#Generals Frank McKenzie
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February 2024 Update & Patron Thank You!
Hi everybody!
It's a new month, so it's time for an update and, of course, thank all our wonderful Patreon subscribers. :3
For I fixed up a LOT of posts across the DC Comics tag, though because it's so big, I still have a lot that aren't formatted correctly or have images without alt-text, but I'm slowly working my way through it. Many of the broken or lost images or images deleted by Tumblr due to mistaken algorithmic flagging should be fixed though.
One of the big restoration projects was fixing up the posts that stemmed from that infamous Catwoman vol. 4 #0 cover image that led to a ton of redraws and also to DC actually changing the cover before it came out. A lot of the redraws didn't get imported when we moved the site from Tumblr, but I've managed to find them again and restore the posts (as well as adding alt-text and fixing formatting, etc).
Here's a list of the redraws, some serious, some humorous:
Catwoman as an assemblage boobs and butt by Josh Rodgers
Catwoman in a true cat pose by @rosalarian
What Catwoman would look like from the side by Cameron Stewart
Catwoman before and after animated gif redraw by @miracleisyou
As well as that post, I've also restored this post featuring Pagan from Batman #479 looking terrifying in two different poses, and a pretty good redraw of the cover by Glitchy.
There's also another Catwoman picture (from Batman: Arkham Unhinged) inspired people to do a lot of humorous takes on it, such as Kainu's take on how she looks from various angles and this animated gif joke by le-mec which is very good. I fixed up all 3 posts, found the broken pictures, and added alt-text to everything.
And finally, two other DC posts that I found images for when they broke and reformatted & added full transcription for screen readers:
this page of Artemis from Artemis: Requiem #3 offering some... interesting ideas of gender & what Y chromosomes do
this post about All-Star Batman & Robin & it's depiction of Vicki Vale as well as the infamous script notes from Frank Miller to Jim Lee (the script notes are fully transcribed by me for screen readers too)
I've restored a lot of other posts too, but those are the main ones I wanted to highlight for those who haven't seen them before (or weren't able to see them before) and would be interested in!
And as usual, I've been working my way through the Tumblr inbox backlog (which means that like very old submissions might start to show up too... I developed a huge backlog over the years and because Tumblr's inbox works from most recent to least, it means that older stuff becomes more difficult to reach as I get more submissions). I've also been working my way through contesting all the mistaken flagging Tumblr's algorithm keeps doing (such as flagging any solid colour piece of clothing as nudity).
For those who want to follow us without using Tumblr, we have an RSS feed. (For newbies, RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication and is basically a feed you can read using an RSS reader. Simply copy and paste https://eschergirls.com/rss.xml into an RSS reader and it will keep you up to date on Escher Girls!)
Tumblr's occasional changes of policies and its random algorithmic flagging of posts and sudden removal of posts are reasons why I decided to self-host and why I am so appreciative of people helping me to keep the site up and pay for hosting, domain registration, and general site upkeep and improvements. :)
Anyway, now I want to thank everybody who supported Escher Girls on Patreon in January!
Thank you so so much to:
Cat Mara
CheerfulOptimistic
Chris McKenzie
Em Bardon
First Time Trek
Greg Sepelak
Ian Cameron
Ken Trosaurus
Kevin Carson
Kim Wincen
Kristoffer Illern Holmén
Leak
Manuel Dalton
Mary Kuhner
Max Schwarz
Michael Mazur
Miriam Pody
Morgan McEvoy
randomisedmongoose
Rebecca Breu
Ringoko
Ryan Gerber
Sam Mikes
Sean Sea
SpecialRandomCast
Thomas
And thank you to everybody for reading, submitting, and just generally commenting and engaging with Escher Girls. It makes running the site so worth it, and your comments always make me smile.
Thank you all so much,
Ami
If you have any issues with the site or suggestions to improve it, please do not hesitate to contact me and let me know!
If you wish to support Escher Girls, you can subscribe to our Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ami_angelwings or donate through Ko-Fi at: https://ko-fi.com/amiangelwings.
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BEHOLD THE FIRST POLL OF THIS BLOG!
Let’s decide which Strange ship is the most popular in our sweet fandom.
(also please give me some love, it took me hours to do this ª)
About the requirements:
- Only 616 adult ships were chosen. No objects or monsters. Some were based off my personal preference, others by works made by fans (popular or not).
- Obviously, most are not canon. This is just for fun.
- The ships were randomized by a tournament bracket generator. No personal choices were made (I know it sounds sus but Clea was INDEED the first ship on the generator, I swear).
Rules:
- Be nice to each other. No ship wars. It’s not that serious.
- Round 1 starts tomorrow (February 7th) at 11pm (GMT-3).
- Polls will last 24 hours.
- Campaigns are allowed.
ROUND 1
Spouses Supreme (Stephen Strange/Clea Strange)
Moonstrange (Stephen Strange/Marc Spector)
Strangehell (Stephen Strange/Daimon Hellstrom)
Strangevoodoo (Stephen Strange/Jericho Drumm)
Kannastrange (Stephen Strange/Kanna)
Strangedevil (Stephen Strange/Matthew Murdock)
Elekstrange (Stephen Strange/Elektra Natchios)
Strangeblade (Stephen Strange/Eric “Blade” Brooks)
Ironstrange (Stephen Strange/Tony Stark)
Strangewidow (Stephen Strange/Natasha Romanov)
Dormastrange (Stephen Strange/Dormammu)
Janestephen (Stephen Strange/Jane Foster)
Strordo (Stephen Strange/Karl Mordo)
MagicBullets (Stephen Strange/Frank Castle)
Strangepanther (Stephen Strange/T’Challa)
Strangenurse (Stephen Strange/Linda Carter)
Doomstrange (Stephen Strange/Victor von Doom)
Strangeluck (Stephen Strange/Felicia Hardy)
Strangenightmare (Stephen Strange/Nightmare)
Strangemariner (Stephen Strange/Namor McKenzie)
Zelmastrange (Stephen Strange/Zelma Stanton)
Scarletstrange (Stephen Strange/Wanda Maximoff)
Stranvers (Stephen Strange/Carol Danvers)
Reedstrange (Stephen Strange/Reed Richards)
Wongrange (Stephen Strange/Wong)
Strangerine (Stephen Strange/James “Logan" Howlett)
Umarange (Stephen Strange/Umar)
Valstephen (Stephen Strange/ Brunnhilde)
Frostrange (Stephen Strange/Loki Laufeyson)
Strangesmash (Stephen Strange/Hulk)
Silverstrange (Stephen Strange/Norrin Radd)
Spideystrange (Stephen Strange/Peter Parker)
GOOD LUCK TO YOUR FAVES!
