Globalism / Great Reset –
WHO’s Tedros: “Our food systems are harming the health of people and planet. Food systems contribute to over 30% of greenhouse gas emissions, and account for almost one third of the global burden of disease. Transforming food systems is therefore essential”
Via United Nations:
Food is now firmly on the menu as a vital area of action to achieve global climate goals and countries have led the way- challenging themselves to do more, faster. The key COP28 outcomes represent a collective commitment to integrated action for food systems and climate, and provide powerful advocacy tools to drive forward action which delivers on these commitments at all levels. Though this is a huge step forward- we are still only at the start of the journey. While food systems action made monumental leaps within COP28 proceedings, the integration of nutrition considerations within this remains a vital area for joint advocacy. The phrase echoing through nutrition discussions was “a glass half full” – with the groundwork laid for integrated action, but much more work to do to integrate nutrition considerations into country NDCs and NAPs, and deliver on the vision of food systems for people, planet and prosperity.
Focus now turns to transforming this momentum into measurable results, with the 2024 COP29 in Azerbaijan and 2025 COP30 in Brazil serving as critical progress checkpoints. In line with their unique mandates, UN-Nutrition Members and partners stand ready to support countries in this mission, including championing healthy diets from sustainable food systems as a solution to achieve multiple Sustainable Development Goals and global climate targets. An exciting platform for this will be the scale up of the I-CAN initiative which is set to continue inspiring integrated action for climate and nutrition and monitoring change across food, health, social protection and water systems, as well as commencing country case studies for accelerated progress in 2024. Stay tuned!
https://www.unnutrition.org/news/people-planet-and-prosperity-nutrition-cop28
OBSERVATION - The effort is going forward without any input from the affected countries and people. Remember, I’ve said it before - control the food, control the people.
CW2 / Domestic violence - Heightened THREAT
Anti-Israel protesters blocked the road leading to JFK airport in New York City, and LAX in LA, causing people to miss their flights home after Christmas. A similar action was done by Chicago O’Hare International airport.
Video footage of the highway blockade at JFK appears to show an interesting development in the far left’s use of the blockade tactic. They are using vehicles at the head of the blockade in addition to protestors. The new method is likely meant to prevent one of the people stuck behind the blockade from driving through or simply physically removing the protestors. (FO)
Protests quickly turned violent as police moved in to remove the protestors. In NY, 26 were arrested.
In LA, when the Los Angeles Police Department got involved around 9:30 a.m. after the protestors attempted to block the roadway with cement blocks and other objects. As officers moved in, the protesters took off running in different directions, while others were taken into custody.
OBSERVATION - While airport and road blockages may be an effective tactic at this time of year due to Christmas travel, one needs to look at how this may morph into next year. I have no insight only that the pro-hamas elements quickly embraced the blm/Antifa model for their purposes. Unlike 2020, it seems police are becoming more aggressive in removing protestors. When the holidays are past will that continue?
***
On Jan 13th pro Hamas March on Washington is being announced and organized.
OBSERVATION - After New Years, the pro-hamas movement will need something more to hang its hat on. Currently the domestic hate is vented towards democrats given the support expressed for Israel by biden. Conditions may be ripe for the protests to continue in that bent - adding additional woes to biden’s attempt at reelection.
Second item may be the morphing into a pseudo-civil rights movement where islamic radicals seek to impose shariah concepts on the US culture and bully their way into greater political power thru a more energized voting block.
***
Barry County, Mich. Sheriff Dar Leaf is offering a “militia course” for patriots in his county to use their 2nd Amendment rights to defend the homeland.
According to a Facebook post, Leaf is offering the course to “learn a militiaman’s duty.” He will provide a “certificate upon course completion,” and welcomes “potential jurors, homeschoolers, ladies & gentlemen.”
Leaf is one of the nation’s leading constitutional sheriffs. He is outspoken about the county sheriff’s duty to interpose their authority to reject unconstitutional and immoral laws at the federal and state levels.
In order to join the militia, Holton Township residents need to be the age of 18 or older, pass a federal firearms background check, and issue a letter or state on social media that they want to join the militia. The resolution was signed by the Holton Township clerk Malinda Pago, who also serves as the Co-Chair of the Michigan Republican Party
OBSERVATION - This is an indicator phase of the movement towards a potential hot civil war scenario. Development of govt and military forces to counter potential state/fed assaults on freedom is that marker. This militia could also serve to maintain order should violence and lawlessness spread from more urban areas in a sub-critical scenario.
