OT subject but worth a main-stream read- OT News Feeds...

lousubcap

As the Israel-Hamas war continues:

"Netanyahu's in Charge?

We've seen plenty of evidence of the divide between how Biden and Bibi describe postwar-Gaza. Biden promotes a two-state solution with a leading role for the Palestinian Authority. Netanyahu is quite clear his current government would never go for that. The divide is getting a lot more public. Biden tells donors Israel is losing support, Netanyahu must change his government.

+ "'Israel’s security can rest on the United States, but right now it has more than the United States. It has the European Union, it has Europe, it has most of the world supporting them,' Biden said to donors during a fundraiser Tuesday. 'They’re starting to lose that support by indiscriminate bombing that takes place.'"

There is only one way out war or not, two state solution.  At some point we have got to get there with a Palestine government that can actually govern.  Perhaps in my lifetime.  But???

Botch

+ "'Israel’s security can rest on the United States, but right now it has more than the United States. It has the European Union, it has Europe, it has most of the world supporting them,' Biden said to donors during a fundraiser Tuesday.

The recent sole veto by the US (and single abstention by UK) of the Security Council's proposal for an immediate Cease-Fire, begs to differ.  90% of Gaza's 2M population are now displaced (just watch the footage) and as those Palestinians crowd into "safe zones" designated by Bibi, they are then bombed indiscriminately.  
And the US continues to spend millions to buy Bandaids for the Palestinians, while spending Billions to buy bullets for the Israelis; I cannot believe how BAD we look on the world stage, right now.  

JohnInCarolina

Gulfcoastguy said:

Perhaps Europe including the UK could spend the 2% of their GDP on their militaries like the NATO accords require and like a certain person called them out on before Russia renewed their invasion.

Do you have any idea how much money that is for most of these countries?

Gulfcoastguy

Quite a bit since the US spends close to 4%. 

JohnInCarolina

Gulfcoastguy said:

Quite a bit since the US spends close to 4%. 

Now compare it to what their national defense budgets look like.  I’ll wait.

Gulfcoastguy

JohnInCarolina said:

Gulfcoastguy said:

Perhaps Europe including the UK could spend the 2% of their GDP on their militaries like the NATO accords require and like a certain person called them out on before Russia renewed their invasion.

Do you have any idea how much money that is for most of these countries?

2 percent is 2 percent. These countries were spending about one percent while having a per capita income close to the US.

JohnInCarolina

Gulfcoastguy said:

JohnInCarolina said:

Gulfcoastguy said:

Perhaps Europe including the UK could spend the 2% of their GDP on their militaries like the NATO accords require and like a certain person called them out on before Russia renewed their invasion.

Do you have any idea how much money that is for most of these countries?

2 percent is 2 percent. These countries were spending about one percent while having a per capita income close to the US.

We spend a ton on national defense.  They do not.  Maybe it’s us who has the wrong priorities.  

I’m all for countries contributing to NATO but let’s be realistic on what actually makes sense for a country like Germany whose history with their own military isn’t one lots of people want to revisit anytime soon.  

lousubcap

Wednesday Israel-Hamas update:

"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday that Gaza “will be neither Hamas-stan nor ‘Fatah-stan,” and added that he will not allow Israel to “repeat the mistake of Oslo,” referencing the 1993 Oslo Accords which established restricted Palestinian rule in the West Bank and Gaza. Reuters reports. 

The Israeli ambassador to the U.N. said before the Assembly resolution vote that “If you want a real ceasefire, here is the right address – this is the phone number of Hamas’s office in Gaza… A ceasefire only serves to prolong Hamas’s reign of terror so I urge all member states to vote against this resolution.” BBC News reports.

Fifty thousand people have been injured since the war broke out, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Meanwhile, the W.H.O. placed blame with Israeli forces for causing delays at checkpoints which disrupted emergency vehicles transporting wounded civilians. Medical staff reported several hours delay at Jenin hospital yesterday and said the hospital was surrounded by Israeli troops with tear gas bombs thrown just outside. BBC Newsreports.

President Biden said yesterday that Israel is losing global support over its “indiscriminate bombing” of Gaza and said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must “change,” marking his most critical comments yet of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. Biden alluded to a conversation he had with Netanyahu, who said: “You carpet bombed Germany, you dropped the atom bomb, a lot of civilians died.” Biden responded with, “Yeah, that’s why all these institutions were set up after World War Two to see to it that it didn’t happen again … don’t make the same mistakes we made in 9/11. There’s no reason why we had to be in a war in Afghanistan.” Biden said, “this government in Israel is making it very difficult,” adding that Israel “cannot say no” to a Palestinian state. Trevor Hunnicutt and Steve Holland report for Reuters.

