Kicking off in Israel

[Enzedder]

Do not piss off the Israelis

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has been assassinated in Tehran, Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard says.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the assassination but suspicion immediately fell on Israel, which has vowed to kill Haniyeh and other leaders of Hamas over the group’s October 7 attack on Israel that killed 1200 people and saw some 250 others taken hostage.

Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s swear-in ceremony on Tuesday (local time). Iran gave no details on how Haniyeh was killed, and the Guard said the attack was under investigation.

Analysts on Iranian state television immediately began blaming Israel for the attack.

Israel itself did not immediately comment but it often doesn’t when it comes to assassinations carried out by their Mossad intelligence agency.

There was no immediate reaction from the US. The apparent assassination comes at a precarious time, as the Biden administration has tried to push Hamas and Israel to agree to at least a temporary ceasefire and hostage-release deal.

CIA Director Bill Burns was in Rome on Sunday to meet with senior Israel, Qatari and Egyptian officials in the latest round of talks. Separately, Brett McGurk, the White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, is in the region for talks with US partners.

Israel is suspected of running a years-long assassination campaign targeting Iranian nuclear scientists and others associated with its atomic programme.

In 2020, a top Iranian military nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, was killed by a remote-controlled machine gun while travelling in a car outside Tehran.

In Israel’s war against Hamas since the October attack, more than 39,360 Palestinians have been killed and more than 90,900 wounded, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, whose count does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.

- AP

[Guy Smiley]

Any other nation carrying out operations within another contry's border (Lebanon) or assassinating political figures from other countries regardless of location, would be condemned globally.

Why does Israel get a free pass for this and the ongoing war crimes it commits in Gaza?

[epwc]

It’s a total mystery

[Calculon]

Any other nation carrying out operations within another contry's border (Lebanon) or assassinating political figures from other countries regardless of location, would be condemned globally.

Iran, Russia and the Houthi government of Yemen have condemned the assassination.

[Enzedder]

I agree - 1 more assassination needs to be carried out.

[C69]

I agree - 1 more assassination needs to be carried out.

Bibi ?

[robmatic]

Any other nation carrying out operations within another contry's border (Lebanon) or assassinating political figures from other countries regardless of location, would be condemned globally.

Why does Israel get a free pass for this and the ongoing war crimes it commits in Gaza?

Well, the US regularly does both of those things without any condemnation so why would one of its vassal states be any different?

[S/Lt_Phillips]

Any other nation carrying out operations within another contry's border (Lebanon) or assassinating political figures from other countries regardless of location, would be condemned globally.

Why does Israel get a free pass for this and the ongoing war crimes it commits in Gaza?

Well, the US regularly does both of those things without any condemnation so why would one of its vassal states be any different?

It's certainly pretty brazen - and should be condemned (just as Russia's assassinations on foreign soil have been). Some might argue the reason this hasn't been condemned by the west is because it's against a terrorist target.

Sends a pretty powerful message to Hamas & Hezbollah leadership that they're not safe anywhere. I seem to recall some comments on here that this sort of surgical strike would be preferable to carpet-bombing civilians in Gaza. Maybe the IDF have had the same thought?

[Slick]

Any other nation carrying out operations within another contry's border (Lebanon) or assassinating political figures from other countries regardless of location, would be condemned globally.

Why does Israel get a free pass for this and the ongoing war crimes it commits in Gaza?

Well, the US regularly does both of those things without any condemnation so why would one of its vassal states be any different?

It's certainly pretty brazen - and should be condemned (just as Russia's assassinations on foreign soil have been). Some might argue the reason this hasn't been condemned by the west is because it's against a terrorist target.

Sends a pretty powerful message to Hamas & Hezbollah leadership that they're not safe anywhere. I seem to recall some comments on here that this sort of surgical strike would be preferable to carpet-bombing civilians in Gaza. Maybe the IDF have had the same thought?

They have certainly been doing some decent data based analysis over the last few months

[Uncle fester]

Any other nation carrying out operations within another contry's border (Lebanon) or assassinating political figures from other countries regardless of location, would be condemned globally.

Why does Israel get a free pass for this and the ongoing war crimes it commits in Gaza?

If they can get their guy without killing hundreds of civilians, that's a definite improvement.

[Tilly Orifice]

Any other nation carrying out operations within another contry's border (Lebanon) or assassinating political figures from other countries regardless of location, would be condemned globally.

