Anna Akhmatova is regarded as one of Russia’s greatest poets:

You will live without misfortune,
You will govern, you will judge.
With your quiet partner
You will raise your sons.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
And for us, descending into the vale,
The altars burn,
And our voices soar
To God’s very throne.

“Petrograd, 1919”:
No one wants to help us
Because we stayed home,
Because, loving our city
And not winged freedom,
We preserved for ourselves
Its palaces, its fire and water.

Crucifix :
Do not cry for me, Mother, seeing me in the grave.

This greatest hour was hallowed and thandered
By angel’s choirs; fire melted sky.
He asked his Father:”Why am I abandoned…?”
And told his Mother: “Mother, do not cry…”

Magdalena struggled, cried and moaned.
Peter sank into the stone trance…
Only there, where Mother stood alone,
None has dared cast a single glance.
– Anna Akhmatova

What is known about the Hamas underground city in the Gaza Strip: analysis of the Military Chronicle

“The underground city is built on several underground levels, and there are passages and communications that are difficult to destroy not only with precision weapons but also with specialized ammunition.

When did they start building the underground city?
According to some reports, the underground city began to be actively built deeper after the Lebanese war of 2006. Presumably, Hamas then realized that there could be no prolonged hostilities in an open confrontation with the IDF. Simultaneously with the construction of underground premises, tunnels appeared, leading both outside the Gaza Strip and to different parts of the Palestinian enclave.

What is known about it?
The underground premises are divided into several levels. The first underground floor can be reached, presumably, through one of 50 exits in different parts of the Gaza Strip – from Rafah in the south to Beit Hanoun in the north. Mostly, exits to the surface are made in residential and office buildings. Hamas’ “mosquito logistics” takes place on the first underground floor. Some tunnels are 6-8 m wide, and an ordinary pickup truck can easily drive through or unload there. On the second level, presumably, there are “military factories.” These facilities are equipped with CNC machines and allow Palestinians to produce Qassam rockets and homemade grenade launchers. On the third underground floor, there are situation centers and conference rooms for Hamas. The location at a depth of 35-40 m and several layers of reinforced concrete reliably protect these premises from being hit by both JDAM guided bombs and specialized bunker-busting munitions, which Israel actively uses for airstrikes.”

Why doesn’t the ever so courageous Isreali army, supposed to be the mightiest in the whole wide world, get on with their ground invasion of the Gaza Strip already. Is the IDF a bunch of cowards only capable of aerial bombardment of hospitals, religious sanctuaries, schools and refugee camps 🤔

The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.

(The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyám, by Edward FitzGerald)

Forwarded from Rybar:
According to updated information, the Ukrainian formations used not only ATACMS to attack the airfield in Berdyansk (photos of fragments of the M74 cluster submunition appeared online ), but also a cheaper version of the Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb or simply GLSDB . Six missiles were fired , three of which were shot down by air defense crews, and the other three hit their targets. Both GLDSB and ATACMS are used from ground-based MLRS M270 and HIMARS, and the range of both exceeds 150 km . The most likely launch area, taking into account the combat radius, is the Zaporozhye region. As a result of the combined attack, an ammunition depot was hit, and several helicopters received varying degrees of damage. Apparently, the command did not expect such an attack on the airfield, although there were warnings about a possible raid. The advent of ATACMS, GSLDB or other new long-range missiles will make adjustments to the use of army aviation. Otherwise, the situation with Chernobaevka at the beginning of the Northern Military District will be repeated, when carelessness cost the loss of several aircraft on the ground.