Netanyahu confirmed in a statement yesterday “there is disagreement about ‘the day after Hamas’” with Biden and his team, but added, “Following an intensive dialogue with President Biden and his team, we received full backing for the ground incursion and blocking the international pressure to stop the war.” The statement also thanked “ American support for destroying Hamas and returning our hostages.” "

lousubcap

Wednesday Russia-Ukraine update:

The Bidean Administration confirmed in a statement yesterday it is providing new security assistance “to meet Ukraine’s critical security and defense needs.” This package includes additional air defense capabilities, artillery ammunition, anti-tank weapons, and other equipment to help Ukraine counter Russia’s ongoing war of aggression.“This package utilizes assistance previously authorized for Ukraine during prior fiscal years under Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) that remained after the PDA revaluation process.” The statement confirmed the package totals around  $200 million and includes air defenses, missiles, anti-armor systems, and ammunition. “It is critical that Congress takes action soon and passes the President’s national security supplemental request to ensure that Ukraine can consolidate and extend its battlefield gains.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy yesterday urged leaders in Washington to provide aid to Kyiv during his third visit to Washington since the war broke out. Speaking at a joint news conference with Zelenskyy yesterday, President Biden said he “will not walk away from Ukraine” and that “Ukraine will emerge from this war proud, free and firmly rooted in the West – unless we walk away.” Biden urged Congress to “compromise” and said failing to pass fresh aid to Kyiv would be a “Christmas gift” for Putin, referencing the ongoing Congressional standoff for agreeing aid amid an ongoing border policy dispute. House of Representatives speaker Mike Johnson said following his closed-door meeting with Zelenskyy earlier yesterday that the House would not agree to aid until “transformative” changes are made,” adding that “these are the conditions of the American people. We are resolute on that.” Bernd Debusmann Jr and Sam Cabral report for BBC News.

• Yevgeny Balitsky, the Moscow-installed head of the Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhia region, said Russian forces had “advanced significantly forward northeast of Novopokrovka”. The village lies some 20km (12 miles) east of Robotyne, which Kyiv said it recaptured in August. Balitsky said Russian forces were “not only holding the line but are gradually moving forward”. Ukraine acknowledged battles in the area. “The defence forces repelled three enemy attacks in the areas north of Pryutne and west of Novopokrovka of the Zaporizhia region,” the army said in its daily report.
• 
  
• The Ukrainian Air Force said it shot down nine of 15 Iranian-made Shahed drones launched by Russia at several regions of Ukraine.
• One person was killed and four others injured during 24 hours of Russian bombardment of the southern Kherson region, according to Oleksandr Prokudin, the head of the regional military administration.
• 
  
• Ukraine claimed to have captured a tactically important hill in the eastern Donetsk region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on social media that his troops had taken the foothold, which provides a vantage point over the front line near Pivdenne, a mining town to the northwest of the Donetsk city of Horlivka."

HeavyG

So the IDF finally started pumping seawater into some tunnels yesterday. I imagine the war will thus be over soon.

HeavyG

JohnInCarolina

HeavyG said:

So the IDF finally started pumping seawater into some tunnels yesterday. I imagine the war will thus be over soon.

We’ll see how it goes for them.

The hard part was always: what comes after the war is over?

HeavyG

JohnInCarolina said:

HeavyG said:

So the IDF finally started pumping seawater into some tunnels yesterday. I imagine the war will thus be over soon.

We’ll see how it goes for them.

The hard part was always: what comes after the war is over?

Sadly, that war will never be over.

JohnInCarolina

HeavyG said:

JohnInCarolina said:

HeavyG said:

So the IDF finally started pumping seawater into some tunnels yesterday. I imagine the war will thus be over soon.

We’ll see how it goes for them.

The hard part was always: what comes after the war is over?

Sadly, that war will never be over.

OK Mr. Pedantic, but we both know what I'm referencing.  

fishlessman

HeavyG said:

JohnInCarolina said:

HeavyG said:

So the IDF finally started pumping seawater into some tunnels yesterday. I imagine the war will thus be over soon.

We’ll see how it goes for them.

The hard part was always: what comes after the war is over?

Sadly, that war will never be over.

