WAR Regional conflict brewing in the Mediterranean

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EndGameWW3
@EndGameWW3
4m

Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary General of Hezbollah in Lebanon: If Lebanon does not get its rights in the Mediterranean Sea, we will move towards the escalation of tensions, even if the nuclear agreement with Iran is signed.
 
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Hezbollah leader says Iran deal won't stop attacks on Israel - analysis​


By SETH J. FRANTZMAN

4-5 minutes


Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said on Friday that ongoing negotiations between world powers regarding the potential return to a nuclear agreement with Iran would not prevent Hezbollah from pressing its demands regarding Lebanon’s “rights” in a maritime deal off the coast. In essence, he is reserving the right for Hezbollah to take over Lebanon’s foreign policy and continue to threaten Israel and thus veto any chance of calm and peace in the region.
The reason Hezbollah’s leader made these comments is that he is concerned that some will believe there is a quid pro quo for a return to the Iran deal. If the western countries come to an agreement with Iran, it could be linked to Hezbollah. This is because Hezbollah is a powerful ally and proxy of Iran. The recent flare-up in the confrontation between Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad is also an example of this proxy phenomenon, where Iran negotiates with one hand and uses another hand to stir up tension and violence.

In the previous lead-up to the Iran deal of 2015, it was clear that the US pivoted from any crackdown on Hezbollah’s operations and the Syrian regime, in order to give Iran room to maneuver. In short, Iran trades the “right” for its proxies to increase their attacks for pressuring western governments into nuclear blackmail and a “deal” that will avoid conflict. That is clear in 2015 because the Assad regime quickly rebooted itself, with Russian backing, and went on to crush the Syrian rebels in 2016-2018. Iran took over swaths of Iraq as well, leading to the 2017 confrontation with the Kurds after the Kurdistan referendum. Iran moved missiles and drones to the Houthis beginning in 2015. And Iran continues to increase the power of Hezbollah. Hezbollah has a role in the Golan and has sought to increase its stranglehold over Lebanon. The 2015 deal helped give more breathing space to all these forces, forming an arc of 3,000 miles from Hezbollah’s strongholds via Syria to Iraq and Yemen.

Hezbollah’s leader is thus saying that the issue of the maritime disputes between Lebanon and Israel, which could be solved if not for Hezbollah’s blackmail of the Lebanese government, is not part of the new Iran talks. Hezbollah is reserving the right to increase tensions over the Karish gas field and other issues. AL-Mayadeen media, which is pro-Iran, says that “Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah stressed that ‘the issue of maritime borders, the Karish field, oil and gas, and Lebanese rights has nothing to do with the nuclear agreement.’”
Nasrallah stressed that “in the event that Lebanon does not obtain its rights, which the Lebanese state demands, we are going to escalate, whether the nuclear agreement is signed or not.” According to Nasrallah, “the eye in Lebanon should be on Karish and the Lebanese borders, and on the American mediator, who is still wasting time, which has become tight.”
Israeli navy boats are seen in the Mediterranean Sea as seen from Rosh Hanikra, close to the Lebanese border, northern Israel May 4, 2021. (credit: AMMAR AWAD/REUTERS)

Nasrallah's threat against Israel​

“[If] Lebanon does not get the rights that the Lebanese government demands, whether the nuclear agreement is signed or not, we will move towards intensifying the response (to the theft of Lebanon's resources by the Zionist regime).”
Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah leader
Click to expand...
He made threats about cutting off any “hand” that harms Lebanon’s rights to its wealth. This is all about threats to Israel. Hezbollah has used drones in the past to try to threaten energy installations off the coast and it is clear that Nasrallah wants to continue these provocations.

