Ukraine Uses ATACMS as Offensive Culminates, Israeli Military Targets Civilians Ahead Urban Op

Update on the conflict in Ukraine and Israel-Gaza for October 19, 2023:

– Ukraine uses ATACMS missiles to hit Russian airfields, causing damage to several aircraft;

– The missiles exist in too small of quantities versus Russia’s more capable and numerous Iskander missile ballistic and cruise missiles;

– Ukraine will continue to use “wonder weapons” to distract from the overall degradation of its military capabilities;

– Israel is almost certainly behind a recent hospital strike in Gaza;

– Israel demanded these hospitals be evacuated, a virtual death sentence to those being treated there according to the UN;

– Israel already declared a Gaza-wide bombing campaign focused on “damage” over “precision;”

– The strike involved a weapon with destructive power only Israel possess, possibly a guided rocket fired from an Israeli M270 which are admittedly being used to target Gaza (see references below);

– Israel appears to be laying down preparatory fire for a ground incursion which will be a very costly operation in terms of time, manpower, equipment, and ammunition;

– based on other military operations like this in both Gaza in 2014, Fallujah in 2004, and recent fighting in Ukraine, Israel and its US-backers will have stockpiles and military industrial output stretched to the absolute limits leaving little room for error or additional contingencies;

References:

The Drive – Destruction From Ukraine’s First ATACMS Strike Now Apparent (October 18, 2023):
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone…

NYT – Ukraine Uses Powerful American-Supplied Missiles for First Time (October 17, 2023):
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/17/wo…

World Health Organization – Evacuation orders by Israel to hospitals in northern Gaza are a death sentence for the sick and injured (October 14, 2023):
https://www.who.int/news/item/14-10-2…

Guardian – ‘Emphasis is on damage, not accuracy’: ground offensive into Gaza seems imminent (October 10, 2023):
https://www.theguardian.com/world/202…

Jerusalem Post – Hananya Naftali:
https://www.jpost.com/author/hananya-…

Going Underground on Twitter – Screenshot of Hananya Naftali’s deleted tweet (October 18, 2023):
https://twitter.com/GUnderground_TV/s…

Hananya Naftali on Twitter – Retraction of claims Israel carried out hospital strike (October 18, 2023):
https://twitter.com/HananyaNaftali/st…

Haaretz – Israel Halts Medical Treatment for Members of Syria’s Nusra Front (2015):
https://www.haaretz.com/2015-07-20/ty…

NBC News – Another Gaza Hospital Hit by Israeli Strike; Four Dead, 40 Hurt (2014):
https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/mid…

Times of Israel – IDF: Multiple rocket launcher used to target Hamas in Gaza for first time since 2006 (October 11, 2023):
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblo…