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How Hamas Outfoxed Israel’s Iron Dome, A Nearly Impenetrable Air Defence

Air raid sirens across Israel shattered the morning silence and the Iron Dome system, one of the best air defence systems in the world, was again in action.

rockets launched on Israel by Hamas — The air defence system has a range of approximately 70 km.

New Delhi: Israel is at war following an unprecedented attack by the Hamas group. Over 5,000 rockets were fired towards Israel from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip in just 20 minutes after it declared Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.
Air raid sirens across Israel shattered the morning silence and the Iron Dome system, one of the best air defence systems in the world, was again in action. In dramatic visuals, the Iron Dome destroyed rockets mid-air and the sky was illuminated with bursts of flares. This time, however, the scale of the attack was unprecedented.

What is the Iron Dome system?
The Iron Dome system is a ground-to-air short-range air defence system deployed in several parts of the country to counter rocket attacks, mortars, artillery shells, and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) at short range.

The air defence system has a range of approximately 70 km and has three central components that form a unit, namely; Detection and Tracking radar, Battle Management and Weapons Control and the Missile Launcher armed with 20 Tamir Missiles.

The system has guarded Israel since 2011. During the 2006 Lebanon conflict, thousands of rockets were fired by Hezbollah and several northern areas including Haifa were attacked, killing many. The 2006 attacks prompted Israel to develop its own air defence system.

How Iron Dome Works?
When a rocket is fired toward Israel, the Detection and Tracking radar detects the incoming trajectory and relays the information to the weapons control system, which performs fast, complex calculations to detect the trajectory, speed and expected target of the rocket.

If the incoming rocket is directed towards a populated area or a strategic establishment, the launcher automatically fires the Tamir Missile and the rocket is destroyed mid-air to neutralize the threat. A single battery consists of three-four launchers and Israel has at least 10. The manufacturer of the Iron Dome system – Rafael Advanced Defence System claims it has a success rate of 90 per cent and has over 2,000 interceptions till now.

What Happened This Time?
The near-perfect air defence system found itself overpowered after a barrage of rockets from Hamas. For several years, the terrorist group, Hamas, has been trying to find a weakness in the Iron Dome system. They have been largely successful in doing so by overwhelming the system with a Salvo rocket attack (multiple rockets launched in a short span of time), making it difficult for the control system to intercept all targets. This time, over 5,000 rockets were launched in just 20 minutes.

Hamas is continuously developing its crude rocket technology and over the years it has increased its range to cover major cities of Israel including Tel Aviv and even Jerusalem.

A rocket launched by Hamas is much cheaper than the Tamir missile fired to intercept it. For Israel, the Iron Dome’s worth extends its cost analysis. It has proven itself in the past that it can neutralise targets and save lives.

During a conflict with Hamas in 2012, Israel claimed that 85 per cent of the 400 rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, toward civilian and strategic areas, were countered.

Source: https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/israel-palestine-hamas-gaza-iron-dome-how-israel-defends-its-skies-from-rocket-attacks-4460636

Israel attack: What is Hamas, and other questions

A Palestinian boy reacts in front of a burning Israeli car seized by militants and taken to Gaza on Saturday

The Palestinian militant group Hamas has launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, with its fighters entering communities near the Gaza Strip, killing residents and taking hostages.

Here’s what you need to know about the people and places involved.

What is Hamas?
Hamas is a Palestinian Islamist militant group which rules the Gaza Strip. Hamas is sworn to Israel’s destruction and has fought several wars with Israel since it took power in Gaza in 2007.

In between those wars, it has fired or allowed other groups to fire thousands of rockets at Israel, and carried out other deadly attacks. Israel has also repeatedly attacked Hamas with air strikes, and, together with Egypt, has blockaded the Gaza Strip since 2007 in what it says is for its security.

Hamas explained
Hamas as a whole, or in some cases its military wing, is designated a terrorist group by Israel, the United States, the European Union and the UK, as well as other powers. Hamas is backed by Iran which funds it and provides weapons and training.

What is the Gaza Strip?
The Gaza Strip is a 41km- (25-mile) long and 10km-wide territory between Israel, Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea. It is home to about 2.3 million people and has one of the highest population densities in the world.

What is life like in the Gaza Strip?
Israel controls the air space over Gaza and its shoreline and restricts who and what goods are allowed in and out through its border crossings. Similarly, Egypt controls who passes in and out through its border with Gaza.

About 80% of the population of Gaza depends on international aid, according to the UN, and about one million people rely on daily food aid.

Why are Israel and Hamas fighting?
There is constant tension between Israel and Hamas, but the attack by Hamas on Saturday came without warning. Hamas fired thousands of rockets at Israel while dozens of Hamas fighters breached the border and invaded Israeli communities, killing dozens of civilians and taking others captive.