It will be over when the last hamas is dead......in the year 3125

lousubcap

Russia-Ukraine and some insights:   Tom Nichols STAFF WRITER

American legislators demand scenarios for war termination that neither Ukraine nor the Biden administration can provide, because critics of Ukraine aid are asking the wrong questions.

Could not get the link to free itself from the pay wall so here you go and worth your time::

Survival Is the Only Strategy

(Anatolii Stepanov / Getty

In my previous career, when I was teaching strategy and national-security affairs to U.S. military officers, we used historical case studies to analyze the decisions—some good, some disastrous—made by leaders in the United States and other nations. The specter of Vietnam and the still-painful wounds of Afghanistan and Iraq played a large role in the curriculum. These open-ended conflicts in Asia and the Middle East convinced generations of American strategists that planning in every war, no matter how the conflict began, should include an “exit strategy.” I was required to teach this concept, but I have always vehemently disagreed with it, and I wish I could ban the term itself from the strategic lexicon. Exit strategies are the kind of thing that appeal to American hubris: Only very powerful countries, captured by the delusion that planning and firepower grant near-complete control of events, can afford to think about how to “exit” a war before it’s even been won. For data-driven Americans who have internalized the middle-management tropes of business schools, the concept is pure catnip. Tell us what you need, how long this will last, and explain our return on investment—as if war were just another spreadsheet exercise. (“Return on investment” is another sensible business concept that too many in the defense community have clumsily tried to apply to national-security strategies.) None of this is to say that nations should merely plunge ahead with military action on a whim. Especially for relatively small operations, “How will we know when we’re done?” is a crucial question. Sometimes the answer is clear, such as in the 1983 U.S. invasion of Grenada, when the goals were to rescue American citizens, depose a Marxist-Leninist regime, flush Cuban forces from the country, and hand the government over to new leaders. All of these objectives were achieved after combat operations that lasted approximately four days, with 19 Americans killed in action. Only days earlier in 1983, however, the inability to answer the question of “Why are we here and when should we leave?” led to disaster in Lebanon. American military personnel, sent with unclear goals into a chaotic situation, ended up sitting around in a camp at the Beirut airport. A suicide bomber drove into the base and killed 220 Marines, 18 sailors, and three soldiers. The operation was such a mess that it has been taught as a case study at the Naval War College for years. In an all-out war, when the stakes are much higher, questions about exit strategies become nonsensical, even inane. Imagine an American telling Winston Churchill during the Battle of Britain: “Prime Minister, if we’re going to send aid, we really need to know your exit strategy here.” Imagine calling Golda Meir in 1973, as Israel was reeling under a surprise attack by Egypt and Syria, and waffling about how we’d have to get back to her unless she could be just a smidge clearer on how the conflict might end. That’s essentially what many critics of aid to Ukraine—especially in the Republican Party—are asking of President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. I will leave aside the obvious bad faith involved in many of the GOP complaints about Ukraine. Some Republican legislators oppose aid purely to give Biden a public black eye. Others, as I wrote recently, are sucking up to the extreme wing of their own party, including more than a few who actually admire Russian President Vladimir Putin as some sort of white-Christian champion. Other objections appear to be more grounded, but in the end make little sense. What does it mean, for example, to say that aid to Ukraine needs more “oversight”? The United States—in a policy I think wise—has placed limits on how American weapons can be used, but the Ukrainians are not going to be able to account for every shell and missile. Even the hyper-bureaucratized U.S. military doesn’t do that in the heat of battle, because war never works that way. In a note widely attributed to Britain’s Duke of Wellington (the man who would eventually defeat Napoleon), the famed general bristled at penny-pinching from his superiors back home while he was fighting on the Iberian Peninsula. “We are at war with France, a fact which may come as a bit of a surprise to you gentlemen in Whitehall,” he wrote in 1812. This brings me to my present purpose, which is to request elucidation of my instructions from His Majesty’s Government so that I may better understand why I am dragging an army over these barren plains. I construe that perforce it must be one of two alternative duties, as given below. I shall pursue either one with the best of my ability, but I cannot do both: 1.To train an army of uniformed British clerks in Spain for the benefit of the accountants and copy-boys in London or perchance. 2. To see to it that the forces of Napoleon are driven out of Spain. More than two centuries later, Republicans such as Senator J. D. Vance of Ohio seem to think it’s clever to haul off zingers about Ukrainian officials buying bigger yachts while America sends aid. (Senator Thom Tillis, Vance’s Republican colleague from North Carolina, described Vance’s accusation directly and fragrantly: “Total and unmitigated ****.”) But if we’re really going to obsess about return on investment, aid to Ukraine might count as one of the most devastatingly efficient and effective defense expenditures of American treasure in the history of the republic. The U.S. intelligence community, in a newly declassified report to Congress, estimates that Russia has lost 87 percent of the total number of active-duty ground troops that it had prior to launching its invasion of Ukraine—and note that this does not mean “men sent into battle” but nearly nine-tenths of its entire army—and two-thirds of its preinvasion inventory of tanks. The United States has so far provided military aid to Ukraine that amounts to roughly a tenth of its total annual defense budget. In return, one of America’s most dangerous enemies has sacrificed almost all of its existing soldiers and the bulk of its armor. The courage of the Ukrainian people and the valor of their armed forces have accomplished all of this without a single American soldier being ordered into battle. And yet Republicans want to depict this astonishing achievement as a budgetary strain that makes America less safe. Despite the clear impact of American aid, critics continue to ask: How does it all end? For Ukraine, the only exit strategy is survival, just as it was for Britain in 1940 or Israel in 1973. The Ukrainians will keep fighting, because the alternative is the enslavement and butchery of the Ukrainian people, and the end of Ukraine as a nation. The Russians are the people who need an exit strategy. But as long as some in the GOP keep giving Putin the hope that he can outlast the West—and as long as Russian parents keep handing Putin their sons to burn on the pyre of his ego and delusions—this war will go on. The Kremlin will stay the course. So should we, for as long as it takes to ensure the survival of Ukraine and the security of Europe, the United States, and the world."

