Were trebuchets built in situ and then abandoned after a siege?
Early trebuchets were built on site. As they grew increasingly large and powerful, wagons carrying sections of prefabricated trebuchets were brought to a siege and assembled in situ.
A trebuchet was a medieval siege weapon, operated using a counterweight to propel a long arm, attached to a sling, which could hurl a projectile with great force and accuracy at enemy fortifications.
Invented in China in around the fourth century BC, by the 12thcentury, improved counterweight trebuchets were in use in Europe.
Historian Michael S. Fulton offered the best examination of the machines in his book Development Of Prefabricated Artillery During The Crusades (2015).
He concluded that while smaller weapons were built on site, large trebuchets were not only assembled but also disassembled afterwards for transport so they could be reused at later sieges.
Perhaps the largest and most famous trebuchet of them all was Edward I’s Warwolf.
In 1304, he ordered his engineers to build this great piece of artillery for the siege of Stirling Castle in Scotland.
Assembled by five master carpenters and 49 labourers, the Warwolf could hurl rocks weighing as much as 300lb.
Early trebuchets were built on site. As they grew larger and more powerful, wagons carried prefabricated section to a siege and assembled them in situ
The Scots, watching the Warwolf being assembled, offered to surrender, but Edward reputedly refused to let anyone leave the castle until the great engine had bombarded it, which it did, successfully levelling the curtain wall.
Israeli soldiers launching fireballs into Lebanon using a medieval-style trebuchet
IDF soldiers firing the trebuchet right next to the Lebanese border as it fires the flaming projectile over the border, right into Lebanese plantations
'The area on the Lebanese border is characterized by boulders, thickets, and dense thorn vegetation, which poses a challenge to the IDF troops deployed in defense,' the IDF added as a reason for launching the fireballs
“Ceterum censeo Carthaginem delendam esse”: Gaza, like Carthage
“Furthermore, I consider Carthage to need to be destroyed,” repeated Cato the Elder. Gaza is Jihad's foothold, our Carthage. We have no other choice.
The winner in a conflict is the one who better understands the enemy’s ultimate goals and worldview, his aspirations and priorities.
What is Gaza for Israel?
For the average Israeli, thinking within the framework of a rational Western worldview (I am not talking about leftist inversions), Gaza is a bridgehead controlled by a hostile force, Hamas. So, it is necessary to weaken Hamas as much as possible and control it through its proxies (like Dahlan) with the support of moderate Arab states or contain it directly through a military administration.
What is Gaza for Islam in general, and for the local Arab population in particular?
Gaza, in their view, is the sacred land of Ribat, a stronghold, a “vigilant watch” or citadel of an even “greater Ribat” – Arḍ al-Ribat (“Land of Ribat”) – Palestine. They are guided not by politics, but by sacred precepts that they must strictly follow.
“Whether in honoring the Prophet’s lineage or serving as a strategic stronghold for the defense of Muslim lands, Gaza boasts a history steeped in nobility, virtue, and honor.”
The different aspects of Gaza's importance to Arabs and to Islam are then highlighted.
Gaza is sacral land. It is the resting place for many noble Islamic figures throughout history.
Islamic figures buried in Gaza are listed: “Amr ibn ʿAbd Manāf, …the grandfather of Prophet Muhammad, …some of Hāshim’s relatives from the Banū ʿAmr ibn Kinānah tribe, noble descendant of Ḥāshim, the esteemed scholar and founder of the Shāfiʿī school of thought, Imām al-Shāfiʿī”.
“In this vein, Gaza has continued to honor the Prophet’s lineage, becoming known among Muslims as Gaza-Hāshim”.
It is emphasized that “Gaza played a pivotal role as a hub for Arab trade expeditions”.
This is Ribat, the territory of “jihad”, which includes Ashkelon.
“A selection of hadiths also extol Ashkelon (ʿAsqalān), a city now located 13 kilometers north of the border with the Gaza Strip. Such hadiths commend the city for being dedicated to defending Muslim lands, an endeavor known as ribāṭ.
The Prophet was reported to have said,
"So, upon you is jihād, and indeed, the best of your jihād is ribāṭ, and the best of your ribāṭ is in Ashkelon»”.
Major Islamic figures who visited Ashkelon or were buried there are listed.
It is emphasized: “The aim of ribāṭ is to safeguard Muslim lands and honor”.
“Al-Bukhārī (d. 256/870) titled one of the chapters in his collection “A Chapter on the Merit of Performing Ribāṭ for One Day for the Sake of Allah and on Allah’s Saying, ‘You who believe, preserve, endure, and be ready (rābiṭū).’”.
Gaza is defined as a springboard for the conquest of the Levant (al-Sham), which comprises areas in Palestine, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.
