Boots & Sabers

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Category: Foreign Affairs

Operation Beeper Began Years Ago

by | 1933, 6 Oct 24 | , | 2 Comments

Absolutely amazing foresight and ingenuity.

The first part of the plan – booby-trapped radios – was initiated by Mossad in Lebanon in 2015. The concept for the pager operation emerged in 2022 and began to be implemented more than a year before the Hamas attack on October 7, reports The Washington Post.

 

[…]

A special proposal, allegedly from a well-known Taiwanese company, was developed for Hezbollah militants. The Apollo AR924 pager was somewhat bulky but ideal for combat conditions. It was waterproof and equipped with an extended battery that could last for months without recharging. However, its main advantage was its purported anti-tampering protection. Hezbollah leaders were so impressed that they purchased 5,000 units and began distributing them to mid-level fighters and support staff in February.

According to officials from Israel, the US, and Middle Eastern countries, around 3,000 Hezbollah officers and members were killed or injured when Mossad remotely activated the devices on September 17.

The idea for the pager operation originated in 2022, with elements of the plan being implemented more than a year before the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.

The first part of the plan – booby-trapped radios – was initiated by Mossad in Lebanon nearly ten years ago, in 2015. The mobile two-way radios contained large battery packs, hidden explosives, and a transmission system that provided Israel with full access to Hezbollah’s communications.

According to sources, for nine years, Israeli operatives eavesdropped on Hezbollah while maintaining the capability to turn the radios into bombs. However, a new opportunity arose: a small pager equipped with powerful explosives.

Hamas Disappointed With Lack of Arab Support

by | 0708, 3 Oct 24 | | 3 Comments

This is interesting.

DOHA, Qatar — The day after Iran launched strikes against Israel, a senior Hamas official told NBC News on Wednesday that the militant group has been let down by its Arab neighbors in the wake of the Oct. 7 terror attacks.

 

In an interview in Qatar’s capital, Doha, where part of the group’s political wing is based, Dr. Basem Naim said Hamas was “disappointed by the reaction of the region, of the countries in the region.” Although some of them had supported the group politically and financially, he said Iran “was maybe the only country regarding supporting the resistance.”

He has a point. Where is Saudi Arabia? Iraq? Egypt? Jordan? Turkey? Oman? The UAE? Qatar? Libya? Bahrain? Syria? It is telling that none of these countries have stepped out to support Hamas or Hezbollah

Why?

Two reasons. First, for decades, the myth of a unified Arab or Muslim block is just that… a myth. These countries all have their own interests and, as history has shown, the sharpest fights are often between siblings. They have given rhetorical support to the Palestinian cause in an effort to further their own interests, but they aren’t interested in expending blood or treasure on it.

Second, knowing this first fact, Trump’s Middle East policy of engagement and economic entanglement based on mutual self-interest is paying dividends. Many of these Arab countries have political, economic, and even cultural ties to Israel, the United States, and European nations that are more valuable to them than the Palestinian cause.

Iran is on an island even in their own sea. That is largely thanks to Trump’s foreign policy.

CIA Solicits for Informants

by | 0655, 3 Oct 24 | , | 0 Comments

Really? If you are living in one of these totalitarian countries and happen to be surfing around the CIA’s channels, you’re already on a list. Or you make the list. This feels like an agency that’s out of ideas.

The US Central Intelligence Agency has launched a new drive to recruit informants in China, Iran and North Korea.

 

The organisation posted messages on its social media accounts in Mandarin, Farsi and Korean on Wednesday, instructing users how to contact it securely.

 

This latest effort follows a campaign to enlist Russians in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine, which the CIA says was a success.

 

“We want to make sure individuals in other authoritarian regimes know that we’re open for business,” a CIA spokesman said in a statement.

Army Disarms Police in Mexican City

by | 0737, 2 Oct 24 | , | 0 Comments

How’s it going to our south?

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Local police in the cartel-dominated city of Culiacan, Mexico have been pulled off the streets after the army seized their guns, officials announced Monday.

 

The move came just one day after about 1,500 residents of Culiacan, the capital of the northern state of Sinaloa, held a march Sunday though the city’s downtown to demand peace after weeks in which cartel gunfights have killed dozens of people in and around the city.

