Free Republic

WASHINGTON — Biden administration officials are concerned that Iran may be planning to hit targets inside Israel in retaliation for the Israeli airstrikes in Syria this week that killed several senior Iranian officials, according to two U.S. officials. The officials said any retaliation inside of Israel is expected to focus on military or intelligence targets, rather than civilians. They also said the administration has begun considering options for how to respond to various possible retaliatory moves by Iran. Iran has threatened to retaliate, saying the building destroyed was a consular building and therefore was an attack on Iran itself.

Here is a very good assessment of recent Russia successes in targeting and destroying high value Ukrainian assets. Preston Stewart is perceptive and objective observer and analyst. He has recent experience as an American army artillery officer who has held a number of artillery slots and it is evident that is knows this subject well.

Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley is one of the latest targets of swatting, according to the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office. According to sheriff’s office spokesperson Amber Allen, officers were dispatched to Haley’s Kiawah Island home on two separate days — December 30, 2023, and January 1, 2024. The caller responsible for the police dispatch for the first incident falsely stated on the phone that he shot a woman and would maybe harm himself. The caller prompting the second incident claimed that a woman shot her daughter and would perhaps shoot herself as well, according to NBC News.

Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) targets both major parties on foreign policy in a new ad amid rumors he could mount a third-party White House bid. “Our allies question whether they should still trust us, and our enemies question whether they should still fear us,” the former governor says in one clip in the ad, posted by Hogan’s PAC, An America United. The video takes aim at Republicans who want to pull back on funding for Ukraine amid Kyiv’s war with Russia, and knocks progressives who are against U.S. support for Israel after Hamas attacked last month. Hogan is...

In the wake of the latest drone attack on Moscow, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that it is “absolutely fair” for his forces to attack targets within the Russian mainland. During a visit to the western Ukrainian city of Ivano-Frankivsk on Sunday, President Zelensky tacitly confirmed that Ukraine was behind the most recent drone strikes on Moscow this weekend, one of which was shot down and two of which crashed into an office building causing some damage. Although no injuries were reported, it appears that Zelensky is intent on bringing the war closer to home for those in the Russian...

Work on overhauling T-64 tanks has started at the Polish arms plant Bumar-Labędy as part of the agreement between the Polish arms concern Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ) and Ukroboronprom [Ukraine’s Defence Industry – ed.]. Cooperation in the maintenance of T-72 and PT-91 tanks, which were transferred to Ukraine by Poland, is also planned in the long term. The possibility of joint work on the maintenance of Leopard 2 tanks, which were transferred to Ukraine by the international coalition, is also being considered.

Several MiG-29 fighter aircraft have been delivered to Ukraine to aid it in its fight against Russia, Marcin Przydacz, Head of the International Policy Bureau of the President of Poland, said to RMF24 radio on Monday. The transfer would make Poland the first Ukrainian ally to supply it with warplanes. Polish President Andrzej Duda said on March 16 that four of the aircraft would be delivered in the coming days. Przydacz said that there would be further transfers of fighter craft to Ukraine. Duda said that Poland has around 20 MiG-29s, Reuters reported.

Ukraine has ordered 100 Rosomak multi-purpose armoured vehicles, which are made in Poland under a Finnish license, Poland's prime minister said on Saturday. "I bring an order placed yesterday by (Ukrainian) Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal for 100 Rosomaks that will be fabricated here," Mateusz Morawiecki said during a visit to the Rosomak manufacturing site in the southern Polish town of Siemianowice Slaskie. The order will be financed through funds that Poland has received from the European Union and US funds that Ukraine has received, he said, without providing details or the overall cost of the contract.

The 18 Leopard 2 battle tanks pledged by Germany to support Ukraine in its war against Russia have arrived in Ukraine, the German Defence Ministry said on Monday. Germany agreed in January to supply the tanks, regarded as among the best in the West's arsenal, overcoming misgivings about sending heavy weaponry that Kyiv says is crucial to defeat Russia's invasion but Moscow casts as a dangerous provocation. "I'm sure that they can make a decisive contribution on the front," German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said in a tweet. Besides the 18 tanks, 40 German Marder infantry fighting vehicles, and two...

Update from Ukraine | Big Tank Day for Ukraine! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zzRW-N9nJo Follow on Instagram up to date uploads. https://www.instagram.com/denys_pilot/ ****SUMMARY Military MAPS & COMMENTS here: NEW- https://militaryland.net/news/invasion-day-366-summary/ The summary of the situation of Russian re-invasion to Ukraine covering the last 48 hours, as of 24th February 2023 – 22:00 (Kyiv time).