Israel launched immediate air strikes, saying it was targeting militant sites in Gaza. Local officials said more than 200 people were killed.

What is Palestine and what have these events got to do with it?
The West Bank and Gaza, which are known as the Palestinian territories, as well as East Jerusalem and Israel all formed part of land known as Palestine since Roman times.

These were also the lands of Jewish kingdoms in the Bible, and are seen by Jews see as their ancient homeland.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67039975

Israel’s ‘Thank You India’ Post As #IndiaIsWithIsrael Trends On Social Media

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India’s thoughts and prayers are with the people of Israel. Taking to X, PM Modi stated, “Deeply shocked by the news of terrorist attacks in Israel. Our thoughts and prayers are with the innocent victims and their families. We stand in solidarity with Israel at this difficult hour.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu — Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India’s thoughts and prayers are with the people of Israel. (File photo)

Israel thanked India for support following the horrific terror attacks carried out by Palestine-based Hamas as the hashtag “India is with Israel” trended on ‘X’ (formerly known as Twitter). Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Digital Diplomacy team posted a “Thank you India” post on its official X account alongwith a picture that showed “India is with Israel” trending on X.

The hashtag “India is with Israel” trended soon after militant group Hamas in a surprise attack, which combined gunmen breaching borders with a barrage of rockets fired from Gaza. The attack killed at least 300 Israelis, while at least 230 Palestinians died in reprisal strikes by the Israeli military.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India’s thoughts and prayers are with the people of Israel.

Taking to X, PM Modi stated, “Deeply shocked by the news of terrorist attacks in Israel. Our thoughts and prayers are with the innocent victims and their families. We stand in solidarity with Israel at this difficult hour.”

In response to PM Modi’s statement on X, Israel’s Ambassador to India Naor Gilon said, “Thank you @PMOIndia. India’s moral support is much appreciated. Israel will prevail.”

‘Greatest Battle To End The Last Occupation On Earth’: Hamas

Hamas military commander Mohammad Deif announced the start of the operation in a broadcast on Hamas media, calling on Palestinians everywhere to fight.

“This is the day of the greatest battle to end the last occupation on earth,” he said, adding that 5,000 rockets had been launched.

The last major flare-up between Israel and Hamas was a 10-day war in 2021.

Source: https://www.timesnownews.com/india/israels-thank-you-india-post-as-indiaiswithisrael-trends-on-social-media-article-104250605

‘Stop the war’ and Zelenskiy need not speak, UN Security Council chair tells Russia

It was to be Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskiy’s first in-person appearance at a U.N. Security Council meeting on Moscow’s invasion of his country when Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia objected to him taking the floor at the start of the meeting.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, serving as president of the tense session, responded with a gibe at Moscow, which has long said the invasion does not amount to a war but was a mere “special military operation”.

“I want to assure our Russian colleagues and everyone here that this is not a special operation by the Albanian presidency,” Rama, known for a piercing sense of humor, said to muted laughter across the room.

“There is a solution for this,” Rama continued, addressing Nebenzia directly: “If you agree, you stop the war and President Zelenskiy will not take the floor.”

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addresses the United Nations Security Council during a ministerial level meeting of the Security Council on the crisis in Ukraine at U.N. headquarters in New York, September 20, 2023. REUTERS/Mike Segar Acquire Licensing Rights

Nebenzia did not agree. He went on to say the session was a show and criticized Rama for what he said was making politically charged statements rather than acting as a neutral guardian of procedure.

After the session, Zelenskiy thanked Rama on social media, saying the Albanian, who is both an artist and former basketball player, “showed the world how to correctly handle Russia, its lies, and its hypocrisy.”

In seeking to justify its invasion, Moscow has said Ukraine’s ambitions to integrate with the West – including NATO – pose a threat to Russia’s national security, an assertion that Kyiv and its allies deny as a baseless pretext to attack.

When given the floor after the back-and-forth, Zelenskiy asked Russia be stripped of its veto right as one of five permanent members of the post-World War Two U.N. Security Council as punishment for attacking Ukraine.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/stop-war-zelenskiy-wont-speak-un-security-council-chair-tells-russia-2023-09-20

FACE OFF Between Russia & France In Africa: ECOWAS Threatens War, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger Close Ranks

West African defense chiefs are planning a potential military intervention in Niger if the coup authorities do not restore the overthrown government by Sunday, indicating the possibility of a major regional war.

The conflict also draws in middle powers, France and Russia, on opposite sides of the Niger coup, although none have directly challenged the other.

