Hezbollah drone attack kills four Israeli soldiers and injures 58

BBC 13 October 2024

                                                                                                        Four soldiers have been killed and 58 injured in a drone strike targeting an army base in northern Israel, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has said.

The IDF added seven soldiers had been severely injured in the attack on a base "adjacent to Binyamina" - a town around 20 miles (33km) to the south of Haifa.

Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for the attack, which it said targeted a training camp of the IDF's Golani Brigade in the area, which is based between Tel Aviv and Haifa.

The armed group's media office said the strike was in response to Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon and Beirut on Thursday.

The group said it targeted the camp in northern Israel using a "swarm of drones".

The attack was one of the biggest on an Israeli position in more than a year.

The Israeli ambulance service, Magen David Adom (MDA), earlier said 61 people had been injured in the attack - including three critically. It added 37 of them had been taken to eight regional hospitals, either by ambulance or helicopter.

In a statement before the IDF confirmed the deaths, MDA said that alongside the three critically injured, 18 of the victims were in a moderate condition, 31 sustained mild injuries and nine people were "suffering anxiety".

The reason for the discrepancy in the number of critical injuries between MDA and the IDF is not clear.

Israeli censorship rules had initially prevented media outlets reporting exactly where or what was targeted, before the IDF confirmed it was the Binyamina base.

Some Israeli media outlets have reported the base was hit by a low-level drone launched from Lebanon - a relatively unsophisticated weapon that appears not to have activated early-warning alarms.

Throughout the evening, television bulletins, social media posts and online reports showed footage of emergency vehicles, including helicopters, taking casualties to hospitals across northern Israel.

Many of the wounded have been evacuated to Hillel Yaffe Medical Centre in nearby Hadera - with others being taken to hospitals in Tel Hashomer, Haifa, Afula and Netanya.

Details are still scarce but many of the injured appear to have been in a communal canteen at the time and were caught completely by surprise. Images circulating on social media appear to show an empty mess hall with a hole in the roof⍐.

Biden sends antimissile system and 100 troops to Israel, deepening U.S. role

A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) launching station is loaded onto an C-17 Globemaster III
at Fort Bliss, Tex., in 2019. (Staff Sgt. Cory D. Payne/AP)

The mission marks the first significant deployment of U.S. troops to Israel since the war in Gaza began and comes just weeks before the U.S. presidential election.

By John Hudson

 and 

Dan Lamothe

Updated October 13, 2024 

The United States is sending one of its most advanced missile defense systems and about 100 U.S. troops to Israel, deepening U.S. involvement in the escalating war in the Middle East amid U.S. expectations of an imminent Israeli assault on Iran.

The mission marks the first significant deployment of U.S. troops to Israel since the war in Gaza began and comes just three weeks before the U.S. presidential election in which U.S. involvement in the conflict has been a polarizing issue on the campaign trail. U.S. officials have been encouraging Israel to avoid targeting Iran’s nuclear, oil and gas sites out of fear that it could spark an even larger escalation that upends the global economy.

The deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile system, or THAAD, is the latest indication that the United States expects the Israeli assault to be “so comprehensive that the Iranians will have to respond,” said Aaron David Miller, a Middle East expert who has advised multiple Republican and Democratic administrations. The THAAD deployment adds to the more than 50,000 tons of armaments and military equipment the United States has sent Israel since the start of the war last October, according to Israel’s Defense Ministry.

Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, has promised a devastating attack against Tehran in response to its ballistic missile barrage against Israel on Oct. 1. “Our strike will be powerful, precise, and above all — surprising. They will not understand what happened and how it happened,” Gallant said Wednesday.

The Iranian assault, which followed Israel’s assassination of high-level Iranian, Hamas and Hezbollah officials, failed to inflict significant damage as a result of U.S. and Israeli efforts to shoot down the projectiles. No deaths occurred within Israel’s internationally recognized borders; one Palestinian man was killed in the occupied West Bank.

The barrage, however, demonstrated that Israel’s sophisticated missile defense system can be overwhelmed, allowing scores of missiles to hit Israeli soil. And on Sunday, a Hezbollah drone appeared to evade air defenses when it struck an IDF base near the northern Israeli town of Binyamina, killing four Israeli soldiers and injuring at least seven more.

