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

lousubcap · December 4

Thursday Southern Command update:

"Before the strikes on purported drug vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific began in September, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth approved contingency plans for what to do if an initial strike left survivors, according to several U.S. officials. The plans said that the military would attempt to rescue survivors unless they took what the United States deemed to be a hostile action. The officials said that after the first strike on Sept. 2, one of the two survivors radioed for help, adding that Adm. Frank M. Bradley ordered a follow-up strike in which both were killed. Helene Cooper, Julian E. Barnes, Charlie Savage, and Eric Schmitt report for the New York Times.

Adm. Frank M. Bradley is expected to tell lawmakers today in a classified briefing that the two survivors of the initial Sept. 2 strike were legitimate military targets because their vessel was still believed to contain narcotics and they were perceived as capable of continuing drug trafficking, a U.S. official told Reuters. Bradley will be joined by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen Dan Caine, to answer questions about the attack. Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart report.

President Trump said yesterday that he is open to releasing video footage of the second strike on Sept. 2. “I don’t know what they have, but whatever they have, we’d certainly release, no problem,” Trump told reporters. Jacob Wendler reports for POLITICO.

Hegseth asked Adm. Alvin Holsey to step down rather than Holsey simply retiring, as Hegseth previously announced in mid-October, according to two Pentagon officials. The officials said that the de facto ouster was a culmination of months of discord between Hegseth and Holsey, which intensified when Holsey voiced concerns about the legality of the strikes on alleged drugs boats in the Caribbean. Lara Seligman, Vera Bergengruen, and Alexander Ward report for the Wall Street Journal."

lousubcap · December 5

Friday Middle East update:

"The Israeli military said yesterday that its forces have killed around 40 Hamas fighters who had been trapped in tunnels below Rafah, in an area currently under Israeli control. Hamas has not officially confirmed the number of those trapped or how many remain in the tunnels. Maayan Lubell and Nidal al-Mughrabi report for Reuters.

President Trump plans to announce before Christmas that the Gaza peace process is entering its second phase and to unveil the new governance structure for Gaza, according to two U.S. officials. The sources say the U.S., Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey are negotiating with Hamas on an agreement under which the group will step back from governing Gaza and begin a process of disarmament. A Western source said Egypt and Qatar are optimistic, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not. Barak Ravid reports for Axios."

lousubcap · December 5

Friday Russia-Ukraine update:

"The Kremlin said today that Russia and the United States were making progress in peace talks, adding that Moscow is ready to carry on working with the current U.S. team. Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday however restated Russia’s demand for full control over Ukraine’s Donbas region, saying Moscow would take it by force unless Ukrainian troops withdrew. “We need real peace, not appeasement,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also said yesterday. Francois Murphy reports for Reuters.

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed concern on a confidential call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier this week that U.S.-led peace negotiations could pressure Kyiv into yielding territory, according to the transcript reported by Der Spiegel. Macron said, “There is a chance that the U.S. will betray Ukraine on territory without clarity on security guarantees.” Merz warned Zelenskyy that U.S. negotiators are “playing games” and that he should be “very careful” over the next few days. Andreas Rinke and Gabriel Stargardter report for Reuters.

Macron yesterday pressed Chinese President Xi Jinping to do more to help end the war in Ukraine during three-day visit to China. Marcon told reporters that the two leaders had discussed the war “at length,” adding that he hoped Xi would join efforts to achieve “at the very least” a halt in attacks on critical infrastructure in Ukraine. Xi did not commit to anything, telling reporters, “China will continue to play a constructive role in the political settlement of the crisis, while resolutely opposing any irresponsible actions of shifting the blame or smearing.” Vivan Wang reports for the New York Times.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia will take full control of Ukraine’s Donbas region by force unless Ukrainian forces withdraw, something Kyiv has flatly rejected. “Either we liberate these territories by force of arms, or Ukrainian troops leave these territories,” Putin told India Today news magazine ahead of his two-day state visit to New Delhi to meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi."

lousubcap · December 5

Friday Southern Command update:

"In closed-door briefings yesterday, Adm. Frank M. Bradley and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine are said to have told lawmakers that they assumed the hull of the vessel might have stayed afloat following the initial strike on Sept. 2 because it still contained packs of cocaine. They believed the survivors could have managed to float back to Venezuela, allowing them to try again to deliver the cocaine. Bradley denied that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had told him to kill everyone, and insisted that the follow-up strike was lawful. Helene Cooper, Megan Mineiro, Julian E. Barnes, and Charlie Savage report for the New York Times; Stephen Groves and Lisa Mascaro report for AP News.

The video footage of the strikes on Sept. 2 showed that around 30 minutes after the first strike, the front portion of the boat was overturned but still afloat, and the two individuals were visible, according to lawmakers and congressional staff who viewed the video and were briefed on it yesterday. The video does not show the survivors using any radios or satellite phones, according to sources, as U.S. officials had told the New York Times earlier this week. Helene Cooper, Megan Mineiro, Julian E. Barnes, and Charlie Savage report for the New York Times; Stephen Groves and Lisa Mascaro report for AP News.

The Defense Department is considering publicly releasing the video footage of the Sept. 2 strikes, Axios has learned. Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Tom Cotton (R-AR) said he supports releasing the full video, adding that yesterday’s briefing “demonstrated exactly what I thought it would demonstrate - that these were righteous strikes completely within the law of armed conflict.” Cotton called the reports that Hegseth had given orders to leave no one alive a “total lie.” Other lawmakers emerged from the briefings feeling increasingly concerned about U.S. military action in the Caribbean. Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) said what he saw was “one of the most troubling things” he has ever seen in public service, adding "any American who sees the video that I saw will see the United States military attacking shipwrecked sailors — bad guys, bad guys — but attacking shipwrecked sailors." Stef W. Kight reports; Josephine Walker reports for Axios."

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

Comments

Categories