Kochavi: Direct conflict with Iran is improbable. Still, he warned of increased fire power against civilian areas

In a wide-ranging lecture on Wednesday, Dec. 25, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi said: “Although a direct conflict with Iran is unlikely, we are prepared without encouraging it.” Calling Iran Israel’s immediate enemy, the general said, “We must continue our efforts to remove Iranian weaponry from Syria, although we would have preferred not to conduct this effort on our own.”

Speaking at an event in Tel Aviv, Kochavi commented that when technology is readily available to extremists and bitter enemies, they don’t need the support of a large military industry or a superpower for jamming GPS systems or cyberwarfare. Missiles are easily adapted to precision guidance and “we [Israel and the IDF] are engaged in a huge effort to prevent our enemies from acquiring this capability, even if at times, we reach the brink of direct conflict.”

Iran continues to manufacture precise missiles that can reach Israel in their hundreds. The IDF chief advised the country to prepare “mentally” for a much greater assault on civilian areas than faced in the past. In a message to the population, Kochavi said: “Israel is a phenomenal success and the armed forces’ primary mission is to assure the country of security and defense,” in their broadest sense, namely, “a high measure of safety, stability and the absence of wars.” He cited “our ultimate goal” as being “to instill in our enemies the feeling of despair and self-doubt in their ability to achieve their aggressive aims.”

The military chief stressed: “Weapons are flowing freely from Iraq and we can’t let this happen unopposed,” he said. “All the hostile fronts ranged against us have become active in recent months – each escalating at least twice to war alert levels. Al Qods and Hizballah forces operate in Syria and Iran has shot its tentacles into the Gaza Strip. In these circumstances secret Israeli ongoing operations aimed at preventing Shiite militia entrenchment in Syria and the threat from precise missiles are of paramount importance and will persist.”

Referring to the years’ long Palestinian terrorist threat from Gaza, Kochavi stressed that every effort will be made to imbue in the targeted Israeli population a sense of security – but, he said, that sense must depend on achieving real security. “Hamas is finally focusing on caring for the enclave’s population and is anxious to avoid escalating tension, said the military chief. “The last rash of rocket attacks were the work of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, whose leader Baha Abu al-Ata is now dead. [He was killed on Nov. 12 in an IDF targeted assassination.] Since Hamas has regained control of the Gaza Strip, backed by Egypt, Israel can afford to lift some of the restrictions imposed [on a territory dedicated to terrorism], while placing the security of Israelis along the border at the top of its scale of priorities. “This is government policy and I support it fully. I believe it can bring calm to the area” Kochavi said.

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68 thoughts on “Kochavi: Direct conflict with Iran is improbable. Still, he warned of increased fire power against civilian areas

  • Dec 25, 2019 @ 13:40 at 13:40
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    When the IDF attacks an Iranian Air Force HQ, it has attacked Iran directly. This is true of all forward deployed Iranian forces or military materiel. The war is engaged, now Israel must win it.

    • Dec 25, 2019 @ 15:27 at 15:27
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      @Written… More like “Warnings” than “War”! It used to be Airplanes, Car, Bus, Train Bombs, Killing Hostages to deal with Protecting Citizens. Now Missiles causing Terror & Death. Why Targeting Generals Own Operational Planning & Caponization of Victories has to shown as Feeble & Vulnerable & Retribution to the Heart of Tehran Regimes own Homes if Escalation Means No one is safe anymore so it is better to not do such Acts they will Regret?

    • Dec 25, 2019 @ 18:08 at 18:08
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      This article says israel Think gaza strip will never fire a single rocket into israel? Well dude you are wrong. Even if iran don’t pay them to kill jews, Turkey and Qatar will do, as they did it until now (and debka blame Iran or some stuped Palestinian for it)

    • Dec 25, 2019 @ 20:00 at 20:00
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      This time with no half measures.

  • Dec 25, 2019 @ 13:47 at 13:47
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    Shalom Israel, keep safe.

