Israel faces ‘obliterating war’ if it expands aggression on Lebanon: Iran
The Cradle, Jun 29 2024
The permanent mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the UN on 28 June warned that Israel faces an “obliterating war” that could see the “full involvement” of the Resistance Axis if it decides to expand the war against Lebanon. The Iranian mission said via social media:
Albeit Iran deems as psychological warfare the Zionist regime’s propaganda about intending to attack Lebanon, should it embark on full-scale military aggression, an obliterating war will ensue. All options, incl. the full involvement of all Resistance Fronts, are on the table.
The statement from the Islamic Republic came a few hours ahead of comments from Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who also called Israeli threats against his nation “a kind of psychological warfare.” Mikati said on Saturday during a visit to the headquarters of the South Litani Sector of the Lebanese Armed Forces:
We are in a state of war, and there are a large number of martyrs and destroyed villages due to the Israeli aggression. The intensity of the psychological warfare is escalating. Still, we will overcome this stage to reach some kind of permanent stability on the borders.
Since Oct 7, Israel has bombed Lebanon over 6k times, killing nearly 600 people and displacing 95k others. In return, Hezbollah and other resistance factions have launched over 2k attacks on sensitive Israeli military targets in the north, emptying over 40 settlements. Although authorities in Tel Aviv recently intensified threats against Lebanon over Hezbollah’s relentless operations, Gallant this week said Israel is “not looking for war” and that a diplomatic solution was “preferable.” Gallant told troops on Friday:
We are preparing the military force, and this can happen quickly. On the other hand, the political alternative is being prepared; it is always better.
He was only repeating comments he had made the day before during a security cabinet meeting. The slight change in rhetoric comes on the heels of reports in Hebrew media that revealed that the losses suffered by the Israeli army in Gaza have significantly diminished its capabilities and that the forces are “not currently ready for a broad campaign in Lebanon.” Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah said during a speech last week:
The enemy knows well that we have prepared ourselves for the most difficult days. The enemy knows well what awaits it, and that’s why it has been deterred so far. And it knows that there will be no place in the Zionist territory that would be spared our rockets and drones. And it won’t be indiscriminate bombing: every rocket will have a target. There is a lot of fear from the enemy that the resistance would invade northern Israel, and this is a standing possibility that remains present in the context of any war imposed on Lebanon.
Politico reported on Thursday that US intelligence agencies believe that “a large-scale confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah is likely to break out in the next several weeks” if a ceasefire deal is not reached between Tel Aviv and Hamas.
Pezeshkian, Jalili advance to presidential runoff in Iran
The Cradle, Jun 29 2024
Iran’s presidential election will move to a runoff after no candidate won over 50% of the first round vote, Tasnim reported on Jun 29. Massud Pezeshkian and Said Jalili, the two candidates with the highest number of votes, will face off in the next and final stage of voting on Jul 5. The spokesman for the Elections Headquarters announced the results, saying that Iranians cast 24,535,185 votes, for a turnout rate of 40%. Pezeshkian won 10,415,991 votes, equivalent to 42%, while the runner-up, Jalili, won 9,473,298 votes, 39%. The two other candidates, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Mostafa Pourmohammadi, garnered 14% and less than 1% of the votes, respectively. Iran was forced to hold early presidential elections after the previous president, Ebrahim Raisi, died in a helicopter crash in May along with foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and six other Iranian officials. Front-runner Pezeshkian, 69, is a heart surgeon who has represented the northern city of Tabriz in parliament since 2008. He served as health minister under Iran’s last reformist president, Mohammad Khatami, who held office from 1997 to 2005. Khatami has endorsed Pezeshkian’s bid in the current elections. Said Jalili is Iran’s former nuclear negotiator and is viewed as more conservative. The 58-year-old has held several senior positions in the Islamic Republic, including in Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s office in the early 2000s. He is currently one of Khamenei’s representatives in the Supreme National Security Council, Iran’s highest security body. Vali Kaleji wrote for The Cradle on Jun 26:
The election has the potential to reshape the Islamic Republic’s foreign policy direction or further entrench the direction set by the Raisi administration.
The government that assumes power will be the 14th since the Islamic Revolution in 1979.
No slowdown in US shipments of 2k lb bombs to Israel
The Cradle, Jun 29 2024
The US has sent Israel over 27k bombs since the start of its horrific aerial assault on Gaza in October, Reuters reported on Jun 29, including 14k highly destructive 2k lb bombs that US officials have acknowledged as “inappropriate” for Israel to use. Reuters stated that the US military had transferred at least 14k of the MK-84 2k lb bombs, 6.5k 0.5k lb bombs, 3k Hellfire precision-guided air-to-ground missiles, 1k bunker-buster bombs, 2.6k air-dropped small-diameter bombs, and other munitions, according to US officials who were not authorized to speak publicly.
A recent US shipment of bombs to Israel was allegedly delayed due to the inclusion of 2k lb bombs within it. Netanyahu released a video harshly criticizing the White House for the delay. A US official told Axios the White House’s “main concern from day one was the Israeli use of the 2k lb bombs in Gaza, which the administration thought was inappropriate.” In October, Israel dropped a 2k lb bomb in the center of the crowded Jabaliya refugee camp, killing some 120 people.
However, Reuters notes that the totals suggest “no significant drop-off in US military support for its ally,” despite the recent White House “decision to pause a shipment of powerful bombs.” Experts told Reuters the size and contents of the shipments are sufficient for Israel to replenish weapons it has used in its eight-month bombing campaign, which has ruined much of Gaza, turning vast swathes into a “moonscape.” In late April, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor estimated that Israel had dropped approximately 70 kt of bombs on Gaza since the start of the war, an amount far surpassing the US and allied bombing of Dresden, Hamburg, and London combined during WW2.
Israeli leaders say that major combat operations in Gaza are winding down and that they are now shifting troops and resources to fight against Hezbollah on the northern front. While the US provides detailed descriptions and quantities of military aid sent to Ukraine to fight Russia, the White House has revealed few details about the full extent of US weapons and munitions sent to Israel, Reuters added. Blinken has led the effort to supply bombs to Israel that have slaughtered over 37k Palestinians, the majority women and children. In January, 19 Democrat lawmakers called the Blinken’s decision to unilaterally approve two emergency weapons sales to Israel without congressional approval “highly unusual.”
Niqnaq 