While Israeli media are talking about the "Rampage" air-launched cruise missile, the range of that missile is a fraction of that needed to hit Isfahan without overflight, including refueling, of Syrian and Iraqi airspace. //

John Ridge 🇺🇸 🇺🇦
·
Apr 19
@John_A_Ridge
·
Follow
So my initial gut feeling was correct, it was not UAVs. The IAF carried out a standoff attack from Syrian airspace with Sparrow, likely Blue Sparrow, air-launched ballistic missiles released from F-15Is.

Booster wreckage was recovered in Iraq //

John Ridge 🇺🇸 🇺🇦
@John_A_Ridge
Clarification: based on input from @orfialkov, this wreckage may be from Rocks specifically.

Rocks is the purpose-designed ALBM derivative of Sparrow produced by Rafael. This would expand the potential launch platforms from F-15A/B Baz and F-15I Ra’am to include F-16I Sufa.
10:37 AM · Apr 19, 2024 //

The message sent was clear. Israel doesn't need to launch hundreds of weapons that violate the airspace of neighboring countries. Israel can cut its way through what passes for an air defense system in Iran and dump ballistic missiles on a very specific target deep in Iran. Thursday, that target was an S-300 surface-to-air missile system. Tomorrow, it may be something a little more precious.

Was the message received? I think so.
...
Khameini didn't mention Israel's counterattack.

Message received.

Yonah Jeremy Bob
@jeremybob1
·
Follow
BREAKING: The attack on Iran at Isfahan, attributed to Israel, was carried out NOT by drones or land to air missiles, but by long range missiles launched from AIRCRAFT, the Jerusalem Post has confirmed:
jpost.com
Explosions heard in Iran, Syria, Iraq
2:56 AM · Apr 19, 2024 //

FDD
@FDD
·
Follow
"This may be an early demonstration of some new capabilities that Israel has and that the Iranians were not aware of."

@mdubowitz joins @CNN to break down Israel's retaliatory strike near an Iranian nuclear facility.

Watch 👇

12:15 PM · Apr 19, 2024

A missile, two Western officials said, was fired from a warplane far from Israeli or Iranian airspace and included technology that enabled it to evade Iran’s radar defenses. Neither the missile nor the aircraft that fired it entered Jordanian airspace, the Western officials said, a gesture meant to keep the kingdom out of the conflict after it helped shoot down Iranian weapons last week.

The two Iranian officials said that Iran’s military had not detected anything entering Iran’s airspace on Friday, including drones, missiles and aircraft. Iran’s state news agency, IRNA, reported that no missile attacks had occurred and that Iran’s air defense system had not been activated.

How precise was the attack? The NYT got a look at satellite imagery of the Natanz S-300 system, both before and after the attack. The missile strike destroyed the S-300 radar system while leaving other related equipment undamaged: //

Gerald McGlothlin argues at American Thinker that they took a page out of King David's playbook as a warning about what could happen next (via Adam Baldwin):

Targeting Isfahan, Iran's "crown jewel," Israel's action carried a profound warning: a demonstration of military might, and a counterattack that was presumed by many experts not to be made until after Passover.

This maneuver by Israel echoes a biblical story from 1 Samuel 26, where David, pursued by King Saul, infiltrates the king's camp and absconds with his spear and water jug—items placed next to the sleeping king. David's subsequent display of these items from a safe distance served as a powerful testament to his ability to strike at the heart of Saul's defenses without harming him. Similarly, Israel's recent military action against Isfahan sends a clear signal to Iran: "Your military can't protect you from us."

Israel's restraint is both a message and a warning. It signifies that while Israel possesses the capability to unleash devastating strikes that could result in massive casualties and escalate into a larger conflict, it chooses, for now, a path of caution and strategic messaging. This act of restraint should not be mistaken for weakness but rather seen as a calculated effort to avoid unnecessary bloodshed and instability in the region.

