Israel

[al_infierno]

I'm guessing the guy in between them with the ballistic vest is a family member of theirs, possible a father/uncle?  Looks like he's got all of Hell's wrath behind those eyes.

[GDS_Starfury]

I can think of a lot of valid reasons that Israel hasn't stormed into Gaza yet.  one of the best byproducts of the delay is letting pure vengeance boil off a bit.

[SirAndrewD]

I can think of a lot of valid reasons that Israel hasn't stormed into Gaza yet.  one of the best byproducts of the delay is letting pure vengeance boil off a bit.

Cooling off is a valid reason.

The most valid reason though is the military reality. 

Israel's ground forces arrayed for the attack may not be sufficient to succeed in their objectives. 

Hamas has been training and preparing the strip for more than a decade.  There are underground networks, escape routes, strong points and Hamas has very heavily trained its troops. 

Israel needs to employ a significant force to be able to take the strip.  The last time they pushed in they got a bloody nose compared to what they had expected. 

They have to employ sufficient force to endure significant casualties in urban warfare and still keep their borders secure. 

That's not an easy task from a military point of view. 

[GDS_Starfury]

unfortunately there is a real clock ticking here with that many people under arms and not working and keeping the country going.

[GDS_Starfury]

image from Sderot of recent impacts from two barrages of rockets earlier this evening from Gaza.
where have I seen this kind of crater before? 

[GDS_Starfury]

hummus reports that 2630 palestinians died from this IDF bunker buster.

[MikeGER]

i stick to my Bible those troubled days 

Amos1:7 So I will send down fire upon the wall of Gaza,
    and it will devour their fortified citadels

 

[Groggy]

i stick to my Bible those troubled days 

Amos1:7 So I will send down fire upon the wall of Gaza,
    and it will devour their fortified citadels

 

Christian Zionism says what?

[GDS_Starfury]

another day around  Avdiivka

https://twitter.com/i/status/1715762924088615286

[Jarhead0331]

another day around  Avdiivka

https://twitter.com/i/status/1715762924088615286

Wrong thread, bro. It's definitely becoming hard to keep our wars apart. Just wait until Taiwan Invasion kicks off.

[Gusington]

 

[GDS_Starfury]

Just wait until Taiwan Invasion kicks off.

the Navy seems to be actively practicing for that now in the Red Sea.

[GDS_Starfury]

pretty much sums it up

[FarAway Sooner]

Provoking external crises can be a good way to distract people from internal failings.  Going after the Little Satan (Israel) via proxies is a great way to get the Great Satan (US) involved, which will keep the Iranian regime in power for a while longer.

But an Iranian invasion of Israel would be downright stupid.  Not only because Israel could likely kick their butt, but also because even if they couldn't, the US probably would get involved.

I strongly suspect that the Israelis have had nukes for a couple decades now, but are saving them for existential threats.  We all know that the Iranians are getting nukes sometime very soon (if they don't already have some via illicit channels). 

There are a couple key assumptions that make nuclear deterrents work in a Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD) scenario.  Virtually none of those necessarily hold true in the Middle East.  I shudder to think what even a limited nuclear exchange (maybe 10 or 15 warheads on each side) would do.   

[al_infierno]

I strongly suspect that the Israelis have had nukes for a couple decades now

Wikipedia sez you're correct, they're believed to have completed their first deliverable nuke around 1967.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_weapons_and_Israel