A load of more than 60 Bradley fighting vehicles departed South Carolina for Ukraine last week as part of the latest $2.5 billion package in military aid that the Biden administration announced earlier this month. The armored vehicle, named after World War II Gen. Omar Bradley, is operated by three crew members and can transport up to seven infantry around the battlefield. It's outfitted with a 25mm automatic cannon, as well as a 7.62 Coaxial Machine Gun and an anti-tank missile launcher. "The Bradley is a very powerful vehicle that we are providing to the Ukrainians," Army Lt. Col. Rebecca...

On the 27th, Vice Minister of the Workers' Party of Korea, Kim Yeo-jeong, announced a strong condemnation of the US support for tanks in Ukraine. In a talk that day, Vice Minister Kim argued, “The United States has made its stand against Russia (Russia) more clear by officially announcing that they will even provide tanks.” “We express serious concern over the actions of the United States, which is escalating the war situation in a cascading fashion by pushing combat equipment for ground attack into Ukraine, and strongly condemn it,” he stressed. Vice Minister Kim said, "I have no doubt that...

They can fly at more than 1,200mph and are some of the most advanced aircraft in NATO's fleet. Could the F-16 be sent to Ukraine? Could F-16 fighter jets soon be screaming over Kharkiv or breaking the sound barrier as they tear through the skies above Zaporizhzhia? It once seemed impossible, but now? Maybe not. As the Western world looks to Germany for a decision over Leopard 2 tanks, it was from the Netherlands that a possibly more radical idea was floated: sending Western-made fighter planes to Kyiv for use by Ukrainian pilots. The Dutch cabinet said will look into...

The decision to move forward with providing the tanks marks a reversal for the Biden administration, which had been resisting pressure from Germany to send them to Ukraine. President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced that the United States is sending 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine in its war against Russia. The U.S. will also provide the necessary training and supplies needed to operate and run these tanks, he said. NBC News reported the development Tuesday. The president said sending the tanks will "enhance Ukraine’s capacity to defend its territory and achieve its strategic objectives" because they are "the most capable...

Deliveries would be part of deal to enable provision of German-built Leopards The Biden administration is leaning toward sending a significant number of Abrams M1 tanks to Ukraine and an announcement of the deliveries could come this week, U.S. officials said. The announcement would be part of a broader diplomatic understanding with Germany in which Berlin would agree to send a smaller number of its own Leopard 2 tanks and would also approve the delivery of more of the German-made tanks by Poland and other nations. It would settle a trans-Atlantic disagreement over the tanks that had threatened to open...

The Biden administration is preparing to announce a roughly $2.5 billion military aid package for Ukraine that is expected to include dozens of Bradley and Stryker armored vehicles, according to two people familiar with the decision, as the Pentagon intensifies its support ahead of an expected counteroffensive against entrenched Russian forces. The war has entered a phase, U.S. officials have said, that will require Ukrainian units to attack enemy forces in a concerted way, using tanks, armored vehicles, artillery and aviation in what is known as combined arms warfare. Bradleys and Strykers would significantly bolster their firepower and allow soldiers...

The UK is considering supplying Ukraine with British tanks for the first time to fight Russia's invading forces, Sky News understands. Discussions have been taking place "for a few weeks" about delivering a number of the British Army's Challenger 2 main battle tank to the Ukrainian armed forces, a Western source with knowledge of the conversations said.

A campaign launched by two Finnish politicians aims to 'embarrass' Germany into providing Leopard tanks for Ukraine. Until now, no Western country has given main battle tanks to help the Ukrainian military -- although France announced this week that so-called light tanks, the AMX-10 RC armoured fighting vehicles, will be supplied for the first time.

At least 39 people have died from the wintry weather wreaking havoc across the U.S. over Christmas weekend. The highest number of fatalities is in New York state, where 17 people have died in the wake of a massive snowstorm, according to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. In the middle of this wintery devastation, certain individuals decided this was an opportunity to destroy local businesses by looting them. At approximately 1730 EST, reports began to emerge in local media of looting incidents in Buffalo, NY, where residents are becoming desperate after three days of intense snowfall and cold temperatures. New...

Shortly after 9/11, Vice President Dick Cheney instructed the National Security State to view all Americans as potential threats. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) were created specifically for this purpose. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) came along in 2002, and within the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) was formed. The DHS, ODNI, DOJ and FBI became the four pillars of a NEW institution. Atop these pillars is where you will find the Fourth Branch of Government...