“The THAAD Battery will augment Israel’s integrated air defense system,” said Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder. “This action underscores the United States’ ironclad commitment to the defense of Israel, and to defend Americans in Israel, from any further ballistic missile attacks by Iran.”

Both Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump have vowed to forcefully defend Israel while expressing support for a swift end to the war. The conflict has deeply divided the Democratic Party, with young voters and Arab Americans criticizing Harris for not calling for restrictions on U.S. arms to Israel in response to the killing of more than 42,000 people in Gaza and blockages of humanitarian aid.

Republicans, on the other hand, have attacked the Biden administration for criticizing Israel’s military tactics following Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack that killed 1,200 people and saw more than 250 taken hostage.

Despite numerous disagreements between President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the course of the year-long war, the president’s decision to deliver the THAAD system before Israel’s attack represents another example of his willingness to trust Netanyahu and give him the benefit of the doubt.

“Once this battery is in place and Israel enjoys the protection of American air defenders, what incentive does Netanyahu have to keep his word and not strike the sensitive targets he promised to avoid?” asked Harrison Mann, a former U.S. Army officer who served as an analyst at the Defense Intelligence Agency.

The THAAD system is specifically designed to shoot down ballistic missiles. The ground-based system doesn’t have any warheads and isn’t used to strike buildings or conduct offensive attacks. Rather, the system only counters incoming short-, medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles.

The shipment, which will be delivered at an unknown date, is the latest example of Biden using “carrots” rather than sticks to induce Israel into less aggressive behavior, Mann said.

On Friday, the Biden administration imposed economic sanctions on Iran’s petroleum industry, targeting Tehran’s fleet of tankers, hoping that such action would lessen Israel’s desire to strike Iran’s energy assets, which could prompt Tehran to target oil facilities owned by Washington’s Arab allies.

The decision to place more U.S. troops in Israel amid an impending attack increases the risk of U.S. casualties — a scenario that could drag the United States even further into the widening conflict, Miller said.

“If Iranian missiles hit a U.S. soldier or pro-Iranian militias in Iraq or Syria kill or wound U.S. personnel, there’s a high probability that the U.S. would take kinetic action against Iran,” Miller said.

Earlier this year, the U.S. military deployed a pier to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, but the Biden administration decided against putting troops on the ground for the mission out of safety concerns for U.S. forces and fears of being dragged further into the conflict.

Mann said the risk to U.S. soldiers who will crew the THAAD system is clear.

“Those soldiers will be operating from Israeli military bases, which Iran already demonstrated the will and capability to strike, at a time when additional Iranian strikes are expected imminently,” he said. “Even if we make the unreasonably optimistic assumption that this THAAD battery can defeat any and all missiles headed its way, the Israeli military cannot guarantee the safety of these troops from drones, which have successfully penetrated Israeli bases in the past.”

Each THAAD battery includes at least six truck-mounted launchers that carry up to eight missiles each. The system is widely sought-after, particularly by Ukraine, which is routinely under siege from Russian ballistic missiles.

The U.S. military deployed the system to the Middle East last year after the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, Ryder said, and in 2019 as part of a training event.

Israel has other antimissile defenses, including its Iron Dome, Arrow and David’s Sling systems⍐.

India’s zero-sum mentality exposed when media cautious about Chinese naval fleet’s visit to Bangladesh

The PLA Navy's dock landing ship Jinggangshan. File Photo: VCG

India’s zero-sum mentality exposed when media cautious about Chinese naval fleet’s visit to Bangladesh

By 

Zhao Yusha  

Published: Oct 13, 2024

The Indian media's zero-sum mentality and their suspicion of China's normal military exchanges with South Asian countries have been exposed, Chinese experts said, as several India media adopted a wary tone in their coverage of a Chinese naval fleet's visit to Bangladesh. 

Chinese naval training ship Qi Jiguang (Hull 83) and amphibious dock landing ship Jinggangshan (Hull 999) arrived at Bangladesh's southeastern Chattogram seaport Saturday, kicking off a three-day visit. 

According to the Chinese Ministry of National Defense, during the visit, the fleet will organize bilateral meetings with the Bangladesh side and hold open days and receptions on deck, and will conduct professional exchanges and other activities with local people, aiming to strengthen exchanges, cooperation and mutual trust with the Bangladeshi navy.

Yao Wen, Ambassador of China to Bangladesh, welcomed the training fleet at the port on Saturday, according to the Chinese embassy. 