Forwarded from Older than Edda:
The new phase of the Ukrainian counter-offensive will likely include an attempt to shut down our army aviation. This is why we will now see widespread use of ATACMS missiles at our airfields, with simultaneous attempts to attack.
Last summer, Russian helicopters burned a lot of enemy military equipment, essentially (together with other branches of the military) crushing the armored fist even on the reconnaissance lines. NATO strategists give the Ukrainian another chance, reinforcing him with missiles. Now, the enemy has his own Iskander, in unknown quantities.

https://electronicintifada.net/content/israeli-forces-shot-their-own-civilians-kibbutz-survivor-says/38861
“An Israeli woman who survived the Hamas assault on settlements near the Gaza boundary on 7 October says Israeli civilians were “undoubtedly” killed by their own security forces.”

The survivor was from the “rave” Nature party and sought refuge in the Kibbutz. This story sounds plausible when considering the high number of civilians killed is disproportionate to Israeli security forces casualties.

Many bloggers are writing about the Protocol Hannibal or Hannibal Directive, adopted by the Israeli army after the earlier instances of exchange of Palestinians for Isreali hostages, when they were able to retrieve 1,000 of their fighters in return for a single Israeli soldier. According to this protocol, allegedly, Israeli security forces will shoot the hostages first if they can, rather than let them get into the hands of the “terrorists”.

Hamas may have wanted to rescue all the female Palestinians languishing in Israeli prisons, so this may explain why they took even Israeli women and children hostages. They thought they could exchange maybe 100 people for a couple of thousand people. What Hamas didn’t count on, apparently, is that the Israeli government no longer cares about their own people, they are just a bunch of maniacs!

https://en.mehrnews.com/news/207196/Raeisi-blames-US-West-s-failed-policy-for-Gaza-catastrophe
In a telephone conversation between the presidents of Iran and Russia on Monday, President Raeisi warned about the continuation of crimes by the Zionist regime, “Look at what is happening in Gaza, it is quite possible that the war could spill over to other regions, and in that case, it will get more difficult to bring the escalated situation under control as time passes. Therefore, we expect all countries, including Russia, as permanent member of the UN Security Council, and international organizations to play a more effective role in stopping the war crimes being committed by the Zionist regime.”

The Russian president, for his part, emphasized that Russia’s assessment of the causes behind the current crisis in Gaza is the same as Iran’s, adding that there is no justification for the Israeli huge attacks on a densely populated area where more than 2 million people live defenselessly and they should be stopped as soon as possible.
Vladimir Putin stated that carrying out a ground assault in Gaza would come at a heavy price and ramifications in terms of military and humanitarian aspects, explaining more that, “Americans tried to advance their desired strategy to solve the Palestinian issue on their own, but this solution has failed and Russia is also worried about the spillover of the current conflict in Gaza to other areas.”

https://m.vz.ru/news/2023/10/16/1235274.html
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about Moscow’s steps to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
The press service clarified that Putin brought to the Israeli side the key points of today’s telephone contacts with the leaders of Palestine, Egypt, Iran and Syria. In addition, the head of state told Netanyahu about Russia’s readiness to promote a diplomatic settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the Kremlin noted.

According to the press service, Putin condemned the actions in Israel, the victims of which are civilians. The Russian President also expressed his sincere condolences to the families and friends of the Israeli victims, and emphasized his strong rejection and condemnation of any actions that target the civilian population, including women and children, the Kremlin added.

Latest article by Rostislav Ishchenko:
https://ukraina.ru/20231016/1050220017.html

Forwarded from Alexander Dugin’s Telegram channel :

