A News Aggregator That Covers The World's Major Wars And Conflicts. Military, Political, And Intelligence News Are Also Covered. Occasionally We Will Have Our Own Opinions Or Observations To Make.
The IDF did not say when or where the picture was taken but said those in it were from the Northern Gaza Brigade, which is the second largest brigade in Hamas
* Several top Hamas commanders took a chummy photo, surrounded by food
* The IDF revealed five of the 11 pictures have been killed in airstrikes
* The IDF has ravaged the Gaza Strip after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7
Israel has revealed that five Hamas commanders who took a chummy picture together have all died in airstrikes, following Israel's blitzing retaliation against the terror group.
The IDF released a photo of 11 top-level Hamas commanders sitting and smiling in a long and narrow room, with plates of fruit and drink on the tables in front of them.
An IDF spokesperson revealed that of the 11 men, five are confirmed to have died in airstrikes launched as part of its ground offensive into Gaza, which has seen massive artillery and aerial bombardment in the enclave in revenge for Hamas' October 7 incursion.
The U.S. announced on Dec. 6 a $175 million defense aid package for Ukraine from previously directed drawdowns, in what Secretary of State Antony Blinken said would be one of the last military aid packages to Ukraine if Congress fails to pass additional funding.
U.S. President Joe Biden urged Congress to pass a Ukraine aid bill on Dec. 6, saying that failing to support the country would be a "gift" for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"Unless Congress acts to pass the president’s national security supplemental funding request, this will be one of the last security assistance packages we can provide to Ukraine," Blinken said in a statement.
Via a law announced Tuesday, Venezuela will create a new province or state in the disputed territory, having already appointed a single provisional authority: Major-General Alexis Rodríguez Cabello
Two days after the referendum on Essequibo, a territory disputed between Venezuela and Guyana, the government of Nicolás Maduro is moving forward to try to enforce what was approved Sunday in a vote that registered almost no participation in the streets but which Chavismo hailed as a victory with 10.4 million voters, reawakening a crisis of credibility in the country’s electoral authorities. In a television appearance Tuesday, Maduro presented a new official map of Venezuela with Essequibo incorporated, without the disputed delimitation, during a Council of State in which he announced a series of measures and upcoming legislation to cement Caracas’ possession of the territory and its resources. Earlier, Maduro had sent a military contingent to Puerto Barima on the Venezuelan Atlantic border, close to the limits of the area under claim.
WNU Editor: In the past such a crisis would always result with the U.S. President immediately issuing a direct warning to Caracas that a forced takeover/invasion of this region in Guyana will result in a US intervention.
But no warnings or threats are coming from the White House today. No deployment of U.S. naval and other military resources. No assembling of allies in the Americas to thwart Maduro's annexation of Guyana. Basically .... no leadership from President Biden.
I cannot say that I am surprised. Washington is in chaos right now trying to handle multiple crisis and conflicts. Venezuelan President Maduro knows this, and he is taking advantage of it.
Update: The Venezuelan government has issues a new map (see below):
New map of the Bolivarian Republic of 🇻🇪 #Venezuela.
* In a rare trip abroad as an international arrest warrant hangs over him, Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on December 6.
* The Kremlin said on December 5 that bilateral relations and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict will be discussed during the meetings.
* Following the one-day trip, Putin will return home and meet Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the Kremlin said.
In a rare trip abroad as an international arrest warrant hangs over him, Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on December 6 before heading home for a meeting with Iran's president the next day.
The Kremlin said on December 5 that bilateral relations and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict will be discussed during the meetings, while issues concerning the oil market, "are also always on the agenda."
Update #4: The two main topics that will be discussed are (1) the Israel - Hamas war. (2) The price of oil and natural gas and the need for production cuts in 2024 to raise the price of energy. (3) Bilateral relations. (4) The rise in global tensions.
Russian President Putin Travels To Saudi Arabia And The U.A.E.
Ukraine hasn’t been lost yet. But it will be if Congress fails to pass a Ukraine military aid package this month.
Without U.S. weapons and equipment, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky bluntly put it, “we will lose the war.”
Who will get the blame if U.S. aid ceases and Russian President Vladimir Putin triumphantly enters Kyiv, executes or imprisons tens of thousands of Ukrainians, wipes out the Ukrainian identity, and starts menacing Western Europe with his newly-captured, Western supplied armaments?
WNU Editor: This is one of those conflicts that could have been avoided. Minsk 2 was an agreement that all parties had signed onto, and it would have defused tensions and put an end to the ongoing war with Ukraine's Russian majority populations in the east.
Before the war I always felt that the solution to Ukraine's ongoing war and conflict with its Russian minority population would be a federated system like Canada's, where linguistic and cultural rights will be protected and respected. Minsk 2 was a pathway that would have lead to such a system. Why Ukrainian leaders choose to break this agreement and pursue a military option thereby opening the door for Putin to order the invasion of the country is one of those questions that I hope will be answered when the war is finally over.