This visit marks the first occasion in four years since a Chinese naval fleet last visited Bangladesh, and it is the first foreign naval fleet to visit since the establishment of the Bangladeshi interim government. The visit holds significant importance for deepening the China-Bangladesh friendship and cooperation, said the embassy.

Indian media outlet The Hindu linked the Chinese fleet's visit to Bangladesh with the construction at the Chattogram Seaport, and alleged the facility had earlier attracted attention as it has the potential to host submarines and warships.

"The visit highlights the complex geopolitical landscape in South Asia, with Bangladesh balancing its relationships with both China and India. While the interim government's foreign policy direction remains to be fully defined, this visit suggests a continuation of the close ties between China and Bangladesh," said Defence.in, an online portal on the Indian defense and aerospace sectors.

Indian media speculation and the wary attitude toward normal military exchanges between China and Bangladesh reveal a zero-sum mentality in how India views China's cooperation with other South Asian countries, Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times on Sunday. Qian noted that this mentality stems from India's entrenched belief in treating other South Asian nations as its own backyard.

Qian said that India has been keeping a close watch on Bangladesh's policy toward China after the interim government took over, and the visit of the training fleet signals that Dhaka's pragmatic cooperation with China in not only military areas, but also in various fields will remain unchanged, as the two countries share profound ties of collaboration and both bear goodwill in pushing forward ties⍐. 

What failure of ‘Asian NATO’ idea at ASEAN indicates: Global Times editorial

By Global Times Published: Oct 12, 2024

      OPINION / EDITORIAL

  

 What failure of ‘Asian NATO’ idea at ASEAN indicates: Global Times editorial

The 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits and leaders' meetings on East Asia cooperation are being held this week, with leaders or representatives from the 10 ASEAN countries, as well as China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, New Zealand, Russia and the US, gathering in Vientiane, the capital of Laos. During the 27th China-ASEAN Summit on Thursday, leaders of China and ASEAN countries announced the substantial conclusion of the Version 3.0 China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (FTA) upgrade negotiations. This important achievement signifies a joint effort by China and ASEAN to lead economic integration in East Asia, demonstrating both sides' strong support for multilateralism and free trade. It also reaffirms that the pursuit of stability, cooperation and development remains the unshakeable mainstream in the region.

Notably, prior to the ASEAN Summit, high-level officials from countries like the US and Japan hinted at bringing camp confrontation and geopolitical conflicts into the meeting. However, this intention was met with clear resistance. In particular, the idea of a so-called Asian NATO, proposed by Japan's new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, faced a strong backlash in the region. Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan bluntly stated, "We do not need NATO in ASEAN," while Indonesia's largest English-language newspaper, the Jakarta Post, warned that an "Asian NATO" aims to band against China, which is "very offensive" for the 10-member ASEAN. This significant pushback forced Ishiba to abandon any mention of "Asian NATO" at the meeting.

The failure of the "Asian NATO" idea highlights several issues. First, it demonstrates that, unlike the self-satisfied perception of NATO and the US' allies, NATO is viewed as a "harbinger of disaster" by other nations. NATO's actions to enhance its image through stirring up public opinion and to expand its influence by creating and exploiting geopolitical conflicts have only solidified its image as a creator of conflict and chaos in the eyes of other countries. Public sentiment in ASEAN countries reveals a clear disdain for NATO. Describing the organization as a "Cold War zombie" is not an exaggeration; in the minds of regional countries, it should have been swept into the dustbin of history long ago.

Second, regional countries are not merely opposed to introducing the NATO model to the Asia-Pacific, but also against importing NATO's Cold War mentality and camp confrontation, as well as positioning China as a hypothetical enemy in geopolitical conflicts. The principles of NATO and those of Asian countries are distinctly different. NATO is primarily a military alliance of Western countries, while Asian countries prioritize independence and autonomy. NATO's mission is to promote so-called deterrence and defense primarily through military might, whereas Asian countries value peace and emphasize development. NATO's obsession with external intervention often tramples on the sovereignty and human rights of other nations, while many Asian countries have painful histories of colonization and invasion, making them deeply resentful of external interference. Moreover, Asian nations embrace "Oriental Wisdom." Having learned that the ocean is vast because it admits all rivers, Asian countries are able to see clearly that "gunboat diplomacy" or "bully logic" lead nowhere while openness and inclusiveness are the right path.