Iran’s Tasnim News reported that Nasrallah said that if “Lebanon does not get the rights that the Lebanese government demands, whether the nuclear agreement is signed or not, we will move towards intensifying the response (to the theft of Lebanon's resources by the Zionist regime).” It is clear from these reports and statements that Hezbollah is laying the groundwork for a kind of “casus belli” or cause that would let it resume threats and attacks on Israel. The head of the IRGC similarly made comments claiming that the recent conflict between Israel and Islamic Jihad had shown that there was “no safe place” for Israel in the region.
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EndGameWW3
@EndGameWW3
4m

Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary General of Hezbollah in Lebanon: If Lebanon does not get its rights in the Mediterranean Sea, we will move towards the escalation of tensions, even if the nuclear agreement with Iran is signed.
Click to expand...
 
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Idrees Ali
@idreesali114


The U.S-led coalition fighting Islamic State in Syria and Iraq acknowledged today that one of its armed drones hit a group of teenage girls playing volleyball in a United Nations educational outreach program in Hasakah. The strike killed four and wounded several others.

Inherent Resolve
@CJTFOIR
3h

Statement by CJTF-OIR Commander on air strike in NE Syria resulting in civilian casualties:
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Israel Radar
@IsraelRadar_com
3 Palestinian females armed with Carlo submachine gun arrested by Israeli security guards at checkpoint; suicide letter found in car, shooting attack thwarted (via @Doron_Kadosh
)
11:57 AM · Aug 20, 2022·Twitter Web App
 
danielboon

danielboon

TB Fanatic
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some facts n figures on the performance. . .​

​

Israel Just Put Doubts About the Iron Dome to Rest​


The IDF was understandably pleased by Iron Dome’s performance and its improvement since previous operations. But it seemed confused about what that previous performance had been.


by Michael J. Armstrong

Israel began Operation Breaking Dawn last Friday with an airstrike in Gaza that killed Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) commander Tayseer Jabari. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed he had threatened “to fire anti-tank missiles and mow down Israeli civilians.”
PIJ responded by firing some 1,755 rockets toward Israel between Friday evening and Sunday night. Most targeted southern Israel, though a few threatened the outskirts of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, IDF airstrikes hit 170 PIJ sites across Gaza.
The results included roughly forty-four deaths and 350 injuries in Gaza. Israel, however, suffered no fatalities and only four rocket fire injuries.
Hamas, Gaza’s ruling militant group, did not join the conflict. Hezbollah and other Lebanese groups likewise stayed out.
The limited participation and duration kept the total barrage small relative to previous Gaza-Israel flare-ups. Roughly 4,400 rockets and mortar shells were fired during the conflict in May 2021, and at least 5,000 during the summer of 2014.
Iron%20dome%20graph.jpg

Estimated rockets and mortar shells fired from Gaza toward Israel annually, based on Israel Defense Forces and Israel Security Agency reports
PIJ’s barrage was nevertheless very intense, averaging around 550 rockets every twenty-four hours. That beat the 400-rocket daily average of 2021’s conflict and the 80-rocket average in 2014.
But the rockets accomplished relatively little.
To begin with, the IDF says roughly 200 malfunctioned and landed in the Gaza Strip. One killed seven Palestinians.
Of the 975 rockets arriving over Israel, Iron Dome batteries reportedly intercepted 380. The IDF said that represented 97 percent of all rockets headed toward populated areas. This implies that only twelve rockets hit such areas, with the remaining 583 landing in open fields or at sea.

In other words, just 1.0 percent of PIJ’s rockets ultimately hit targets. That’s well below an estimated 2.8 percent in 2021 and 3.6 percent in 2014. (The United States paid for many of those interceptions. Last March, it gave Israel another $1 billion of Iron Dome funding.)
PIJ’s rocket accuracy was not the issue. Some 40 percent of the rockets arriving over Israel threatened populated areas. That’s above 2021’s 36 percent and 2014’s 24 percent.
Rocket reliability was also decent. About 17 percent of PIJ’s rockets misfired or stayed in Gaza, better than 2021’s 20 percent but worse than 2014’s 14 percent. (Incidentally, those numbers all look great compared to the 20 to 60 percent failure rates reported for Russian missiles in Ukraine.)