Terrorism - Level is HIGH due to increased lone wolf threats.
Maintain alert status through the rest of the holiday season. Tracking warnings of rioting planned for NYC on New Years Eve.
Economy-
According to a survey released Wednesday by Rasmussen Reports, 41% of Americans say their overall financial situation is worse than it was six months ago.
The survey of 1,010 adults, conducted on Dec. 6-7 and 10, found that just a quarter of Americans expect their situation to improve in the months ahead; 38% say their financial situation has stayed about the same.
The margin of sampling error is plus/minus 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.
Other recent polls on finances had similar findings.
A Harris Poll conducted in mid-November found that 53% of Americans said their financial situation worsened in 2023, with 46% saying they expect to have credit debt heading into 2024.
https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/finances-situation-poll/2023/12/27/id/1147391/
OBSERVATION - The biden attempt to paint the economy as golden seem to be failing to exit the city limits of DC. Real people, real bank accounts and bills trump regime economists every time.
POLITICAL FRONT –
Mile post note - the Colorado Supreme court decision being the only outlier, Michigan joins the ranks of states tossing the multiple suits trying to get Trump off the ballot under the 14th Amendment.
***
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger refuses to testify under oath about Secretary of State’s Dominion voting machines. Raffensperger - a rabid anti-Trumper, was key in having an in-depth investigation into alleged voting inconsistencies and violations stopped in 2020. Now it appears he lied in his certification the vote as well as saying that post election reviews were conducted. As this story unfolds, the narrative of a biden election win in Georgia is quickly becoming unwound.
Biden / Harris Watch –
biden continues to vacation - now at about 39% of time in office spent on vacation.
Illegal Immigration –
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he would issue an “executive order” requiring buses carrying migrants from Texas to New York to announce their arrival 32 hours in advance and only unload migrants between 0800 and 1200 on weekdays. Chicago has started impounding busses and fining operators.
OBSERVATION - Some of this could lead to lawsuits against the cities. But now TX has altered its tactic by chartering passenger planes to ship the illegals to these cities. And bus companies dropping off their loads in surrounding suburbs instead of the main cities.
***
The US and Mexico have vowed to crack down on migrant smugglers as a growing migration crisis causes chaos on their shared border.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador discussed how to stop the flow of people in talks held in Mexico City.
The high-level meeting came as pressure grows on the White House to stem the influx of migrants to the US.
US officials said last week that up to 10,000 people were crossing every day.
AMLO, hinted to the U.S. delegation that he will reduce migration to the United States if Biden gives more aid and support to Latin American dictators.
Instead of blocking migration, “it is more efficient and more humane to invest in the development of the people,” AMLO said before the Wednesday meeting.
“The migration issue is going to intensify” in 2024, he added.
Basically, the meeting was essentially all talk. That means no new commitments or agreements were settled on. The meeting in Mexico City was pure optics. AMLO gave no indication that he will assist in keeping more migrants on the southern side of the border in Mexico.
OBSERVATION - The recent diplomatic scramble to try to get support from Mexico to reduce the flow of illegals into the country must be hitting the red zone for democrat election planners. The impacts - especially in the dark blue metro areas - is causing his poll numbers to hemorrhage.
China –
Taiwan is just over two weeks away from key elections and China is increasing its focus on trying to influence the results by any means necessary. On Wednesday China warned of further trade sanctions on Taiwan in the event the ruling party “stubbornly” commits to supporting independence.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Tuesday issued some his strongest words on the issue thus far, vowing to use “any means” to prevent anyone from “making Taiwan secede from China.”
Current Taiwanese Vice President Lai Ching-te, who serves under President Tsai Ing-wen and is a member of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), holds a narrow lead in the polls. His election would ire Beijing; he is an advocate for a more independent Taiwan and strongly opposed to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). A Lai victory would likely prompt aggressive moves from Beijing, including naval maneuvers and airspace intrusions.
OBSERVATION - Most probably move by China, beyond increased air and sea intrusions into Taiwan restricted space would be the blockade option. Though China has been working fast and has been somewhat creative in trying to get its navy ready to field an amphibious force, a full-on attack would be on the scale the the Normandy Invasion. Such an operation would be near impossible to hide with todays intelligence surveillance platforms and the Taiwan Strait would be a shooting gallery for all the transports. The risk to China would be very , very high, so the blockade action far more likely, though dangerous in itself as well. Invasion remains highly unlikely, especially when China is struggling with other crises.