“Аl-Shām plays a pivotal role as the prophesied location for significant events at the end of time, including the descent of Prophet Jesus (AS) and the demise of al-Dajjāl, as indicated in several hadiths”.
(al-Dajjāl is associated with the West, and of course with the "Zionists" - A.M.).
“The Prophet’s companion, ʿAbdullāh ibn Ḥawālah, narrated that the Prophet said,
The matter will come to the point where you will be enlisted as soldiers: a group in al-Shām, a group in Yemen, and a group in Iraq”.
In other words, in the collective consciousness of Muslims, the fate of Gaza is closely linked to the fulfillment of Koranic prophecies. This, and not just Iranian ambitions, whims, or posturing, is what motivates Yemeni Houthis and Iraqi militants to fire on Israel. It is a religious imperative.
For Israel, this means only one thing: if we do not destroy Gaza, Gaza will destroy us. Ashkelon, Tel Aviv and, of course, Jerusalem will follow.
Therefore, it is not enough to simply try to control Gaza. Most of the population of the Strip firmly believes that Gaza is the chosen “Land of Jihad” (the citadel of an even “Greater Ribat” – Arḍ al-Ribat) to conquer the vicious Zionist entity cursed by Allah.
This leaves Israel with no choice. Many of the Gazans must be resettled in other countries: perhaps in Africa. After October 7, there were plans to resettle them in the Congo and Rwanda for a significant reward, but under pressure from the Bidenites, those plans were curtailed.
With the arrival of the Trump administration, those plans should be fully restored, and a significant part of Gaza will be populated by Jewish communities.
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem delendam esse (“Furthermore, I consider Carthage to need to be destroyed”), repeated Cato the Elder. Otherwise, he warned, Carthage will destroy Rome.
We have no other choice.
Alexander Maistrovoyis a graduate of Moscow Univ. in Journalism, worked there in his field and made aliyah in 1988. He works at the Russian language newspaper Novosty Nedely, has had articles posted on many internet sites and authored “Ways of God” about different religious and ethnic groups in the Holy Land, Agony of Hercules or a Farewell to Democracy (Notes of a Stranger), and with Mark Kotliarsky the Russian book Jewish Atlántida.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed inside the terrorist group's own secret underground 'war operations room' by an Israeli air strike, official reveals
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli air strike last year while inside the militant group's war operations room, according to new details disclosed by a senior official.
A series of Israeli air strikes flattened several buildings in Beirut's southern suburbs on September 27, killing Nasrallah. The Lebanese Health Ministry said six people died.
According to news reports, Nasrallah, who had led Hezbollah for 32 years, and other senior officials were meeting underground.
'His Eminence (Hassan Nasrallah) used to lead the battle and war from this location,' top Hezbollah security official Wafiq Safa told a news conference on Sunday near the site where Nasrallah was killed.
He said Nasrallah died in the war operations room. He did not offer other details.
Israel killed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in strikes on Beirut at the end of September
Nasrallah died in the assault, that saw Israeli F-15I fighter jets drop dozens of munitions on the Hezbollah HQ in Beirut on September 27
The site of an impact crater following Israel's attack on Hezbollah HQ in Dahiyeh, Beirut
A view of the damage occurring in the surrounding buildings
Nasrallah's body was recovered intact from beneath the remains of the building. In total more than 20 Hezbollah members were killed by the Israeli Air Force.
Israel's assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah with US-made bunker-busting bombs came as the result of a critical intelligence breach amid decades of infiltration of Iranian and Lebanese militant command structures, it is claimed.
Nasrallah died in the attack, that saw Israeli F-15I fighter jets drop dozens of munitions on the Hezbollah HQ in Beirut - a rapid succession of strikes dubbed 'Operation New Order' that eliminated half of Hezbollah's leadership council and decimated its top military command.
Expert analysts said the F-15s delivered 2000lb Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) that are designed to penetrate deep into their targets before exploding, allowing Israel's air force to eliminate Nasrallah even as he hid in an underground bunker some 60 feet beneath Beirut's Dahiyeh suburb.
One security source told Reuters that Israel had spent 20 years focusing intelligence efforts on Hezbollah so it could hit Nasrallah when it wanted, adding that the quality of the information Israeli military chiefs had received was 'brilliant'.
Meanwhile, another source told the French press that Nasrallah's arrival at Hezbollah HQ was leaked to the IDF by an Iranian mole.
An F-15I fighter jet of the IAF's 69th Squadron takes off from the Hatzerim Airbase in southern Israel to carry out a strike in Beirut against Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, September 27, 2024
Security-conscious Nasrallah had long avoided public appearances for fear of assassination, remaining largely hidden from view since Israel and Hezbollah fought a month-long war in 2006.