lousubcap

Since I'm here-worth the read to appreciate a non-MSM discussion regarding in part the Russian perspective-

The Cold Truth of the Russo-Ukrainian War

What did you expect, a short war?

CDR SALAMANDER DEC 13

As you would expect, the visit by the President of Ukraine to the USA generated a whole host of think pieces along the “Not Our War” to the “Slava Ukraini Forever” NPC spectrum. Might as well do an update here.

First of all, of course Zelensky is asking for more of everything faster. Were you in his position, would you do anything else? 

“Existential” is a word perhaps a bit overused, but in this case it is accurate. Ukraine is approaching the second year of a war against a larger power on not just a war of imperial conquest, but with the ultimate goal of eliminating Ukraine as an independent nation or even a separate people. 

Perhaps history will deliver to us at some point the initial desired end state the Russians wanted when in February 2022 they resumed this phase of conquest that first started in 2014, but I think it is fair to say it was probably somewhere along the following spectrum of Courses of Action after the fall of Kiev/Kyiv and the following capitulation or collapse of Ukraine:

- COA A: Belarusianization. The territory +/- seized in 2014 ceded to the Russian Federation by a Ukrainian government friendly to and controlled by Moscow is installed.

- COA B: Rump Ukraine. All of present-day Ukraine except for what is generally described as “Western Ukraine” and roughly outlined by the post-WWI “West Ukrainian People’s Republic” east to include the Zhytomyr and Vinnytsia Oblasts, is ceded to the Russian Federation followed by the Belarusianization of a rump-Ukraine.

- COA C: The Whole Holubtsi. Reaching into their imperial habit, the Russian Federation simply absorbs the entirety of Ukraine as a Greater Novorossiya. Large portions of heavily Ukrainian Galicia will see the deportation into Russia of a significant part of the problematic parts of the population and property offered to residents of Luhansk and Donetsk who suffered losses during the war. This will help secure the historically partisan friendly Carpathian area and as such, facilitate a more secure rear area to Russian forces moving up to the new frontier facing Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania. Moldova is absorbed as well. 

Well, history didn’t fold out as the Russians wanted. There was no 3-day war. No 3-week war. No 3-month war either. Kiev remains in Ukrainian hands … but what about a 3-year war?

Despite all the pre-war metrics, the “expertise” of the Smartest People in the Room™, every wargame that would have been run at all our war colleges would have told us that there would not be a conventional war in Ukraine is finishing up its second and going in to its third year, but here we are.

They were all wrong.

A common problem, one that well pre-dates the invasion of Ukraine, is that we have shockingly well credentialed people of influence from both parties who have an inability to understand that Russians are not Westerners. They don't think like westerners, though they may look like them. 

The Russians have a distinct culture, history, and view of themselves and their place in history. The underperforming political, military, and diplomatic elite in the West - with few exceptions outside the former Warsaw Pact nations now in NATO - expect Russians to react in the same way and to the same degree to the incentives and disincentives that move needles and preferences in DC and Brussels. 