But the low hit rate’s primary cause was the 97 percent interception rate claimed for Israel’s Iron Dome systems.
The reliability and accuracy figures mean that only 33 percent of PIJ’s rockets launched successfully and arrived over Israeli cities. Those then had only a 3 percent chance of avoiding interception. Slim odds, indeed. That helps explain why the weekend barrage injured just one Israeli for every 294 rockets fired. By contrast, only twelve rockets were needed per injury in 2021 and forty in 2014. If Iran funded this conflict, it got very little bang for its buck.

Israel’s extensive, but not universal, system of rocket warnings and bomb shelters also reduced its casualties. For example, a direct hit by one rocket badly damaged a home, but the occupants remained uninjured inside their household shelter.
The IDF was understandably pleased by Iron Dome’s performance and its improvement since previous operations. But it seemed confused about what that previous performance had been.
During a briefing on Tuesday, the IDF said the interception rate had been 89 percent during the 2014 conflict and 86 percent in 2012.
But a Sunday briefing that included an Iron Dome battalion commander put the rates at 80 percent for 2014 and 75 percent for 2012.

Both pairs of numbers are impressive. But while Tuesday’s numbers aligned with past Israeli claims, Sunday’s rate was noticeably lower. After the 2014 conflict, interception estimates ranged from 83 to 90 or even 92 percent, not 80. And in 2012, the claims were typically around 85 to 88 percent—nowhere near 75 percent.
This discrepancy caught my eye because Iron Dome’s performance was once highly controversial. Since there is no way to verify the interception claims independently, and the IDF wants its rocket-firing opponents to believe the interceptors are excellent, it might be tempted to exaggerate.
My research suggests the 2012 success rate was likely overstated, though probably still respectable.
Of course, Sunday’s briefing might simply have included incorrect numbers. Or perhaps it mentioned stats for one battalion rather than the IDF overall. Or, just maybe, it momentarily disclosed realistic numbers “straight from the horse’s mouth” before public affairs officers restored the official narrative on Tuesday. Who knows? In any event, those old numbers matter little now to Israel’s opponents. What counts militarily is its interception capability today and tomorrow, not a decade ago.

Furthermore, Iron Dome’s “brand image” has recently been bolstered by third-party testing. Trials by the U.S. Army last year and the U.S. Marine Corps this year reported success.
This growing reputation, however, has yet to yield any foreign sales, apart from the U.S. Army’s two systems. Ukraine wants to buy some, but Israel has refused because of its awkward relationship with Russia in Syria. Germany took a look. However, it opted for Israel’s longer-ranged Arrow system instead.

Countries like Bahrain and Morocco are increasingly interested. But will Israel’s leaders be comfortable selling their latest weaponry to these relatively new regional friends? That will be one of many challenging issues facing whoever wins the country’s November elections.
Michael J. Armstrong is an associate professor of operations research at Brock University in Canada. His research interests include missile combat over land and at sea.
Image: Reuters.https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/israel-just-put-doubts-about-iron-dome-rest-204248
 
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Israel is ready for escalation with Hezbollah, doubts Nasrallah's threat​


By DEBBIE MOHNBLATT/THE MEDIA LINE

8-10 minutes


Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah threatened an escalation of hostilities with Israel if the maritime border negotiations between Israel and Lebanon do not meet Lebanese demands.
"Whether a nuclear deal with Iran is signed or not, if the US mediator does not give Lebanon what it asked for in terms of its rights, we are heading toward an escalation — we are heading toward a problem," Nasrallah said in a televised address on Friday, adding that the US State Department mediating team led by Amos Hochstein is "still wasting time" which is "running out."
"Whether a nuclear deal with Iran is signed or not, if the US mediator does not give Lebanon what it asked for in terms of its rights, we are heading toward an escalation — we are heading toward a problem."
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah
Click to expand...
However, Israeli and Lebanese analysts are unconvinced that an escalation by Hezbollah is a real possibility right now.