His movements were heavily restricted and only known to a select few members of his trusted military commanders, while the circle of people he saw in person was very small, according to a source familiar with Nasrallah's security arrangements.
The Israeli attack came barely a week after the deadly detonation of thousands of booby-trapped Hezbollah pagers and hundreds of radios which killed dozens of Hezbollah terrorists and left thousands injured.
Since the September 17 pager blasts that injured thousands of his terrorists, the Hezbollah chief had become even more vigilant.
Nasrallah chose to skip the funeral of one of his trusted commanders and began releasing pre-recorded speeches rather than going live on air.
But no amount of security precautions would have prevented Israel's air force from wiping their adversary out in his own backyard after IDF chiefs received 'real-time intelligence that Nasrallah was gathering with many senior terrorists', Israeli military spokesman Nadav Shoshani said.
Several security sources in Lebanon declared Nasrallah's assassination meant Israel must have successfully penetrated the upper echelons of Hezbollah's command structure with covert operatives and informants that were able to leak details of his movements to the IDF.
Military historian and analyst Michel Goya posited that the pager and radio attack was an instrumental step in the hunt for Nasrallah.
By crippling the group's means of secure communication, several members of Hezbollah's leadership were 'forced to meet in person' in the group's headquarters, he said - something that security concerns would typically never permit.
But once the senior members were confirmed to be in the same location, someone had to alert the Israeli military so Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could authorise the strike.
'This is a massive blow and intelligence failure for Hezbollah,' Magnus Ranstorp, a veteran Hezbollah expert at the Swedish Defence University.
'They knew that he was meeting. He was meeting with other commanders. And they just went for him.'
A Lebanese security source informed Le Parisien that an Iranian mole was responsible for leaking the information to Israel.
'Israel clearly infiltrated Hezbollah at highly sensitive and consequential levels, killing senior command networks with airstrikes, paralysing its communication and coordination capacity, and grinding the organisation down, denying it time to recover and regroup thus far,' RUSI's Senior Research Fellow for Middle East Security, Dr Burcu Ozcelik said.
'This has been the culmination of years of complex, synchronised intelligence-gathering in the Israeli security establishment since before 2006.'
Israel's Air Force released images of the F-15I jets used to carry out the strike on Nasrallah
Upon Netanyahu's order, a flight of F-15I fighter jets from the 69th Squadron of the IAF took off from the Hatzerim Airbase in southern Israel and headed for Beirut
Rescuers pulled out bodies from the rubble with winches, such was the depth of the craters
Smoke rises from the surrounding buildings following the strike on the Dahiyeh area in Beirut
Upon Netanyahu's order, a flight of F-15I fighter jets from the 69th Squadron of the IAF took off from the Hatzerim Airbase in southern Israel, completing the cross-country flight in a matter of minutes before soaring over the Lebanese border and bearing down on Beirut.
Images and videos of their take-off released by the IAF enabled military aviation experts to determine the kinds of munitions that were able to successfully target Nasrallah in his underground HQ.
The F-15s appeared to deploy devastating 2000lb US-made 'bunker buster' munitions - the GBU-31(V)3/B JDAM - which are designed to penetrate deep into hardened targets before detonating their high explosives for maximum effect.
The precision-guided bombs find their target with pinpoint accuracy, while the sheer weight of the weapon, reinforced with a thick steel casing, sees it smash through layers of earth and concrete.
Once inside, the delayed fuse triggers the explosion, leaving its helpless targets with no escape.
Brigadier General Amichai Levin, commander of Israel's Hatzerim Airbase, said that all the bombs hit the target in a matter of seconds, and shocking videos and images from the blast site served as a testament to the fearsome power of the JDAMS.
The munitions destroyed three of four buildings that were located above the Hezbollah HQ in Dahiyeh and left enormous craters in the reddish-brown earth.
'Dozens of munitions hit the target within seconds with very high precision, and this is part of what is required to hit underground sites at this depth,' Levin declared.
Twisted metal rods were seen poking out of the remnants of reinforced concrete structures as rescuers pulled out bodies from the rubble with winches, such was the depth of the craters.
Nasrallah's body was reportedly recovered intact this weekend, suggesting that he may have died from the sheer force of the blasts, or suffocated after being trapped underground.
The Israeli Lieutenant Colonel who commands the 69th Squadron, known only as 'Mem', gave few details other than to declare the strike on Nasrallah proceeded 'smoothly'.
'We went to strike in the heart of Beirut, in the Dahiyeh. We knew who we wanted to target,' he said.
But IDF chief Herzi Halevi told the Jerusalem Post that the strike had been a long time in the making, suggesting the air force was waiting for final confirmation of Nasrallah's whereabouts before the attack.
'This strike had been planned for a long time and was executed at the right time, with precision,' Halevi said.
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