Time is always on the side of Russia, which is one of the reasons the slow rolling of weapons to Ukraine has been an exercise of malpractice of the highest degree. You are either in or out. 

Two years on, "we" still are not sending a clear signal. It is amazing, really; in military might, GDP, demographics and a whole host of other reasons, Russia should not be as resilient as they are ... which is why DC & Brussels are being played so hard. They still do not understand Russia.

Even after 1,000 years of experience, we have Western leaders who refuse to believe that the Russians are fundamentally different than the West is in the 21st Century. You can't put the cultural ability to absorb damage and brutal patience you cannot see in some metric that can go on a PPT slide. 

What the Russians lack in so many other places, they make up for here. As such, this critical part of understanding Russian motivation keeps being missed. Yes to their economy and apocalyptic demographics. Yes to all that.

For all the reasons Russia continues to fight, so too do their Ukrainian brothers – demonstrating greater resilience and endurance that Western expectations. 

The time for leaving Ukraine to its fate is long past. Yes, the West has a short attention span and is suffering under the dead hand of entrenched leaders with a defeatist mindset – but none of this is written.

Ukraine can still win – or at least something that can be called a win. It would help if the Russians had some internal issues that required more attention that Ukraine, but even then – all is not worth shrugging over. 

Yes, I’ve seen the math - the metrics - but war is informed by math, but not defined within it.

At a relatively modest cost in our treasure and almost none of our blood, we are wearing down Russia’s ability to project power for a generation, perhaps two. Perhaps many more generations should demographic instability mate with political instability. The Ukrainians – facing the same economic and demographic challenges are the Russians – are up for the fight. There is no reason for more comfortable nations who have supported them so far to go wobbly at half-time."

lousubcap

Thursday Israel-Hamas update:

"A post-war Gaza without Hamas is a “delusion,” said Ismail Haniyeh, who is widely viewed as a Hamas’ group leader. Haniyeh said “We are open to discuss any ideas or initiatives that could end the [Israeli] aggression and open the door for putting the Palestinian house in order both in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip,” speaking in a televised address.  BBC News reports.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video message posted to X that “international pressures” will not stop Israel from continuing the war against Hamas. Netanyahu said “Nothing will stop us, we will go to the end, to victory, no less than that.” BBC News reports. 

Israel has canceled a trip to Qatar which would have seen the head of Israel’s foreign intelligence service restart discussions on a possible second hostage release deal, according to familiar sources. Alex Marquardt reports for CNN.

Israel’s ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely, rejected ideas of a two-state solution and said Israel would not accept it as a prospect. When asked about how there could be peace without a two-state solution, Hotovley said “the world should know now that the Palestinians never wanted to have a state next to Israel.” BBC News reports.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak endorsed support for a two-state solution and said the “longstanding position remains the two-state solution is the right outcome here.” BBC News reports."

lousubcap

Thursday Russia-Ukraine update:

"The Ukrainian military said on Sunday that its air defenses destroyed 41 out of 42 drones launched by Russia in southern Ukraine, although Moscow’s six missiles killed one civilian.  The downed drones damaged more than a dozen buildings in Odesa, and injured 11 civilians, including three children. Pavel Polityuk reports for Reuters.

President Putin said today that peace in Ukraine will come when Russia achieves its objectives including the demilitarization and “deNazification” of Ukraine.Yuliya Talmazan reports for NBC News.

Putin said Russia has a total of 617,000 troops fighting in Ukraine and that a further 486,000 have signed up to voluntary serve in addition to the 300,000 people called up for service last year. “The stream of our men who are ready to defend the interests of the homeland with weapons in their hands is not diminishing,” he said. Putin did not give figures of military losses but confirmed that a number of people “close” to him have died, and that children of people within his “close” circle have also been killed. BBC News reports.

With European Union leaders due to meet on Thursday to decide whether to formally open Ukraine membership talks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was on a visit to Norway after returning to Europe from the United States, said that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban had no reason to block Kyiv’s membership of the 27-member grouping. Zelenskyy said he had been “very direct” when he had a brief chat with Orban in Argentina on Sunday.

Orban, a conservative nationalist who is Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest ally in the EU and is blocking 50 billion euros in financial aid for Kyiv, appeared unmoved. “Our stance is clear. We do not support Ukraine’s quick EU entry,” Orban wrote in a post on Facebook, claiming Ukrainian membership would not serve the interests of Hungary or the EU."