NATO maintains its existence by creating a common external threat. However, such a threat does not exist in Asia, and attempts to direct conflict toward China will not succeed. China has maintained its position as ASEAN's largest trading partner for 15 consecutive years, and ASEAN has been China's largest trading partner for four years in a row. As a trustworthy friend and reliable partner, China firmly supports the construction of the ASEAN community, backs the bloc's central role in regional cooperation, and advocates for ASEAN to play a greater role in international affairs. The comprehensive and high-quality implementation of the RCEP, along with projects like the China-Laos Railway and the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway, serves as a testament to the Belt and Road Initiative, while emerging industries such as the digital economy and green economy are generating powerful momentum for cooperation. A survey released in April by the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore indicated that ASEAN countries view China more favorably than they do to the US. Nikkei Asia acknowledged that even in the Philippines, observers deem the idea of an "Asian NATO" as unrealistic.

We noticed that some Western media outlets have reflected on the reasons for the failure of the "Asian NATO" idea, and such reflections should not remain superficial. During the leaders' meetings on East Asia cooperation, Ishiba expressed willingness to strengthen high-level exchanges, intensify dialogue and communication at all levels, and push for steady and long-term development of Japan-China relations, which is a commendable attitude. 

We hope that this year's leaders' meetings on East Asia cooperation serve as a reminder to all external countries: the region welcomes partners in peaceful development, but not those that create trouble and conflict⍐. 

Boeing to slash 17,000 jobs - 10% of its workforce

 Boeing to slash 17,000 jobs - 10% of its workforce - as factory strike enters its fifth week following safety controversies

By James Gordon For Dailymail.com  and Associated Press

Published: 05:08, 12 October 2024 | Updated: 05:15, 12 October 2024

Boeing plans to lay off about 10% of its workers in the coming months, about 17,000 people, as it continues to lose money and tries to deal with a strike that is crippling production of the company's best-selling airline planes.

New CEO Kelly Ortberg told staff in a memo Friday that the job cuts will include executives, managers and employees.

The company has about 170,000 employees worldwide, many of them working in manufacturing facilities in the states of Washington and South Carolina.

The nearly month-long strike of 33,000 workers has only added to the company's litany of problems meaning it will now have to undergo another round of belt-tightening. 

Boeing factory workers and supporters gather on a picket line during the strike
near the entrance to a Boeing production facility in Renton, Washington

Among the recent issues facing the company, the Federal Aviation Administration increased scrutiny of the company after a panel blew out of a Max during an Alaska Airlines flight in January. 

Boeing has agreed to plead guilty and pay a $243.6 million fine to avoid a criminal trial for conspiracy to commit fraud tied to the Max, but relatives of the 346 people who died in two Max crashes want tougher punishments.

And Boeing got attention for all the wrong reasons when NASA decided that a Boeing spacecraft wasn't safe enough to carry two astronauts home from the International Space Station.

Boeing staff with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers walked off the job on September 13 after overwhelmingly rejecting a contract offer. 

Boeing had already imposed rolling temporary furloughs, but Ortberg said those will be suspended because of the impending layoffs.

The Federal Aviation Administration increased scrutiny of the company after a
panel blew out of a Max during an Alaska Airlines flight in January 2024

The company will further delay the rollout of a new plane, the 777X, to 2026 instead of 2025. 

It will also stop building the cargo version of its 767 jet in 2027 after finishing current orders.

Boeing has lost more than $25 billion since the start of 2019.

About 33,000 union machinists have been on strike since September 14.

Two days of talks this week failed to produce a deal, and Boeing filed an unfair-labor-practices charge against the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.

As it announced layoffs, Boeing also gave a preliminary report on its third-quarter financial results - and the news is not good for the company.

_________________________________________________________________________

Boeing said it burned through $1.3 billion in cash during the quarter and lost $9.97 per share. 

Industry analysts had been expecting the company to lose $1.61 per share in the quarter, according to a FactSet survey.

Boeing announced some large write-downs on Friday - a $2.6 billion charge related to delays of the 777X, $400 million for the 767, and $2 billion for defense and space programs including new Air Force One jets, a space capsule for NASA and a military refueling tanker.

The company based in Arlington, Virginia, said it had $10.5 billion in cash and marketable securities on September 30. Boeing is scheduled to release full third-quarter numbers on October 23.