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Steve Breen :: @SteveBreen100
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LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN
April 16, 2024
HEATHER COX RICHARDSON
APR 17, 2024
On Sunday, April 14, 2024, Iran fired about 170 drones, more than 120 ballistic missiles, and more than 30 cruise missiles from Iran, Iraq, Yemen, and areas controlled by Hezbollah in Lebanon toward Israel. The strike was in retaliation for a strike on Iran’s diplomatic complex in Damascus, Syria, on April 1, which killed two top commanders in Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards, along with other officials. Israel has not claimed responsibility for the Syrian strike, but officials from other countries believe Israel is responsible. Iran warned its attack was coming, and Israel and the U.S., along with Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, and France, shot the missiles down. Israel sustained almost no damage. One Arab-Israeli girl was critically injured.
In the leadup to the attack, Arab countries shared intelligence and radar tracking, opened their airspace while closing it to Iran, and even supplied forces to withstand Iran’s attack. According to David S. Cloud, Dov Lieber, Stephen Kalin, and Summer Said of the Wall Street Journal, in March 2022, top military officials from Israel and Arab countries met in Egypt at the invitation of U.S. Marine General Frank McKenzie, then the top U.S. commander in the region, to discuss coordination against Iran’s growing military capabilities.
That prospective coordination had never been tested, but the fact that Arab states stood alongside Israel against Iran highlights changing dynamics in the Middle East. In the aftermath of the attack, a source connected to the Saudi royal family charged Iran with instigating the Gaza war to stop normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. Hamas, the Houthis in Yemen, and Hezbollah in Lebanon are Iran’s proxies.
Since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping more than 250 others, President Joe Biden’s apparent top priority has been making sure the crisis doesn’t spread. On October 10, he warned: “to any country, any organization, anyone thinking of taking advantage of this situation, I have one word: Don’t. Don’t.”
The U.S. moved two of its eleven carrier battle groups, which usually consist of an aircraft carrier, at least four other ships, and about 7,500 personnel, to the region. At the same time, while Biden has been careful to note that the U.S. cannot dictate policy to another country, he warned Israel against a planned preemptive strike against Hezbollah in Lebanon. The U.S. has also led the effort to stop Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen from attacking ships in the Red Sea. The attacks have disrupted global shipping, forcing ships to reroute around Africa.
Since the early days of the conflict, the approach of Israel’s government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to destroying Hamas has caused a deepening rift with the Biden administration. While the U.S. supports Israel’s right to self-defense and “legitimate military objectives,” it has repeatedly called out mounting Palestinian civilian casualties. Then, while the administration has consistently called for the establishment of a Palestinian state, the plan for a postwar settlement Netanyahu finally proposed in February rejected that policy and instead called for Israel to maintain military control of Gaza indefinitely.
Increasingly, the Israeli government has rejected U.S. requests to protect civilian lives, including by allowing more humanitarian aid into Gaza, where people are starving. After a brief humanitarian pause in fighting in November, efforts to achieve another pause to get more humanitarian aid into Gaza have failed repeatedly. Frustration in the U.S. over mounting civilian deaths and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has led to widespread protests against Biden as well as against Israel, and has led Democratic critics of Israeli policy to demand that the U.S. condition military aid to Israel on a ceasefire.
Tensions rose higher when Israel announced it would launch a ground offensive against Hamas in Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza, without a plan for protecting civilians. More than a million Palestinians have taken shelter there. In March, national security advisor Jake Sullivan said that the president would not support “a military operation in Rafah that does not protect civilians, that cuts off the main arteries of humanitarian assistance and that places enormous pressure on the Israel-Egypt border.”
Israel did not notify the U.S. when on April 1 it attacked the Iranian diplomatic complex in Syria, a strike U.S. defense officials believed put U.S. forces at risk. Also on April 1, Israeli forces killed seven aid workers—including individuals from Australia, Poland, and the United Kingdom, as well as a Palestinian and a dual U.S.-Canadian citizen—with the humanitarian aid group World Central Kitchen. The workers had coordinated with the military and were in three separate marked vehicles.
On April 3, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin directly called out Israel’s silence about its attack on Iranian leaders in Syria in a telephone call to his Israeli counterpart, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
On April 4, in a telephone call, Biden told Netanyahu that “the strikes on humanitarian workers and the overall humanitarian situation are unacceptable.” He said Israel must “announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers.” He reiterated support for Israel but appeared to distinguish between Israel and its current government. Vice President Kamala Harris, who was on the call, told a reporter: "The president made clear we will make sure Israel isn't left without the ability to defend itself. At the same time, if there are no changes to their approach, we are likely to change our approach.”
