• Liam Mayfair@lemmy.sdf.org
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    2 days ago

    Clickbait bullshit. The Department of Defense statement clarifies the US “troops” are just the crew required to operate the air defense battery equipment the US has been supplying to Israel for a while now.

    This is not the first time the United States has deployed a THAAD battery to the region. The President directed the military to deploy a THAAD battery to the Middle East last year following the October 7th attacks to defend American troops and interests in the region.

    Again, nothing new or different about this. The US is not putting boots on the ground to shoot people up. At least not yet.

    • CptEnder@lemmy.world
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      Yeah we don’t share our real defense tech with allies, even Israel. THAAD is legit platform we field and this would not let any IDF forces near.

    • psycocan@lemmy.ml
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      And don’t you think that 100 troops deployed in Israel means that the US is actively defending Israel? We’re already past the point of the US enabling Israel aggressions and rabid rogue actions and the large scale genocide. The US will fight the wars started by Israel

  • pound_heap@lemm.ee
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    3 days ago

    Oh come on, the header is a clickbait. There is a US military base in Israel already, it’s been there for years. The article is about an announcement that they are sending another missile defense battery with personnel alongside

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      There are 100 more US soldiers deployed, aren’t there? I’m not a US citizen, but I still wonder why more troops are needed to help Israel in an war of aggression that violates international law.

      • scarabic@lemmy.world
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        Yes it’s an anti-missle battery and a crew of 100 to operate it. Presumably this includes 7-day around the clock shift coverage so it sounds like a reasonable number for a large missle array.

      • cybersandwich@lemmy.world
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        Lol,maybe because Hezbollah rockets are getting launched and we’d like to shoot them down before US personnel are killed potentially escalating this even further?

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          we’d like to shoot them down before US personnel are killed potentially escalating this even further?

          So we’re sending more personal instead of getting them out of the situation? Gymnastics.

        • catloaf@lemm.ee
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          Maybe we should get the US personnel out instead of sending more, then.

          • scarabic@lemmy.world
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            You’re both right. We want to protect our servicemen there from Hezzbollah rockets and they shouldn’t be there in the first place.

        • DandomRude@lemmy.world
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          Gtfo. If you need to play wargames maybe send some more support to Ukraine instead.

        • finitebanjo@lemmy.world
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          I’ve got an idea to prevent this from escelating further: Depose Netan-fucking-Yahu.

          The UN and the US Citizens would praise it if anything. China and Russia would say shit about it but they also say shit about us doing nothing. We can literally only gain from destroying the Israel current administration.

          • DandomRude@lemmy.world
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            Absolutely. However, there is no need to destroy anyone. It would be enough for the US to give up its unconditional support for the Netanyahu regime. Then Netanyahu would be voted out and would go to prison for corruption in his own country.

            • technocrit@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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              Ok but that does nothing to stop genocide, land theft, terrorism, invasions, etc.

              It’s a joke to pretend like yahoo is the root problem.

              • DandomRude@lemmy.world
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                I’m just trying to suggest a somewhat reasonable solution. I don’t think Israel could afford to keep this inhumane war going if they didn’t have the support of the US. Let us also not forget that it was radical right-wing Zionists who assassinated Yitzchak Rabin, the Israeli politician who first credibly promised peace in the region. What I want to say is this: Violence and hatred cannot be a solution - this only leads to more violence and more hatred, more misery and more suffering.

        • technocrit@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          Who is “we”?

          Maybe I’d have some sympathy for you if y’all stop with the genocide, terrorism, ethnic cleansing, land theft, invasions, etc.

    • fluxion@lemmy.world
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      It’s only a huge deal if we talk about doing the same for actual allies like Ukraine instead of Netanyahu’s rogue regime

  • Kalysta@lemm.ee
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    Biden is trying really hard to lose the election for the democrats.

    What blackmail does Netanyahu have on the guy? This is such a bad move.

    • stoly@lemmy.world
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      It’s either court centrist Zionists or let Trump win. There’s no alternative.

    • Nollij@sopuli.xyz
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      It’s a numbers game. There are WAY more Jewish people in the US than there are Arabs (~7.5 vs 3.5 million, according to a quick Google search).

      Strategically, those Jewish voters are also more likely to switch to a Republican vote than the Arabs, regardless. It would take 2 Arabs (or any other Democratic voter) sitting out to counter a single Democratic voter switching to a Republican vote.