Botch

Last night PBS Newshour did this story on the use of drones in the Ukranian War, and the cottage industries supporting that effort.  Really a cool story.
 
https://www.pbs.org/video/russian-invasion-1702509324/
 

JohnInCarolina

http://twitter.com/OmarJimenez/status/1735300676635271366?s=20

lousubcap

Israel’s defense minister says Hamas war will last months

https://thehill.com/policy/international/4360627-israels-defense-minister-says-hamas-war-will-last-months/?email=467cb6399cb7df64551775e431052b43a775c749&emaila=12a6d4d069cd56cfddaa391c24eb7042&emailb=054528e7403871c79f668e49dd3c44b1ec00c7f611bf9388f76bb2324d6ca5f3&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=12.14.23 Defense & National Security JB

Park that on top of the above X link.

And there is this truth-

General William Tecumseh Sherman: alleged quotes:

Sherman Quotes. It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood, more vengeance, more desolation. War is hell.

lousubcap

Friday Israel-Hamas update:

"Israel’s Defense Minister said yesterday that the war against Hamas “will last more than several months…but we will win and we will destroy them.” 

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog yesterday said now isn’t the time to discuss a two-state solution. “What I want to urge is against just saying a two-state solution. Why? Because there is an emotional chapter here that must be dealt with. My nation is bereaving. My nation is in trauma,”Herzog said. Julia Frankel reports for AP News.

Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh said on Wednesday that his armed Palestinian faction is “open to any ideas of initiatives” which would bring an end to the war. Haniyeh has previously said that a postwar Gaza without Hamas’ reign is “an illusion.” Aaron Boxerman reports for the New York Times.

Hamas’ tunnels “were built by well-trained and educated engineers who considered all possible attacks from the occupation, including pumping water,” spokesperson Osama Hamdan said yesterday, following reports of Israel pumping the tunnels with seawater. Hamdan said the tunnels “are an integral part of the resistance, and all consequences and expected attacks have been taken into account.” Meanwhile Israeli officials said they are only flooding tunnels which they believe do not contain any hostages. Hamdi Alkhshali reports for CNN.

U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan traveled to Israel yesterday for two days of meetings with Israeli officials. An anonymous U.S. official said the conversations will focus on “campaign, objectives, phasing, what to expect to see over the coming days and weeks.” Yesterday, Sullivan met with Mossad Director David Barnea to discuss counterterrorism, Iran, and other regional issues. Bryan Peitsch and Karen DeYoung report for the Washington Post.

Sullivan is due to meet with the Palestinian president today to discuss postwar arrangements for Gaza. Those discussions could include reintroducing Palestinian security forces to the region who were driven out by Hamas in its 2007 takeover, according to a senior U.S. official. Karin Laub, Najib Jobain, and Bassem Mroue report for AP News.

National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby in a White House press briefingsaid he does not “want to put a time stamp” on scaling down of the war, adding “I think you can understand the last thing we want to do is telegraph to Hamas what they’re likely to face in the coming weeks and months.” Bryan Peitsch and Karen DeYoung report for the Washington Post.

“I can only tell you that President Biden still believes in the promise and the potential of a two-state solution,” Kirby told CBS news yesterday, adding that the White House is aware a two-state solution is “elusive.” For a two-state solution to work, “it is going to require leadership on both sides,” Kirby added. Lauren Irwin reports for The Hill. "

lousubcap

Friday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Hungary blocked $55 billion in E.U. aid for Ukraine yesterday. The aid negotiations will continue into the new year, E.U. leaders confirmed. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban told state media today that he tried for eight hours to stop the vote going ahead, without success. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said while the E.U. could not strike a unanimous vote, he is “fairly confident” Orban will agree a deal “early next year.” Jaroslav Lukiv reports for BBC News.

Russia launched ballistic missiles at Kyiv on Wednesday which injured more than 50 people and damaged multiple apartment buildings, marking the third attack on Ukraine’s capital in the past week. The Ukrainian Air Force said the attack involved 10 missiles, all of which were shot down, but added that the debris from the interceptions damaged residential infrastructure. Constant Méheut and John Yoon report for the New York Times.

The U.S. Senate will vote on military aid for Ukraine and Israel next week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said yesterday. “So much hangs on our success. We know the world is watching,” he said. The announcement comes amid the ongoing dispute over foreign aid, with Republicans making clear that they will only vote for such funding if changes are made to border policies. Manikin Brice and Ted Hesson report for Reuters.