Israel has pointed to the inefficient distribution of aid within Gaza as a cause of hardship, but three hours after the call, Israel announced that it would open the Erez crossing into northern Gaza for the first time since October 7, use the Port of Ashdod in Israel as a hub for supplies, and allow more Gaza-bound aid trucks into Israel from Jordan. Days later, Israeli officials dropped the plan to open Erez, and the Ashdod port is not yet accepting aid shipments; Defense Minister Gallant said, “We plan to flood Gaza with aid and we are expecting to reach 500 trucks per day,” but he did not say when that would happen.
While this was taking place, according to the four Wall Street Journal reporters, the administration pressed Arab states for intelligence about a retaliatory strike from Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia shared intelligence, and Jordan allowed warplanes to use its airspace while also intercepting Iranian missiles with its own planes. The White House coordinated Israeli and Arab defensive measures. According to U.S. officials, officials from the State Department, the Defense Department, and the National Security Council were “in constant, ongoing, continuous contact with Israelis, with other partners in the region, as well as Iran with a series of direct communications through the Swiss channel and other relevant players,” as well as with “Turkey and China,” “in anticipation of the events that transpired.”
This was the background when Iran attacked Israel on Sunday.
In the aftermath of the attack, Iran’s mission to the United Nations said, “The matter can be deemed concluded.” The White House immediately gathered the leaders of the Group of 7 wealthy democracies, who issued a statement calling on all parties to “avoid further escalation.” Then Biden urged Netanyahu to “think very carefully and strategically” about retaliation and noted that Israel had “got the best of it,” as it had killed senior Iranian military commanders but lost none of its own leaders. Netanyahu is under great pressure from his right-wing coalition to retaliate, but some members of his war cabinet have stressed that they want “to establish an international coalition and strategic alliance to counter the threat posed by Iran.”
The U.S. warned Israel it would not participate in any offensive counterstrike against Iran, although it has announced new economic sanctions against Iran. Matt Bradley of NBC News pointed out that an aggressive Israeli response would run the risk of dissolving the fragile cooperation between Arab states and Israel that helped to repel the Iranian attack. That cooperation illustrated that Iran is increasingly isolated, but as Oraib Al Rantawi, director of a Jordanian think tank, told Bradley, “Those Arab countries are in a very critical situation. There is no easy position to take….”
In the U.S., Republicans, including House Intelligence Committee chair Mike Turner (R-OH) and Trump’s former national security advisor John Bolton, immediately said the U.S. should join Israel if it launched a retaliatory attack, saying they hoped to destroy Iran’s nuclear program. (David Sanger of the New York Times reminded readers yesterday that in 2015, in a deal with seven countries after two years of negotiations, Iran agreed to surrender 97% of its uranium, but Trump pulled out of that deal in 2018, and Iran returned to developing weapons-grade uranium.)
In the House, Republicans who have been refusing to pass the national security supplemental bill that provides additional funding for Ukraine and Israel, as well as the Indo-Pacific and humanitarian aid to Gaza, have suddenly snapped to and are demanding additional funding for Israel. A researcher at an Israeli think tank estimated the cost of Israel’s interception of the Iranian weapons on Sunday at more than $550 million.
The Senate passed the measure in February, and the House is expected to as well if House speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) brings it up for a vote. But Johnson is facing a revolt from MAGA Republicans who are so adamantly opposed to aiding Ukraine they threatened to oust him as speaker if he tries to pass it. Yesterday, Johnson said he would break the measure up and try to pass it in four pieces. Extremists don’t like this either. Two Republicans—Georgia’s Marjorie Taylor Greene and Kentucky’s Thomas Massie—have said they will challenge Johnson’s speakership, meaning that Johnson will have to rely on Democratic votes not only to pass an aid measure, but also to keep his speakership.
The House is due to recess from Thursday, April 18, until Monday, April 29. This afternoon, House Intelligence Committee chair Turner and the top Democrat on the committee, Jim Himes (D-CT), released a statement: “We must pass Ukraine aid now,” they wrote. “Today, in a classified briefing, our Committee was informed of the critical need to provide Ukraine military aid this week. The United States must stand against Putin’s war of aggression now as Ukraine’s situation on the ground is critical.”
Today the House finally delivered impeachment articles against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to the Senate, two months after approving them, and demanded a full trial.
LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN
HEATHER COX RICHARDSON
#Letters from An American#Heather Cox Richardson#Israel#Israel Hamas War#Ukraine#war in Ukraine#US House of Representatives#The Putin Caucus#Moscow Marjorie
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Production of the Su-35 from Egypt almost finished, but without any delivery so far
Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 06/06/2022 - 12:00 PM in Military
Egyptian Air Force Su-35 fighters, serial numbers 9221 and 9237, seen at the Sukhoi aircraft factory in Komsomolsk-on-Amur (KnAAPO).
Egyptian Air Force Su-35 fighters, serial numbers 9221 and 9237, seen at the Sukhoi aircraft factory in Komsomolsk-on-Amur (KnAAPO).
The Sukhoi aircraft factory in Komsomolsk-on-Amur (KnAAPO) is still producing Egypt's new and advanced Su-35 Super Flanker multifunctional fighters, despite uncertainty about Cairo's interests in the new jets.
The Russian daily Kommersant announced in March 2019 that Egypt had ordered two dozen Su-35 fighters for about $2 billion.
"The agreement for the supply of 'more than two dozen aircraft' and aviation aid will be US$ 2 billion. The signing of the contract was carried out at the end of 2018 and the delivery of the aircraft will begin as early as 2020-21," the report said at the time.
Two Egyptian Su-35 fighters, serial numbers 9221 and 9237, were recently seen in a video during a visit by Russian State Duma deputies to the Komsomolsk-on-Amur aircraft factory. The two Su-35s were almost ready.