      Granted, none of this accounts for voter locations (because only the 7 swing states matter), voter enthusiasm, claims of national security, or (most importantly of all) ethics.

      • geneva_convenience@lemmy.ml
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        Everything can be justified in this way.

        “Adolf Hitler identified he needed to blame all problems on Jews. And systematically put them in concentration camps. This was a political move necessary to advance his career and appeal to voters.”

        • Nollij@sopuli.xyz
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          To be clear, at no point was I trying to justify any actions. My only goal was to explain the strategic path that would lead to it. And of course there are additional nuances, which I alluded to at the end.

          Besides, a winning strategy is not an indicator of ethics.

      • stoly@lemmy.world
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        People are downvoting you because they don’t like the outcome, not because they disagree with your argument.

  • DandomRude@lemmy.world
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    US President Joe Biden has said he is “absolutely, positively” urging Israel to stop firing at UN peacekeepers during its conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon, following two incidents in 48 hours. Source

    Some hours later: Biden absolutely, positively sends troops to help Israel out. WTF…

    • EatATaco@lemm.ee
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      Wtf is going on in this comments section? They are sending an anti air battery to protect them against rocket fire, but the bulk of the comments are acting like they are sending in troops to go in on the ground into Gaza/Lebanon.

      Does really noone even bother to read the article?

      • DandomRude@lemmy.world
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        I am not a US citizen. My point is not that US troops are being deployed, but that this is a war of aggression that contradicts international law. The US should not support this - not in any way.

        • EatATaco@lemm.ee
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          I agree that they shouldn’t be supporting it. But we’re talking about defending a country against missile attacks, not violating some potential ceasefire by launching missiles for Israel.

          • WanderingVentra@lemm.ee
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            They’re enabling Israel’s aggression by providing military support, even defensive support. Not to mention adding US troops to the area increases chances some will get killed or injured, providing an excuse to enter the conflict even more.

            • EatATaco@lemm.ee
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              I was responding to someone who claimed that by sending tools to stop weapons from killing people, Biden is violating his call for a ceasefire.

              You can disagree with this, but claiming it’s aggressive is just blatantly false.

          • DandomRude@lemmy.world
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            The thing is that Israel was never attacked in a military sense. It was a terrible terrorist attack, that much is true. Israel retaliated - not only against those responsible, but above all against the Palestinian civilian population. The number of victims is simply disproportionate: the attack on October 7, 2023 claimed 1,200 lives; Israel has now killed more than 40,000 Palestinians (this is a conservative estimate). There is no longer any danger for Israel - and in terms of its military superiority, there hasn’t been any for the last 20 years. Lebanon is only marginally involved in all this. Hezbollah is not Hamas. I don’t want to go too far with all the his. It’s simple: what Israel is doing is wrong on any moral scale. Anyone who doesn’t see that is grossly misinformed.

            • technocrit@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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              Zios are in danger as long as the rightful inheritors of the stolen land are alive.

              That’s the whole point of their genocide.

            • EatATaco@lemm.ee
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              Noone is defending Israel’s invasion here. Your top level comment implied that Biden is violating his own call to a ceasefire by sending these troops in …when they are a defensive unit. No missile attacks, no need to use the defensive battery.

              • DandomRude@lemmy.world
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                What do you want me to say? With a view to the US election campaign, I’m glad to say: Vote for Harris/Walz! The apparent alternative Trump/Vance would be much worse even in this matter. I have no problem to say that because it’s true. That does not mean that you are fighting a just cause here - on the contrary. It just means that your political system is in shambles and that your moral compass if way off.

                • EatATaco@lemm.ee
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                  What do you want me to say?

                  What I would love is for people to read the article and then objectively think about it for a second, rather than just knee-jerk respond to the headline in a way that confirms what they already believe to be true, seemingly regardless of what is actually happening.

                  All I did was correct the misinformation you were spreading. There are plenty of valid reason to criticize the Biden admin over, no need to make ones up.

      • OutlierBlue@lemmy.ca
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        This emboldens the bully Israel. Now they know that no matter who they pick on, they will never feel any real counter-attacks because the US will stop them all. This encourages them to continue their attacks and to pick new fights because there will never be any consequences. If Biden wants to encourage Netanyahu to stop his wars of aggression, he needs to make Israel second guess their attacks.

