Kablamo!

Good morning from the Stroock Northern Strategic Direction. We'll spend 3 or 4 days up here in the bucolic splendor of the Berkshires. Across the lake we hear the morning chants from Kimana-Halfmoon summer camp. Our own children have attended. Halfmoon has been on the lake for a century and was bought by an Israeli firm a few years ago. Ah...there goes the Star-Spangled Banner. No Hatikva?

For once we don' have a bunch of house problems to deal with. Last year we spent a week fixing yard and tree issues. Our goal is to not make a trip to the hardware store. Still, we worry, as is our wont these days. Hmmmm....we could always clean the garage. Wish us luck. 

So the Jews took out Hezbollah's number-2 man last night. Let's see what's happened this morning....Sweet fancy Moses: 'Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in the early hours of the morning in Iran, the Palestinian terror group said on Wednesday...' They took him out in Tehran. Message: the Jew can get you wherever you are, for he is indeed clever. Israel is daring Iran and its proxies to escalate. Boy, it's nice to wake up and see something like that. 

Israel's foreign ministry has issues a communique which says in part, "Israel is not interested in an all-out war, but the only way to prevent it is the immediate implementation of Resolution 1701". That means Hezbollah withdraws north of the Litani River. This is an ultimatum. Say it with us, Hezbollah, Bibi. 

Our grognard wants us to show a carrier battlegroup dueling the Soviet Northern Fleet in War Night. He's putting together ship lists and orbats...he's having a great time. It's not a bad idea. The other nuke novels have combat chapters. It might also be interesting to show ships and equipment from the pre-Reagan navy, and the Royal Navy. Our own objection is a US naval victory does not quite seem to fit the overall tone of the series. We'll see.