***
The Chinese spaceplane, named Shenlong (meaning Divine Dragon), has placed the objects in Earth orbit since it was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on December 14. The existence of these objects has been confirmed by amateur spacecraft trackers.
OBSERVATION - A lot of speculation on these objects. Some think that they may be small anti- satellite systems.
***
Chinese state media recently revealed that a number of bank executives have committed suicide or died suddenly.
According to the authorities of Yingshan County, Hubei Province, Wang Shengyong, the president of the Yangtze River Village Bank in the county, died of carbon monoxide poisoning on Dec. 5 at the age of 54 years old. It was reported that Wang committed suicide after using his position to defraud depositors of 40 million yuan (about $5.6 million) under the guise of capital raising.
According to official media reports, Du Haitao, deputy general manager of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) Credit Suisse Asset, died of a heart attack while running on Dec. 13 at the age of 49. Born in 1974, Du was deputy general manager of ICBC Credit Suisse Asset Management Co., LTD. and chairman of ICBC Credit Suisse Asset Management (International) Co., LTD.
On Dec. 10, Gong Danzhi, the president of Huaxia Bank’s Tianjin branch, fell to his death. The local police station confirmed the news.
OBSERVATION - China’s economic woes continue and it is causing any rebound to falter. Clusters of banking execs who die ‘suddenly’ is a key indicator that Xi is trying to get the graft out of the banking.
North/South Korea –
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for bolstered war readiness to repel what he said were unprecedented United States-led confrontational moves, state media reported Thursday, as rival South Korea vowed a stern retaliation against any provocations by the North.
Kim’s comments during the key political meeting tasked with setting state objectives for 2024 indicated North Korea will likely continue weapons tests to modernize its nuclear arsenal. Observers say Kim likely hopes to eventually use his boosted arsenal as leverage in potential diplomacy with Washington, possibly after the 2024 U.S. presidential election in November.
https://www.newsmax.com/world/globaltalk/north-korea-kim-jong-un-war/2023/12/28/id/1147442/
OBSERVATION - Nature abhors a vacuum, so in the absence of US leadership, Kim is seizing the opportunity to move forward with a more aggressive military preparations. A lot can happen in the time before the election. However, I don’t see NK in the position to launch an attack on the south at this time.
Japan –
A number of news articles popping up on the thoughts that Japan may be pushing soon for its own nuclear weapons.
Russia -
WAR WATCH - into the second year of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine - Feb 24th, 2022
CURRENT ASSESSMENT - Updated Nov 12, 2023
Russia is struggling to gain the initiative on several fronts in easter Ukraine. Attacks to take Adviivka, located near occupied Donetsk has been their priority as well as further north. However, it is on a defensive footing across most of Ukraine.
The Russian army has lost a considerable amount of armor/tanks and personnel in the fight to take Adviivka, causing that offensive to stall considerably and resort to “meat” attacks.
With the arrival of the muddy season, significant offensive actions by Russia are unlikely.
Ukrainian action has forced Russia to move forces laterally to meet the Ukraine advance - thinning critical portions of the line and making them vulnerable to assault.
Russia’s strategic ballistic and cruise missiles continue to show evidence of massively reduced inventories. With the onset of winter, it is believed that Russian is shepherding its stockpile of missiles/drones for an effort to take down the Ukraine power grid as it did last year. This task has become increasingly difficult as Ukraine adds air defense systems and gets better coverage.
The Russian Black Sea fleet is is essentially impotent and hesitant to deploy into now contested waters. Ukraine’s recent attacks on ships in Crimean harbors has forced the majority of the fleet to redeploying out of Crimea and to Russian bases, about 600 Km further away from the front lines.
Russian leadership reportedly planning for a long duration conflict, hoping to wear the Ukraine army down and cause European allies to tire of their support - forcing some sort of cease fire and negotiated peace.
Logistics –
Russia appears to be building yet another naval base for what remains of their Black Sea Fleet. The new base is being built in the Black Sea port of Ochamchire. This port is in Abkhazia, a Russian controlled area that used to be part of the pro-NATO Caucasus nation of Georgia. All this is happening in the distant northeast portion of the Black Sea, where the Russian warships are safer from attack by Ukrainian forces.
Ukraine –
WEATHER FORECAST – Temps in the 20-40 degree range with on again, off again rain and snow.
