The Wire - February 2, 2024

//The Wire//2300Z February 2, 2024////ROUTINE////BLUF: U.S. BEGINS RETALIATORY STRIKES IN SYRIA// -----BEGIN TEARLINE------International Events-Europe: Farmer protests continue to cause widespread disruptions throughout much of mainland western Europe. Major roads remain blocked surrounding government buildings in Brussels, Paris, and Arnhem as demonstrations become more organized and widespread. International border crossings between many European nations have also been blockaded by demonstrators as a result of climate agenda trade policies. Last night, mass farmer protests began in earnest in Ireland, contributing to the millions of people demonstrating against the climate agenda throughout Europe.Middle East: American forces have begun retaliatory strikes against Iranian proxy forces in Syria. So far, bombings have been reported near Deir ez-Zor and al-Mayadeen, and limited strikes have been reported in Abu Kamal. CENTCOM has confirmed that 85 targets were struck throughout Syria.-HomeFront-NY: A construction worker was killed when a basement collapsed during a construction project in Brooklyn. No further information at this time.TX: Border posture continues as before, with TXNG continuing to improve obstacles along the border. Florida has authorized the deployment of FLNG resources to assist with border fortifications, along with Florida State Guard (FLSG) forces, which are being deployed for the first time. Roughly 1,000 FLSG troops are being deployed to Texas.-----END TEARLINE-----Analyst Comments: The value of citizen-monitored ADS-B receivers has been demonstrated by the latest strikes against Iranian targets in Syria. Even though operational prudence would obviously result in bomber aircraft turning off transponders, this did not happen. The electronic signatures presented by dozens of military aircraft in the lead up to this attack was obvious to anyone who bothered to open up a flight tracking app. Additionally, press releases from defense officials confirmed that bombers were in the air, and on the way to their targets in Syria. Ordinarily, openly giving an adversary this much intelligence would be utter madness, but this was almost certainly done to provide Iran as much warning as possible (to avoid retaliation). The side benefit for taxpayers is that this allows the real-time monitoring of real-world operations.Analyst: S2A1//END REPORT//