    • Dec 25, 2019 @ 16:04 at 16:04
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      Hearing Hamas making Economic Gazan’s Haven over Iran’s JIP Terror may not be the best of all possible Worlds, but if Israel will try, Palestinians can finally make it the Best of all possible Compromises.

  • Dec 25, 2019 @ 14:17 at 14:17
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    I for one I think the Iran is a wrong-doing, savage, and super aggressive state, and the Israelis are by way of consequence forced to preempt and defend themselves.

    • Dec 25, 2019 @ 14:41 at 14:41
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      I would only “restate” that I believe the Persian people to be a good lot of human beings, . . . but that said, . . . the top leadership of Iran is indeed a bunch of sadistic, savage, morons. When they are dead, . . . and only then, . . . with the Persian people be allowed to be the free and fun loving nation they were before being taken over some 40 years ago by religious imbeciles.

      • Dec 26, 2019 @ 2:03 at 2:03
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        @dwight55, agreed with you. That’s why taking out the regime is the best option. I think 2020 will be the year that Iran either becomes a normal nation or the Mullahs won’t be in control. Let’s wait and see.

    • Dec 25, 2019 @ 16:12 at 16:12
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      The Iranian Shiia Regimes thinks they will prevail if they Bide by Time. This is what the USSR Politburo once thought, until the People rose up eroding and dissolving their Power. The Hand of Missiles is Slower than Discontented Persians Hearts. Iran using Iraq & Syria are Labor of Losses more than any Successes.

  • Dec 25, 2019 @ 14:44 at 14:44
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    The Iranians have totally miscalculated their efforts against Israel. Ultimately tehran will pay a heavy burdon.

    • Dec 25, 2019 @ 17:24 at 17:24
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      And gleanings shall be left in it like the cutting of an olive tree, two or three berries at the end of the uppermost bough…

      ; because I planted you with pleasant saplings, and with the branch of a stranger you sow it.

  • Dec 25, 2019 @ 15:08 at 15:08
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    Israel’s unique situation has been caused by Israel and the aggressive attackes against the neighboring countries who are not attacking Israel is a problem. Yes any military installation is a threat but if the Israeli logic was carried though to its logical end by other countries in the region Israel would never know peace. I do hope that sensible minds intervene soon as Iran, Syria and others that are been attacked have every reason and right to respond.
    Its important to remember that in Israel there is no such thing as a civilian due to the entire population been tainted by their service to the IDF and the State. Zionism has not proven itself to be peacefull and is as radical as any other religion in the region. So i hope that the ICC will be able to act as a check on this type of warmongering talk as put forward by the IDF Chief of Staff. Countries must be free and sovereign within their own borders and when they attack others then international law must be enforced. That protects all sides, so may Israel change her ways or be forced to even if that means she is swept away.

    • Dec 25, 2019 @ 15:15 at 15:15
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      I HOPE YOU HAD A GOOD PRAY TO THE JEWISH GOD WE GAVE YOU CHRISTBOY. IT WAS ALL PART OF OUR NEVERENDING CONSPIRACY AND THE DOLT THAT YOU ARE FELL FOR IT.

      • Dec 25, 2019 @ 15:24 at 15:24
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        Jim, take it easy, I’m a Muslim propagandist, and we only believe Christ was a prophet and not the Son of God, which you people rejected anyway.

      • Dec 25, 2019 @ 18:07 at 18:07
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        Jim Carrol,
        Look at how Tommy (or whatever its real name is) hatred and jealousy of Jews consumes him to the point that he cannot help himself, and burns up his own free time continuously typing large volumes of garbage on a Debka, just to elicit responses. He is powerless to do anything else besides this, all he can do is type and post.

        Well, to most normal people, time is money. The stock market is at an all time high, and I spend the bulk of my free time making investments. And I’ve done quite well.

    • Dec 25, 2019 @ 15:18 at 15:18
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      Correction : It was very stupid and silly of me to even suggest that Israel might be “swept away”.