 

But rather than announcing a stepped-up police presence, Ruben Rocha, the state’s governor, said Monday the entire 1,000-member municipal police force would not return to duty until they get their weapons back. Soldiers, state police and National Guard will take over patrolling until then.

Rocha said the seizure of the weapons for inspection of their permits and serial numbers was not a routine check, but rather was “exceptional,” and said “we hope it will end soon.”

 

Historically, the Mexican army has seized the weapons of local police forces they distrust, either because they suspect some local cops are working for drug gangs or because they suspect they are carrying unregistered, private sidearms that would make abuses harder to trace.

Israel Launches Defensive Ground War Against Lebanon

by | 1850, 30 Sep 24 | , | 0 Comments

Will Syria or Iran try to come in the back door as Israel is fighting a 2-front war?

The Israeli military last night confirmed that it has launched a ground invasion of Lebanon, as fears mount that the escalation could plunge the Middle East into an all-out war.

 

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said it had begun ‘localised and targeted raids’ against Hezbollah enemies in southern Lebanon.

 

‘These targets are located in villages close to the border and pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel,’ the military added.

 

It added that the operation will continue ‘according to the situational assessment and in parallel to combat in Gaza and in other arenas’.

 

The ground invasion has been supported by a series of air strikes, with dramatic pictures showing the missiles lighting up the sky above Beirut.

 

British nationals have been urged to leave Lebanon immediately, with Foreign Secretary David Lammy warning the conflict could ‘escalate in a major way’.

 

The US said it was informed beforehand about Israel’s raid, which have been described as ‘limited operations focused on Hezbollah infrastructure near the border.’

Stiff Opposition to Unending Support for Ukraine War

by | 2056, 27 Sep 24 | | 2 Comments

While NBC News tries to paint the opposition as a partisan divide, what’s interesting about it is that it isn’t. There is a cohort of leftist peaceniks who oppose it, although, admittedly, they have been quiet. Then there is a cohort of righties who are upset that our bankrupt nation is pouring an unlimited amount of money into a war between two tyrants in which our national interest is barely perceptible.

Vice President Kamala Harris is meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a trip to the U.S., while former President Donald Trump isn’t, highlighting the growing partisan division over a key foreign policy issue.

 

Harris is scheduled to meet Thursday with Zelenskyy at the White House. Trump won’t meet with him while he’s in the country this week for the United Nations General Assembly, and he has grown increasingly critical of Zelenskyy, accusing him of having a favorite in the coming election.

Putin Redefines Decision Criteria for Using Nukes

by | 2212, 25 Sep 24 | | 5 Comments

This is a petty BFD.

Vladimir Putin says Russia would consider an attack from a non-nuclear state that was backed by a nuclear-armed one to be a “joint attack”, in what could be construed as a threat to use nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine.

 

In key remarks on Wednesday night, the Russian president said his government was considering changing the rules and preconditions around which Russia would use its nuclear arsenal.

 

Ukraine is a non-nuclear state that receives military support from the US and other nuclear-armed countries.

U.S. to Ban Russian and Chinese Parts in Cars

by | 2035, 23 Sep 24 | , | 1 Comment

There are many lessons to be learned from the beeper and radio explosions in Lebanon. One of them is that it is possible – probable – that hostile foreign actors are willing and able to infiltrate tech on a widescale basis for evil intent.

The US is planning to ban certain hardware and software made in China and Russia from cars, trucks and buses in the US due to security risks.

 

Officials said they were worried that the technology in question, used for autonomous driving and to connect cars to other networks, could allow enemies to “remotely manipulate cars on American roads”.

 

There is currently minimal use of Chinese or Russia-made software in American cars.

Ukraine Invades Russia

by | 1901, 21 Sep 24 | | 3 Comments

Ukraine is no longer fighting a defensive war. They are invading Russia.

Ukraine launched more than 100 drones at Russia and the occupied Crimean Peninsula overnight, Russian news reports and the Defense Ministry said Saturday.