The aircraft factory in Komsomolsk-on-Amur began serial production of Egypt's new and advanced Su-35 Super Flanker multifunctional fighter two years ago, but the agreement to buy the Su-35 has suffered setbacks since it was signed in 2018, the main one is the growing pressure from the U.S. on countries around the world not to buy weapons produced in Russia.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned that if Egypt proceeds with its planned purchase of Sukhoi Su-35 fighter, the U.S. could sanction Egypt through the Law to Combat America's Opponents through Sanctions 2017 (CAATSA).
CAATSA requires the U.S. to sanction anyone who conducts transactions with Russian military and intelligence services, including arms manufacturers.
After U.S. defense-related sanctions, Russia faces the prospect of being unable to manufacture new weapons systems and uncertainty hangs over how it will fulfill its export contracts while waging a war in Ukraine and dealing with a catastrophic economic crisis.
Egyptian Su-35 aircraft stopped at the Sukhoi factory.
However, Russia proceeded with the manufacture of the aircraft, with the first batch completing its flight tests in July 2020. The first five Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets of the Egyptian Air Force were photographed at Novosibirsk Tolmachevo Airport on their way to the Komsomolsk-on-Amur aircraft factory.
The five Su-35 aircraft with production serial numbers (9210, 9211, 9212, 9213, 9214) have been completed. By June 2021, 17 of the fighters were completed to meet Egyptian orders.
In response to the planned purchase of Russian jets, Washington tries to persuade Cairo to move away from its agreement with the Su-35, granting Egypt permission to buy the closest Western competitor to the Su-35, the F-15 Eagle.
An agreement that is strongly supported by regional rival and neighbor Israel as part of Jerusalem's efforts to improve relations between Cairo and Washington. Although Egypt's interest in American hunting has not been confirmed.
"In the case of Egypt, I think we have good news, because we will provide them with F-15," General Frank McKenzie, head of the U.S. Central Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee. "It was a long and difficult job" to get such an agreement, he added.
For a long time, Egypt has been cautious about relying heavily on the United States for its military equipment and particularly sensitive systems, such as fighter planes, with the U.S. notably having embargoed the country in 2013, which seriously damaged its ability to launch important counterinsurgency operations against Islamic militants.
When the U.S. warned of possible CAATSA sanctions on Egypt, several high-ranking government officials and former military commanders warned that these sanctions would be considered unacceptable interference in Egypt's sovereign decision to acquire weapons.
The acquisition of the Su-35 was seen as an attempt to diversify Cairo's arms suppliers and also nullify the effects of repeated U.S. rejections to its attempts to buy U.S. military equipment.
In addition, the United States followed a policy of limiting the range and capacity of the Egyptian Air Force, preventing Cairo from acquiring advanced fighter jets of heavy air superiority.
Likewise, the U.S. for decades has provided only heavily demoted hardware to Egypt, in addition to strictly controlling how aircraft can be used, including for which air bases they can be deployed and when they can fight. Russian aircraft such as the Su-35 do not have such restrictions imposed.
Egypt also ordered 50 MiG-29M/M2 aircraft in 2015, with deliveries between 2017 and 2020.
The MiG-29M/M2 fighters sold by Russia to Egypt were delivered along with air refueling equipment, allowing the use of MiG-29M/M2 fighters as tankers.
Tags: Military AviationEAF - Egyptian Air Force / Egyptian Air ForceSukhoi Su-35S (Flanker-E)
Fernando Valduga
Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has works published in a specialized aviation magazine in Brazil and abroad. He uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.
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POLITICO: Parecemos cien por cien débiles"... Los lanzamientos aéreos de EE.UU. en Gaza ponen al descubierto los límites de la política israelí de Biden... Normalmente, EE.UU. realiza lanzamientos aéreos en entornos hostiles, no en zonas ocupadas por aliados... "Los lanzamientos aéreos son una estupidez. Son caros, ineficaces. Es más simbólico para que la gente de la administración se sienta bien de que hemos hecho algo"... La buena noticia es que las operaciones de lanzamiento aéreo no son excesivamente peligrosas para el personal estadounidense. No hay enemigos para derribar los aviones y trabajar con las agencias de ayuda en tierra para manejar a las multitudes que claman por suministros frescos y alimentos no será demasiado difícila, dijo el el general retirado Frank McKenzie... a esto se le llama hipocresía criminal, simplemente una medida para suavizar el horror causado por los cien muertos ametrallados por el ejército israelí cuando asaltaban camiones con harina... pura miseria moral
#colonialismoisraeli#guerradepalestina#crimencontralahumanidad#crimenesdeguerra#genocidio#genocidio del pueblo palestino#biden#imperialismonorteamericano
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Israel is set to begin an imminent ground operation in an effort to destroy Hamas after the militant group’s cross-border invasion into Israel left more than 1,300 people dead this week.
Israeli officials said the goal of the effort is to dismantle Hamas—destroying its infrastructure, decapitating its leadership, and decimating its rank-and-file troops. And they’re asking civilians to get out of harm’s way. The Israeli military on Thursday ordered the evacuation of more than 1 million people from northern Gaza—a move the United Nations condemned, warning against “devastating humanitarian consequences” from the forced relocation.
But officials and experts are wary that Israel, one of the most advanced militaries in the world, with a stockpile of American precision-guided munitions at its disposal, will get drawn into an urban brawl with the Iran-backed militant group.
“They’ll seek to draw it into a city street fight,” said Frank McKenzie, a retired U.S. Marine four-star general who led U.S. Central Command, overseeing all American troops in the Middle East, until 2022. “They can use their tunnel network to get in behind the attack or to attack in all directions to make it very difficult for Israel to effectively employ a technological advantage.”
McKenzie said that Hamas will likely try to take the fight into a proverbial phone booth, up close and personal, “where it’s very hard to discern where Israeli forces end or Hamas begins.”
