in 2 and a half years, to Israel’s 6 months?

US officials saying they expect the retaliatory strike in the early hours (just after midnight) of Sunday morning Israeli time.

Joe Biden has also returned to Washington unexpectedly today.

There is definitely a real expectation that something might occur overnight.