      Come to think of it, not only this comment, but all the rest of them by me are rather silly and stupid…oh well.

      • Dec 25, 2019 @ 15:56 at 15:56
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        YES TOMMY, ALL OF YOUR COMMENTS ARE FROM A BRAIN-DEAD BIGOT. GLAD YOU CAME CLEAN!

    • Dec 25, 2019 @ 17:34 at 17:34
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      ToMMY

      The canni_bal ca_bal did it to Greater Britain, also, after the fall of the Kha-ganate. Ar-ms and merc-enaries, the H-un, the Cru-sader, pira-cy, Bolsh-evism, USA geno-cide inc. slav-ery, prost-itution por-nography, the Shoah, it’s all them.

  • Dec 25, 2019 @ 15:23 at 15:23
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    Tommy misses those Jew’s in his Nations ghettos. He does not understand that Jews were warriors thousands of years ago.

    • Dec 25, 2019 @ 15:44 at 15:44
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      Lol, warriors hmm, yes the Stern Gang is your idea of a brave warrior. You are successful because of Western Nations pity for you, nothing more. Remove American aid, intelligence, diplomatic cover, technology and you will quickly cease to be. Look at your history and the smackdown that you received from any major power, remember the Jewish Revolt lol, one litte example as i said you are nothing special and have never been.

      You have made a huge contribution via the Egyptian writtings in the form of the Kabbalah. Other than that and the Rubin sandwich there is nothing special about Israel except its hypocrisy and injustice which is what i have a issue with. If you had chosen some uninhabited Island or other area i would not care. Sadly you chose to colonize a inhabited country and then commit countless injustices.

      • Dec 25, 2019 @ 15:58 at 15:58
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        STILL SMARTING OVER ALL OF THE AZZ-KICKING WE HAVE GIVEN YOUR BRETHREN OVER THE YEARS, LOSER?

      • Dec 26, 2019 @ 14:31 at 14:31
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        harumph

    • Dec 25, 2019 @ 15:59 at 15:59
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      Going and killing unarmed civilian does not make the Jews warrior but war criminals and they are being investigated by ICC. The Israeli war criminals should be worried because they could get arrested overseas if the ruling gets approved and they will no be able to bomb them under the pretext of defending Israel.

    • Dec 25, 2019 @ 17:10 at 17:10
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      Is that similar to the open air ghettos that you have put the Palestinians in and built a wall around? Sounds like the European ghettos were just a Jewish part of the city vs what you have done to the Palestinians. With behavior like this from the Ashkenazi who can blame the European people from wanting to live separately from you.

      • Dec 25, 2019 @ 17:20 at 17:20
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        SAMANTHA WHORRE GO PRAY TO YOUR JEWISH GOD AND SERVICE THE CHRISTIAN DONKEYS ON THIS HOLY DAY AND TAKE YOUR HARLOT PRESENCE AWAY FROM THE GREAT JEWISH PEOPLE.

        • Dec 25, 2019 @ 17:53 at 17:53
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          Sure Jim, just let me know how to identify Great Jews? Ive never seen or heard of one before. Gideon Levy is a good man and standing up for what is decent and right makes him a great man in my eyes, but i doubt that is what you mean.

          • Dec 25, 2019 @ 19:05 at 19:05
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            SAMANTHA WHORRE, DOESNT MATTER WHETHER YOU LIKE HIM OR NOT AS LONG AS HE LEAVES SONE CA$H ON THE WAY OUT THE DOOR. NOW SCRAM AND GO PRAY TO THE JEWISH GOD WE GAVE YOU WHILE WE LAUGH.

      • Dec 26, 2019 @ 2:39 at 2:39
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        shill.

  • Dec 25, 2019 @ 15:27 at 15:27
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    Who you kidding Yaacov…I don’t understand sh*t.

  • Dec 25, 2019 @ 15:55 at 15:55
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    Don’t pay any attention to me…I’m just a babbling propagandist for Islam and an Arabist.

    PS : I secretly hope the injustices continue, because your enemies are even lower than you are.