What is the Israeli-Lebanese maritime dispute?​

Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah addresses his supporters via a screen during a rally commemorating late Hezbollah commander Mustafa Badreddine who was killed in an attack in Syria, in Beirut suburbs, Lebanon May 20, 2022 (credit: REUTERS/AZIZ TAHER/FILE PHOTO)
Israel and Lebanon have had a years-long, ongoing dispute on who has the rights to the maritime territories that contain natural gas fields in which the two sides have yet to agree on a border. The latest round of indirect negotiations has been held with the mediation of a US delegation led by US Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs Amos Hochstein, with no results yet.
Brig.-Gen. (res.) Amir Avivi, founder and CEO of the Israel Defense and Security Forum, told The Media Line that Israel is seeing Hezbollah taking a more aggressive stance and, through that, trying to coerce Israel into giving up crucial economic interests in the negotiations, specifically gas fields in the maritime territory.
However, he believes that Hezbollah's threats are not made to be executed.
"They are threatening a lot but they are also not so eager to confront Israel," he said adding that a large operation against Israel could mean the destruction of the terror organization.
Hezbollah's decision to carry out an attack is much more complicated than Hamas', for example, he says. Hezbollah is part of the Lebanese government and to a large extent controls it; but it also has very strong opposition in many factions in Lebanon who see the Iranian proxy as responsible for the economic crisis and the collapse of the country, said Avivi.
Therefore, when Hezbollah thinks about confronting Israel, "it understands that it may face an existential threat," he said.
"It is not by chance that for so many years Hezbollah hasn't moved forward with a large operation against Israel. This would have devastating implications for this organization, and I think they know it," he continued.
"It is not by chance that for so many years Hezbollah hasn't moved forward with a large operation against Israel. This would have devastating implications for this organization, and I think they know it."
Brig.-Gen. (res.) Amir Avivi
Click to expand...

What is the Lebanese perspective?​

Imad Salamey, associate professor of political science and international affairs at the Lebanese American University in Beirut, adds that the decision to escalate hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel is not Nasrallah's to make.
"Nasrallah cannot escalate on his own without a green light coming from Teheran," he told The Media Line.
Avivi explains that as much as the Iranians want to threaten Israel though Hezbollah, they also want to keep its power intact for a possible future scenario of an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Hezbollah's current power of over 100,000 missiles and mortars, according to Avivi, is one of the main ways that Iran has in order to try and deter Israel. "Wasting this now won't necessarily be wise from their [Iran's] perspective."
Dr. Omer Dostri, a military strategy and national security expert, and a researcher at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, believes that one scenario in which Hezbollah could launch an attack is if Israel starts drilling gas from the Karish platform as planned for September, with no agreement yet signed with Lebanon.
The Karish gas drilling platform lies in disputed territorial waters between Israel and Lebanon. Israel says that the gas field is inside its United Nations-recognized exclusive economic zone, while Lebanon claims rights to those territorial waters on the second map it proposed during negotiations on the maritime border.
Dostri believes that if Hezbollah escalates its violence against Israel, it would be with a limited attack.
Avivi says that Israel must not surrender to the threats and must continue the talks through the American mediator to find an acceptable solution. He says Israel should "be ready to deal with Hezbollah if needed, while completely disregarding the threats and not letting them affect our judgment," Avivi said.
According to Dostri, Hezbollah possesses approximately 45,000 short-range rockets that can travel distances of up to 40 km, not including mortar bombs, in addition to approximately 80,000 medium- and long-range rockets, dozens of which are accurate.