24 HOUR ROUND UP –
Weather continues to dominate action.
Ukrainian air defense shot down 7 of 8 Shahed drones launched by Russia overnight
Tokmak Axis -.
Reports that Russia regained some terrain around Robotyne as Ukraine forces pulled back to more defensible positions for the winter.
Outlook —-
Weather and mud conditions are continuing to dictate ground operations, which are at a low level due to lack of maneuverability cross country and on dirt roads due to the mud.
ISRAEL –
Key overnight developments -
- Hezbollah launched the heaviest missile attacks since Oct 7th.
——— GENERAL ——————————-
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a US-designated terrorist organization, said on Wednesday that Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre in southern Israel was revenge for the 2020 assassination of IRGC commander Qassem Soleimani in a US drone strike — a claim swiftly denied by Hamas. “Hamas denies the validity of the remarks given by the spokesperson of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Brigadier General Ramadan Sharif, regarding the operation of the Flood of Al-Aqsa and its motives,” the group said.
NOTE - Earlier Iran denied all accountability for the attack. Internal fighting among terrorists.
——— GAZA FRONT ———————————-
Israeli army spokesman: We added a brigade in the areas of the northern Gaza Strip.
***
Israeli soldiers destroyed a network of tunnels underneath and around a hospital and an adjacent girls school in Gaza City, the Israel Defense Forces said on Wednesday night.
The three shafts, dozens of meters deep, were connected by an underground network passing under Rantisi Hospital and leading to the heart of Gaza City, the IDF said. The tunnels also ran under and around the nearby Ramaz Fahrah School. A special elevator installed in the girls school descended 20 meters down to the shaft.
——— LEBANON / HEZBOLLAH——————————-
Hezbollah on Wednesday unleashed multiple rounds of rocket attacks and multiple drone strikes reaching approximately three dozen total attacks on Israel, reportedly the most the group has launched in one day since October 7.
Israel’s military will act to remove Hezbollah from the border with Lebanon if its attacks continue, an Israeli minister has warned.
Benny Gantz said the military would intervene if militants do not stop firing on northern Israel.
Time for a diplomatic solution was running out, he added.
Meanwhile, the head of the Israel Defense Forces said troops were in “very high readiness” for more fighting in the north.
———WEST BANK——————————-
A massive operation by the Israel Defense Force is taking place throughout the West Bank overnight, as hundreds of armored vehicles and thousands of troops have stormed several cities across the region including Jenin, Nablus, Hebron, Ramallah, and Jericho in what appears to be an attempt to mass arrest of known Hamas and PIJ Terrorists. Heavy fighting has been reported in many of these cities where the operation is taking place.
The United Nations asks Israel to stop “lawless killings” in the West Bank
———“ISLAMIC RESISTANCE” ———————————
A kamikaze drone hit an open area in the southern Golan Heights on Wednesday night, with the Iran-backed militias in Iraq claiming responsibility for the attack. … Iraq said that they launched the drone toward a site near the town of Eliad in the Golan Heights “in support of Gaza.”
———INTERNATIONAL ——————————-
The Indian Navy has deployed 4 Kolkata & Visakhapatnam destroyers to the waters near Iran to prevent additional attacks on merchant vessels carrying crude oil and other goods to India
——— FORECAST ————————-
Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF) - Israel continues the methodical elimination of Hamas forces throughout Gaza. IDF repeats the estimate of several months before the operation is considered to be complete.
Fighting continues to escalate on the northern border with Hezbollah becoming more aggressive in its rocket campaign. Israel has planned for years to deal with Hezbollah and the relatively slow growth in the confrontation may well be working to its advantage. Intelligence on command, control, logistics, etc. are being revealed daily. IAF has also been targeting key Hezbollah nodes, acts that will hurt their ability to respond in a unified manner, allowing Israel to isolate and defeat Hezbollah forces in detail.
Rhetoric from Israeli officials/generals suggest that the assault into Lebanon may be sooner than some (including myself) are anticipating. I would expect that Israel would hold off until all of Gaza is largely under control and forces/support shifted for the attack to the north. Israel’s actions are naturally being held closely.
Mexico -
See Illegal Immigration above
Globalism / Great Reset –
The new Spanish left-wing government has decided to follow Germany down into the abyss by dismantling all its nuclear power plants.
According to the new coalition government, all 7 nuclear reactors are to be dismantled and replaced by renewable energy.
OBSERVATION - You don’t get much more carbon neutral than the use of nuclear generated electricity.
