Scivillage.com Casual Discussion Science Forum

War_Mapper's latest version. Shows yesterday's advance into Khan Yunis, apparently along two axes. It also shows significant Israeli gains in the Gaza city area to the north. Israel controls about half the city, including downtown and the seafront. Hamas is mostly in the residential areas where there are more human shields in the dense apartment buildings. The Israelis appear to be advancing methodically, looking for weapons caches and rocket workshops, and look like they have cut off a pocket of Hamas fighters in the far north.

There are rumors that may or may not be true, saying that the Israelis are bringing in large pumps with which they plan to flood the Hamas tunnels with sea water. I'm hoping that they don't have hostages prisoner down there, but they probably do.

There are also rumors that Washington DC has told Israel that the Gaza operation needs to be finished in a couple of weeks. If it's true, I'm guessing that the White House is sensing a growing split in the democratic party between pro-Hamas and pro-Israel factions (with much of their young activist base on the pro-Hamas side). They want it smoothed over far enough before the 2024 elections that it's forgotten by election day.

But knowing Netanyahu, he will probably ignore any Washington attempts to tie his hands.

Reports coming in that several barrages of rockets have struck the US Embassy compound and the surrounding "green zone" in Baghdad Iraq. Damage and casualties unknown at this time.

There's lots of talk that the reason why Israel thrust quickly into Khan Yunis is that their intelligence had gotten word that the Hamas headquarters was there, after it was forced to move from Gaza city.

Many photos show that large numbers of Hamas fighters have been surrendering to the Israelis in what is said to be Khan Yunis with little or no resistance. But some are saying that the photos were actually taken in Gaza city and not Khan Yunis. It's unclear at this point.

But while the fight seems to have gone out of Hamas someplace, they are said to be fighting fiercely in the Jabaliya neighborhood north of downtown in Gaza city. It's said that the Israelis are having to fight building-by-building there, Bakhmut-style.

(Israeli experience is that terrorists often hide weapons in their clothing or even wear explosive vests when they surrender. So the Israelis require surrendering fighters to strip to their underwear at a safe distance.)

Some dumb leftist will probably call that security measure "dehumanizing," while they spew dehumanizing anti-Semitic canards.

Quote: here's lots of talk that the reason why Israel thrust quickly into Khan Yunis is that their intelligence had gotten word that the Hamas headquarters was there, after it was forced to move from Gaza city.

Would civilians used as shields be a source of intelligence? Allowing many eyes to track military operations doesn’t strike me as good strategy. Is it more likely the Israelis get all the intelligence they need from sad sack groups of POW’s like those in the photograph?

(Dec 8, 2023 04:31 AM)Yazata Wrote: [ -> ]Reports coming in that several barrages of rockets have struck the US Embassy compound and the surrounding "green zone" in Baghdad Iraq. Damage and casualties unknown at this time.

It looks like something like nine rockets struck. There were no US casualties and no serious damage.

But rocket and drone attacks continue against other facilities hosting Americans in Iraq and eastern Syria. Eleven of these attacks in the last day, and they are continuing.

US Embassy complex in Baghdad

The French say that the French navy frigate Languedoc has shot down two Houthi drones in the southern Red Sea.

https://twitter.com/EtatMajorFR/status/1...8344574091

Over the last 12 hours or so, United Nations 'peacekeepers' in southern Lebanon complained that Israeli shelling had struck one of their outposts. Israel replied that Hezbollah had just fired rockets at Israel from 20 meters from that outpost and the 'peacekeepers' did nothing. Israel simply returned fire.

Reports are now coming in that Israel has just given the Lebanese government 48 hours to get Hezbollah in Lebanon under control, or else the Israeli army will cross into Lebanon and will destroy any Hezbollah presence in a broad area up to the Litani river.

Israel crossing into Lebanon would be a major expansion of this war. Iran would probably be provoked into doing something violent in response. The United Nations would be apoplectic. Establishment media would thunder. Europe would do its worst, wagging its finger while issuing sharply worded condemnations. Washington DC would probably condemn Israel for doing it as well, to keep the Democratic party activist base sweet before the 2024 election.

But Netanyahu doesn't seem to be one to care.

Lebanon would probably shriek deafeningly about the violation of their territory, but privately applaud the Israelis for doing it, provided the Israelis withdraw when they are done. Hezbollah is probably as strong as the regular Lebanese army and operates as an Iranian armed state-within-a-state in southern Lebanon. There's nothing Lebanon can do about it and no way they can get Hezbollah under control. So the Beirut government would probably love seeing Hezbollah weakened and bashed a bit, without them having to do it themselves. They could never say that publicly, for political reasons.

A Norwegian tanker, the M/V Strinda, reports that it was struck by a missile in the Bab al Mandab straits at the mouth of the Red Sea. Initial reports say the tanker is on fire. The American destroyer USS Mason is assisting.

CENTCOM Statement on missile attack in the Bab-el-Mandeb

"At around 4 p.m. EST on December 11, the Motor Tanker STRINDA was attacked by what is assessed to have been an Anti-Ship Cruise Missile (ASCM) launched from a Houthi controlled area of Yemen while passing through the Bab-el-Mandeb. The STRINDA reported damage causing a fire on-board, but no casualties at this time. There were no US ships in the vicinity at the time of the attack, but the USS MASON responded to the M/T STRINDA's mayday call and is currently rendering assistance."

https://twitter.com/CENTCOM/status/1734419108366590302

Unnamed "US officials" say that the US will be announcing sometime next week a "major multinational mission" to be called "Operation Prosperity Garden". It will reportedly be some kind of response to the Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping from out of Yemen. It's as yet unknown whether this operation will just be increased international naval escorts for shipping or whether it will include military operations against Yemen.

Possibly associated with that, the USS Eisenhower carrier strike group is currently moving west from the Arabian sea towards the Gulf of Aden and the Bab al Mandab strait.

Map of international naval forces known to be in the vicinity by @Schizointel from X (it shows the Eisenhower in its old location in the Gulf of Oman):