This week brought a strange confluence of events after the IDF assassinated senior Islamic Jihad (IJ) commander, Bahaa Abu al-Ata. In doing so, Israel violated a ceasefire it had signed after the last battering of Gaza in Operation Protective Edge. In response, the Palestinian militant group rained 450 missiles on southern Israel leading to extensive … [Read more...]
Al-Bagdhadi: We Killed the Man, But Not the Movement
Originally, I conceived this post as a critique of Trump's withdrawal from Syria, which is itself part of an overall U.S. 'pivot' away from the Middle East that has gathered momentum over the past decade or more. But yesterday's announcement of the murder of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi offered an even more direct and specific way into the subject. The success of … [Read more...]
IDF Commander of Failed Gaza Raid Killed by Own Troops
Haaretz has just published a revealing story (Hebrew version) adding further details to the failed IDF commando raid last November, which led to the killing of a Sayeret Matkal commander and nearly 20 Palestinian militants who detained them at a Gaza checkpoint. In the aftermath of the disaster, two senior IDF commanders have been either forced to retire or … [Read more...]
Bolton Sounds Drumbeat of War Based on Tenuous Israeli Claim of Iran Threat
Barak Ravid reported yesterday that the military escalation in the Persian Gulf announced by John Bolton (sending a carrier task force into the Strait of Hormuz) was a response to a Mossad intelligence report. UPDATE: It now appears that Bolton's statement about deployment of the U.S. carrier itself was misleading as the task force was already steaming to … [Read more...]
