The top U.S. #intelligence ofcl on Mon warned that the #war in #Gaza could embolden #terrorist groups, which are aligned in their opposition to the #UnitedStates for its support of #Israel.
“The crisis has galvanized #violence by a range of actors around the world. And while it is too early to tell, it is likely that the Gaza conflict will have a generational impact on #terrorism,” #ODNI#AvrilHaines, told an annual hearing on #GlobalSecurity#threats.
@Nonilex@nomdeb that’s been such a depressing thought throughout this - there are now hundreds of thousands of people who feel hurt, often hopeless, and it’s basically a certainty that some of them are going to resort to violence and kick off the next iteration of this cycle. I’m not optimistic about living long enough to see it die down.
The Oct 7 attack on #Israel by #Hamas has inspired fresh threats to the #UnitedStates by #alQaeda & #ISIS-affiliated groups, #AvrilHaines said, while #Iran-backed militant groups have used “the conflict as an opportunity to pursue their own agenda” against the United States. “And we have seen how it is inspiring individuals to conduct acts of #antisemitism & #Islamophobic#terror worldwide,” she added.
…#Republican Sen #TomCotton, a stalwart backer of #Israel, prodded #CIA Dir Burns & #ODNI Haines to refute allegations that Israel is “exterminating the #Palestinian people” w/its military campaign.
The officials declined to do so. Burns said that while the #Biden admin understands “Israel’s need” to respond to the brutal attack it suffered on Oct7, “I think we all also have to be mindful of the enormous toll that this has taken on innocent #civilians in #Gaza.”
“Is #Israel starving children in Palestine, or #Gaza?” #TomCotton asked apparently referring to reports by the #UN & #humanitarian orgs, as well as some Dems that Israel’s refusal to allow the necessary volume of food #aid… is causing a preventable #famine. “The reality is that there are children who are #starving. They’re #malnourished, as a result of the fact that humanitarian assistance can’t get to them. It’s very difficult to distribute…effectively, unless you have a #CeaseFire” Burns said.
W/a steady supply of US-provided equipment, “Ukraine can hold its own on the front line… into 2025,” Burns said. Kyiv could continue deep strikes into #Russia & also conduct ops against Russia’s naval forces in the #BlackSea, putting Ukrainian forces in a position potentially “to regain the offensive initiative” early next yr, he added.
But #Ukraine faces “a much grimmer future” should that #aid not arrive, & would probably “lose significant ground” to #Russia, Burns said. “That would be a massive & historic mistake for the #UnitedStates,” he said. What’s more, failure to help defend Ukraine would “stoke the ambitions of the #Chinese…” to make aggressive moves on #Taiwan…. “The Ukrainians are not running out of courage & tenacity. They’re running out of ammunition. And we’re running out of time to help them,” Burns said.
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