    • Dec 25, 2019 @ 16:53 at 16:53
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      ?Tommy?

      • Dec 25, 2019 @ 16:56 at 16:56
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        ?Tommy?❤ Tommy ❤

    • Dec 25, 2019 @ 17:19 at 17:19
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      That is really nice to see and just shows that we should not take everything that the media tells us about Iran as the truth. All these stories of Iranian persecution of Jews and Christians are just nonsense. Iran still has the largest number of Jews in the Middle East outside of Israel. Jewish Ultra Orthodox Jews from America visit them. I had no idea that there were so many Christians as well.

      • Dec 26, 2019 @ 2:44 at 2:44
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        Little myopic bird brain Jackie Rubin with no idea of the big picture and so she generalises from Iran to the rest of the world. God save us from these ignoramuses. Since you know so little Jackie maybe this hour long interview of someone who knows not only written history but made some himself, might fill a tiny tiny little gap in your addled brain.
        https://www.infowars.com/watch/?video=5e014e7a1e2e2900167644b5

    • Dec 25, 2019 @ 17:35 at 17:35
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      We spent a few weeks in Tehran a few years ago and had a lovely time. The people were very friendly and it was not anything like the media makes Iran out to be. So I’m not surprised at all to see videos like this. I wonder how much longer before even little videos like this get removed from YouTube, they undermine the narrative that is been pushed about Iran. Next year we headed to the Philippines and I’m sure that’s going to be a lot of fun as well.

      • Dec 25, 2019 @ 19:06 at 19:06
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        TREVOR MORON, NO ONE HATES THE PEOPLE OF IRAN. IT IS THE SATANIC MULLAHS OF IRAN THAT ARE THE ENEMY.

    • Dec 25, 2019 @ 21:50 at 21:50
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      Thats definitely several steps up from Saudi. Its so odd that we can be friends with such a repulsive regime and not find a way to get on with Iran.

      • Dec 26, 2019 @ 2:49 at 2:49
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        Can you not see the obvious? Iran does not want to be friends with Israel. Time to lose your dangerous unrealistic PC idealism.

  • Dec 25, 2019 @ 17:33 at 17:33
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    ToMMY

    The canni_bal ca_bal did it to Greater Britain, also, after the fall of the Kha-ganate. Ar-ms and merc-enaries, the H-un, the Cru-sader, pira-cy, Bolsh-evism, USA geno-cide inc. slav-ery, prost-itution por-nography, the Shoah, it’s all them.

      • Dec 26, 2019 @ 14:53 at 14:53
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        Go to a bookstore today and look in contemporary Rosh HaShanah machzor and you’ll very likely see that the name Yeshua is gone from the prayer.

        Apparently it has been deleted from a traditional Jewish siddur after having been included for many centuries without anyone having a problem with it.

  • Dec 25, 2019 @ 17:48 at 17:48
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    Desit from religious bigotry,para-nomal realm stops at mere beliefs, nothing logical or reasonable even explainable.

  • Dec 25, 2019 @ 18:04 at 18:04
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    What a f*ckin’ crackpot I am…oh well

  • Dec 25, 2019 @ 19:38 at 19:38
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    By now the ayatollahs are defecating into their skirts – with impotent rage against the Israeli air-force…

  • Dec 25, 2019 @ 19:39 at 19:39
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    Are you saying@samatha that Palestinians are innocent people who have no blood in their hands?… you’re laying to yourself…… Palestinians are Killers, the wall was built to keep their Cafe and bus suicide bombers at bay.
    They mudered innocent athletes in Munich, they kidnapped innocent travelers to entebbe,
    They slaughtered Yong children in kindergarten,

    • Dec 25, 2019 @ 20:15 at 20:15
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      The Palestinians are the victims here, and under international law have the right to use any method available to achieve this. The Ashkenazi came from Europe and took there land via ethnic cleansing. The Palestinians have been condemned to live in little more than open air ghettos surrounded by violent racists. The Palestinians have the legal right ti fight back, tour people need to withdraw from all occupied areas, its as simple as that. Until you do good hunting to the Palestinians, a horrible thing to say but that us the legal situation and why you do not want the ICC involved. Your settlers are the cancer that needs to be removed for the wound to heal.
      https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-the-flourishing-of-the-jewish-kkk-1.6781988

      • Dec 26, 2019 @ 2:51 at 2:51
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        @Samantha = indoctrinated anti-Israeli racist.