Hamas may also take a page from the Islamic State, which utilized tactics to blend into the dense urban environment in its dual capitals of Mosul, in Iraq, and Raqqa, in Syria, using women, children, and disabled people as human shields, before a U.S.-supported coalition helped demolish its self-declared caliphate. Haim Regev, Israel’s ambassador to the European Union and NATO, asserted in an interview that Hamas will likely use human shields to protect itself. “All options are on the table,” Regev said. “But it’s going to be very tough.”
The Israeli military insists it has protocols in place to protect the civilian population in Gaza, a thin strip of land in between Israel and Egypt that is about the geographic size of Philadelphia and is one of the most densely populated areas in the world.
“The goal is to hit Hamas in a way that it will never recover militarily,” Regev told Foreign Policy in an interview in his office on Tuesday. “We have to be sensitive. There are 2 million people there in Gaza. We are warning people before we hit some of the targets.” Regev said the Israeli military had succeeded in stopping, killing, or arresting the remaining Hamas infiltrators who had broken through the fence over the weekend.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF), which has mobilized 300,000 reserve troops, about two-thirds of the active-duty U.S. Army, is dropping leaflets and plans to knock on doors to let residents know it is coming, when operational conditions allow it. And even if Israel follows the protocols to the letter, which include diverting airstrikes if warplanes detect the presence of children nearby, Hamas can draw on an extensive network of man-made tunnels under the Gaza Strip that it can use to store supplies of weapons and food or prepare more attacks.
“They will have to dismount their infantry and essentially fight soldier on soldier and block by block in the built-up areas,” said Mick Mulroy, a former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East. “Special operations forces may be leaping ahead in surgical strikes to take out Hamas leadership and recover hostages.”
Even as Israel prepares the urban battlefield with airstrikes while softening up Hamas targets with artillery and indirect fire, the human cost of the war continues to rise. Israel’s death toll has soared to 1,300 people since Hamas fighters breached the Gaza border fence on Saturday. The Israeli military said it has recovered the bodies of more than 1,500 militants from the group, which the United States and European Union designate as a terror organization, some of them from roadsides in southern Israel.
Regev said the Israeli military operation also aimed to stop the cycle of Hamas rocket strikes from Gaza—most of which are intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system—that have been a feature of life in the country for years. “The rocket era from Gaza has ended,” Regev said. “Now there is zero tolerance.” The Israeli diplomat added that the country hoped to see moderate Palestinians take control of the Gaza Strip after the operation but said that Israel did not have any intention to again control the area as it once did and would withdraw troops after the military achieved its mission.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Tuesday announced Israel’s move to a full offensive following Hamas’s deadly attack from the weekend. As the Israeli military prepares for a possible ground strike in Gaza, it has already imposed a food, fuel, and water blockade. Gaza’s sole power plant ran out of fuel on Wednesday—increasing the risk of hospital generators dying and exacerbating the crisis.
Mulroy said that while the IDF had superior troops, weapons, and equipment, Hamas has become very comfortable fighting in the urban jungle on home soil. As IDF troops come forward, Mulroy said, they are likely to face obstacles aimed at directing them into prepared kill zones where mines, anti-tank missiles, and deadly drones can take out their tanks and vehicles.
“This is about as hard a tactical problem as anyone has faced lately,” said Joseph Votel, a retired U.S. Army four-star general who led U.S. Central Command until 2019.
And the threat on the northern front is even worse: Iran-backed Hezbollah boasts a missile force of between 150,000 and 180,000 rockets that it could fire into Israel if it enters the conflict in any significant fashion.
U.N. experts warn that without essential supplies, the 2.3 million Gazans are at an “inescapable risk of starvation” and are calling for an immediate de-escalation. “[T]here’s going to be a determined effort to try to decapitate Hamas,” said Michael Lynk, who served as the U.N. special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories. “And the only way to do that is to lay waste to large sections of Gaza and its civilian population.”
“This is both a humanitarian crisis and a challenge for international law,” he said. “Collective punishment, the punishment of not the guilty but the innocent, is an absolute prohibition in the Fourth Geneva Convention which governs the laws of occupation and the laws of war.”
The U.N. has estimated that at least 340,000 Palestinians have been displaced by the fighting, and there are likely to be more as the Biden administration has urged putting in place humanitarian corridors so the Israeli ground operation can proceed with as little civilian bloodshed as possible.
It’s already been a bad year. Omar Shakir, the Israel and Palestine director at Human Rights Watch, said that 2023 saw the most Palestinians killed in the West Bank in any year since the U.N. began systematically recording fatalities in 2005.
“The bloodshed did not begin this week,” he said.