        This move absolutely counters his message for a ceasefire. This will embolden them to keep fighting.

      • where_am_i@sh.itjust.works
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        Lemmy is too obsessed with elections and swallowed the bait. Seeing everyone’s reaction I did.

        Luckily I’ve looked a bit further down the thread to find something not about elections, and saw this comment.

        The title is hella misleading and clickbait. We should restrict people from posting such BS.

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    I feel so bad for the people being deployed and their families. These people are being positioned to be triggers for a war against Iran. They believe it will be easier to manufacture consent for that war if the administration (whichever one we have) can point to dead Americans. Sick shit.

    • jonne@infosec.pub
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      There’s plenty of dead Americans already on both sides of this conflict. But somehow the brown ones don’t get mentioned.

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        We both know the only color that will matter here is green. The second an American soldier is killed by an Iranian missile Trump and the GOP will campaign on full war with Iran. I honestly don’t know what’s going on with Biden, this is ridiculously bad for any attempt to reduce tensions.

    • Mango@lemmy.world
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      Manufacture consent? That’s gotta be the phrase for what’s been happening with media coverage about anything China related. The media really seems to be playing up the idea of a war with China so that the population would accept and support said war. We should not. I don’t really like China and they’ve even ruined my favorite videogame, but war is good for noone.

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    I hate how I can’t even comfort myself by knowing this idiocy will cost them the election because these fucks are the less horrible option.

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      Yep, this is coming from the most ‘leftist’ candidates we are allowed to vote for. Pretty fucked up options we get to choose from. I hate it here.

      • yeather@lemmy.ca
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        You can always vote more left, and should vote more left if you live in a dem stronghold like California.

  • Prandom_returns@lemm.ee
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    So hold on, no troops in Ukraine, because they’re not NATO, but troops in Israel no problem?

    Or is it because US is scared shitless of Putin? Or is it because a lot of prople sympathise eith Putin?

    Maybe there’s no profit in aiding Ukraine?

    • Talisker@lemmy.world
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      We want Israel to win and we want Ukraine to be an expensive quagmire for Russia.

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        I want Ukraine to win, for Lebanon to be an expensive quagmire for Israel, and for Russia to burn on principle.

        • Talisker@lemmy.world
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          Extending Russia, Rand Corporation 2019

          The United States could also become more vocal in its support for NATO membership for Ukraine… While NATO’s requirement for unanimity makes it unlikely that Ukraine could gain membership in the foreseeable future, Washington’s pushing this possibility could boost Ukrainian resolve while leading Russia to redouble its efforts to forestall such a development.

          Expanding U.S. assistance to Ukraine, including lethal military assistance, would likely increase the costs to Russia, in both blood and treasure, of holding the Donbass region. More Russian aid to the separatists and an additional Russian troop presence would likely be required, leading to larger expenditures, equipment losses, and Russian casualties. The latter could become quite controversial at home, as it did when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan.

          https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR3000/RR3063/RAND_RR3063.pdf

    • Madison420@lemmy.world
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      We have a top secret base there, just like Korea and Vietnam early troops usually come in and break shit you can’t let go.

      No it’s because Russia is preoccupied and we’re testing near peer weapons from 3+decades ago there with little to no risk to mainland usa. It’s morally wrong sure but it does at least make sense.

      I mean sorta but not really, we’re selling most stuff at a loss. The benefit is really seeing how well our stuff works against the enemy or was designed to fight. Don’t get me wrong people are getting rich but that’s from buying more weapons to replace the ones we sold.

    • Chainweasel@lemmy.world
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      If Putin didn’t have the nuclear card in his pocket US boots would have been on the ground in Ukraine 2 years ago.

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          Afaik they, as a principle, do not have nukes but retain the capability to manufacture them. Probably a good one since having nukes makes them a target of America and not having nukes also makes them a target of America and others. Every soverign state looks at what president nobel peace prize did to Libya as a reminder of what happens to states that denuclearize.

        • technocrit@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          Iran is not threatening the USA in any meaningful way.

          On the other hand, USA is constantly invading the middle east, promoting genocide and terrorism, and literally trying to nuke Iran.

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            I agree. What does that have to do with Iran having nukes? I don’t consider having a deterrent to be an aggressive act on its own and its weird that that’s how you took it

    • EatATaco@lemm.ee
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      The second paragraph of the article provides their explanation.