What is Hezbollah's weapons arsenal?​

"According to current IDF estimates, approximately 1,500 rockets will be launched each day of fighting on average from the territory of Lebanon," he said.
In addition, he added, Hezbollah is expected to use the Radwan Unit, which is a special ground maneuver force, whose mission has included penetrating Israeli territory through terrorist tunnels, and attempts to take over Israeli settlements, kill civilians, kidnap soldiers and disrupt supply lines or movement of IDF forces.
Hezbollah also owns a fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles and explosive drones. On top of that, Hezbollah is expected to use advanced anti-tank and anti-ship missile launch systems, he said.
Hezbollah is the most serious fundamental threat to Israel in the Middle East, Dostri says, and Israel has taken some steps as preparation to counter any escalation with Hezbollah.
The IDF has already increased the defense systems around the Karish gas rig, including the placement of special sensors that will warn against hostile actions.
It is likely that in preparation for the start of gas production in September, there will be a situational assessment in the Israeli security apparatus which will consider whether to increase the level of alertness in the northern arena, he added.
Additionally, in recent years the IDF has conducted a series of extensive military exercises and training simulating an escalation in the north and the possibility of a war with Hezbollah, and even a multi-front war against other terrorist organizations, according to Dostri.
Avivi added that this is the main field of operation for which the IDF has been preparing itself for many years.
Part of this process, he continued, is the destruction of the tunnels that Hezbollah built in order to attack Israeli communities along the northern border.
Salamey, believes that Hezbollah does not really intend to escalate hostilities, and that Nasrallah's threats have a goal of their own.
"What we are hearing is only threats to place more pressure on the Israeli side to hear some of the Lebanese demands which eventually Hezbollah can claim as an achievement or a victory," he said adding that "Hezbollah wants to sell the public the idea that its threats to Israel will really lead to the eventual agreement."
"Hezbollah wants to sell the public the idea that its threats to Israel will really lead to the eventual agreement."
Imad Salamey, associate professor of political science and international affairs at the Lebanese American University in Beirut
Click to expand...

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Status Update: High Risk of Israel-Hezbollah Fight​


Israel Radar


Israel, Hezbollah on brink of war? (Archive: Alexkuehni/iStock)
Defense Minister Benny Gantz is warning that a Hezbollah attack on an Israeli gas rig could lead to an all-out war. A belligerent move that provokes an Israeli reaction could trigger several days of fighting and erupt into a large conflict, Gantz told 103 FM radio.

Gantz said that Israel will launch a preemptive strike on Hezbollah if intelligence info indicated plans to attack a gas rig, Walla News reported earlier. The IDF will wipe out the group’s nerve center in Beirut, Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman threatened separately.

A round of fighting would be a tragedy for Lebanon and its citizens, the defense minister added. Israel’s leaders have said that the IDF will use devastating firepower in the next battle against Hezbollah.
In parallel, ex-military intelligence chief Amos Yadlin warned that the risk of war between Israel and Hezbollah is high. The terror group is too confident and could be tempted to make the wrong move, which would trigger a major military clash, Amos Yadlin tweeted.

The IDF must prepare for a full-scale war and use it to neutralize Hezbollah’s arsenal of high-precision missiles, Yadlin wrote. Israel must make it clear to Hezbollah that aggressive steps would lead to the group’s destruction, he said.
Notably, Israeli defense chiefs previously estimated that Hezbollah provocations could spark a conflict in September. The IDF has already bolstered its defenses and put forces on high alert ahead of a possible eruption of fighting.
Status Update: High Risk of Israel-Hezbollah Fight
 
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U.S. airstrikes target militia-controlled areas in east Syria​


The Washington Times Washington Times - Politics, Breaking News, US and World News

4-5 minutes


BEIRUT — The U.S. military said early Wednesday it carried out airstrikes in eastern Syria that targeted areas used by militias backed by Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.

There was no immediate acknowledgment by Syria’s state-run media of the strikes hitting Deir Ez-Zor. Iran as well did not acknowledge the attack.

The U.S. military’s Central Command said the strikes “took proportionate, deliberate action intended to limit the risk of escalation and minimize the risk of casualties.” It did not identify the targets, nor offer any casualty figures from the strikes, which the military said came at the orders of President Joe Biden.

“Today’s strikes were necessary to protect and defend U.S. personnel,” Central Command spokesman Col. Joe Buccino said in a statement.

The colonel added the attack was in response to an Aug. 15 attack targeting U.S. forces. That attack saw drones allegedly launched by Iranian-backed militias target the al-Tanf Garrison used by American forces. U.S. Central Command described the assault as causing “zero casualties and no damage” at the time.