CW2 / Domestic violence - Heightened THREAT
Overnight, anti-Israel protesters blocked all exits of the World Trade Center in New York City. They later launched smoke grenades outside Tweed Courthouse.
OBSERVATION - There has been an increase in violence the these kinds of protests since Christmas. Will this trend continue once they fully lose the theater of the holidays? Very possibly, the global protest set for next month may set that standard.
Terrorism - Level is HIGH due to increased lone wolf threats.
Maintain alert status through the rest of the holiday season. Tracking warnings of rioting planned for NYC on New Years Eve.
Economy-
Reportedly 61% of Americans are living pay check to pay check. Credit card debt over 1 Trillion dollars.
Military / Strategic Activity / Deployments –
USSF-52 mission was launched yesterday with seventh mission of the Space Force’s X-37B spaceplane, using a SpaceX Falcon Heavy for the first time. Launch and orbital insertion were successful.
***
Deployed U.S. Army soldiers will no longer be able to store their belongings free of charge while they are away from home, the Army Sustainment Command announced Wednesday.
A spokesman for the command, which is the primary provider of logistics support to Army units, told Military.com that it was discontinuing the use of funds to store soldiers’ vehicles and other goods while they are away for prolonged periods of time.
It was not specified whether the announcement applies to all deployment types or just to soldiers on temporary duty.
The storage policy ended in October, but the order was not “widely distributed” to soldiers or the press, the outlet reported.
“We understand the burden this could potentially place on soldiers, and HQDA G-1 [The Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel, Department of the Army] is drafting policy that would enable such storage,” service spokesman Sgt. Pablo Saez said.
That new “policy” was only mentioned after Military.com first reached out to the Army about the issue in early December, the outlet noted.
It is unclear when or in what manner that future policy will take form.
An internal memo from Col. Heather Carlisle, director for support operations at the Army Sustainment Command, said that the Army is not required to provide storage for its soldiers:
HQDA G1, the proponent for [storage] entitlements, recently determined that the Army would no longer support [storage] entitlements because there is no Army policy explicitly authorizing storage in support of soldiers deployed for contingency operations.
OBSERVATION - Screwing the US military once again, and they wander around the five walls of the pentagon wondering why they can’t meet recruitment/retention goals.
***
Amphibious warships USS Bataan (LHD-5) and USS Carter Hall (LSD-50) transited the Suez Canal on Thursday after almost five months of operating in the Middle East, U.S. 6th Fleet announced.
The two ships, “will join the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS Mesa Verde (LPD-19). With the embarked 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), these ships will re-aggregate as the Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) in the Eastern Mediterranean,” reads the statement from U.S. 6th Fleet.
OBSERVATION - This weakens the US presence in the Arabian Sea region where forces may be needed either in the Red Sea (Houthi threat) or the Persian Gulf. From what has been released there is no evidence of another unit being deployed there to replace them.
Wuhan and other “new” Plandemics – HEIGHTENED ALERT STATUS
The medical community is raising the alert concerning significant communicable diseases being brought across the border by the flood of unscreened illegals. Among many include polio and tuberculosis.
POLITICAL FRONT –
Maine’s Democrat Secretary of State Shenna Bellows on Thursday removed former President Donald Trump from the state’s presidential primary ballot under the Constitution’s insurrection clause, becoming the first election official to take action unilaterally in a decision that has potential Electoral College consequences. Today, impeachment proceedings have been filed against the Maine SoS - an unelected and highly partisan democrat.
This following the CO SoS restoring Trump to the ballot.
The court challenge to the CO Supreme Court is still enroute to the USSC because the CO court decision sets a precedent that cannot be allowed to stand. The CO SoS may be trying to blunt a USSC decision by essentially saying that we ‘fixed’ the constitutional problem. My question is how can the SoS override the state supreme court?
Another potential side issue is that the democrats are trying to force the USSC to rule that Trump is not under the 14th Amendment restrictions - an attempt to delegitimize the court.
Cross reference to CW2.
Biden / Harris Watch –
biden still sunning himself in the Caribbean while the world goes to hell.
Illegal Immigration –
The DOJ is threatening to sue Texas if it moves forward with its strict new border security law, which is set to take effect in March and would allow TX authorities to arrest & deport anyone who crosses into TX illegally. TX has been using as many loopholes it can find lately to try to put a stop to the flood coming across the border. Its border fence and barbwire barriers currently have protection by US court order from BP creating openings, IIRC the water barrier can still be in place pending appeal. Now arrests of illegal trespassing with deportation become the next tool. The DoJ’s response makes it clear, the biden regimen is not interested AT ALL in shutting down the border.