The Jerusalem Post
@Jerusalem_Post
·
Iran informed Turkey in advance of its planned operation against Israel, a Turkish diplomatic source told Reuters on Sunday, adding that the US conveyed to Iran via Ankara that its operation must be "within certain limits."
jpost.com
Iran informed Turkey in advance of its operation against Israel
10:11 AM · Apr 14, 2024

There's no way to sugarcoat that. The Biden administration told the Iranians it was acceptable to attack "within certain limits." Were those limits adhered to? That's something only the president and his handlers can answer (and never will), but given their rush to demand Israel not strike back, it would seem probable that everything went according to plan. //

This is a betrayal that is hard to fathom. //

Whatever Iran has on Biden and the entire Obama alumni must be incredibly serious given the links these people are going to to protect a terrorist state. //

Min Headroom llme
4 hours ago

Whatever Iran has on Biden and the entire Obama alumni must be incredibly serious given the links these people are going to to protect a terrorist state.

That may be true, but there is another possibility which is at least equally unsettling: there’s a “balanced” foreign policy mindset among a good deal of the DC elites, that requires their definition of all competing interests getting what they decide is a proper share. Part of this has to do with crackpot notions of proportionality, part of it is a craven hope that by carefully managing everything, stability, if not outright peace will be maintained. These wise f*ls actually think they are clever and orchestrating a grand scheme, all while fluffing their own egos and feathering their own nests. While the truth is they are weak and stupd.

So it’s not so much they are being blackmailed, although that’s possible, but more likely they are literally giving it away for free.

But then a disturbing report came out that the reason the U.S. had such good intel about an Iranian attack on Israel was because it was Iran who tipped the Biden team off. But they told the U.S. that they would consider it limited and not escalate if Israel didn't respond. The Biden team told Israel they would not be involved in an offensive attack on Iran and was encouraging Israel not to respond, to "take the win" from their good defensive response to the attack. They were also leaking about the discussions to the media, undercutting Israel and saying they didn't know if Israel would sit back after being attacked. //

Washington had conveyed to Tehran via Turkey that any action it took had to be "within certain limits." Basically, you were having Joe Biden green-lighting the attack.

U.S. forces in the area have reportedly shot down "dozens" of drones targeting Israel. They've also reportedly taken out missiles, as well. //

Israel says most launches were taken out outside of Israel. //

David M Friedman @DavidM_Friedman
·
Catching up now after Shabbat. Obviously missed a lot. Here are my quick takeaways:

1) Iran’s attack against Israel — 200+ drones, cruise and ballistic missiles — more aggressive and pervasive than expected.

2) Israel’s response so far has been magnificent — intercepting 99% of the incoming.

3) Lots of help provided by USA, UK, France and even Jordan. We are grateful.

4) Iran literally attacked the Al Aqsa Mosque. Had Israel not intercepted the missile, 3rd holiest site in Islam destroyed.

5) This is the time for Israel, the West and the moderate Sunni nations to unite against this evil, terrorist nation.
8:25 PM · Apr 13, 2024

What is the Biden administration doing to prevent this catastrophe? It's pulling out the same playbook it used in its attempt to stop the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Specifically, all of these leaks to major news outlets like The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg are purposeful and are meant to signal to Iran that we know when, where, and what they are going to do. Taking away the element of surprise can be a powerful tool in war. That's where the idea that Tehran "may temper the size and scope" of its attack in response to these revelations comes from.

As we know, that didn't work with Russia. They moved into Ukraine anyway, and Biden's weakness across the globe no doubt played a role in that. Ask yourself, what has changed since then? Is there any reason for Iran to believe a retaliatory strike from the United States would be anything more than blowing up some warehouses in the deserts of Syria? //

With the U.S. on the Brink of War With Iran, the Biden Administration Tries One Last, Desperate Ploy
By Bonchie | 9:59 AM on April 12, 2024The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of RedState.com.

AP Photo/Susan Walsh
At the end of Donald Trump's presidential term, Iran was nearing an economic collapse with little ability to project strength outside of funding terrorist proxies. Internal revolutions were brewing, and the Mullahs were in their weakest position in decades.

Then Joe Biden took over. Since then Iran has been revitalized, seeing significant growth in its military budget due to the waiving of sanctions. The Islamic power has also come far closer to developing usable nuclear weapons. What did the United States get in return? It received a frayed relationship with long-time ally Saudia Arabia and absolute chaos from Kabul to Tel Aviv.

Wherever Biden's foreign policy has been, abject failure has followed. One can't help but laugh at this post from his 2020 presidential campaign.

Biden always has the "answers" until he's actually in charge, and his weakness has begotten aggression. As RedState reported in the early morning on Friday, Iran is preparing to attack Israel directly, a move that would draw the United States into a broader war.

