Israel must consider Hezbollah’s response to an Iran strike

Israel must consider Hezbollah’s response to an Iran strike

MirYam Institute

The questions surrounding Israel’s readiness for a potential strike on Iran should go beyond the discussion of whether its military capabilities can adequately damage the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.

Any strike plan must first answer the following questions: Will Hezbollah automatically retaliate on Iran’s behalf? If so, has Israel fully taken into account the scenario of activating two fronts at the same time—Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon? This is not even to mention a third possible arena—Gaza. Finally, is the Israeli home front ready for such a scenario?

Simply put, if Hezbollah attacks Israel with everything it has, Israel will have to deal with not only over 150,000 unguided projectiles but also hundreds of precision missiles.

These precision missiles can significantly harm Israel’s ability to maintain a functioning government. It would therefore be a mistake to ask whether Israel can delay Iran’s nuclear capabilities without asking in the same breath whether the Israeli home front is prepared for Hezbollah’s firepower.

It is possible that Hezbollah’s conventional arsenal and its precision missiles could disrupt state functions to a degree that makes them as severe as a nuclear threat.

In such a scenario, Israel would be unable to activate its military capabilities on fronts that develop after an Iran strike, command and control would be disrupted, and Israel would struggle to evacuate its civilians from areas under heavy fire in the north of the country.

Israeli authorities need to be sure, today, that they know how to evacuate some 30,000 people from the northern border area. That means knowing which hotels or accommodation centers will absorb them, which hospitals will take in the wounded and which evacuation routes to use.

In addition, and due to the above, Israel also needs to consider the option of a preemptive strike on Hezbollah’s firepower prior to attacking Iran’s nuclear sites.

The strategic logic of such action rests with the assumption that some time after such a strike—whether six months, a year or more—with Hezbollah struggling to rebuild its capabilities after a massive Israeli blow, Israel will be free to focus on the Iranian threat without simultaneously dealing with Hezbollah.

While a preemptive war is illegal under international law, a preemptive strike is a different matter. How Hezbollah responds to such a strike will determine the course of events and whether they snowball into war.

In either scenario—an attack on Iran’s nuclear sites or a preemptive strike on Hezbollah—Israel must prepare its civilian sector appropriately. If there is a good chance that some 10,000 residential buildings in Israel are damaged and northern communities come under a level of fire never previously experienced, a population evacuation would be mandatory. Failing to prepare for evacuations would leave huge numbers of civilians vulnerable to attack.

More...

China And Brazil Strike Another Blow Against U.S. Dollar

China, Brazil Strike Blow Against Dollar Through Bilateral Trade

Sputnik News

China and Brazil are moving to a new level of bilateral trade. China has made a strong move to increase its economic influence in Latin America. Brazil's example could stimulate the displacement of the dollar from the Southern Common Market's (MERCOSUR) trade with China.

China and Brazil have signed an agreement to trade using their local currencies. The announcement was made Wednesday at a high-level China-Brazil business forum in Beijing.

The instability of the US financial system, and consequently the dollar, is one of the main incentives for transferring payments to yuan and Brazilian reals, Chen Fengying, a research fellow at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, told Sputnik.

“In the wake of the current international financial crisis, many countries are taking steps to diversify their currency baskets. The exchange rate volatility is mainly due to a sharp increase in interest rates by the Fed. This is causing market anxiety due to the uncertainty of US monetary policy, which reflects on the stability of the dollar. In the past, both China and Brazil were in the dollar zone, and it was necessary for the dollar to remain stable in order to maintain bilateral trade stability. 

The current instability of the US dollar exchange rate negatively affects bilateral trade and investment and is detrimental to the interests of China and Brazil. In addition to Brazil and China, Russia and countries in the Middle East also use the method of settlement in local currency on the basis of swap agreements. This allows them to minimize risks, protect their interests and assess the potential of their own currencies.”

Brazil is China's ninth largest trading partner, and China is Brazil's largest trading partner. China overtook the US as Brazil's top trading partner in 2009. According to statistics from China's General Administration of Customs, bilateral trade reached $171.49 billion in 2022, an increase of 4.9 % from the previous year. Brazil's exports to China totaled $89.43 billion in 2022, according to official Brazilian data, or 26.8 % of its total exports.

