The United States shot down more drones and missiles than Israel did on Saturday night during Iran’s attack, The Intercept can report.

More than half of Iran’s weapons were destroyed by U.S. aircraft and missiles before they ever reached Israel. In fact, by commanding a multinational air defense operation and scrambling American fighter jets, this was a U.S. military triumph.

The extent of the U.S. military operation is unbeknownst to the American public, but the Pentagon coordinated a multination, regionwide defense extending from northern Iraq to the southern Persian Gulf on Saturday. During the operation, the U.S., U.K., France, and Jordan all shot down the majority of Iranian drones and missiles. In fact, where U.S. aircraft originated from has not been officially announced, an omission that has been repeated by the mainstream media. Additionally, the role of Saudi Arabia is unclear, both as a base for the United States and in terms of any actions by the Saudi military.

“U.S. intelligence estimates that half of the weapons fired by Iran failed upon launch or in flight due to technical issues,” a U.S. Air Force senior officer told The Intercept. Of the remaining 160 or so, the U.S. shot down the majority, the officer said. The officer was granted anonymity to speak about sensitive operational matters.

  • mean_bean279@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    I’d rather take a hit to the face.

    You’re trying to summarize a situation into something small and easy for people, but it’s complex and shitty.

    I understand the plight of the people in Gaza and the absolutely abhorrent behavior my country has had towards them. I understand how the futuristic and advanced weapons made by my country have negatively impacted the world.

    I also now live in a world that deals with the results of Donald Trump in office. My mom, sister, niece and wife don’t have access to the same healthcare they once did that was a right to them. I have a court system now that’s so skewed compared to American politics that it dictates policy to us rather than democratically enables the people. I live under a system of moved goal posts because Trump made the wall into a whole thing, and now everyone looks to shut the border down constantly rather than dealing with the reasons people flood across it. Every day people in my country die from gun violence and expanded police powers both of which rapidly increased under Trump and who changed the laws making it easier to purchase weapons and who made police more resistant to citizen committees.

    And before you switch to the “why don’t you then change it” we’re working on. The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first steps. Fascists don’t just go away when they lose. They fester. Trying to throw it all away means potentially creating one of the bloodiest conflicts the world has ever seen because we’re upset temporarily. I get that people are needlessly dying, but more will die no matter what we do. Staying the course, correcting the effects of Donald Trump, changing the tides of American politics and shifting the left actually left is the best course of action right now. We’re getting there. Not as fast as I or others like, but I see it every day.

    • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      You’re trying to summarize a situation into something small and easy for people, but it’s complex and shitty

      It’s definitely shitty, but the choice to support a genocide or not is surprisingly easy…

      Like, you act like what good Biden has done inexplicably comes with the evil Biden does.

      We could have someone that helps.more and does less evil.

      To take it back to my “small and easy” analogy, someone that shakes your hand, or at least just gives one of those barely noticable head nods without a change in facial expression even.

      You’ve let the guy who kicked you in the nuts lower the bar too much, youve forgotten what acceptable behavior looks like.

      • Jimmyeatsausage@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        We could have someone that helps more and does less evil.

        Really? Who?

        You “genocide joe” folks keep saying there’s a better choice, but nobody will give me a name, a website, a campaign address I can send money to, anything. Show the candidate that can literally win in 7 months. Otherwise, you’re asking me to put my family at additional risk for the payoff of helping exactly 0 people in Gaza… unless you define helping as Israel “finishing the job.”

        • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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          8 months ago

          You want one name?

          Elizabeth Warren.

          But that’s not the only name.

          Hell, the major reason for voting Biden is literally that he’s not trump, a qualification everyone eligible to run for president shares, except trump.

          Do you honestly think 7 months isn’t enough time to run a general campaign? Why is the primary not scheduled to end for two more months if that’s true?

          Seriously, how can you rationalize the primary not being scheduled to end for two more months if that’s not enough time for a general campaign?

          I’m dying to hear your answer.

          • Jimmyeatsausage@lemmy.world
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            8 months ago

            I actually voted for Warren in the primaries last cycle. As far as I know, she isn’t running this cycle and isn’t on the ballot in any states that have already passed the8r registration deadlines.

            I know for a fact that 7 months isn’t long enough to run a presidential campaign because, again, you have to have filed to run usually a year in advance. Unless you’re suggesting that Warren is running the best write-in campaign in American history. I’m happy to help her, but I’m a little worried I haven’t heard a word about it from her or any PACs.

            • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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              8 months ago

              So you think if Biden did the right thing and drops out, she wouldn’t run?

              Before you were saying she couldn’t, now you’re saying she wouldn’t…

              I know for a fact that 7 months isn’t long enough to run a presidential campaign

              So why do you think the DNC only gives 5?

              And if they’re making such obvious wrong choices and you’re so much better at this, why are they still running the only party against trump?

              Shouldn’t we have people as smart as you running the party if you’re so obviously right?

              • Jimmyeatsausage@lemmy.world
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                8 months ago

                If the bar for running a campaign is “knowing it’s hard to win the electoral college if you aren’t on the ballot” then yeah, I guess I’m qualified…but being so smart, I know there’s quite a bit more to it than that.

                I think that campaigns start during or before the primary…you know, when the media starts talking about who’s gonna run and what their positions are…then all the commercials start running…that all feels pretty campaigny to me. So I can’t really comment on why you think the DNC doesn’t let folks campaign before the convention. Feels like that’d make voting in all those primaries a lot harder.

                • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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                  8 months ago

                  . So I can’t really comment on why you think the DNC doesn’t let folks campaign before the convention.

                  Oh ok, you don’t know what other people are saying…

                  That’s why you can’t understand.

                  Hope that helps. Best of luck in your future interactions

                  • jak@sopuli.xyz
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                    8 months ago

                    I’m not the other person, but that’s obviously not helpful and simply makes you look immature. Either explain where you think someone’s gone wrong or leave out the “hope that helps.” Or don’t, and everyone reading is reminded of that scene from the big Lebowski

      • mean_bean279@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        You’re right, we should bring back the guy who kicked me in the nuts, but now has threatened to kill me too. Genius level.

        • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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          8 months ago

          If it’s too late to change candidates, why hasn’t the DNC convention taken place?

          Why did they schedule it so late in the summer that they missed multiple state deadlines to be on general election ballots?

          And if your answer is going to have anything to do with the DNC being completely incompetent: why are you insisting we keep letting them be the only thing that stands between America and trump?

          • SaltySalamander@fedia.io
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            8 months ago

            Who, exactly, would be an ideal candidate at this point to replace Biden that has a hope in hell of winning? Who, exactly, has the national recognition to pull that off in the Democrat party, or really any other party, in November of this year?

            • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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              8 months ago

              Elizabeth Warren off the top of my head, but lots of people can.

              But you’re ignoring the reason most people are voting Biden is he’s not trump. Name recognition hurts Biden.