The air force said Ukraine was also attacked by Russian fighter jets dropping Kinzhal hypersonic missiles. One missile was shot down over the Kyiv region, but another two hit the west of the capital where there is an air base. Kyiv regional governor Ruslan Kravchenko said no casualties were reported, or damage to critical and civilian infrastructure.

Speaking at his annual press conference in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin said his forces were “improving their position on almost the entire line of contact” in Ukraine and that there would be no peace until Russia had achieved its goals.

Russia said it shot down nine Ukrainian drones heading towards Moscow. There were no reports of damage."

lousubcap

An article on the shipping impact of the Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping:

https://gcaptain.com/shipping-giants-pause-red-sea-voyages-dealing-blow-to-global-trade/?subscriber=true&goal=0_f50174ef03-9a75cdf97d-170052525&mc_cid=9a75cdf97d&mc_eid=10465e83ed

lousubcap

The Capitol is F'd up in more ways than one: From Politco today-Saturday.)

 “Senate Staffer Caught Filming Gay Sex Tape In Senate Hearing Room (GRAPHIC),” by The Daily Caller’s Henry Rodgers.

First off, please know, when they say “GRAPHIC,” they mean it.

The video, which Rodgers reports was shared in a group chat with gay men in politics, shows two men having sex in what appears to be Hart 216, the cavernous room that has played host to Supreme Court nominees, the 9/11 Commission hearings and former FBI Director JAMES COMEY’s blockbuster 2017 testimony on DONALD TRUMP.

The, um, action takes place on the dais — right between where Sens. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-Minn.) and CHRIS COONS (D-Del.) were sitting at a recent Senate Judiciary Committee markup, in case you were wondering.

The Daily Caller did not name the staffer, but conservative outlets identified the person responsible as AIDAN MAESE-CZEROPSKI, an aide to Sen. BEN CARDIN (D-Md.).

Cardin’s office, after not commenting yesterday on what it called a “personnel matter,” this morning tells Playbook in a statement that “Aidan Maese-Czeropski is no longer employed by the U.S. Senate.”

“We will have no further comment on this personnel matter,” the statement added.

Playbook also reached out to Capitol Police this morning to see if an investigation is underway and did not get a response. Senate leadership aides also declined to comment.

Our attempts to reach Maese-Czeropski this morning did not immediately succeed, but he posted the following to LinkedIn last night: “This has been a difficult time for me, as I have been attacked for who I love to pursue a political agenda. While some of my actions in the past have shown poor judgement, I love my job and would never disrespect my workplace. Any attempts to characterize my actions otherwise are fabricated and I will be exploring what legal options are available to me in these matters.”

Yeah, we’d definitely advise finding a lawyer."

JohnInCarolina

@lousubcap - JFC

lousubcap

An article about the US Navy and Red Sea escort operations:

Pentagon To Launch ‘Operation Prosperity Guardian’ To Reopen Red Sea Passage

https://gcaptain.com/pentagon-to-launch-operation-prosperity-guardian-to-reopen-red-sea-passage/?subscriber=true&goal=0_f50174ef03-1483df2ec2-170052525&mc_cid=1483df2ec2&mc_eid=10465e83ed

Edit to add the following:

The Biden administration is exploring options to strike back against the Houthis following new attacks over the weekend, according to two U.S. officials. The USS Carney shot down 14 one-way drones launched from a Houthi-controlled region in Yemen on Saturday morning, while the British-HMS Diamond shot down a Houthi drone. On Friday, the Houthis struck a Liberian-flagged vessel in the Red Sea and launched two ballistic missiles toward the Bab el-Mandeb strait, which struck another LIberian-flagged vessel. A Pentagon spokesperson declined to comment on ongoing plans, although three additional destroyers have been moved into the Mediterranean Sea this week, and one official said a Carrier Strike Group vessel has been moved into the Gulf of Aden, off the coast of Yemen, to support U.S. defense in the area. Lara Seligman and Alexander Ward report for POLITICO.

lousubcap

Monday Israel-Hamas update:

"Questions of Israel’s pre-war Hamas intelligence have been raised following the Israeli military saying yesterday, in a post on X, it has discovered the largest tunnel in Gaza which facilitated the transit of militants, equipment, and vehicles just a few hundred yards away from the nearby Israeli military base and fortified Erez crossing. The military said the tunnel shaft is over 2.5 miles in length and links up with Hamas’ wider tunnel network throughout Gaza. Israeli military spokesperson Major Nir Dinar said, “As far as I know, this tunnel doesn’t cross from Gaza into Israel and stops within 400 meters from the border, which means the indicators won’t indicate that a tunnel is being built.” His statement is a reference that while Israel was aware of the presence of Hamas tunnels prior to Oct. 7, it was not aware of the extent of such a tunnel network.  POLITICO reports.