Deir Ez-Zor is a strategic province that borders Iraq and contains oil fields. Iran-backed militia groups and Syrian forces control the area and have often been the target of Israeli war planes in previous strikes.

U.S. forces entered Syria in 2015, backing allied forces in their fight against the Islamic State group.

Copyright © 2022 The Washington Times, LLC.https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/aug/23/us-airstrikes-target-militia-controlled-areas-in-e/
 
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Coming? Or coming out into the open? Weird that some adults seem to have laid hands upon the steering wheel o' the out of control vessal, finally. Not that we won't still crash and burn, but. . .
 
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Lucas Tomlinson
@LucasFoxNews
16m

U.S. Central Command: “U.S. forces responded today to rocket attacks at two sites in Syria, destroying three vehicles and equipment used to launch some of the rockets…two or three suspected Iran-backed militants conducting one of the attacks were killed during the U.S. response”
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Replying to
@BarzanSadiq
An unknown number of #US service members were injured in two separate rocket attacks on facilities housing American troops in #Syria, according to a U.S. government official.
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1562575450479611906
View: https://twitter.com/BarzanSadiq/status/1562575450479611906?s=20&t=HZNLz96T15Jmeqz8nPWe1A

Nuclear deal heads to uncertainty… huge developments happening tonight in the region.
#US forces responded today to rocket attacks at two sites in #Syria, destroying three vehicles and equipment used to launch some of the rockets. Initial assessments indicate that two or three suspected #Iran-backed militants conducting one of the attacks were killed - CENTCOM
One #US service member in Mission Support Site #Conoco was treated for a minor injury and has been returned to duty. Two others are under evaluation for minor injuries — CENTCOM
#US forces used attack helicopters to respond. The response was proportional and deliberate. The #UnitedStates does not seek conflict with #Iran, but we will continue to take the measures necessary to protect and defend our people — CENTCOM
 
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The Cavell Grou
@TCG_CrisisRisks
Aug 24

Syria: Three troops injured in rocket attacks last night, hence the airstrikes. USAF CAPs were it seems up over Shay valley in Iraq at the time of attacks on routine CAPs.
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1562645325176639491
View: https://twitter.com/TCG_CrisisRisks/status/1562645325176639491?s=20&t=8_B2XQiMW_u_9Cu5Aq8dUQ


The Cavell Group
@TCG_CrisisRisks


Syria: Reports at least 7 IRGC backed militias were killed and others injured from the USAF airstrikes last night in retaliation to the rocket attacks.


4:06 AM · Aug 25, 2022·Twitter for iPad


The Cavell Group
@TCG_CrisisRisks
7m

Replying to
@TCG_CrisisRisks
Syria: Ongoing USAF air activity over IRGC militia locations in Deir ez-Zor countryside. F15Es, Apache Helicopters and AC-130 reported.
 
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Israel receives "positive hints" U.S. is developing military option against Iran​