Why does Israel get a free pass for this and the ongoing war crimes it commits in Gaza?

If they can get their guy without killing hundreds of civilians, that's a definite improvement.

Apparently they can but choose to kill all the civilians too.

[Rhubarb & Custard]

Any other nation carrying out operations within another contry's border (Lebanon) or assassinating political figures from other countries regardless of location, would be condemned globally.

Why does Israel get a free pass for this and the ongoing war crimes it commits in Gaza?

Well, the US regularly does both of those things without any condemnation so why would one of its vassal states be any different?

Neither nation is doing it without condemnation. The condemnation may not be as strong or even absolute as you'd like, but in any of these instances plenty of people, groups and even nations will pile on the criticism

[Calculon]

Some thoughtful analysis of these assassinations

[epwc]

Any other nation carrying out operations within another contry's border (Lebanon) or assassinating political figures from other countries regardless of location, would be condemned globally.

Why does Israel get a free pass for this and the ongoing war crimes it commits in Gaza?

If they can get their guy without killing hundreds of civilians, that's a definite improvement.

Apparently they can but choose to kill all the civilians too.

With full genocide immunity

[Slick]

Fair point from the Qatari PM - “How can mediation succeed when one party assassinated the negotiator on the other side”

Also didn’t realise the Hezbollah chap was an invited guest to the inauguration of the Iranian President. A bit provocative

[Biffer]

Any other nation carrying out operations within another contry's border (Lebanon) or assassinating political figures from other countries regardless of location, would be condemned globally.

Why does Israel get a free pass for this and the ongoing war crimes it commits in Gaza?

Does that apply to US drone strikes in Afghanistan, Yemen, Iraq, and Syria in the last few years?

[Uncle fester]

Fair point from the Qatari PM - “How can mediation succeed when one party assassinated the negotiator on the other side”

Also didn’t realise the Hezbollah chap was an invited guest to the inauguration of the Iranian President. A bit provocative

The link calculon posted is pretty good. The guy reckons that Israel have no interest in a deal with Hamas, even if it means the loss of remaining hostages.

[epwc]

The government media office in Gaza has released an update on the main statistics of the ongoing genocide perpetrated by the Israeli occupation in the Gaza Strip on day 300 of the war.
— Thursday 1st August, 2024
— 300 days of genocide
— 3,457 massacres committed by the occupation army
— 49,480 martyrs and missing persons
— 10,000 missing persons
— 39,480 martyrs who reached hospitals
— 16,314 child martyrs
— 35 martyrs died from starvation
— 10,980 female martyrs
— 885 martyrs from medical teams
— 79 civil defense martyrs
— 165 journalist martyrs
— 7 mass graves established by the occupation inside hospitals
— 520 martyrs recovered from 7 mass graves inside hospitals
— 91,128 wounded and injured
— 69% of the victims are children and women
— 168 shelters targeted by the occupation
— 17,000 children living without one or both parents
— 3,500 children at risk of death due to malnutrition/lack of food
— 12,000 wounded needing to travel abroad for treatment
— 10,000 cancer patients facing death and needing treatment
— 3,000 patients with various illnesses needing treatment abroad
— 1,737,524 suffering from infectious diseases due to displacement
— 71,338 cases of hepatitis infections due to displacement
— 60,000 pregnant women at risk due to lack of healthcare
— 350,000 chronic patients at risk due to a lack of medication
— 5,000 detainees from Gaza during the genocide
— 310 arrests of healthcare personnel
— 36 journalists known to be detained
— 2 million displaced in the Gaza Strip
— 198 government buildings destroyed
— 117 schools and universities completely destroyed
— 332 schools and universities partially destroyed
— 107 scholars, university professors, and researchers executed
— 610 mosques completely destroyed
— 211 mosques partially destroyed
— 3 churches targeted and destroyed
— 150,000 housing units completely destroyed
— 80,000 housing units made uninhabitable
— 200,000 housing units partially destroyed
— 82,000 tons of explosives dropped on the Gaza Strip
— 34 hospitals put out of service
— 68 health centers put out of service
— 162 health institutions targeted
— 131 ambulances targeted
— 206 archaeological and heritage sites destroyed
— 3,030 kilometers of electrical networks destroyed
— 34 sports facilities and gyms destroyed
— 700 water wells destroyed and put out of service
— $33 billion in initial direct losses from the genocide.
Source: Government Media Office, Gaza Strip, Palestine
Thursday 1st August, 2024

[Slick]

Here we go

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cxx2y4dpr3et

[epwc]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c624qr3mqrzo

[Sandstorm]

Israeli settler plans are always the work of shameless cuntry.

