US Support For Israel In Its War Must Be ‘Ironclad’

THURSDAY PDB – In fiery speech to Congress, Netanyahu vows ‘total victory' in Gaza and denounces US protesters. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu derided American opponents of the war in Gaza as “useful idiots,” taking a combative stance in a visit the Biden administration has hoped will yield progress in negotiations to end the fighting.

Netanyahu used the high-profile address to a joint meeting of Congress to emphasize longstanding and close ties between the United States and Israel. But the speech put in sharp relief the divisions in American society stirred by the war, with dozens of Democratic lawmakers boycotting the address and thousands of protesters outside the Capitol condemning the war and the humanitarian crisis created by it.

Some of the protests near the Capitol turned chaotic. That included one within a few hundred yards of the tightly guarded Capitol grounds, at Union Station, where protesters spray-painted marble statuary and replaced American flags with Palestinian ones.

Officers on streets surrounding the Capitol brawled with demonstrators, swinging batons and spraying tear gas.

“America and Israel must stand together. When we stand together something really simple happens: We win, they lose,” said Netanyahu.

Build Iron Dome in the United States to prepare for Israel's worst day. Israel is racing to build more Iron Dome air defense systems amid a growing threat of war with Hezbollah, which has a massive stockpile of more than 150,000 mortars, rockets, and missiles.

Yet, Iron Dome systems themselves and their manufacturing facilities within Israel may become targets for Hezbollah, which is why the U.S. and Israel need to build a full, redundant Iron Dome production and integration capacity here.

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – Here's a roundup of today's other top defense stories from conservative national security expert PAUL CRESPO.

Not the President's Daily Brief, but almost as good – PAUL'S DAILY BRIEFING – the PDB:

NATIONAL SECURITY

NORAD intercepts 2 Russian and 2 Chinese bombers operating together near Alaska in first such flight. North American Aerospace Defense Command intercepted the four bombers on Wednesday in what was the first time the two countries have been intercepted while operating together.

Swarm wars: Pentagon holds toughest drone-defense demo to date. With drone strikes in the news from Kyiv to Tel Aviv, the Pentagon's all-service drone defense program just held its most ambitious field demonstration yet, with up to 50 unmanned aircraft of different types converging on a single target at a time.

PENTAGON WOKE WATCH

SHOULD THIS BE A PRIORITY TODAY? – Pentagon to review 20 Medals of Honor from Wounded Knee Massacre. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin directed the Pentagon to review the 20 Medals of Honor awarded to U.S. troops for their actions at Wounded Knee in 1890, when soldiers killed and injured between 350 and 375 members of the Lakota tribe.

EXCELLENT! – Navy SEALs, sailors who refused COVID vaccine will have records expunged after legal settlement. This, ending a nearly four-year saga that pitted Navy SEALs and other service members against their commander in chief.

POLITICS

Here's Kamala Harris' record on veterans and military issues. Joe Biden's 11th-hour decision not to seek reelection and the quick rallying around Vice President Kamala Harris to take over for him at the top of the ticket give Democrats a likely presidential nominee with a less high-profile record on military and veterans issues than before.

BIDEN FAILED – What did the US military's Gaza aid pier actually accomplish? When Joe Biden announced the mission to build a humanitarian pier off the coast of Gaza this March, he framed it as a symbol of what the U.S. military can do.

US POWER OVERSEAS

RIMPAC exercises continue on USS Carl Vinson. As the biennial exercise Rim of the Pacific continues off the coast of Hawaii, the U.S. Navy's Carrier Strike Group 1 has been practicing flight operations from its flagship.

CHINA THREAT

China and the US are careening toward a South China Sea crisis. A failure of deterrence risks pushing the region into deeper conflict.

South Korea accuses 3 Chinese students of taking illegal drone video of US aircraft carrier. They are under investigation for taking illegal photographs of the carrier visiting the country.

RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR

Rheinmetall, the German arms manufacturer, unbowed by reported Russian assassination plot against CEO, announces order for ammo factory in Ukraine. This, just weeks after news broke of a purported Russian-backed plot.

ISRAEL'S WAR AGAINST TERROR

After Hamas is gone, how will Israel deradicalize Palestinians in Gaza? Most Gazans approve of Hamas's decision to launch the war on October 7 and would prefer Hamas rule over the US-backed Palestinian Authority

IRAN THREAT

HIT IRAN, NOT HOUTHIS – When nothing seems to work: Houthi edition. What is a country to do when military action and diplomacy are both presently hopeless? Military escalation will not compel the Houthis to halt their anti-shipping campaign or attacks on Israel. Nor will diplomacy — at least not yet.

NORTH KOREA THREAT

North Korea does ‘not care' about Trump's words for Kim Jong Un. It rebuffed comments that former President Donald Trump made about good ties with leader Kim Jong Un, and warned its nuclear arsenal stands ready for any U.S. leader.

USAF moves fighters to create a ‘super squadron' of F-16s near North Korea. The U.S. Air Force is shifting nine more fighters to its base closest to the Demilitarized Zone that splits North and South Korea.

Balloons carrying trash from North Korea fall inside US Army base in Seoul. They fell on both the South Korean presidential compound and Yongsan Garrison in Seoul.

INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

Myanmar regional military HQ captured, rebels say, in blow to junta. A rebel army in Myanmar said on Thursday it had seized control of a major regional military headquarters near the border with China, in what could be the biggest recent defeat for a ruling junta that is battling to contain a widening revolt.

A year has passed since Niger's dramatic coup. Life has become more dangerous and desperate. When a group of military officers appeared on state television in Niger one year ago to announce a dramatic coup, they said they deposed the West African nation's elected government for two key reasons: its security and economic crises.

A military leader to his people: ‘Fight or you disappear.' The West African nation of Burkina Faso was once known for its lively arts scene. Now, it is a country torn apart by Islamist extremists and the government's brutal effort to drive them out.

French air force mission makes stopover in Indonesia to boost security ties. This, meant to display French commitment to security in the Indo-Pacific region amid growing Chinese maritime activity there.

US MILITARY

Senior Air Force commander nominated for National Guard Bureau chief. The commander is now at the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

US Air Force's XQ-67A drone thinks, flies, acts on its own. Air Force's new autonomous aerial warfare machines.

ULTRA drone flies for days in military test. A secretive long-endurance drone designed to reap intelligence from faraway targets flew for at least three days straight in recent testing.

ADDING LONG-RANGE BOMBERS – Another B-1 back from the boneyard: Air Force regenerating second Lancer in four months. The Air Force is resurrecting yet another of its B-1 bombers from the “Boneyard” at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz.

Army taking wide-open approach to high-altitude surveillance platforms. It is exploring balloons, drones and super-lightweight aircraft for missions from deep sensing to long-range communications.

END of PDB

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.

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