SEE: Iran Attack on Israel Expected Within the Next 48 Hours

American military forces are already being positioned to respond.

What is the Biden administration doing to prevent this catastrophe? It's pulling out the same playbook it used in its attempt to stop the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Specifically, all of these leaks to major news outlets like The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg are purposeful and are meant to signal to Iran that we know when, where, and what they are going to do. Taking away the element of surprise can be a powerful tool in war. That's where the idea that Tehran "may temper the size and scope" of its attack in response to these revelations comes from.

As we know, that didn't work with Russia. They moved into Ukraine anyway, and Biden's weakness across the globe no doubt played a role in that. Ask yourself, what has changed since then? Is there any reason for Iran to believe a retaliatory strike from the United States would be anything more than blowing up some warehouses in the deserts of Syria?

Again, when you spend years fluffing and empowering an Islamic dictatorship for no logical reason (which points to something more nefarious behind the scenes), the consequences are predictable. Biden's strategy against Russia before it invaded Ukraine, holding off on sanctions in an attempt to appease Moscow, turned out to be a colossal mistake. The president is repeating that mistake by continuing to waive sanctions on Iran instead of taking a hardline before the missiles start flying.

There is considerably more economic leverage to be exerted over Iran due to its position compared to Russia. Instead of using it, Biden is running the same formerly failed play, desperately leaking tough talk to the press that our enemies no longer believe. The results may very well be predictable. Let's hope not. //

PetePatriot
an hour ago
From the article, "Again, when you spend years fluffing and empowering an Islamic dictatorship for no logical reason (which points to something more nefarious behind the scenes), the consequences are predictable."

Yes, they are and here are the numbers from the WSJ 11/10/23: "Iran exported nearly 1.4 million barrels of oil per day in October, sustaining its average for 2023. This is up 80% from the 775,000 barrels per day Iran averaged under the Trump Administration’s 'maximum pressure' strategy...The Iranian surge in oil exports since President Biden took over has brought Iran an additional $32 billion to $35 billion, according to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies."

That was before Biden traded prisoners and unfroze $6 billion of Iranian assets.

More from the WSJ: "In 2020 the State Department assessed that Iran sends $100 million a year to Palestinian terrorist groups, arming and training them to attack Israel and murder its civilians as Hamas did Oct. 7. Citing an Israeli security source, Reuters reports that Iran’s funding for Hamas ballooned in the past year to $350 million. Hamas’s new capabilities took Israel and the U.S. by surprise, but they didn’t come from nowhere."

It's hard not to loathe this administration.

Hezbollah’s escalation coincides with the recent visits by the leaders of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) to Iran. Hamas and PIJ, both Iran-sponsored terrorists groups, fear an imminent Israeli offensive on their last-standing Gaza stronghold of Rafah.

Hezbollah’s actions in the north could be a bid to ease pressure on Iran-backed terrorists group in Gaza. Israel will score a major strategic victory if its captures Rafah, and thereby eliminating Gaza’s terrorist leadership, jihadist fighting forces and freeing the remaining hostages.

Jennifer Griffin
@JenGriffinFNC
·
Follow
And all of those IRGC commanders have already left Syria and gone into hiding leaving those bases. The Pentagon usually does not telegraph so much if it wants the element of surprise.
Shashank Joshi
@shashj
"U.S. officials have confirmed to CBS News that plans have been approved for a series of strikes over a number of days against targets — including Iranian personnel and facilities — inside Iraq and Syria." https://cbsnews.com/news/us-strikes-iran-personnel-facilities-in-iraq-syria-approved-jordan-drone-attack/
10:15 AM · Feb 1, 2024 //

Thanks, Joe Biden, foreign policy genius!

Griffin told Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin that some of the IRGC commanders were now back in Tehran. She asked a blunt question, "Has there been too much telegraphing or is the point not to kill any Iranian commanders?" //

In terms of answering the telegraphing question, he just said he wouldn't "speculate." Thanks, another non-answer from Austin.

The president of the United States, who for years illegally kept Top Secret documents in his garage, has intentionally alerted Iran, the world’s largest exporter of terrorism, to the details of his retaliation plans.