      • Dec 26, 2019 @ 8:16 at 8:16
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        YOU ARE RIGHT.. I WAS STUPID AND BLINDED NOW I KNOW THE TRUTH.
        THANK YOU FOR MAKING ME UNDERSTAND.

  • Dec 25, 2019 @ 22:22 at 22:22
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    Tommy and Jim and Samantha et al take a rest. Hatred destroys the hater. Love restores the soul.

  • Dec 25, 2019 @ 22:54 at 22:54
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    Instead of bombing in Iraq, the IAF should directly bomb Tehran. Thats the source which cause all misery.

  • Dec 26, 2019 @ 8:14 at 8:14
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    I AM A PROUD C*NT

  • Dec 26, 2019 @ 8:18 at 8:18
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    F*CK ISRAEL.. F*CK JEWISH PEOPLE.

    • Dec 26, 2019 @ 21:06 at 21:06
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      This Jim creature is an extreme mental case – but even q sicko has the right for verbal ejaculations on this miserable site…

      • Dec 26, 2019 @ 21:40 at 21:40
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        Jim would not have posted that, though it is in the all caps style that he made his own. Lots of nasty weather hitting Israel so internet is probably down in some area’s areas or he may just not had a chance to correct your view in Jims own special way.

      • Dec 27, 2019 @ 3:34 at 3:34
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        YOU ARE AN EXTREME IDIOT AND A POOR EXCUSE FOR AN ISRAELI. CANT YOU SEE I AM A PROUD JEW AND WOULDNT POST ANY OF THE ABOVE NONSENSE?

  • Dec 26, 2019 @ 13:19 at 13:19
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    North Korea, Iran, China, Russia, Syria, Pakistan, Vietnam, Cuba, Venezuela, Turkey

    • Dec 26, 2019 @ 22:07 at 22:07
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      The exercise of liberty means that you have to think for yourself, and the natural inertia of mankind wants religion and ethics ready-made. However ridiculous or shameful a theory or practice is, most would rather comply than examine it. Something to consider while you put up lists of “evil nations” who are not complying with the dictates of your masters, but choosing to independence of thought.

      Is it not funny how something as basic as maintaining an independent foreign policy makes you “Evil”, whilst counties who use “bone saws” to dismember dissidents who just happen to be still alive are not just our “friends” but our ALLIES?

    • Dec 26, 2019 @ 16:32 at 16:32
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      Bibi will do anything to keep power and stay out of prison, the shmuck is poison and just needs to go.

  • Dec 26, 2019 @ 17:07 at 17:07
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    Very interesting article. 2010-2019 The Decade the Bible Replaced International Law in Deciding Palestinians’ Fate
    As multiple legal efforts bear fruit, 2020 could be the year that international law supplants the nationalist and religious policies of Netanyahu and Trump in determining the outcome of the conflict
    https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2010-2019-decade-in-review/.premium-in-the-2010s-the-bible-replaced-international-law-in-deciding-palestinians-fate-1.8317590

  • Dec 26, 2019 @ 17:37 at 17:37
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    God Bless you Tommy. Keep frustarting these zionist pigs.

    • Dec 26, 2019 @ 17:52 at 17:52
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      they have no peace plan so let the shia missiles detroy them sooner or later. 10 years or 1000 years no difference at ALL.

    • Dec 27, 2019 @ 3:36 at 3:36
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      THEN WE WILL HAVE TO FRUSTRATE THAT HARLOT YOU CALL MOTHER WHOSE EARNINGS YOU LIVE OFF OF.

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