Humanitarian aid entered the Gaza Strip through a second border crossing yesterday, the U.N. said. A spokesperson for the U.N. agency said that Israel has agreed to allow up to 200 trucks a day through the Kerem Shalom crossing, in addition to the aid passing via Rafah. Meanwhile Israel’s agency overseeing policy for the Palestinian territories, known as COGAT, said yesterday that 79 humanitarian aid trucks were inspected and able to pass through the Kerem Shalom crossing. Vivian Yee reports for the New York Times.

Israel and Hamas are open to a renewed ceasefire and hostage release deal, according to two Egyptian security sources. Both Egypt and Qatar – which brokered the original deal – demanded the opening of the Kerem Shalom crossing before negotiations could begin, the sources said. Hamas is insisting on setting the list of hostages unilaterally and for Israel to withdraw behind specific lines, while Israel is demanding a timeline to see the list before agreeing on details of a cease-fire, according to the sources. Reuters reports.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan asked U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a phone call yesterday for Washington to use its influence and leverage over Israel to end the attacks in Gaza, according to a Turkish diplomatic source. “Fidan emphasized the need for Israel to be made to sit at the (negotiating) table after a full ceasefire is achieved, in order to start a process aimed at realizing a fair and lasting peace based on a two-state solution,” the source added. Reuters reports.

France called for an “immediate and durable truce” in the war, as French foreign minister Catherine Colonna met with Israeli foreign minister, Eli Cohen. A statement released by the French foreign ministry prior to the visit said Colona would call for a truce which should “lead to a lasting ceasefire with the aim of releasing all hostages and delivering aid to Gaza.” Mr Cohen reiterated Israel’s stance during the meeting that there would not be a ceasefire, but said that France could have an important role in preventing regional tensions arising from the war. France’s foreign ministry also insisted Israel explain an airstrike which killed one of its staff in Rafah last week. BBC News reports.

U.K’s Foreign Secretary David Cameron and  Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said yesterday in a jointly authored Sunday Times piece that they would like to see a “sustainable ceasefire.” It follows the U.K abstention last week in the UN Security Council  vote for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire. “We do not believe that calling right now for a general and immediate ceasefire, hoping it somehow becomes permanent, is the way forward,” Cameron added. Andre Rhoden-Paul reports for BBC News.

Israel said yesterday it struck the Iran-backed Hezbollah weapon launch sites and facilities in Lebanon in response to attacks with tank fire, airstrikes, and artillery, while Hezbollah said it attacked Israeli army targets along the border including barracks and a command center. Israel did not report any casualties from the attacks. Reuters reports."

lousubcap

Monday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Ukraine and Russia exchanged drone attacks for a second straight day yesterday, with one attack reportedly striking a Russian military airport. The Russian Defense Ministry said at least 35 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight in southwestern Russia, and a Russian Telegram channel critical of Moscow said a Russian air base storing bomber aircraft was targeted by Ukraine. A major Ukrainian newspaper said yesterday that Kyiv’s military successfully struck the Morozovsk air base, causing “significant damage” to Moscow’s military equipment. Karl Ritter reports for AP News. (More details below.)

Ukraine’s Air Force said it destroyed 20 Russian drones and a missile – nine of them in the southern Odesa region. The falling debris started a fire in a residential home and killed one person. The air force said a second missile “did not reach its goal”. On Saturday, Ukraine said its air defence systems shot down 30 Russia-launched drones over 11 regions of the country

Russia’s Defence Ministry said its air defence systems destroyed or intercepted a total of 35 Ukraine-launched drones over its Lipetsk, Volgograd and Rostov regions in Russia. It did not say what was targeted or whether there was any damage. The Ukrainska Pravda media outlet later reported that the attack – reportedly a joint operation of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and Ukraine’s Armed Forces – was targeting the Morozovsk airfield in the Rostov region. Several Russian military bloggers said that one bomber at the base suffered minor damage.

The Senate is unlikely to advance aid for Ukraine this side of the year following yesterday’s negotiation meetings. Despite negotiations taking place almost daily, the hold up centers around the border security measures demanded by Senate Republicans as a condition of passing President Biden’s $106 billion aid package, which includes Ukraine and Israel aid. Burgess Everett and Myah Ward report for POLITICO."