Let us try to describe one of the possible scenarios of further escalation in the Middle East.
The Palestinian uprising begins in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Mahmoud Abbas cannot contain the situation, and seeing Israel carrying out a full-blown genocide in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinians launch an all-out revolt. The IDF continues to massacre civilians in the Gaza Strip. There are growing protests around the world against Western pro-American liberal elites standing unanimously in favor of Israel. Hezbollah gets involved and crowds of Arabs from Jordan break through the cordons at the border. The U.S. launches preemptive strikes against Iran, which is increasingly involved in the conflict, and Iran strikes back against Israel. Syria enters the war, attacking the Golan Heights. There is a rapid mobilization of the entire Islamic world.
Pro-American Islamic states – Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar etc. – are being forced to join the confrontation on the side of the Palestinians. They are joined by Pakistan, Turkey and Indonesia. The story of the Taliban sending troops to the Middle East from fake news becomes reality. The black banners of Khorassan are hoisted over the world.
Problems between Salafists and traditionalists, including Shiites, fade into the background. The great jihad of the Islamic world against the West and Israel is beginning.
Russia takes first a neutral position, but does not rush to support Israel, as it is at war in Ukraine with the West, which in turn is completely on Israel’s side.
At some point in the uprising in East Jerusalem, Palestinians proclaim the need to cordon off the Al-Aqsa Mosque for protection from the IDF. Al-Aqsa Mosque was mentionned in the beginning of the uprising in the Gaza Strip — Al-Aqsa Flood. Israel, in the course of fighting armed Palestinian militias and in self-defense, launches a rocket attack on the mosque. It collapses. The path to building the Third Temple is cleared. But… a billion Muslims, of whom 50 million (officially) are in Europe, start an uprising now in the West itself. Civil war erupts in Europe. Some Europeans are on the side of LGBT, Soros and Atlanticist elites, and some make an alliance with Muslims (on the model of Alain Soral) and join the anti-liberal Revolution.
The US uses tactical nuclear weapons against Iran. Russia launches a tactical nuclear strike against Ukraine, which seeks to cling to the West at any cost and provokes Moscow in every possible way.
World War III erupts with the use of tactical nuclear weapons. Russia finally makes up its mind and sides with the Muslims. American dispensationalists realize that the hour has come. Russia is attacking — albeit indirectly — Israel. Gog is here. In the Russian vision, the West is under direct rule of Antichrist. Many world leaders die, new one with far more radical beliefs appear.
China attacks Taiwan, distracting the U.S. and NATO to a new target. India refrains from the direct support the US is counting on. The evening of history ceases to be languid.
Feminists, gay activists and environmentalists demand an end to it all, but no one listens to them.
The West is forced to fight against everyone in the name of some goal it can no longer articulate – all the old theses about “human rights”, “civil society” and other incantations have disappeared in the harsh reality of the coming total death. Elon Musk admits that he has completely stopped understanding what is happening.
Israel is beginning, under blows from all sides, to build the Third Temple. Only Moshiach can save the situation…
This is where the text of the predictive analysis (prophecy) abruptly ends.

Interesting article by Black Mountain Analysis:
https://bmanalysis.substack.com/p/israel-44b

What could be the Israeli ground operation in the Gaza Strip: analysis of the Military Chronicle. Part 2 :

The difficulties that the Israeli army may encounter in the future may leave their mark on the conduct of a ground operation.
A significant portion of IDF soldiers and reservists have not been trained to fight in an urban environment, or this training is no longer sufficient. For example, under normal conditions, IDF soldiers expect their flanks to be covered, a secure rear, and stable communications with command and neighboring units. However, in urban battles such conditions will not exist. In the case of the IDF, units prepared for operations in urban areas can be found in the YAMAM police special forces and other anti-terrorism groups, but for the most part the IDF is poorly prepared for a full-scale war in the city.

It is necessary to prepare for battles in such conditions, both individually and collectively. The Israeli army does not have such massive training, and there was nowhere for it to appear since operations of this scale had not been planned for many years.

What are the features of battles in an urban environment?
Urban combat is three and even four-dimensional. Every soldier must expect that an attack will come not only from the front, rear or flanks, but also from above or below. In addition, by indiscriminate bombing of the Gaza Strip, the IDF created (or at least aggravated) another problem – it increased the motivation of the local population for armed struggle. While in Iraq, Syria or Afghanistan, the armies had to deal with neutral rather than hostile populations in the theater of operations, in Gaza the vast majority of the population is radically opposed to Israel. This, in turn, means that there will be no safe zones for the IDF, and Hamas will have eyes, ears and fighters everywhere.