As to who lost Ukraine?
On top of my list is Ukraine President Zelensky and Ukraine's hard-core nationalist leaders. This is then followed by US President Biden and the leaders of most Western governments.
They all underestimated Putin, and they also completely underestimated and misread Russian public opinion on Ukraine and the war. They were also clueless on Ukraine itself. Not appreciating the simple fact that a third of the country regard themselves as Ukrainian-Russians with deep linguistic/cultural/and religious ties to the Russian identity, and that they would fight and go to war to protect their rights.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Commander of Ukraine's Ground Forces Col.-Gen. Oleksandr Syrsky, right, and Roman Mashovets, deputy head of the Presidential Office, look at a map during their visit to the frontline city of Kupiansk, Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
In a shocking admission, top German newspaper Welt notes that Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán’s views on the Ukraine conflict were right all along
Germany’s Welt newspaper, perhaps the most popular publication in the country, is well known for its pro-Ukraine stance and ran numerous articles in the past about the likely success of Ukraine’s military offensive against Russia. However, in a column published yesterday by the paper’s chief correspondent, Sascha Lehnartz, the assessment of Ukraine’s chances in the war is decidedly bleak.
Entitled “Has Kyiv already lost?” the article describes Ukraine’s military growing increasingly despondent to the point that the country’s commander-in-chief admits there is a “stalemate” at the front.
“Winter is just around the corner. The counteroffensive seems to have failed. The allies are weary. And since the beginning of November at the latest, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has a new opponent who was not necessarily to be expected: his own commander-in-chief, Valery Zaluzhny,” writes Die Welt.
WNU Editor: The German press is not the only media that is speculating on Ukraine losing. The UK press, known for its strong pro-Ukraine reporting, are now publishing stories that give a detailed look on how bleak the actual current situation is for the Ukraine Army .... Ukraine soldiers in 'hell' as there's not enough men: 'Some soldiers can't even swim' (Express).
A classified briefing Tuesday on Ukraine devolved into a shouting match about border security as senators described a tense meeting that did little to break the Senate’s stalemate over whether to include tighter immigration policies in the aid package.
The meeting came as Republican senators have warned they are prepared to vote against advancing a more than $100 billion supplemental national security package unless it includes major border policy changes, casting doubt on whether the aid will pass this year.
WNU Editor: So much for this being a classified briefing. It looks like some US Senators are now finally seeing the light that the Ukraine war is a lost cause, and they are making their feelings public. And while I personally believe the US Congress will provide some aid to Ukraine, it will be far short of the $61 billion that President Biden has requested. And as for Republican demands to address the broken state of the US border, I predict that this issue will be kicked into next year.
Classified U.S. Senate Briefing Devolves Into A Shouting Match Over Border Security And Aid To Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called off a high-profile briefing with US lawmakers amid an impasse over future US funding for the country.
Virtual appearances in the Senate and House had been scheduled for Tuesday, but were cancelled at the last moment.
It came after a top Ukrainian official warned they are in danger of losing the war against Russia if more US military aid is not approved.
Senate leader Chuck Schumer did not explain why Mr Zelensky was a no-show.
The chamber's top Democrat said the Ukrainian president was occupied with a "last-minute" matter, without providing further detail.
WNU Editor: This was a meeting that he had to attend. That is why there is now a lot of speculation on why he cancelled at the last moment (see video below).
The US media narrative is that he cancelled because the Republicans were not going to bend on giving him tens of billions in aid until their priorities on the US-Mexico border are addressed. My Ukrainian contacts tell me a different story. They tell me that he has been facing a revolt from his top generals and field commanders on the direction of the war, and it has gotten worse in the past few days. He had to focus and spend time on handling that crisis, and not making a pitch to a bunch of US Senators who will help him as much as as they can. This Politico.eu post adds credence to these reports .... Ukraine’s tensions at the top spill into the open (Politico.eu).
Sighhh ....
I know there is a lot of despair in Ukraine right now. The overwhelming mood right now is of exhaustion and impending defeat. At least that is what I am hearing and sensing when I talk to my Ukrainian contacts, friends, and family members.
They are also telling me the same thing.
If this US aid is not forthcoming, the front-lines in the eastern part of the conflict will be overwhelmed by the Russian military in the coming months. And while the Ukraine army will not collapse, they will have to abandon major territory to the Russians.
As to what is my take.
Absent a collapse of the Ukraine Army (which I do not see), a major loss of territory to the Russian military will be a devastating psychological blow to both Ukraine and its allies. In a war of attrition there is always a breaking point. It looks like Ukraine is about to face their "breaking point" sooner rather than later.
Zelensky Cancels US Senate Address On Ukraine Aid Package
I have been involved in numerous computer science projects since the 1980s, as well as developing numerous web projects since 1996.
These blogs are a summation of all the information that I read and catalog pertaining to the subjects that interest me.