China –
“U.S. intelligence officials have determined that the Chinese spy balloon that flew across the U.S. this year used an American internet service provider to communicate, according to two current and one former U.S. official familiar with the assessment.”
“The balloon connected to a U.S.-based company, according to the assessment, to send and receive communications from China, primarily related to its navigation. Officials familiar with assessment said it found that the connection allowed the balloon to send burst transmissions, or high-bandwidth collections of data over short periods of time.”
OBSERVATION - This shouldn’t surprise anyone by now. This totally bungled operation by the US govt, allowing the balloon to pass over sensitive military facilities was just the tip of the iceberg. Remember, at this stage of the game one must consider all from mainland China to be involved in spying in one way or another. A simple antenna set connected to the internet is all that is needed for the encrypted data to be moved to China.
Phillipines –
Recent polls indicate that the majority of the Philippine people favor restoring military treaties with the US, in the face of a rising threat posed by China.
Russia -
WAR WATCH - into the second year of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine - Feb 24th, 2022
CURRENT ASSESSMENT - Updated Nov 12, 2023
Russia is struggling to gain the initiative on several fronts in easter Ukraine. Attacks to take Adviivka, located near occupied Donetsk has been their priority as well as further north. However, it is on a defensive footing across most of Ukraine.
The Russian army has lost a considerable amount of armor/tanks and personnel in the fight to take Adviivka, causing that offensive to stall considerably and resort to “meat” attacks.
With the arrival of the muddy season, significant offensive actions by Russia are unlikely.
Ukrainian action has forced Russia to move forces laterally to meet the Ukraine advance - thinning critical portions of the line and making them vulnerable to assault.
Russia’s strategic ballistic and cruise missiles continue to show evidence of massively reduced inventories. With the onset of winter, it is believed that Russian is shepherding its stockpile of missiles/drones for an effort to take down the Ukraine power grid as it did last year. This task has become increasingly difficult as Ukraine adds air defense systems and gets better coverage.
The Russian Black Sea fleet is is essentially impotent and hesitant to deploy into now contested waters. Ukraine’s recent attacks on ships in Crimean harbors has forced the majority of the fleet to redeploying out of Crimea and to Russian bases, about 600 Km further away from the front lines.
Russian leadership reportedly planning for a long duration conflict, hoping to wear the Ukraine army down and cause European allies to tire of their support - forcing some sort of cease fire and negotiated peace.
*****
The UN’s humanitarian envoy for Ukraine has condemned Russia’s “heinous wave of attacks on populated areas” this morning.
In a statement, Denise Brown says the attacks have “left a path of destruction, death and human suffering” and are “another unacceptable example of the horrifying reality” Ukrainian people face.
Noting the Russia has damaged homes, schools, hospitals, a shopping centre, a metro station and energy infrastructure this morning, she adds the strikes have killed and injured civilians in “almost every region of the country”.
Quote Message: Right now, families and emergency services are trying to pull people out of the debris left by the destruction. For the Ukrainian people, this is another unacceptable example of the horrifying reality they are faced with, and which made 2023 another year of enormous suffering.”
Right now, families and emergency services are trying to pull people out of the debris left by the destruction. For the Ukrainian people, this is another unacceptable example of the horrifying reality they are faced with, and which made 2023 another year of enormous suffering.”
RUMINT-
Following the Ukrainian airstrike that took out a Rocha class amph assault ship, it is being reported in some circles that ADA commanders that had responsibility over the defense of that portion of Crimea have been ordered to the combat front as punishment for their failure to intercept the Ukrainian missiles.
Economic Impact –
G7 are discussing seizure of $300 billion in Russian Central Bank assets by February 24, the 2nd anniversary of Russia’s assault on Ukraine
Ukraine –
WEATHER FORECAST – Temps in the 20-40 degree range with on again, off again rain and snow.
24 HOUR ROUND UP –
Weather continues to dominate action on the ground.
Overnight, Russian unleashed what some consider to be the largest drone/missile strike barrage on Ukraine since the start of the war. “We haven’t seen so many targets on our monitors for a long time,” says Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat. Russia used practically all the weapons in its arsenal apart from Kalibr cruise missiles, he said.