How will the terrain affect the battles?
If a ground operation were to begin, the IDF would have to operate in dense residential areas, which would significantly limit maneuver. But the destroyed city complicates it even more.

In such conditions, it will no longer be possible to bring a mechanized brigade into the destroyed street, since it will have nowhere to turn around. This means that the main combat operations will have to be carried out by assault groups – sometimes with the support of armored vehicles, sometimes with the support of aviation or artillery. But the advantages of the mass of equipment, the advantages of high-precision weapons and the advantages of air surveillance in this case will be practically reduced to nothing.

Hamas, on the contrary, has a developed network of communications on the ground and underground in Gaza. Given that the movement’s members operate on their own territory, as well as the knowledge of communications and the support of the population, Hamas will be able to maneuver its forces relatively easily and strike where they are not expected.

In addition, Hamas strikes on Israel have shown that small drones, suicide bombers, a variety of anti-tank weapons, and mines/IEDs can quickly be included in an attack pattern. Even physically clearing a sector of all living things does not guarantee its safety: enemy groups can, for example, reach the rear through underground communications or disappear among civilians and carry out a series of terrorist attacks.

It is important to understand that Hamas has significant reserves of fuel, weapons, food, medicine and ammunition. They will suffer the least from the bombing, which means that Israeli actions, if not useless, then have minimal impact on the enemy.

The first cases of drones being used on Israeli patrols indicate several important things. This suggests that the IDF has not yet bothered to deploy effective electronic warfare systems. A significant part of the suppressors on Israeli equipment were designed to protect against radio-controlled explosive devices, but Hamas practically does not use them, and all destruction of military equipment and vehicles was carried out either by anti-tank systems or in the air using quadcopters and drones.

At the same time, the Palestinians are clearly relying on the use of drones not only for strikes, but also for adjusting fire: along with kamikaze drones, the activity of aircraft-type UAVs is recorded, from which Hamas operators receive real-time images and data on the activity of Israeli troops. The very fact of the widespread use of drones by Palestinians suggests that the IDF does not take this threat seriously.

In addition, Hamas is gradually moving towards widespread tactics of mixed strikes and the use of long-range rockets (150 km or more). So far, these threats have been partially countered by Israeli air defense forces, but as attacks scale up, the IDF may have difficulty repelling them.

Forwarded from Older than Edda :
Analyzing the development of the Israeli armed forces, one cannot help but ignore the interesting organization of their tank units and formations. They are made “pure” – Israeli tank battalions and brigades do not have their own infantry and artillery, and, if necessary, mechanized units are assigned (or are assigned to them).

Where does this lead? To put it simply, Israel has had problems with infantry escorting tanks for a long time and for a long time, and in 1982 a number of problems arose because of this, and in 2006, and now they also arise. Without infantry nearby, any tank is vulnerable, no matter if it was the BT in 1939, the T-34 in 1941, the Patton or Centurion in 1973 or 1982, or the Merkava now.

As a result, when the hour comes, it turns out that the interaction of tanks and infantry in combined arms combat has been worked out… well, somehow worked out. And even greater problems arise in this regard with artillery, close and continuous interaction with which has become the alpha and omega of modern warfare, without which success is unthinkable.
And this ground operation in Gaza, in general, has not yet begun.

Forwarded from Colonelcassad :
Israeli media report that preparations for the ground invasion of Gaza are almost complete and the offensive will begin tonight.

https://en.mehrnews.com/news/207114/Israeli-killing-machine-have-to-be-stopped-Raeisi
Iranian president stressed that Muslim countries and free nations in the world must take a “decisive and immediate” action to stop the Israeli “killing machine,” against the defenseless Palestinian people in Gaza Strip.
The Iranian president also raised the alarm about plots by Israel and its allies to carry out a massacre in Gaza and force the Palestinians to evacuate the city as the Tel Aviv regime continues to cut off water and electricity and prevents the entry of medicine and food.