Stories behind the Iran's Threat of Retaliation in the Israel-Hamas War - 08/18/2024

A few stories were summed up here about the development of the Israel-Hamas War and Iran's threat of retaliation:

10/07/2023-today Hamas launched a bloody surprise attack on Israel, killing 1,200 Israelis and taking some 250 more hostages. War between Hamas and Israel began. Israel has responded by razing much of the Palestinian enclave of Gaza that Hamas governs, killing nearly 40,000 people, which does not differentiate Hamas militants from civilians. (UPI News, 08/12/2024)

10/2023-today The United States has been mediating a cease-fire in the war, pushing Israel and Hamas to come to an agreement. Amid worries of an Iran retaliatory attack. Hamas is an Iran proxy militia. (UPI News, 08/12/2024)

06/17/2024 Massive amounts of recently acquired advanced Chinese military equipment and weapons technology were found in Gaza by the Israel Defense Forces. Also, two tunnel engineers from China's People's Liberation Army were discovered by the IDF. (Newsweek, 06/17/2024)

07/25/2024 China hosted reconciliation talks among 14 Palestinian factions, the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the agreement was “dedicated to the great reconciliation and unity of all 14 factions.” Wang further said, “an agreement has been reached on post-Gaza war governance and the establishment of a provisional national reconciliation government.” In 1993, a coalition of parties (PLO) that signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1993 and formed a new government in the Palestinian Authority (PA). Hamas is not part of the PLO. (CNN 07/25/2024)

07/31/2024 Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, was assassinated along with his personal bodyguard in the Iranian capital Tehran by an apparent Israeli attack. (The New York Time, 08/01/2024)

08/06/2024 Iranian officials say Russia has begun delivering advanced air defense and radar equipment to Iran. (The Times of Israel, 08/06/2024)

08/11/2024 China's foreign minister, Wang Yi, spoke over the phone with his Iranian counterpart, acting foreign minister Ali Bagheri. He said, "China firmly opposes and strongly condemns the assassination, viewing it as a severe violation of the basic principles of international relations, a serious infringement on Iran's sovereignty, security and dignity and a direct disruption of the Gaza cease-fire negotiations, impacting regional peace and stability." Wang further said that China supports Iran's position of self-defense. (UPI News, 08/12/2024)

08/14/2024 Manila signed a US$114 million contract with Israel's Elbit Systems for acquiring a pair of ATR 72 aircraft adapted for military use. (AEROFLAP, 08/14/2024) China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, overlapping maritime claims of the Philippines and a few other SEA countries. In 2016, a Hague-based tribunal said China’s claims had no legal basis, a decision Beijing has rejected. Tensions exist between China and Philippines. (The Guardian, 07/22/2024)

08/16/2024 Iran is pursuing partnerships with two Chinese satellite companies, as it seeks to expand its capability for remote surveillance and intelligence gathering, potentially including high-resolution images of military targets in Israel and across the Middle East. This deal with China could supply Iran with enhanced targeting capability for its arsenal of ballistic missiles as well as early warning systems to detect impending attacks. Iran might also supply satellite-derived intelligence to allies such as Houthi rebels, Syrian and Iraqi militias. Iran has previously provided such groups with satellite imagery purchased from China. (The Jerusalem Post, 08/17/2024)

Why has Iran waited this long to attack Israel for Haniyeh’s death? | What’s Iran’s game plan?