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ABD Merkez Komutanlığı komutanı ABD Deniz Piyadeleri Generali Frank McKenzie (ortada), 17 Ağustos 2021'de Afganistan'daki Hamid Karzai Internasyonal Havalimanı'na geldi. — X/@centcom.milEski ABD Merkez Komutanlığı Deniz Piyadeleri Generali (emekli) Frank McKenzie, şüpheciliğini dile getirirken, Afgan Taliban'ına El Kural ile bağlantıları mevzusunda güvenilemeyeceğini söylemiş oldu.ABD'nin Afganistan'dan çekilmesine öncülük eden General (retd) McKenzie, Afgan Taliban'ın El Kural ile yakın bağlarını sürdürdüğünü söylemiş oldu. McKenzie, Afgan Taliban'ının El Kural ile "uzun vadeli aileyle ilgili ve geleneksel bir ilişkisi" bulunduğunu söylemiş oldu.Bu sözler, dünyayı şok eden ve ABD'nin "Teröre Karşı Cenk" biçimindeki en büyük denizaşırı kampanyalarından birini başlatan 11 Eylül saldırısının yıldönümünden bigün ilkin, 10 Eylül'de CBS News'e verdiği röportaj esnasında geldi.Görüşme esnasında emekli komutan, ABD'nin Afganistan'da bulunmasının sebeplerinden birinin "bu ülkenin güç toplamak için bir üs olarak kullanılmasını engellemek ve anavatanlarımıza yada anavatanlarımıza yönelik saldırıları yönlendirmek yada esin vermek" bulunduğunu söylemiş oldu. müttefiklerimizden."Ek olarak şunları söylemiş oldu: "Afganistan'dan çekilmemizin bir sonucu olarak, bu hedeflere ulaşmamız artık fazlaca daha zor."McKenzie, emekliliğinden bu yana hem Başkan Biden'a hem de Başkan Trump'ın ABD birliklerini Afganistan'dan çekme sonucuna karşı çıkmış olduğu gerçeğini gizlemedi.Ek olarak bölgedeki ABD varlığının güvence altına alınması için 25.000 ABD askerinin Afganistan'da bırakılması tavsiyesinde bulunmuş oldu. Sadece ABD Başkanı Biden bu şekilde bir tavsiye aldığını reddetti.26 Ağustos 2021'de Kabil havaalanına düzenlenen ve Amerikalıların ülkeden çekilmeye çalmış olduğu sırada 13 ABD askerinin ve 150'den fazla Afgan sivilin ölümüne yol açan hücum hakkında yorum meydana getiren eski ABD Merkez Komutanlığı başkanı, "Oldukça sayıda tehdit üstünde çalışılıyor" dedi. daima"."26 Ağustos'a doğru günler yaklaşırken... dört mühim tehdide bakıyorduk. Araçtan atılan bir EYP saldırısına, içinde bomba bulunan bir otomobile bakıyorduk... bir intihar yeleğine bakıyorduk. aslına bakarsak ayın 26'sında meydana gelen türden bir hücum [and] General, "Havaalanına yönlendirilen dolaylı alev ateş roket yada havan toplarına bakıyorduk" diye ekledi.Mckinzie, "Sonrasında içeriden birinin denetim noktalarımızı geçip bomba atarak ya kalabalık terminal bölgesinde ya da bir uçakta patlatması ihtimaline karşı bir hücum ihtimaline bakıyorduk." dedi.McKenzie "grevinin ağlatısal bir hata bulunduğunu" kabul etmiş olsa da Pentagon Aralık 2021'de hücum sebebiyle hiçbir askeri personelin cezalandırılmayacağına karar verdi.
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[ad_1] This still taken from a video shows Marine Corps General (retd) Frank McKenzie during an interview with CBS News on September 10, 2023. — CBS NewsRemarks come a day before anniversary of 9/11 attack.US was in Afghanistan to prevent attack on homelands.Ex-general opens up about Kabul airport attack in 2021.The US cannot trust the Afghan Taliban, Marine Corps General (retd) Frank McKenzie who oversaw the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 has said. The US marine who headed the US Central Command from 2019 to 2022, further added that he believed the Afghan Taliban would act only in their own interests and they could not be trusted."They actually have a long-term familial and customary relationship with al-Qaeda ... I think that relationship is far stronger than any potential relationship they choose with the United States," McKenzie said. His remarks came during an interview with CBS News on September 10 — a day before the anniversary of the 9/11 attack that shocked the world and launched one of the biggest US off-shore campaigns in the form of "War on Terror".During the interview, the retired commander said that one of the reasons that the US was in Afghanistan was "to prevent the use of that country as a base from which to gather strength and either to direct or inspire attacks on our homelands, or the homelands of our allies."He further said: "As a result of our withdrawal from Afghanistan, it is now far more difficult for us to pursue those objectives."Since his retirement, McKenzie has made no secret of the fact that he opposed both President Biden and President Trump's decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan.He had also advised that 25,000 US troops be left behind in Afghanistan to ensure US presence in the region. US President Biden, however, denied receiving any such advice.Commenting on the attack on Kabul airport on August 26, 2021, that killed 13 US soldiers and over 150 Afghan civilians as the Americans worked to withdraw from the country, the former US Central Command head said "there were a lot of threats being worked all the time"."As the days wound up to the 26th of August ... we were looking at four significant threats."We were looking at a vehicle borne IED attack, a car with a bomb in it ... we were looking at a suicide vest attack of the type that actually occurred on the 26th [and] we were looking at indirect fire rockets or mortars directed against the airfield."And then we were looking at the possibility of an insider attack, somebody who got past our checkpoints and — with a bomb and was able to set it off either in the crowded terminal area or an airplane," Mckinzie said.Although McKenzie had admitted that the "strike was a tragic mistake", the Pentagon decided in December 2021 that no military personnel would be punished for the attack. [ad_2]
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Whose fault was it, anyway?
In February 2020, then-President Donald Trump signed an agreement with the Taliban (the Afghan government was excluded from the negotiations) for all US forces to leave Afghanistan after a nearly 20-year occupation. Troop withdrawals immediately followed. But as General Frank McKenzie, the head of Central Command, told the House Armed Services Committee, once the US troop presence fell below 2,500 the unraveling of the Afghan government would accelerate. It fell to new President Biden to deliver on Trump's promise and face the grim results.
Fast forward to August 30, 2021, when the last American troops left. Terrified Afghans mobbed the Kabul airport, some even clinging to departing planes. The Afghan army collapsed straight away and the Taliban took immediate control of the government.
Many in the media, on the lookout as always to prove their "objectivity" by criticizing a Democrat, advanced the notion that President Biden's incompetence was to blame for the perceived fiasco. Here, for example, is CNN's even-handed observation.
The debacle of the US defeat and chaotic retreat in Afghanistan is a political disaster for Joe Biden, whose failure to orchestrate an urgent and orderly exit will further rock a presidency plagued by crises and stain his legacy.
Republicans, of course, were quick to offer up their own patented brand of performative outrage. With absolutely no self-awareness Donald Trump warned, “We will struggle to recover from the embarrassment this incompetence has caused.” And Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) insisted Biden should resign.