The strikes set an arms depot on fire just kilometers (miles) away from one struck by Ukrainian drones earlier this week, in an attack that wounded 13 people and also caused a huge blaze. Arms and ammunition depots were also hit on Saturday in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region.

 

The “victory plan” that Zelenskyy will present to U.S. President Joe Biden will include long-range strike capabilities and other weapons long sought by Kyiv, and will serve as the basis for any future negotiation with Russia, Zelenskyy told reporters.

Biden Drags Feet on Nippon Steel Taking over U.S. Steel

by | 0824, 15 Sep 24 | , | 1 Comment

It is worth noting why this is an issue. The combination of lucrative union contracts, regulation, improvements in productivity, stagnant demand, and the rise of manufacturing prowess controlled by hostile nations have all combined to make heavy industrial manufacturing in America very difficult to make a profit. The union contracts and regulation lock American companies into a past that prevents them from adapting to the future. In this case, U.S. Steel is a vital American core business that must be kept on-shore. When war comes again on a large scale, we must be able to produce our own equipment and steel mills don’t spring up overnight.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has voiced his opposition to Nippon Steel buying U.S. Steel, but the federal government appears to be in no hurry to block the deal.

 

White House officials earlier this month did not deny that the president would formally block the acquisition. But the necessary report from the government’s Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States has yet to be submitted to the White House.

 

“It’s their process — it’s independent,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Friday. “We have to see the recommendation from CFIUS. That’s the process.”

Putin Hearts Harris

by | 2021, 5 Sep 24 | , | 0 Comments

Frankly, I think he’s telling the truth.

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia (Reuters) – Russia wants Kamala Harris to win the U.S. presidential election, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday in a teasing comment that cited her “infectious” laugh as a reason to prefer her over Donald Trump.

 

Putin made the ironic remark a day after the U.S. Justice Department charged two Russian media executives over an alleged illegal scheme to influence the November election with pro-Russian propaganda.

Before President Joe Biden withdrew from the race, Putin had said earlier this year – in another comment widely seen as not to be taken at face value – that he preferred Biden over Trump because the former was a more predictable “old school” politician.

 

U.S. intelligence agencies believe Moscow actually wants Trump to win because he is less committed to supporting Ukraine in the war against Russia.

I would remind the gentle reader that the entire intelligence community united behind the lie of Russian collusion. I don’t believe a word they say. Putin, while also a liar, makes a good case for why Russia would support Harris. She is a fellow Marxist, stupid, and easily manipulated. If I were Putin, I would much prefer Harris as an adversary than the unpredictable, irascible, pro-American Capitalist, Trump.

China Successfully Woos African Nations Into Orbit

by | 0759, 4 Sep 24 | | 0 Comments

We are losing the world through weak leadership.

With pomp and splendour, China has welcomed more than 50 Africans leaders to Beijing this week for a summit to strengthen ties at a time of increasing political and economic turmoil around the world.

 

“It appeals to their vanities,” Macharia Munene, a Kenya-based professor of international relations tells the BBC, referring to the red carpet welcome – spiced up with entertainment by dancers in colourful costumes – that the leaders received.

 

The optics were carefully choreographed to make the leaders feel that it is a meeting of equals.

 

Many of them – including South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa and Kenya’s William Ruto – held one-to-one meetings with their Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and were given tours of Beijing and other cities at the heart of China’s development ahead of the summit.

 

As Prof Munene puts it, China’s aim is to show African leaders that “we are in the same boat, we are all victims of Western imperialism”.

U.S. Releases Drug Cartel Leader Early

by | 0756, 31 Aug 24 | , | 2 Comments

Seems like we should make someone who is responsible for brutally murdering thousands of people serve their full sentence, eh?

A U.S. Bureau of Prisons official said Cárdenas Guillén had been released from prison and was placed in the custody of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. That would normally suggest he would be deported back to Mexico.

 

 

A Mexican official who was not authorized to be quoted by name said Cárdenas Guillén faces two arrest warrants in Mexico, making it likely he would be detained upon arrival.

 

The former head of the Gulf cartel was known for his brutality. He created the most bloodthirsty gang of hitmen Mexico has ever known, the Zetas, which routinely slaughtered migrants and innocent people.