As a result, in the next little while, if not already, our highly-trained volunteer pilots and/or special operators can head out in their country’s service to avenge fallen comrades in the firm knowledge that their commander in chief has told the enemy their targets and when they might be arriving.

That should give the targets plenty of time to hide their equipment and themselves, ensuring that the "retaliation" is nothing but a PR stunt.

A Houthi terrorist-fired anti-ship ballistic missile hit a petroleum tanker in the Gulf of Aden, and the crew was forced to abandon the ship on Friday. The British-owned, Marshall Islands-flagged 110,000-ton tanker M/T Marlin Luanda was carrying a cargo of Russian naphtha from Greece to Singapore. A second ship, the Panama-flagged 109,000-ton tanker M/T Achilles (ownership is unknown), loaded with petroleum products taken on in Prmorsk, Russia, with no revealed destination, was also targeted but completed its transit safely. //

The crew of the M/T Marlin Luanda tried to save the ship but were overwhelmed and, according to reports, abandoned the ship. The Indian destroyer INS Visakhapatnam was first on the scene to render assistance. Since then other coalition warships have responded.

Random US Citizen anon-e8p6
6 hours ago
The Navy ran away. They bravely ran away. When danger reared its ugly head they bravely turned their tail and fled... //

Steve In Texas
7 hours ago
Joe Biden has managed to make our US Navy weak enough to lose to Houthis. This may be the saddest news of the day. The world has turned upside down in three years.

This gives more of an impression that Iran is attempting to capitalize on the success of its Houthi proxies in closing the Red Sea and trying to make the point that it is the regional power center and will do as it damn well pleases. //

Laocoön of Troy
19 minutes ago
"... This gives more of an impression that Iran..."

Correctomundo. This also illustrates how deep the rivalry is between the Sunni world and Shi'ia Iran. Pakistan went from a polite joint naval operation with Iran direct to combat ops against Iran in what? A coupla days?

It just occurred to me that for the right price, the Pakistanis may be willing to intervene in Yeman and put boots-on-the-ground to remove the Houthis as an irritant. The Pakistanis respond well to Saudi cash.

While we must acknowledge this engagement's success, it is not sustainable. The Eisenhower CSG is not playing the game to win; they are playing to not lose. They are like the team sitting on a one-point lead at halftime and trying to run out the clock. The Eisenhower must be successful 100 percent of the time; the Houthis only need to occasionally have a missile or drone leak through to achieve their mission. //

Dieter Schultz
10 hours ago
The Eisenhower CSG is not playing the game to win; they are playing to not lose. They are like the team sitting on a one-point lead at half-time and trying to run out the clock.
Winning teams never really back off... they might do it once or twice but, the ones that win and do it consistently, have learned that stopping at playing the game brings them losses that they hate and, when that happens, they formulate a hard and fast rule that they never back off until they've won.

I'm not sure Biden's team... gets that. Playing to not beat a team too bad, even if they are very, very bad, hurts both teams.

I hate the way Biden plays the game but, he's running the team... at least for another year or so.

Bahrain is the only regional country playing. This is significant because Egypt has a major role in CTF 153, and command of CTF 153 has rotated between US and Egyptian admirals. If this is a test of strength between the US and Iran (and China), the fact that Egypt and Saudi Arabia have bowed out shows which way the political winds are blowing.

The Chinese have six warships stationed in the Red Sea/Persian Gulf area of operations. They are not participating, and they are not aiding commercial traffic under attack. Draw your own conclusions. //

In my view, this is just another case of the Biden national security apparatus trying to give the impression of doing something while doing nothing. The obvious reason they are doing nothing is that Biden, Sullivan, etc., don't want to offend Iran. Instead of looking after our national interests (safe and rapid transit of sea lanes) and showing confidence and leadership, the Biden White House has elected to show weakness and uncertainty. Nothing good will come from this.