Abdel-Fatau Musah, the commissioner for political affairs, peace, and security in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) said about the military plans being drawn up as a signal to the Niger-Burkina Faso-Mali (N-BF-M) grouping “All the elements of an eventual intervention have been worked out, including the resources, the how and when,” according to a report in Al Jazeera.

Musah made the statement at the close of a three-day meeting in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja. ECOWAS has already imposed sanctions on Niger and said it could authorize using force if the coup leaders do not restore power to elected President Mohamed Bazoum by Sunday.

Nigeria is leading the charge against Niger in the ECOWAS, with Abuja already having cut off electricity supply to Niamey.

The 15-member body also sent a delegation to Niger on Thursday seeking an “amicable resolution,” but a source in the entourage said a meeting at the airport with the military’s representatives yielded no breakthrough, the report added.

The Niger coup and its backing by Burkina Faso and Mali against the ECOWAS represents a broader pushback against France and an attraction towards Russia. It has been in the making since last year when protests against Paris broke out in its former colonies in the Sahel.

Russia-Africa Summit
The events in the Sahel also nearly coincide with the Russia-Africa Summit in St. Petersburg, where the entire continent openly sought engagement with Russia and either directly or indirectly expressed disillusionment with global politics unfairly skewed in the affluent West’s favor.

But what was stunning was the leaders of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Eritrea, Uganda, and Burkina Faso’s charismatic coup leader and army officer, Captain Ibrahim Traore, openly attacking the West.

They slammed its hegemonistic policies; “neo-colonial” exploitation that has perpetuated poverty in the continent; mentioned its slave trade over five centuries; imposed sanctions on vulnerable countries as a retaliatory measure; and expressed gratitude towards the former Soviet Union for backing its post-War anti-Colonial anti-Apartheid freedom struggles from European powers.

The Kremlin has released the full transcript of the addresses by various African heads of state in the summit meeting and their separate bilateral meetings with President Vladimir Putin.

‘Russia Involved But Not Interfering’
The current emerging conflict, however, threatens to engulf the entire Sahel region and possibly spread to parts of the Maghreb if Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali (N-BF-M) clash with Nigeria and France. While Paris and Moscow will not directly clash in the possible regional war, even an initial backing of opposing camps will cause substantial devastation before the two powers arrange a truce.

Russia has attempted to contain the conflict since it has not interfered in the events and the anti-French protests, as observed in official US White House and National Security Council (NSC) statements. Such an act would otherwise prompt its Western rivals to respond and lead to an escalatory spiral of counteractions, which, even if diplomatic, can precipitate a military conflict between the ECOWAS and N-BF-M.

But what marks the episode is the growing anti-French protests and pro-Russia demonstrations over the last year in Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DCR), and the Central African Republic (CAR).

France Failed To Provide Security
CNN quoted Nigerien protestors, who cited the running criticism of still enduring France’s paternalistic colonial attitude that still dictates the country’s policies. A French colony for more than 50 years before its independence in 1960, diplomatic ties between the two countries were strong before the coup.

“But many Nigeriens believe France has continued to act as imperial power when dealing with Niger, robbing it of natural resources and dictating how its leaders steer the economy. Niger is one of the world’s poorest countries and receives hundreds of millions of dollars each year in assistance,” CNN said.

Source: https://www.eurasiantimes.com/face-off-between-russia-france-in-africa-ecowas-threatens-war-burkina-faso-mali-niger-close-ranks/

Ukraine war: Blood transfusion centre in Kharkiv hit by Russian bomb, Zelenskyy says

The Ukrainian president has described the attack as a “war crime”. It comes after Russia’s defence ministry warned of retaliation following drone attacks on ships in the Black Sea.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared a photo of the clinic on fire

A Russian bomb has hit a blood transfusion centre in the Ukrainian region of Kharkiv, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has claimed.

On Telegram, the Ukrainian president said there are fatalities and injuries after the strike in the town of Kupiansk.

Mr Zelenskyy said rescue workers were extinguishing fires at the scene, and he described the attack as a “war crime”.

Kupiansk is a railway hub that is fewer than 10 miles from the frontline – and at this point, it is unclear how many people have been killed or wounded.

Russia has previously denied targeting civilians in a full-scale invasion that has killed thousands of people, uprooted millions and destroyed cities.

Throughout Saturday, explosions and air alerts were reported across Ukraine – including in the capital of Kyiv.

It comes after Russia’s defence ministry warned of retaliation following drone attacks on ships in the Black Sea.

A tanker transporting fuel for Putin’s forces was hit on Friday night by a sea drone that was filled with 450kg (992lbs) of TNT – and a major port was targeted earlier in the day.