 

Cárdenas Guillén was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2010 and ordered to forfeit tens of millions of dollars. It was not clear why he did not serve his full sentence, but he had been extradited to the U.S. in January 2007.

Wave of Anti-Tourism

by | 2107, 25 Aug 24 | , | 1 Comment

Interesting.

It feels like this was the year that tourism turned nasty – and local communities started pushing back.

Venice has started charging daytrippers an entry fee, while one busy Swiss town has announced it wants to follow suit. Locals have staged protests in Mallorca and Barcelona.

And while it has come to a head in Europe, this is a global phenomenon. A Japanese town overlooking Mount Fuji erected view-blocking barriers in May (then removed them in August). Bali introduced a tourist entry tax for foreign visitors in February. And US national parks are full to bursting – with 13 million more visits in 2023 than in 2022, according to NPS numbers. In peak season, visitors must book ahead to enter.

[…]

“The tourism industry forgot about its most precious asset: the goodwill of locals. The edifice collapses without that. It’s been lost in many places and will be hard to win back.”

Francis puts it down to a combination of factors: the growth of low-cost airlines, vacation rentals, social media (which creates stampedes to “in” destinations) and expanding economies – meaning more people can afford to travel.

I am an incurable tourist with a pounding wanderlust disorder. I love to travel and I travel a lot. I have certainly witnessed some of this phenomenon.

I get where many of these people are coming from. It’s one thing when your town depends on tourism. It’s another thing when you are in a city that has its own thing going on and also happens to be a tourist destination.

But I think the problem with rude, inconsiderate tourists is just another facet of our culture. In almost every arena, our global culture has become less considerate, less polite, ruder, crasser, and generally less… cultured. This story isn’t about tourism. It’s about the decline of society.

Middle East War Escalated Further

by | 0816, 25 Aug 24 | | 0 Comments

Things are getting hot in the Holy Land.

Israel says its warplanes have struck Hezbollah targets in Lebanon after detecting moves to launch an aerial attack on Israel.

 

The Israeli military said around 100 fighter jets had destroyed “thousands” of rocket launchers on Sunday morning, in what it described as an act of “self-defence”. Lebanon’s health ministry reported that three people had been killed.

 

Hezbollah later said it had fired hundreds of rockets towards northern Israel, calling it “phase one” of a multi-stage attack in retaliation for the killing of a senior commander. No casualties have been reported in Israel.

 

The exchange marks a major escalation of tensions between Israel and the Iran-backed Shia Muslim armed group.

Ukraine Using Advanced American Weapons to Invade Russia

by | 0853, 24 Aug 24 | , | 1 Comment

Recognize that the Ukraine War has become both an offensive proxy war of America against Russia and a vast money laundering enterprise. If this continues, it is only a matter of time before Russia is backed into a corner and strikes out at the U.S. in an asymmetric attempt to reset the board.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s military says it used high-precision U.S. glide bombs to strike Russia’s Kursk region, and that is has recaptured some territory in the eastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv that has been under a Russian offensive since spring.

 

Ukraine’s Air Force Commander Lt. Gen. Mykola Oleschuk issued a video Thursday night purporting to show a Russian platoon base being hit in Kursk, where Ukrainian forces launched a surprise cross-border incursion on Aug. 6. He said the attack with GBU-39 bombs, which were supplied by the United States, resulted in Russian casualties and the destruction of equipment.

 

The video showed multiple explosions and plumes of smoke rising at the site.

Many of Ukraine’s backers oppose the country using donated weapons for anything but defensive purposes. However, Ukraine has argued that its Kursk incursion is essentially defensive and aimed at minimizing attacks on Ukrainian soil from that Russian region.

Chinese Car Sales Surpass American Car Sales in Mexico

by | 0751, 23 Aug 24 | , , | 0 Comments

This is happening all over the world. As the U.S. and European countries pile on the regulations that make our cars prohibitively expensive, the rest of the world is still looking for good, reliable, cheap transportation. China is filling the void. It is yet another area where the U.S. is ceding global leadership.