The strike has a direct bearing on cash burn because Boeing gets half or more of the price of planes when it delivers them to airline customers. 

The strike has shut down production of the 737 Max, Boeing's best-selling plane, and 777s and 767s. 

The company is still making 787s at a nonunion plant in South Carolina.

The new CEO faces many challenges to turn the company around.

'Our business is in a difficult position, and it is hard to overstate the challenges we face together,' Ortberg told staff. 

He said the situation 'requires tough decisions and we will have to make structural changes to ensure we can stay competitive and deliver for our customers over the long term.' 

'While our business is facing near-term challenges, we are making important strategic decisions for our future and have a clear view on the work we must do to restore our company,' Ortberg said.

Ortberg also vowed to take 'additional oversight' of Boeing's troubled defense and space businesses, which will experience 'substantial new losses' in the third quarter, he said in the message to employes. 

Ortberg took over at Boeing in August, becoming the troubled company's third CEO in less than five years. He is a longtime aerospace-industry executive but an outsiders to Boeing.

U.S. officials believe Israel will target military and energy sites in Iran, NBC reports

 🔶U.S. officials believe Israel will target military and energy sites in Iran, NBC reports

By Amina Ismail and Ahmed Tolba October 13, 202

BEIRUT/CAIRO, Oct 13 (Reuters) - U.S. officials believe Israel has narrowed down targets in its potential response to Iran's attack this month to military and energy infrastructure, NBC reported on Saturday.

The Middle East remains on high alert for further escalation in a year of war as Israel battles Iran-backed groups Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.

Israel has repeatedly said it will respond to Iran's missile barrage on Oct. 1, which was launched in retaliation for Israel's military operations in Gaza and Lebanon and the killings of a string of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders.

There is no indication that Israel will target nuclear facilities or carry out assassinations, the NBC report said, citing unnamed U.S. officials and adding that Israel has not made final decisions about how and when to act.

Thick smoke rises over Beirut's southern suburbs from a generator that caught fire, according to residents,
as seen from Baabda, Beirut, Lebanon, October 12, 2024. REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki

U.S. and Israeli officials said a response could come during the current Yom Kippur holiday, according to the report.

The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah militants erupted a year ago when Hezbollah began launching rockets at northern Israel at the start of the Gaza war, and has sharply escalated in recent weeks.

Hezbollah said on Sunday it was fighting Israeli forces trying to infiltrate Ramya village in southern Lebanon.

Israel's military said it continues to operate in southern Lebanon to dismantle "terrorist infrastructure".

"Over the past day, the IAF (air force) has struck approximately 200 Hezbollah targets deep in Lebanon and southern Lebanon, including terrorist cells, launchers, anti-tank missile posts, and terrorist infrastructure sites," it said.

Israel also said five launches that crossed from Lebanon were intercepted by the air force.

UN PEACEKEEPERS

Israel has intensified its military operations in recent weeks, bombing southern Lebanon, Beirut's southern suburbs and the Bekaa Valley, killing many of Hezbollah's top leaders, and sending ground troops across the border.

Hezbollah for its part has fired rockets deeper into Israel.

Israel's expanded operation has displaced more than 1.2 million people, according to Lebanon's government, which says more than 2,100 people have been killed and 10,000 wounded in over a year of fighting. The toll does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but includes scores of women and children.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, in a call with Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Saturday, expressed "deep concern" about reports that Israeli forces had fired on U.N. peacekeeping positions in Lebanon in recent days and urged Israel to ensure safety for them and the Lebanese military, the Pentagon said.

Five peacekeepers have been injured in three separate incidents since Thursday, the peacekeeping mission UNIFIL has said.

The fighting in the region which includes all of Tehran's allied militant groups -- Hezbollah, Yemen's Houthis and armed groups in Iraq -- has raised fears that the United States and Iran will be sucked into a full-scale conflict in the oil-producing Middle East.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq said in a statement on Sunday it had targeted a military site in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights with drones as part of its support of the Palestinian people and Lebanon. It said it would continue escalating attacks against Israeli strongholds.

The war in Gaza began after a Hamas-led assault on Oct. 7, 2023, on southern Israeli communities in which 1,200 people were killed and about 250 were taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel's military campaign in Gaza, aimed at eliminating the militant group Hamas, has killed more than 42,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, and has laid waste to the enclave.⍐