But these detractors neglected to mention that Biden was essentially handed a fait accompli in Afghanistan. It was Trump who negotiated the deal that led to the US forces being vulnerable. And Trump who allowed the release of 5,000 Taliban fighters, including a mullah who became a top member of the new government.
In his remarks the day after the pullout, Biden noted that more than 120,000 people had been evacuated to safety, adding,
The assumption was that more than 300,000 Afghan National Security Forces that we had trained over the past two decades and equipped would be a strong adversary in their civil wars with the Taliban. That assumption — that the Afghan government would be able to hold on for a period of time beyond military drawdown — turned out not to be accurate.
Yet to this day, Republicans and their media handmaidens still blame Biden for the 13 US service members killed in the withdrawal from Afghanistan. But the truth is Biden inherited a bad hand from the start. And the dealer was the bungling clown who preceded him.
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ABC NEWS ANNOUNCES SPECIAL MONTH-LONG PROGRAMMING DEDICATED TO BLACK HISTORY MONTH
ABC News Studios Presents Emmy Award-Winning ‘Soul of a Nation’ Primetime Special Celebrating Black Entertainers Ruling the Historic Las Vegas Strip
‘Black in Vegas’ Airs Wednesday, Feb. 1, at 10:00 p.m. EST on ABC, Next Day on Hulu
ABC News*
ABC News announces special programming for Black History Month across its programs and platforms throughout the month of February, including the return of Emmy® Award-winning “Soul of a Nation” with a one-hour special, “Black in Vegas,” exploring the history of Black entertainers in Las Vegas and celebrating those who are now ruling the historic strip. The ABC News Studios primetime special details the countless household names who have made Las Vegas their home ― from Usher, Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson to Boyz II Men, Lionel Richie and Smokey Robinson, joining top comedians Marsha Warfield, George Wallace, Eddie Griffin and other top artists. “Black in Vegas” looks at the timeline of historical events that paved the way for today’s generation, like the 1971 federal consent decree that forced hotels and casinos to give Black workers the opportunity to be in front-of-the-house positions. Near the same time, entertainers like Frank Sinatra helped kick down barriers for Black performers in Sin City by demanding that his collaborators, like band leader Quincy Jones and fellow performer Sammy Davis Jr., should stay at the same hotel as him. Today, Black entertainers are now headlining or performing in a variety of shows on the strip, including their own residencies, Cirque du Soleil’s “Mad Apple,” “Magic Mike Live,” “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and “Chippendales.”
“Black in Vegas” will feature interviews with Smokey Robinson, comedians George Wallace and Luenell, Usher, Ne-Yo, Anna Bailey (the first Black showgirl to perform in Sin City), and Florence LaRue from the Fifth Dimension, as well as never-before-seen video and an interview with Sammy Davis Jr. about performing in Las Vegas. The special also gives inside perspective from cultural commentators and workers in leadership positions at hotels and theaters on what it’s like to make a living on the strip and highlights some of the artists who will perform there this year, sharing reflections on what it means to be “Black in Vegas.”
Catherine McKenzie is the executive producer for “Black in Vegas.”
“Soul of a Nation Presents: Black in Vegas” airs Wednesday, Feb. 1 (10:00-11:00 p.m. EST) on ABC, next day on Hulu.
ABC News’ Black History Month coverage also includes dedicated programming and segments throughout the month, including:
“Good Morning America” will celebrate Black History Month throughout February with dedicated profiles, segments and series. The planned coverage includes a three-part series highlighting HBCUs, segments honoring a Black healthcare community hero, an artist pushing for social change, Black influencers and trendsetters, Black women in sports, the Harlem Renaissance and more. “Deals and Steals” will include products from Black-owned businesses.
“World News Tonight with David Muir” will dedicate the month of February to Black History Month, celebrating those across the country who are making a difference in their communities within its “America Strong” and “Made in America” segments.
“Nightline” will air special content and features surrounding Black History Month throughout February.
“This Week with George Stephanopoulos” will celebrate Black History Month with interviews featuring prominent political Black leaders and dedicated segments focused on issues that directly impact the Black community.
“GMA3: What You Need to Know” will highlight Black stories throughout the month, notably profiling WGPR, the first Black-owned and operated television station in America.
On Feb. 1, “The View” will kick off a month-long celebration of Black History Month on-air and across its social platforms. The program will honor unknown African American pioneers, trailblazers, innovators and thought leaders. The show will spotlight these hidden figures who have made a significant impact on American life in politics, social justice, the arts, science, sports and business with its “Black History Month FYI” series airing several days each week in February.
ABC News Live will go beyond the headlines to find unique content to bring to viewers during Black History Month. Every Wednesday, the new series "Culture Conversations" will bring viewers into the discussion between two greats. Additionally, dayside programming will have two live segments each week featuring Black stories, and “Prime with Linsey Davis” will air impactful interviews and segments in accordance with Black History Month. Topics will be wide ranging and include conversations with prominent black leaders in industries such as dance, food, sports, music and more.
ABC News’ flagship daily news podcast “Start Here” will run a series of segments examining how, more than a year after backlash to Black History swept through schools, these policies are affecting students at the elementary, high school and college levels. ABC Audio’s “Life Out Loud with LZ Granderson,” its podcast focused on LGBTQ+ issues, will kick off Black History Month with a special episode featuring journalist and author Jemele Hill as its guest. ABC News Radio will include special reports during its hourly newscasts and will also have weekly segments on its newsmagazine “Perspective.” ABC Audio’s entertainment division will provide weekly written, audio and video content on all platforms for distribution to radio station affiliates, including “This Day in Black History” pieces.