Ukrainian air defense shot down 27 of 36 Shahed drones, and 87 of 90 Kh-101 missiles. Also Russia used 5 Kh47-m2 missiles, 4 anti-radiation Kh-31P missiles, 1 Kh-59, at least 14 ballistic missiles(S-300/S-400 or Iskander), 8 Kh-22 missiles.
Russia utilized ground launches as well as MiG-31Ks, 9 TU-95ms and 9 TU-22M3 in the attacks. Notably missing was any launches from vessels of the Black Sea fleet - the primary source in the past of Kalibr cruise missiles. Some analysts believe that the Russian ports these vessels relocated to do not have adequate loading facilities for missiles at this time.
Ukrainan cities that were targeted include
Dnipro
Kharkiv
Konotop
Kyiv
Odesa
Lviv
Odesa
Zhaporizhzhia
Attacks hit civilian targets - hospitals, shopping mall, train station etc killing at least 18 civilians and rising. Other damage/fires were caused by falling debris from intercepted missiles/drones.
Outlook —-
Weather and mud conditions are continuing to dictate ground operations, which are at a low level due to lack of maneuverability cross country and on dirt roads due to the mud.
Ive noted in the past that it appears Russia was holding back most of its missiles for later large scale attacks on the Ukraine power grid as last year. This attack pretty well vindicated that view. However, though some military facilities were targeted, most fell on demonstrably civilian facilities. Also, a lot of missiles were wasted in this attack with little strategic success indicated. While the numbers of drones/missiles was huge, the Ukrainian ADA capabilities have been substantially increased since last winter.
Some suspect that Russia launched this in retaliation for the missile strike that took out a Rocha class amph assault ship. Could be, but the Russian reaction then was not focused.
Poland –
Poland detected an “unknown” object near border with Ukraine during Russia’s massive attacks on Ukraine.
Local residents saw “something flying very fast westward with noise and whistling.” There was no preliminary explosion, Polish media reported.
OBSERVATION - Sounds like one of Russia’s cruise missiles flew into Poland. This kind of ‘spillage’ Poland has warned Russia not to allow. Polish response pending official recognition of just what flew into the country.
Europe / NATO General –
While the socialists in Spain are planning to shutdown all its nuke power plants, (See Globalism above) citizens continue to pour into the streets of Madrid and others protesting the govt.
ISRAEL –
Key overnight developments -
- IDF begins to expand operations in S Gaza strip area, near the Egyptian border.
- Fighting between Hezbollah and IDF continues to escalate
——— GENERAL ——————————-
A 70-year-old American-Israeli teacher who was shot by Hamas terrorists when out for a walk with her husband at their kibbutz on the morning of Oct. 7 has been declared dead, her community announced Thursday.
Judi Weinstein Haggai’s body is being held by Hamas in Gaza, along with that of her husband, Gad Haggai, who was fatally wounded in the attack.
Al-Qassam spokesman: We will not accept any exchange deals for detainees before ending the war on Gaza.
Israeli intelligence estimate - Qhamas chief Sinwar is reportedly hiding in a bunker in Khan Younis with his family, surrounded by IDF hostages.
——— GAZA FRONT ———————————-
The Israeli Army: Our forces begin a military operation in the “Khirbet Khuza’a” area, south of the Gaza Strip, for the first time since the beginning of the war.
Israeli army spokesman: Israeli forces are operating inside tunnels in Khan Younis; Defense Minister Gallant: 98th Division fighting in spaces that nobody in the world ever fought in, forces reach command centers, ammunition depots, arms production sites. IDF finding that the tunnel network there was more substantial than at first understood.
The IDF says it has recovered more than 65 million digital files and half a million physical documents from the Gaza Strip, which have aided ground forces in battling Hamas and locating the terror group’s infrastructure.
Mass surrenders of Hamas and affiliated terrorists continue throughout Gaza. Highlighted by human rights organizations complaining that they are initially stopped to their underwear before transportation to incarceration.
——— LEBANON / HEZBOLLAH——————————-
IDF spokesman - Israel delivered powerful blows that are very painful to Hezbollah, targeting strategically significant sites near Litani River, as reported by N12News. The complete extent of military operations in Lebanon remains under gag order, reflecting the intensity of the actions taken.
IDF struck southern Lebanon after approximately 50 rockets were fired into Kiryat Shmona throughout the day.
Some analysts are reporting that IDF has adopted a new offensive approach against Hezbollah in Lebanon, mobilizing fighter jets, tanks, artillery, and mortar fire simultaneously for heightened strike effectiveness.
