Claire's tests came out fine. Thanks to those who emailed.
“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State. … Propaganda must always be essentially simple and repetitious. The most brilliant propagandist technique will yield no success unless one fundamental principle is borne in mind constantly… it must confine itself to a few points and repeat them over and over.”– Joseph Goebbels, German Nazi “Minister of Propaganda and Public Enlightenment”
Israel has informed several Arab states that it wants to carve out a buffer zone on the Palestinian side of Gaza's border to prevent future attacks as part of proposals for the enclave after war ends, Egyptian and regional sources told Reuters.
US Central Command provided a detailed summary of the four maritime attacks carried out by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, targeting commercial vessels on Sunday:
Today, there were four attacks against three separate commercial vessels operating in international waters in the southern Red Sea. These three vessels are connected to 14 separate nations. The Arleigh-Burke Class destroyer USS CARNEY responded to the distress calls from the ships and provided assistance.
The truce in Gaza has collapsed, and Israel has resumed their attacks on the civilians of Gaza. Over 14,000 people have died in Gaza, and about half are children. On Friday, the death toll is increasing once again after days of peace.
The Untied States has struggled to finance its large military buildup in the Middle East, which began in early October in response to the outbreak of hostilities between Israel and various Palestinian militia groups based in the Gaza Strip. A primary issue has been a gridlock in the U.S.
The US Navy carried out provocative military exercises off the Yemeni coast in the Gulf of Aden, near the southern entrance to the Red Sea.
Saudi “Al-Hadath” TV channel reported that the US Navy Central Command is conducting military exercises simulating the storming and seizure aboard the missile destroyer “USS Mason” in the Gulf of Aden.
The channel added that the military exercises were part of what it called “maritime security support operations in the Middle East.”
An American warship and multiple commercial ships came under attack Sunday in the Red Sea, the Pentagon said. Yemen’s Houthi rebels later claimed attacks on two ships they described as being linked to Israel, but did not acknowledge targeting a U.S. Navy vessel.
The attack potentially marked a major escalation in a series of maritime attacks in the Mideast linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Naval forces from Iran, Russia and China are set to stage a joint naval exercise in the Persian Gulf, where the three powerhouses will conduct large-scale maritime drills involving various divisions of their military forces, Press TV reports.
Forces from the three countries will jointly practice exercises during the 2024 Marine Security Belt naval war game, Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani told the IRINN news channel on Friday evening.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Saturday that the wars raging in the Middle East and Europe, coupled with increasingly brazen “bullying” by China, have underscored the need for robust U.S. leadership on the global stage.
French President Emmanuel Macron has urged Israeli authorities to “more precisely define” the end goals of the war with Hamas, while arguing that the stated aim of totally eliminating the Palestinian militant group may result in a years-long conflict.
Macron’s comments came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Saturday to continue with the ground offensive in Gaza until “all its objections” are achieved, namely rescuing remaining hostages and completely “obliterating Hamas.”