ABOUT ABC NEWS STUDIOS
ABC News Studios, inspired by ABC News’ trusted reporting, is a premium, narrative non-fiction original production house and commissioning partner of series and specials. ABC News Studios champions untold and authentic stories driving the cultural zeitgeist spanning true-crime, investigations, pop culture, and news-adjacent stories. Its subsidiary, ABC News Films, acquires and produces feature documentary films.
*COPYRIGHT ©2022 American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. All photography is copyrighted material and is for editorial use only. Images are not to be archived, altered, duplicated, resold, retransmitted or used for any other purposes without written permission of ABC. Images are distributed to the press in order to publicize current programming. Any other usage must be licensed. Photos posted for Web use must be at the low resolution of 72dpi, no larger than 2x3 in size.
ABC News Media Relations
Anna Negrón
[email protected]
-- ABC --
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Minecraft was a Great Tool to Guide Shootout Movie for free Fire's Set
Minecraft was instrumental in guiding shootout movie Free Fire's location. By Steven McKenzie BBC Scotland Highlands and Islands reporter
28 February 2017
Ben Wheatley, a filmmaker has shared his experience using Minecraft to build the set for his action movie Free Fire.
Brie Larson, Sharlto Copley, Sharlto Murphy Sharlto Murphy, Brie Larson and Michael Smiley star in the film. The film is dominated by a tense shootout that takes place in an abandoned factory.
During a Q&A on the film in Inverness, Wheatley said he first designed the factory's layout in Minecraft.
This helped guide physical scale models as well as the final set.
Wheatley, director of High-Rise and Sightseers was in Inverness Monday, as part of the tour of UK cinemas to promote his film, before it is released to the general public.
The film-maker's last visit to the Highland city when he was a child in the 1970s.
Free Fire also stars Armie Hammer while Martin Scorsese, a fan of Wheatley's film Kill List, is an executive producer.
He stated that he was working on an adaptation for Frank Miller's graphic novel Hard Boiled during the Eden Court question and answer session.
Miller's Sin City stories were previously made into films.
Wheatley said that the adaptation was in the middle of an editing process, and it could be four years away from being completed as film.
minecraft servers
Film director recalls 70s' trips north
14 February 2017
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General in charge of Afghanistan exodus revisits withdrawal one year later
General in charge of Afghanistan exodus revisits withdrawal one year later
Retired General Frank McKenzie, who was ordered to execute the U.S.'s withdrawal from Afghanistan, discusses what he could have done differently one year after Kabul fell to the Taliban. #FoxNews Subscribe to Fox News! https://bit.ly/2vaBUvAS
Watch more Fox News Video: http://video.foxnews.com
Watch Fox News Channel Live: http://www.foxnewsgo.com/ FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour…
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Ex-US Army General Says Pak Helped Taliban Knowing Americans Would Leave Afghanistan
Ex-US Army General Says Pak Helped Taliban Knowing Americans Would Leave Afghanistan
Frank McKenzie, the former US Army general and Pentagon’s third-highest ranking official, said Pakistan was assured that the US would eventually withdraw its troops and leave Afghanistan. He said the US also knew that Taliban found a safe haven in Pakistan.
Speaking to NBC News, McKenzie said: “Pakistanis never believed that we would stay, always thought that we would leave. You know that? They…
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US insisted on failed nation-building, Western model in Afghanistan: Former CENTCOM commander
US insisted on failed nation-building, Western model in Afghanistan: Former CENTCOM commander
ANKARA
Frank McKenzie, a former top general who led US Central Command from 2019 to April 2022, has said that Washington engaged in failed nation-building in Afghanistan and insisted on a Western model for the country which was wrong.
“We began to engage in nation-building operations and maybe some of that was necessary in a narrower sense to protect our interests but the broader things we did…
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#Afghanistan#Anadolu Agency#CENTCOM#commander#Failed#Gen. Frank McKenzie#insisted#Model#nationbuilding#Pakistan#Western
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[ad_1] This still taken from a video shows Marine Corps General (retd) Frank McKenzie during an interview with CBS News on September 10, 2023. — CBS NewsMarine Corps General (retd) Frank McKenzie, who was the head of US Central Command from 2019 to 2022, has said that he believed the Afghan Taliban would act only in their own interests and they could not be trusted."They actually have a long-term familial and customary relationship with al-Qaeda ... I think that relationship is far stronger than any potential relationship they choose with the United States," McKenzie said during an interview with CBS News on September 10 — a day before the anniversary of the 9/11 attack that shocked the world and launched one of the biggest US off-shore campaigns in the form of "War on Terror". During the interview, the retired commander said that one of the reasons that the US was in Afghanistan was "to prevent the use of that country as a base from which to gather strength and either to direct or inspire attacks on our homelands, or the homelands of our allies." He further said: "As a result of our withdrawal from Afghanistan, it is now far more difficult for us to pursue those objectives."Since his retirement, McKenzie has made no secret of the fact that he opposed both President Biden and President Trump's decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan.He had also advised that 25,000 US troops be left behind in Afghanistan to ensure US presence in the region. US President Biden, however, denied receiving any such advice. Commenting on the attack on Kabul airport on August 26, 2021 that killed 13 US soldiers and over 150 Afghan civilians as the Americans worked to withdraw from the country, the former US Central Command head said "there were a lot of threats being worked all the time"."As the days wound up to the 26th of August ... we were looking at four significant threats. "We were looking at a vehicle borne IED attack, a car with a bomb in it ... we were looking at a suicide vest attack of the type that actually occurred on the 26th [and] we were looking at indirect fire rockets or mortars directed against the airfield. "And then we were looking at the possibility of an insider attack, somebody who got past our checkpoints and — with a bomb and was able to set it off either in the crowded terminal area or an airplane," Mckinzie said. Although McKenzie had admitted that the "strike was a tragic mistake", the Pentagon decided in December 2021 that no military personnel would be punished for the attack. [ad_2]
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