RUMINT - Forces near the Lebanon border are on high alert for potential extreme scenarios, including a Hezbollah raid into Israel.
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A member of Israel’s war cabinet warned on Wednesday that the diplomatic “hourglass” was running out for Lebanon as the nation has failed to stop Hezbollah from firing rockets across the border.
Israeli government minister Benny Gantz derided the barrage from the Lebanese border — raising new fears of a second front of the war opening on Israel’s northern border.
“The hourglass for a political settlement is running out,” Gantz told reporters.
“If the world and Lebanon’s government will not work to stop the shooting at Israel and to distance Hezbollah from the border, the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) will do so.”
https://harbingersdaily.com/israel-at-war-week-12/
OBSERVATION - Rhetoric continues to build up towards an eventual full out conflict with Hezbollah. Israel has the leverage in that Lebanon has allowed Hezbollah to militarize the area south of the Litani River in violation of UN cease fire resolutions. By placing the requirement on Lebanon, Israel can free itself of some of the flack they will receive globally when they do step in - as per their rights under the UN resolution - to remove the threat themselves.
——— SYRIA / HEZBOLLAH / IRAN———————————-
IAF struck targets around Damascus overnight, no word on exact targets, but likely Hezbollah/Iranian related.
———WEST BANK——————————-
Israeli forces clashed with Palestinian fighters in 11 locations across the West Bank on December 28.
———“ISLAMIC RESISTANCE” ———————————
The USS MASON (DDG 87) shot down one drone and one anti-ship ballistic missile in the Southern Red Sea that were fired by the Houthis between 5:45 - 6: 10 p.m. (Sanaa time) on Dec. 28. There was no damage to any of the 18 ships in the area or reported injuries. This is the 22nd attempted attack by Houthis on international shipping since Oct. 19
——— FORECAST ————————-
Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF) - Israel continues the methodical elimination of Hamas forces throughout Gaza. IDF repeats the estimate of several months before the operation is considered to be complete.
Israel also continues to pound Lebanon and the UN concerning their failure to demilitarize S Lebanon of the Hezbollah presence. Israel’s finger is on the trigger and some of the escalation in IAF airstrikes by be a means of poking the bear into action that could justify Israeli assaults into Lebanon. Bit by bit, Israel continues to take out Hezbollah positions/command posts/logistics, throughout S Lebanon - a death by a thousand cuts. Hezbollah has a lot of depth and redundancy in their system but just how long will they be able to maintain it under constant IDF pressure and attacks? Israel is fighting the next war now, and I’m not sure how much Hezbollah understands that.
Iraq -
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al Sudani announced that his administration will begin procedures to remove International Coalition forces from Iraq during a press conference on December 28, likely due to pressure from Iranian-backed Iraqi militias. This would be a big win for Iran and one they’ve been pushing for over a year to achieve.
OBSERVATION - Further evidence of a crumbling US foreign policy. However, this is believed to eventually turn and bite Iraq in the rear end as such a decision to expel US forces will very likely create space for ISIS to rapidly resurge in Syria and Iraq within 12 to 24 months.
Lebanon -
See Israel warning above.
Syria -
IAF airstrikes around Damascus overnight
Venezuela - Increasing potential for war
Venezuelan President President Nicolás Maduro has announced that the Venezuelan armed forces will be carrying out defensive exercises in the East Caribbean off the country’s east coast, and next to its border with Guyana as tensions between Venezuela, Guyana, and Britain heat up.
The announcement followed Venezuela’s renewal of its claim on a disputed portion of Guyana, and the response of the British Royal Navy by sending the HMS Trent River-class offshore patrol vessel which had been deployed to the Caribbean Sea in early December to “hunt drug smugglers”. Guyana is still part of the commonwealth of Great Britain and is the only S American country who’s official language is English.
Argentina -
18 days ago, President Javier Milei was inaugurated in Argentina. Since then:
-Eliminated 12 out of 21 cabinet posts
-Firing 5,000 government employees
-Ending 380k government regulations
-Banned woke language in the military
-Bill to affirm the right to self-defense
-Bill to legalize homeschooling of kids
-Proposal to punish all riot organizers
-Future welfare cuts for road-blocking
-Legalized paying contracts in bitcoin
-Privatization of state-run companies
-Opened up the Argentina oil industry
Socialists have started protests of the massive changes Milei has instituted.