Last year, China was the leading car supplier to Mexico, exporting $4.6 billion worth of vehicles to the country, according to the Mexican Ministry of Economy. Even customers wary of EVs have been won over by affordable price tags. Tesla rival BYD sells its Dolphin Mini in Mexico for around 398,800 pesos, or about $21,300, a little over half the price of the cheapest Tesla.

“The Chinese automakers came to the country very aggressively,” said Juan Carlos Baker, former Mexican deputy minister for international trade. “They have very good promotions. It’s a good product that sells at a very reasonable price.”

 

Some Chinese EV makers, including BYD, have been looking for a further foothold in North America by exploring factory sites in the Mexican states of Durango, Jalisco and Nuevo Leon. The foreign investment would be an economic boost for Mexico. BYD has claimed that a plant there would create around 10,000 jobs.

 

Iran Hacked Trump Campaign

by | 2157, 19 Aug 24 | , , | 26 Comments

Clearly, Iran has a favorite in this race and a vested interest in the outcome.

Iran was behind the recent hack of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, US intelligence officials have confirmed.

 

The FBI and other federal agencies said in a joint statement that Iran had chosen to interfere in the US election “to stoke discord and undermine confidence in our democratic institutions”.

 

The Trump campaign pointed the finger at Iran on 10 August for hacking its internal messages. Iranian officials denied it.

 

Sources familiar with the investigation told the BBC’s US partner, CBS News, that they suspect Iranian hackers also targeted the campaign of Democratic presidential contender Kamala Harris.

Notice how the story is written… we confirm that Iran hacked Trump, but to give the appearance that Iran hates Harris just as much, we get unnamed “sources familiar with the investigation” saying that they “suspect” that Iran “targeted” Harris too. There is no evidence or named sources to back it up, but the FBI and media have to run cover for Harris.

Ukraine Invades Russia

by | 2057, 15 Aug 24 | , , | 4 Comments

Well, isn’t this a pickle.

US officials are assessing how the incursion might reshape the political and military dynamics of the war, as well as the implications for Washington’s long-shifting stance on how Ukraine can use American-supplied arms.

 

The stunning raid, catching both Russian and apparently Western leaders by surprise, highlights one of the riskiest dilemmas for the Western-backed defence of Ukraine: President Biden has consistently tried to empower Kyiv to push back Russia’s invasion without risking an American escalation with Moscow. As President Putin has always tried to portray the conflict as a war between Russia and the West, Mr Biden has sought to put clear limits on US policy to deflate that narrative and prevent a conflagration.

 

But Ukraine’s Kursk assault – the largest incursion into Russia by a foreign military since World War Two, according to military analysts – has raised a series of urgent questions for the White House. Does it rapidly expand the boundaries of Washington’s set limits for how Ukraine can use American and Nato weapons systems? Does it risk crossing Russia’s red lines over Western involvement in the war? If not, has President Zelensky showed Washington he can call Mr Putin’s bluff?

I know that I break ranks with many of my conservative brethren on this war, but I do not think that is in our national interest to prop up Zelensky’s dictatorial regime in opposition to Putin’s. Yes, I get that Ukraine is bleeding out Russia’s military capacity. Yes, I understand that a Russian victory would make it slightly easier for Putin to invade a NATO country, thus pulling the U.S. into a hot war. That risk is, however, minimal.

But I also understand that Russia occupying a hostile Ukranian population would keep Putin bloodied and distracted for years. And Ukraine was a corrupt oligarchy before Russia invaded it. It was only marginally better than Russia in the first place.

Also, by leaning into this war so hard supporting Ukraine, we have pushed Russia and China closer together. We have also incented Putin to attempt to launch proxy wars to attack our interests in other regions. And while the war may be bleeding Russia’s military, it is having the same impact on the American military readiness and economy.

So what do we do now? The veneer of Ukraine fighting a defensive war to push Russia out of their national territory has been shorn off. Now Ukraine is an active belligerent that is occupying Russia’s national territory. Should we really be supporting one side over the other in a regional war? Or should we be focused on arming and fortifying our NATO allies that border Russia and Ukraine? Given the absence of leadership in America, what is our national policy here?

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