“There can be no justification for such barbaric actions, they will not go unanswered and their authors and perpetrators will inevitably be punished,” spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

In other developments, Ukraine has reportedly used cluster monitions in the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk – with a university on fire.

The controversial weapons are banned in more than 120 countries because they have a track record of killing and maiming civilians.

They detonate in the air and releases “bomblets” that scatter over a large area, but smaller munitions can fail to detonate and pose a long-term risk to civilians.

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-war-blood-transfusion-centre-in-kharkiv-hit-by-russian-bomb-zelenskyy-says-12934609

‘It’s like playing with death’ – Ukraine’s female front line soldiers

Andriana pictured at a rehabilitation centre in Ukraine, where she is training to return to the front line

Ukrainian women have been signing up in growing numbers to serve as combat troops against Russia. The BBC spoke to three of the 5,000 female front-line soldiers who are fighting both the enemy and sexist attitudes within their own ranks.

A slim, blue-eyed, brunette woman is working out in a gym. This might be unremarkable were it not for the fact that according to the Russian media – she is dead.

Andriana Arekhta is a special unit sergeant in the Ukrainian armed forces, preparing to return to the front line.

The BBC found Andriana in a rehabilitation centre in Ukraine – in a location we cannot name for her safety – after she was injured by a landmine in the Kherson region in December.

Numerous text and video reports in Russian celebrate her “death” in graphic detail.

“They published that I am without legs and without hands and that I was killed by them,” says Andriana. “They are professionals in propaganda.”

Russian propaganda announcing the “death” of Andriana

The reports include lurid descriptions of her such as “executioner”, and an “eliminated Nazi”.

Accusing her of cruelty and sadism without any proof, they appeared shortly after the Ukrainian army had liberated Kherson.

“It’s funny to me. I am alive and I will protect my country,” she says.

Eighteen months on from Russia’s invasion, there are 60,000 women serving in the nation’s armed forces. More than 42,000 are in military positions -including 5,000 female soldiers on the front line – the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine told us.

It added that no woman could be conscripted under Ukrainian law against her will.

But there are particular combat roles which some believe are better performed by women.

“I came to my commander and I asked him, ‘What can I do the best?’ He said, ‘You will be a sniper,'” recalls Evgeniya Emerald – who carried out the role on the front line until recently.

Evgeniya Emerald, pictured with her three-month-old baby, ran a jewellery business before the war

She says female snipers have been romanticised since World War Two, adding there is a very practical reason for this reputation.

“If a man hesitates whether to make a shot or not, a woman will never.

“Maybe that’s why women are the ones giving birth, not men,” she adds – cradling her three-month old daughter as we speak.

The 31 year old, who had military training after Russia invaded Crimea but only joined the army in 2022, was the owner of a jewellery business before the full-scale war.

She has used her entrepreneurial experience to build a strong social media following to raise the profile of Ukrainian female soldiers.

Like Andriana, Evgeniya has been widely referred to as “a punisher” and “Nazi” by Russian media, with hundreds of reports discussing her front line role as a female sniper, and her private life.

Working as a sniper is particularly brutal – says Evgeniya – both physically and mentally.

“Because you can see what is going on. You can see hitting a target. This is a personal hell for everyone who sees that in a [sniper’s] scope.”

Evgeniya, and the other front line women we have spoken to, cannot reveal the number of targets they have hit. But Evgeniya remembers the heightened emotion she felt when she realised she was probably going to have to kill someone.

“For 30 seconds I was shaking – my whole body – and I couldn’t stop it. That realisation that now you’ll do something that will be a point of no return.

“But we didn’t come to them with a war. They came to us.”

Evgeniya Emerald says working as a sniper is a particularly brutal form of warfare

The percentage of women in the Ukrainian military has been growing since the first Russian invasion in 2014, reaching over 15% in 2020.

But while many female troops are serving in combat roles against Russia, they say there is an extra battle within their own ranks against sexist attitudes.

Evgeniya says she faced this before she established her authority and confidence as a front-line sniper.

“When I had just joined the special forces, one of the fighters came to me and said, ‘Girl what are you doing here? Go and cook borshch [Ukrainian traditional soup].’ I felt so offended at that moment I thought, ‘Are you kidding me? I can be in the kitchen, but I can also knock you out’.”

Another Evgeniya, Evgeniya Velyka from the Arm Women Now charity – which provides help to the Ukrainian female soldiers, agrees: “In society exists a strong opinion that girls go to the army to find a husband.”

She says women have also told her about cases of physical abuse.

“We can’t imagine the scale of the problem because not every female soldier wants to talk about this,” she says.

Ukraine’s Deputy Defence Minister, Hanna Malyar, told the BBC those were just a “few cases” in contrast to “hundreds of thousands” mobilised.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66254964