For months we’ve been hearing from the ever truthful, would never kid you, Netanyahu that Israel is just about to “finish the job” in Gaza—did he rip off Trump, or vice versa?—and pivot to destroy Hezbollah up to the River, the Litani River. For months it’s been, we pivot tomorrow, or the next day, the day after for sure. And it never seems to happen.
Meanwhile, we keep hearing rumblings about trouble in the IOF—high casualties, no end in sight after nine months, low morale, etc. The “Prophet of Wrath”, Itzhak Brik, has warned again:
Israeli General: If we go to war with Hezbollah, we will lose strategically.
After the failure of the Israeli army to realize its alleged goals in the war against Gaza, "Ishaq Barik", the former senior general in the Israeli army, admitted on Tuesday that "we have suffered a big defeat in Gaza".
Brik said in an interview with Israel's state television (Kan) that "if we go to war with Hezbollah now, we will suffer a strategic defeat."
The NYT has weighed in, even as we’re getting all sorts of warnings that, for sure this time, Israel is just about to invade Lebanon:
Megatron @Megatron_ron
BREAKING:
 Israeli Generals seek truce with Hamas due to lack of ammunition - The New York Times
Israel's military leadership wants a cease-fire with Hamas in case a bigger war breaks out in Lebanon, security officials say. It has also concluded that a truce would be the fastest way to free hostages.
Read that carefully. It doesn’t say, We need a cease-fire so we can pivot to Lebanon. It says, We need a cease-fire in case a bigger war breaks out.
Israel's top generals want to start a cease-fire in Gaza, even if it means Hamas stays in power for now. This is causing a rift between the military and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who opposes a truce that would let Hamas continue to exist.
Underequipped for further fighting after Israel’s longest war in decades, the generals also think their forces need time to recuperate in case a land war breaks out against Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia that has been locked in a low-level fight with Israel since October, multiple officials said.
Again, this is not about, So we can invade Lebanon. It’s about, We need to recuperate because we’re not ready for Hezbollah. They never will be, because it’s not just about Hezbollah.
A truce with Hamas could also make it easier to reach a deal with Hezbollah, according to the officials, most of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security matters. Hezbollah has said it will continue to strike northern Israel until Israel stops fighting in the Gaza Strip.
This is the talk of people who know their backed into a corner.
“The military is in full support of a hostage deal and a cease-fire,” said Eyal Hulata, who served as Israel’s national security adviser until early last year, and who speaks regularly with senior military officials.
“They believe that they can always go back and engage Hamas militarily in the future,” Mr. Hulata said.
Problem: This is exactly why Hamas refuses a cease-fire and demands a guaranteed end of the war.
“They understand that a pause in Gaza makes de-escalation more likely in Lebanon. And they have less munitions, less spare parts, less energy than they did before — so they also think a pause in Gaza gives us more time to prepare in case a bigger war does break out with Hezbollah.”
It is unclear how directly the military leadership has expressed its views to Mr. Netanyahu in private but there have been glimpses of its frustration in public, as well as of the prime minister’s frustration with the generals.
Until recently, the military publicly maintained that it was possible to simultaneously achieve the government’s two main war goals: defeating Hamas and rescuing the hostages captured by Hamas and its allies during the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
Now, the military high command has concluded that the two goals are mutually incompatible, several months after generals began having doubts.
Source: The New York Times
2:08 PM · Jul 2, 2024
BTW, here’s a quick bit of news re the American war on Russia. As readers will be aware, I’ve been trying to follow some of the twitter sites that follow military air activity. I’ve had the impression that US drone activity over the Black Sea has declined. So I read this with interest:
Will Schryver @imetatronink
 Since US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin had his little chat several days ago with Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, flights of American RQ-4B reconnaissance drones over the Black Sea have abruptly ceased. 
12:11 PM · Jul 2, 2024
It appears to be true. Drone flights have been replaced by manned flights. My guess is that those manned flights are not as ISR capable as the drones:
Washington has, at least verbally, ignored Moscow's warning about the possibility of taking retaliatory measures against its reconnaissance drone flights over the Black Sea. The Pentagon stated that flights would continue "over international waters and in international airspace where the law allows." However, in reality, the U.S. has indeed recalled its drones from this region, replacing them with manned aircraft.
In fact, the verbal reaction of the U.S. Department of Defense can hardly be called unexpected. No one expected that after Moscow's words, the U.S. would completely cease flying in this area. However, experts note that U.S. military reconnaissance aircraft are now kept at a respectful distance. Although international law allows them to fly within 23 kilometers of the Crimea coast.
I’m guessing that “respectful distance” translates into far less effective intel gathering, targeting, and guidance. This is a big blow to US prestige.
The point of all this bad military news—bad for the Neocons and the Israel Lobby—is that it all impacts the war narrative that the Uniparty has pushed for decades. There’s lots more that could happen during the runup to the election in November. There’s reason to believe that Russia is preparing a new stage in its Special Military Operation—one that will impact US politics. And don’t forget China.
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Am I just being overly cynical or are we actively trying to get one of our carriers turned into an man made reef?
MK Bhdrakumar of Indian Punchline has a reports on X the Houthis being supplied with advanced weaponry by Russia
Sputnik via X released a video by the Houthis in which they claim the Theodore Roosevelt will be targeted if it enters the Red Sea.