The transition to local currencies will promote the development of China-Brazil cooperation in food and minerals, and also open up new opportunities for the export of high value-added goods from China to Brazil and from Brazil to China. These are the most promising areas of cooperation identified at the Beijing Business Forum.

According to expert Chen Fengying, the transfer of investments into local currencies will also bring significant bonuses. Brazil has become China's largest investment destination in Latin America.

More than 25 countries, including Chile and Argentina, already settle their accounts with China in yuan. Brazil's example may encourage other Chinese partners in the region to switch to trade settlements in national currencies, said Mikhail Belyaev, a Russian independent expert on financial and economic issues:

The dollar is ‘toxic.’ And if it is ‘toxic’ for Russia today, it does not mean that it will not be ‘toxic’ for, say, Brazil or any other Latin American country tomorrow. This fact serves as a catalyst for countries in the region to follow Brazil's example and develop trade settlements with China in their national currencies. At the same time, it strengthens China's economic and financial influence in the region.”

After Argentina, Brazil is the second Mercosur country to switch to local currencies for its trade with China. This is a strong incentive for the other two Mercosur players, Uruguay and Paraguay. Especially since China and Uruguay are negotiating a free trade agreement.

US Urges Americans To Leave Russia ‘Immediately’

US urges Americans to leave Russia ‘immediately’

RT

Washington has called upon Americans who are traveling to or residing in Russia to leave the country “immediately” in the aftermath of the arrest of Wall Street Journal (WSJ) correspondent Evan Gershkovich. While Moscow said he was caught “red-handed” trying to obtain state secrets, the US has condemned the arrest as an assault on“press freedom.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington was “deeply concerned” about the development, adding that “in the strongest possible terms, we condemn the Kremlin’s continued attempts to intimidate, repress, and punish journalists and civil society voices.”

“We reiterate our strong warnings about the danger posed to US citizens inside the Russian Federation. US citizens residing or traveling in Russia should depart immediately,” the top diplomat said in a statement.

A similar message was conveyed by the White House, with Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stating that the “targeting of American citizens by the Russian government is unacceptable.”

“We also condemn the Russian government’s continued targeting and repression of journalists and freedom of the press,” she added, urging Americans to “heed the US government’s warning to not travel to Russia” or leave should they happen to already be in the country.

The call was somewhat watered down by US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby, who explained Washington was not actually calling upon all Americans to literally leave Russia and was not encouraging news outlets to withdraw their correspondents from the country.

Gershkovich, a WSJ correspondent who covers news from Russia, Ukraine, and the former USSR, was detained in the city of Ekaterinburg on suspicion of espionage, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced earlier in the day. According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the journalist was caught “red-handed” while trying to obtain Russian state secrets.

]

THE EPIDEMIC OF DECEPTION

THE EPIDEMIC OF DECEPTION

Jonathan Brentner 

When the disciples asked Jesus about the signs of the end of the age and of His coming, the first words were, “Take heed that no man deceive you” (Matthew 24:4). A little later in the same discourse, the Lord spoke of the great deception that will happen during the Tribulation period (Matthew 24:24):

For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

The Apostle Paul, when he began to speak of the appearance of the antichrist in the last days, echoed the words of Jesus in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, “Let no one deceive you in any way.” A little later in the same chapter, He said this about the coming “man of lawlessness:”

The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. (2:9-10).

In 1 Timothy 4:1, Paul warned of “deceitful spirits and teachings of demons” that would appear in the last days.

Scripture is remarkably clear about this: the time leading up to the seven-year Tribulation, as well as the period itself, will be marked by overwhelming and widespread deception.

As we look around us, it’s unmistakable that this has reached epidemic levels, which signifies that we live in the shadow of the coming seven-year Tribulation.

THE DUPLICITY OF THE GLOBALISTS

We witness the deceitfulness of the powerbrokers in the way they say one thing, but behave in a radically different manner. Below are several examples of their duplicity.

In my post, Deadly Delusions: 5 Lies the Globalists Want you to Believe, I demonstrate that while the globalists say they want “democracy and freedom,” their goal is a Marxist Communist state that will enslave the people of the world.

The seventeen goals of the UN’s Agenda 2030 unveil their purpose to control the lives of everyone on the planet. The Great Reset of the World Economic Forum presupposes a world swallowed up in chaos and lawlessness from which they can construct a world order that will enslave humanity.