The real objective appears to be a test run on shutting down two of the world's most critical maritime chokepoints. Without access to both ends of the Red Sea, a large portion of the world's shipping will be routed around South Africa, resulting in price increases and disrupted supply chains. //

The Houthis are now spreading propaganda about:

“stopping international maritime trade through the Suez Canal” pic.twitter.com/El1KSQ2srB

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) December 15, 2023 //

That this is happening under the nose of two US carrier strike groups is not a good look, but this is the price of Joe Biden kowtowing to Iran. We have within our power the ability to put this nonsense to a halt in short order, but we're not. The Congress should explore that reasoning, but it won't. //

Red is the original BRIC countries, green is the addition of South Africa making BRICA, and yellow is new invitees. Look at the maritime chokepoint map; there are some similarities. Note: Argentina has declined membership. If you look at what is happening in the Red Sea as a dry run for shutting down those checkpoints in case of war over Taiwan, it makes a lot of sense. If you recall, in 2021, the Suez Canal was blocked for six days and cost billions in losses when a container ship, the Ever Given, wedged itself into a critical point in the canal.

The Ever Given was owned by a Taiwanese company called the Evergreen Line. That Taiwanese company had extremely close ties to Communist China. //

In a totally unconnected event, another Evergreen ship, the Ever Forward, ran aground just outside Baltimore Harbor in March 2022.

The US Navy exists to protect the United States and guarantee freedom of navigation in international waters. //

We will be damned lucky to avoid a war with China in the next few years, with 2027 being the most probable. We can be assured that every act the Houthi take is calibrated to test the actions of the US, NATO, and Western commercial interests. What we are teaching China is much more likely to encourage than discourage them.

US military installations in Iraq and Syria have been attacked by Iranian proxies nine times since Friday. According to senior defense officials, this brings to 84 the number of attacks on US forces since October 17, resulting in injuries to 66 American servicemen. The highest profile of those attacks was an attack on the US embassy in Baghdad. It was hit by a volley of 60mm mortar rounds on Thursday, and there were no casualties . //

I'm sure that the usual isolationist fringe will say, "Why do we have troops in those countries? Why are our ships sailing in international waters? Shouldn't they be on our southern border?" Those may be fair questions, but it is also immaterial and a shameless dodge. The National Command Authority has ordered our military to those locations to carry out American foreign policy. But in an environment where our troops have been attacked on 84 separate occasions in 52 days, we have launched a grand total of six airstrikes in the same time frame. //

Until they learn to respect us, our troops, ships, and aircraft will always be in danger. And they will only learn respect if they learn to fear us along the way.

Sure, internet connectivity aided aid workers. But it also aided Hamas. Most of the press in Gaza seem to have a personal interest in seeing Hamas emerge victorious and armed Hamas terrorists (as an aside, why is it that no one mewling about the Geneva Conventions ever wants to mention that Hamas terrorists are illegal combatants and not covered by the Law of Land Warfare?) use internet and cell connections to plan terrorist attacks, monitor the progress of the IDF, and coordinate combat operations. //

Ukraine Reporter @StateOfUkraine
·
An astoundingly simple three-move checkmate of Western civilization:

1. UN & Israel must ensure safety of Gaza civilians.
2. Civilians shield Hamas, hiding in its secure tunnels.
3. Hamas attacks Israel, as Israel must not target Hamas because of civilians
   MEMRI @MEMRIReports
   Hamas Official Mousa Abu Marzouk: The Tunnels in Gaza Were Built to Protect Hamas Fighters, Not Civilians; Protecting Gaza Civilians Is the Responsibility of the U.N. and Israel #Hamas #Gaza
   Embedded video
   4:11 PM · Oct 30, 2023 //

The meddling in Israel's entirely just chastisement of Hamas will result in more Israelis and Gazans dead because imposing limits on violence in warfare does not add to the humanity of essentially inhumane activity. It merely drags it out to ensure more and more people are killed; factually, Sullivan is wrong when he says, "It does not lessen Israel’s responsibility under international humanitarian law to distinguish between terrorists and civilians, and to protect the lives of innocent people." Additional Protocol I of the Geneva Conventions says:

The presence or movements of the civilian population or individual civilians shall not be used to render certain points or areas immune from military operations, in particular in attempts to shield military objectives from attacks or to shield, favour or impede military operations.

The International Criminal Court statute covers the same ground.

Utilizing the presence of a civilian or other protected person to render certain points, areas or military forces immune from military operations” constitutes a war crime in international armed conflicts. //

The reason for White House meddling is apparent. The Biden administration is heavily infiltrated by Iranian agents who are developing US policy for the Middle East....

As a result of the fighting and Israel’s siege of the Gaza Strip, Saudi Arabia appears to have suspended negotiations to normalize diplomatic relations with the Jewish state. It seems it was all part of the plan.