//The Wire//2130Z October 11, 2024//

//ROUTINE//

//BLUF: ISRAELI TARGETING OF UNITED NATIONS POSITIONS IN LEBANON DRAWS INTERNATIONAL CONCERN. KNOXVILLE EXPLOSIVE SITUATION STILL POSES THREAT TO LOCALS.//

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-International Events-

Middle East: Tensions are escalating between Israel and the United Nations following Israeli attacks on United Nations Peacekeeping bases in Lebanon. Over the past few days, United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) troops have allegedly been engaged several times by Israeli forces. On Wednesday, United Nations personnel claimed that Israeli troops had shot their security cameras near their headquarters. Yesterday morning, Israeli armor engaged a guard tower at the headquarters of the UN peacekeeping mission in Naqoura. Two Indonesian soldiers were wounded in this attack. Two other UNIFIL locations were targeted by Israeli forces, wounding two Sri Lankan troops. These attacks included at least one base which is host to Irish peacekeeping troops. Consequently, Ireland has voiced concern regarding these incidents, and has stated that these attacks were not accidental, but rather deliberate targeting of UN troops.

On the other side of the wire, attacks on Israeli troops by Hezbollah have largely been random, or largely low-level skirmishes since Israeli troops crossed the Blue Line weeks ago.

-HomeFront-

Tennessee: The Knoxville incident involving explosives continues as local authorities continue to work the issue. A 3,000 foot evacuation zone remains in place, and emergency shelters have been opened up for locals living within the potential blast zone.

Florida: As of this morning roughly 2.4 million people remain without power in the wake of Hurricane Milton. Consequently, fuel shortages have been reported throughout the state.

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Analyst Comments: In Knoxville, the local police department has confirmed that a very large box containing dynamite was accidentally sent to the recycling facility where it was discovered. Recycling center workers discovered the dynamite after accidentally setting it on fire by using a cutting torch to open the box, thus the extreme danger presented to the public. Dynamite, being a rather unstable explosive compound under less-than-ideal storage conditions (such as a large box that was forgotten about), is generally considered to be slightly more unstable when it’s on fire. Depending on how large the box is, this could take some time to reach a conclusion, if the plan is to methodically dispose of each stick and hopefully not detonate in the meantime.

Analyst: S2A1

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