The elite repeatedly tell us that their goal is to save the planet. They would have us believe that they care deeply about the environment and thus they instruct us to change our way of life based on this.

Do their actions match their words? No, and it’s not even close. Many of the globalists build or purchase mansions on the waterfront; they have no worries about rising sea levels. They fly everywhere in private jets consuming a great amount of fuel and emit much CO2.

I have come to the conclusion that deep state in America is purposely attacking the environment. The train accident in East Palestine, Ohio, is just one of many incidents where trains have spilled hazardous materials into nature during the past several weeks. As I write, there’s a barge carrying methanol that’s slowly sinking into the Ohio River.

The growing number of fires at chemical plants is also alarming. The one that happened two years ago, several miles from where I live, appears to be just the beginning of a rash of such incidents around the world.

There are far too many fires and “accidents” involving hazardous substances for me to accept that they are all coincidences.

More....

Netanyahu Proclaims “Israel is a Sovereign Country” After Biden Regime Is Accused of Sponsoring VIOLENT INSURRECTION This Week

Netanyahu Proclaims “Israel is a Sovereign Country” After Biden Regime Is Accused of Sponsoring VIOLENT INSURRECTION This Week

Richard Abelson 

The Biden Regime continues to interfere in Israeli domestic politics, supporting radical, violent leftists,  seeking to prevent judicial reform, and foster a coup. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the judicial reform legislation would be frozen to allow for negotiations.Thousands of radical leftist insurrectionists  rioted in Israel this week, seeking to stop judicial reform to rein in the out-of-control leftist supreme court. 15 insurrectionists tied themselves to the entrance of the Knesset in Jerusalem Thursday morning.

“A small group of anarchists and power-elites held the entire country hostage, shutting down airports, hospitals, and malls. Chain stores shuttered their gates. Unions went on strike, and the economy and security of the nation hung in the balance”, Jewish Press wrote.

Over a hundred thousand patriots demonstrated against the leftist coup outside the Knesset in Jerusalem Monday evening, Israel National News reported, calling on the government to stand firm in passing the reforms and not to freeze the legislation.

US Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) slammed US President Joe Biden and accused him of funding the anti-government protests in Israel.  “Utterly disgraceful. Biden gleefully hosts anti-American radicals like Lula, while shunning close American allies like Netanyahu,” Cruz tweeted Wednesday. “It’s clear that Biden and his officials are high from funding what they believe to be successful anti-government protests in Israel.”

“Like many strong supporters of Israel, I’m very concerned,” President Biden told the press Tuesday. “I’m concerned that they get this straight: They cannot continue down this road. And I sort of made that clear. Hopefully, the prime minister will act in a way that he can try to work out some genuine compromise, but that remains to be seen.” Biden said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not be invited to the White House in the near future, and urged him to drop his plan to stop leftist activist judges and restore democracy in Israel.

“Israel is a sovereign country which makes its decisions by the will of its people and not based on pressures from abroad, including from the best of friends“, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted.

Israeli Minister of Culture and Sport Miki Zohar deleted a tweet accusing Biden of being a victim of “fake news” about the judicial reforms.  “It breaks my heart to see how much damage has been done to Israel from all the fake news that has been spread in connection with our justified legal reform,” Zohar wrote after the deletion on Tuesday.

Speaking at Soros-funded Chatham House March 27, radical leader Ehud Barak described the leftist plans for “regime change using the legal tools of democracy”:

Analyst J Michael Waller, who tweeted the excerpt, noted that “the same people have been trying to do this in the United States, using legal mechanisms and mob action. They will not stop.”

“It’s time to call out the hypocrisy of demanding the Right negotiate, only to refuse to come to the table while trying to impose anti-democratic preconditions”, Jewish Press wrote on Tuesday. “Thanks to Bibi’s leadership, the anarchists are now on the defensive. Their indefensible actions yesterday infuriated and scared every sane person in the country. Their hostage-taking was a wake-up call for the need for even broader and deeper reforms. Moreover, yesterday’s massive demonstration of public support for the reforms was undeniable.”

Over 2,000 police officers will be stationed tomorrow (Friday) in Jerusalem, in preparation for the prayers on the second Friday of the month of Ramadan.