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        Yeah, the “explanation” is so dumb and misleading that it’s not worth quoting. Just say that it exists. That’s good enough for the imperial core.

    • Anas@lemmy.world
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      You’ve already been participating: The failed aid pier had one use, and it was a military one.

    • DefederateLemmyMl@feddit.nl
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      Now we’ve got to fucking participate in it?

      Ah yes, killing all those innocent civilians hidden in incoming Iranian ballistic missiles…

      • Gorillazrule@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        Right. We will be defending Israel from the incoming Iranian ballistic missiles after they kill innocent civilians on a scale larger than they already have been, prompting a response from Iran large enough that the iron dome is not capable of handing it. Which totally doesn’t make us participants. We’re not directly doing the bloodshed, just enabling it and defending Israel from feeling any consequences.

  • Sundial@lemm.ee
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    Biden is really trying to start a whole new war and make the Democrats lose this election.

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      Honestly, I think Biden supports this unwaveringly because it aligns with US policy to keep the region destabilized.

      I mean they helped overthrow the Shah, aided the Taliban in fighting the soviets, invaded Iraq and Kuwait (which led directly to the creation of jihadist state – ISIS), aided a US-aligned faction in the Syrian civil war, helped put down the 2011 democratic revolutions… there is so much more.

      And for what? To keep them from realizing they are all arabs and are sitting on the largest collective reserves of oil in the world…

      Evil Empire.

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        helped put down the 2011 democratic revolutions…

        Holy shit tell me more. I’m an Arab and this is my first time hearing of this.

        • shaserlark@sh.itjust.works
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          I found a paper on this here: https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.13169/arabstudquar.35.3.0255

          Seems like they were actually on the side of the dictators in Tunisia, Egypt and Yemen until they realized that they’d collapse. I think Libya is very well remembered, they just completely ruined what was formerly a stable, wealthy country (although a dictatorship of course).

          Also especially in Egypt when the elections didn’t turn out the way they wanted it because the Muslim Brotherhood candidate won, they backed the regime change and since then Egypt has a new dictator loyal to the US and Israel.

          • WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.world
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            The MIC has more control over US foreign policy than the US political class (including the president) because America is a shadow plutocracy — controlled by the near-circular venn-diagram of its wealthiest individuals and corporations — masquerading as a “democracy”. Americans are able to vote in free elections, but 90% of the politicians on state and federal ballots are pre-approved, pre-positioned, and directly financed by the plutocracy. Most of the laws passed by congress are directly written by corporate legal teams, packed with unrelated provisions to allocate public money to corporations; they don’t even read or understand exactly what they’re voting on most of the time… This is ultimately the case in every “democracy”, just with varying degrees of gratuity and success.

            The proof is honestly in most of the US’s present and past actions, both domestically and internationally (including the undying support for Israel). They’ve been allied with, and militarily supported, countless dictators all around the world for centuries, because dictatorships are more profitable for American plutocrats than democracy. Democracy poses a direct threat to corporate power and profits, and is literally why they overthrew the Shah in Iran. I genuinely believe that MAGA is more a power play by the plutocracy to formally end American democracy once and for all (with thunderous applause) and solidify the corporate dictatorship through a fascist theocracy… Otherwise they will continue to face the threat of left leaning movements like Bernie Sanders actually coming to fruition.

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      He is petty enough to do that. We’ll and doesn’t seem to give a shit about what terrible things Israel does

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        Biden has always been a narcissist. And many 80 year olds do get pretty petty and selfish, from what I’ve seen. We really need an age cap on government service so we dont have to go through this again. On supreme court justices and congressman too. Dying on the bench or in office of old age is wildly unacceptable for such important roles. GTFO.

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        Either he’s making too much money from AIPAC to stop now. Or he’s bitter about being pushed out of the race for president this election. Or both.

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    In an alternative timeline, Biden finally grows a pair, cancels this and other weapon shipments and the election ends with a landslide.

    It’s right there Joe, it would be a bigger power move than him stepping down.

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      He needed 2 or 3 years to explore student loans. Maybe this is more complicated, so it will take infinitely longer.

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      2 days ago

      In the alternate universe where that could happen, we wouldn’t have gotten anywhere close to the Israel situation, or a string of conservative Democrats in office.

      Our best hope is to pull a multiverse switcheroo and swap our Biden (and our Harris) with doppelgangers from the universe where the Democrats are the party of the left.