[epwc]

Anyone see an end to this yet?

[Sandstorm]

Anyone see an end to this yet?

Yup. When climate change forces the temp in that desert about 55C on a regular basis and no-one can live there any more. Not before.

[epwc]

Anyone see an end to this yet?

Yup. When climate change forces the temp in that desert about 55C on a regular basis and no-one can live there any more. Not before.

Won't happen. The Israelis have the money and tech to come up with geo domes or something else to ensure they can hang on to the promised land.

[Sandstorm]

Anyone see an end to this yet?

Yup. When climate change forces the temp in that desert about 55C on a regular basis and no-one can live there any more. Not before.

Won't happen. The Israelis have the money and tech to come up with geo domes or something else to ensure they can hang on to the promised land.

If the Israelis are the only ones who can survive there and the pauper Arabs have to move away....problem solved. I don't like it BTW.....but result.

[epwc]

If the Israelis are the only ones who can survive there and the pauper Arabs have to move away....problem solved. I don't like it BTW.....but result.

Very true, this sort of thing is going to happen worldwide anyway. Look at Dubai, its only habitable because of the wealth.

[Slick]

Have the Israeli's lost their minds with this West Bank incursion?

I guess they are thinking they are all in now anyway so may as well blast away, but it seems quite a bad idea.

[Sandstorm]

Have the Israeli's lost their minds with this West Bank incursion?

I guess they are thinking they are all in now anyway so may as well blast away, but it seems quite a bad idea.

Rest of the World have gone full pussy and are issuing sanctions against individual Israeli settlers and "maybe a few senior Israeli Cabinet Members in the future" WTF?

Yes, Israel think they can do whatever the fuck they want to because.......they actually can.

[Uncle fester]

Anyone see an end to this yet?

Essentially no. Two state solution will never work because Israel won't allow an independent Palestinian state and they've killed too many people to allow a single rainbow state to ever work.

They are doomed into Russian-style buffer zone mentality and ethnic cleansing to maintain the viability of the state and the West will turn away from that eventually.

A bit like northern Ireland Protestants with their statelet, they had their chance and they blew it.

[Uncle fester]

Time is running out for Bibi.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/c75nekwkd4yt

[Biffer]

Netanyahoo calling the UK shameful for restricting some arms exports has broken my irony meter.

[Sandstorm]

Netanyahoo calling the UK shameful for restricting some arms exports has broken my irony meter.

[Tilly Orifice]

Netanyahoo calling the UK shameful for restricting some arms exports has broken my irony meter.

I threw mine away in 2016. It kept going off, I thought it must be broken.

[epwc]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdx6771gyqzo

I guess the response will be to flatten the West Bank, probably makes sense tbf.

Anyone remember Tom Hurndall and Rachel Corrie? They are literally untouchable

[Uncle fester]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdx6771gyqzo

I guess the response will be to flatten the West Bank, probably makes sense tbf.

Anyone remember Tom Hurndall and Rachel Corrie? They are literally untouchable

I'm on a WW2 reading binge at the moment. It's quite sad to see what the modern Israeli state is doing.

[Biffer]

Netanyahoo calling the UK shameful for restricting some arms exports has broken my irony meter.

I threw mine away in 2016. It kept going off, I thought it must be broken.

I keep buying stronger ones _2014,2015,2016,2019,2022,too many too recall. But they all fuse quickly.

[epwc]

Still no war crimes happening here:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/artic ... -safe-zone

[Sandstorm]

Still no war crimes happening here:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/artic ... -safe-zone

So killing two soldiers along with 40 civilians is ok in their minds. Madness.

[petej]

I'm amazed that Qatar continues to host the Hamas leadership with no consequences. The people of Palestine suffer while the silly fuckers and their funders sit 2000 miles away in luxury. They can congratulate themselves on continuing their religious war and helping shore up netanyahu.

[epwc]

I'm amazed that Qatar continues to host the Hamas leadership with no consequences. The people of Palestine suffer while the silly fuckers and their funders sit 2000 miles away in luxury. They can congratulate themselves on continuing their religious war and helping shore up netanyahu.

The world is mental.