Barak Ravid

4 minutes


Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz received "positive hints" from White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan that the U.S. is developing a military option against Iran in parallel to the negotiations on a return to the 2015 nuclear deal, a senior Israeli defense official said in a briefing with reporters on Friday.
Why it matters: Since President Biden assumed office, and even more so after indirect talks between the U.S. and Iran on a nuclear deal resumed, Israel has pressed the administration to present a credible military threat against Iran, stressing this is the only way Tehran will be more flexible in the negotiations.
Driving the news: Gantz met with Sullivan at the White House on Friday and discussed the possible agreement on a return to the 2015 nuclear deal and Iran’s regional activity.
  • Gantz told Sullivan Israel opposes the emerging nuclear deal and reiterated the need for a credible U.S. military threat against Iran, according to the Israeli official.
  • The official said Gantz received "positive hints" about a possible military option when he pressed Sullivan on the issue, but the official would not elaborate.
  • "We feel there is a trajectory for deepening and strengthening the capabilities against Iran and the Americans understand deeply that it will give the Iranians an incentive to be more pragmatic about the nuclear deal and will strengthen their position," the official said.
  • The Israeli defense official added that even if a nuclear deal is signed, it is still important to create a credible U.S. military threat against Iran to deter it from continuing its aggression in the region. The official also stressed that Israel will maintain its freedom to act against Iran even if a deal is reached.
The White House did not immediately respond to questions about a possible military option, but National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement that "Sullivan emphasized President Biden’s unwavering commitment to Israel’s security, and the two exchanged views on ways to deepen the U.S.-Israel security partnership, including via regional cooperation and coordination."
  • "They discussed U.S. commitment to ensure Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon, and the need to counter threats from Iran and Iran-based proxies," Watson added.
The big picture: The Israeli official said that the impression Gantz had from his meeting with Sullivan was that there is no deadline dictating the Biden administration's decision-making about the nuclear deal with Iran.
  • “This is not a done deal. Israel still sees a lot of room to make a difference and even to try and make the deal longer and stronger," the Israeli official said.
  • Gantz welcomed the series of airstrikes by the U.S. military against pro-Iranian militias in Syria in recent days and told Sullivan it is important that the U.S. continue using force against Iran's malign activity in the region even if the nuclear talks are still taking place, the Israeli official said.
  • Gantz arrived in Washington after a day of talks at the U.S. Central Command headquarters in Florida that also focused on countering Iran’s malign activity in the Middle East, the Israeli official said.
State of play: The U.S. on Wednesday sent its response to Iran's comments on the EU draft agreement that would restore the nuclear deal.
 
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ETA:

Replying to
@TCG_CrisisRisks
Iraq: One Iraqi soldier killed several injured after an IED detonated near Buhriz northeast of Baghdad. ISIS continue to be very active in this region.


The Cavell Group
@TCG_CrisisRisks
1m

Iraq: Reports an IED detonated in Baghdad’s Green Zone Friday as a convoy from the Australian Embassy was travelling past the region. Minor damage, but no casualties reported. It’s unclear if the Embassy convoy was the intended target. Militias regularly plant IEDs in the region.
 
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EndGameWW3
@EndGameWW3


Update: Libya now on brink of another civil war. Tripoli now under threat from Eastern gov allied militias.
Turkish military in Tripoli protecting international recognized gov while Russian Wagner mercenaries are on side of Eastern gov & Haftar forces.
Footage from the sea showing plumes of smoke rising from the Capital Center Tripoli, Libya area.
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1563560574734123009
View: https://twitter.com/EndGameWW3/status/1563560574734123009?s=20&t=-5qx4jWb8l862yoYY1zNXg

10:54 AM · Aug 27, 2022·Twitter Web App
 
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The Cavell Group
@TCG_CrisisRisks

Libya: Unrest and armed clashes overnight in Tripoli.
Libya: Reports of several casualties in Tripoli overnight. The clashes were mostly in and around the Zawiya and Jamhouria street. It seems two militia factions clashed.
Libya: Reports three Ghaniwat militia injured and others detained by elements of Tagouri’s militia. Unverified reports Tagouri’s men stormed a compound in the capital.
Libya: Reports Dbeibeh’s forces have also consolidated outside of Tripoli as reports emerge of two killed in the clashes overnight and more reported injuries emerging. Small arms fire can still be heard in the capital this morning.
Libya: Tensions high in Tripoli after last nights clashes. Confirmed now it was the militia ‘TRB’ clashing with ‘SSA’ fighters. Syrian fighters in Yarmouk Camp told not to get involved. Other militia groups have consolidated in parts, but no indications things will escalate yet.
Libya: Reports casualty count increased to 11 killed more than 40 injured in the Tripoli clashes. Reports the JOC of the Government of National Unity will use drone attacks on pro- Bashagha armed groups as the fighting looks to escalate in other locations.
Libya: Libyan Oil Corporation suspends work due to the recent and some more reported ongoing clashes.
 
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