Houthi Drone Attacks, Sudan Joint Force Victory

THE WAR NEWSLETTER — OCT 3 2024

Good morning. Today’s update covers Houthi attacks against Israel and the Joint Force seizing an RSF base in Sudan.

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Today’s updates:

• 🇮🇱 IDF shoots down Houthi drones

• ⚔️ The Spike anti-tank missile

• 🇸🇩 Sudanese Joint Force captures base after 12-hour battle

1 - ISRAEL

1 thing to know

Last night, the Houthi terrorist group launched another drone attack at central Israel.

The context 

The Houthi terrorist group is based in Yemen and supported by Iran. They’ve caused massive damage to commercial shipping in the Red Sea over the last year.

The attack consisted of at least two drones, and didn’t cause any damage or injury. This is the third Houthi drone attack against Israel this year. Israel responded to the last two Houthi attacks by sending fighter jets to strike infrastructure in Yemen. There hasn’t been an Israeli military response to this attack yet.

More from the region

Hezbollah fired more than 200 rockets into northern Israel over the last day, continuing the relentless rocket attacks that have displaced more than 60,000 Israeli citizens from their homes in northern Israel. There was no one killed in the attack, though there was another Israeli casualty during the fighting on the ground in southern Lebanon, where Israel seeks to drive Hezbollah out.

Israel has not yet responded to the Iranian missile barrage. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been holding top-secret discussions to decide what Israel’s military response to the attack will be.

In the news

• IDF shoots down drones

• Israel rescues kidnapped woman after 10 years

• Houthi drones launched at Israel

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TECH SPOTLIGHT: THE SPIKE ATGM

The Spike anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) is a versatile missile system made by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.

It features a high-explosive tandem-charge warhead capable of piercing reactive and underlying armor, making it highly effective against tanks and fortified targets. The Spike is unique in that it offers both “fire-and-forget” capability and a “fire, observe, and update” mode, which allows the operator to adjust the missile’s course in real-time after launch.

The Spike can be used by infantry, mounted on fast attack vehicles, or launched from helicopters, giving it immense operational flexibility. It can be used to hit targets up to 15 miles away, and its soft-launch ability only activates the main engine once it’s airborne, which allows it to be fired from confined spaces.

What it’s used for

The Israel Defense Forces use Spike missiles extensively, especially in conflicts like those against Hezbollah and Hamas where extreme precision and adaptablilty is needed.

Both Russia and Iran have created knockoff versions. The Iranian version, called “Almas,” is a reverse-engineered copy produced after Spike missiles were captured by Hezbollah.

Read more about the SPIKE here on Wikipedia.

2 - SUDAN

1 thing to know

The Joint Force, made up of other small armed groups joining alongside the Sudanese Army, seized an RSF base in North Darfur.

The context 

A Rapid Support Forces (RSF) base in Bir Maza, north of Kutum, was seized by the Sudanese Joint Force after hours of fighting in the early morning. All of the RSF defenses were reportedly destroyed and heavy casualties inflicted before the RSF fled the base, which it had held since June.

According to spokesperson Ahmed Hussein, regaining control of the base is "a major strategic achievement," and its recapture will relieve the people living nearby from the burden of the RSF's presence, accusing them perpetrating violence and brutalities.

More from the region

The Joint Force also captured the road connecting the town of Ed Debba in the Northern State with Mellit, in North Darfur, after 12 hours of fighting. The road is an alternative route through the desert to El Fasher, and with it now under the control of the Joint Force, supplies can protected as they are delivered from north Sudan into North Darfur.

The Joint Force is made up of a collection of smaller armed groups and fighters from the Sudan Liberation Movement, which is headed by the governor of Darfur, Minni Minawi, and is allied with the Sudanese Army.

In the news

• Joint Forces capture key RSF base

• Other strategic areas are also seized by the Joint Force

• Battles in El Fasher

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