Vanir Ausf B

It's all pretty vague, as you would expect.
_____
These key Iranian officials did not know the attack was coming, according to the intelligence. The United States, Israel and key regional allies have not found evidence that Iran directly helped plan the attack, according to the U.S. officials and another official in the Middle East.
While they would not identify the Iranian officials who expressed surprise at the attack, the U.S. officials said they were people who typically would be aware of operations involving the Quds Force, Iran's paramilitary arm that supports and works with proxy forces.
U.S. officials said the intelligence investigation was continuing and could turn up evidence that Iran or other states were directly involved in the Hamas operation. Senior officials said they were keeping an open mind, reviewing old intelligence reports and looking for new information.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/11/us/politics/iran-israel-gaza-hamas-us-intelligence.html
Early Intelligence Shows Hamas Attack Surprised Iranian Leaders, U.S. Says
That is interesting. That kind of goes against "Iran is behind it all" people seem to be taking for granted.

The offensive isn't over so it's too early to judge. Having said that, the most fair bar to measure against is the one the Ukrainians are holding themselves to:
The general (Tarnavsky) conceded that for the counteroffensive to be a success, Ukrainian forces need to at least reach the city of Tokmak.
“Tokmak is the minimum goal,” he said. “The overall objective is to get to our state borders.”
https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/23/europe/ukraine-biggest-counteroffensive-to-come-intl-hnk/index.html

The offensive isn't over so it's too early to judge. Having said that, the most fair bar to measure against is the one the Ukrainians are holding themselves to:
The general (Tarnavsky) conceded that for the counteroffensive to be a success, Ukrainian forces need to at least reach the city of Tokmak.
“Tokmak is the minimum goal,” he said. “The overall objective is to get to our state borders.”
https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/23/europe/ukraine-biggest-counteroffensive-to-come-intl-hnk/index.html

The offensive isn't over so it's too early to judge. Having said that, the most fair bar to measure against is the one the Ukrainians are holding themselves to:
The general (Tarnavsky) conceded that for the counteroffensive to be a success, Ukrainian forces need to at least reach the city of Tokmak.
“Tokmak is the minimum goal,” he said. “The overall objective is to get to our state borders.”
https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/23/europe/ukraine-biggest-counteroffensive-to-come-intl-hnk/index.html

The offensive isn't over so it's too early to judge. Having said that, the most fair bar to measure against is the one the Ukrainians are holding themselves to:
The general (Tarnavsky) conceded that for the counteroffensive to be a success, Ukrainian forces need to at least reach the city of Tokmak.
“Tokmak is the minimum goal,” he said. “The overall objective is to get to our state borders.”
https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/23/europe/ukraine-biggest-counteroffensive-to-come-intl-hnk/index.html

Avdiivka after next strike. Reportedly the city in fire and smoke, Russians try to hit all mulistorey buildings in the city
Both UKR and RUS point out unprecedented level of artillery and MLRS strikes, a wall of fire, not seen since summer 2022. Russian milblogegrs with triumph shouting "Here where all our shells! Likely they were gathered here from all front sectors!" 
UKR soldiers told about just enormous number of Russian infantry, that's imagimation allegedly almost  all reservers were thrown here. I even think maybe Russian offensive on Kupiansk and Lyman direction are bogus actions and real heavy strike Russians made on Avdiivka direction
UKR sources refuted Russian claims that they captured Berdychi village and claimed we repelled five heavy attcks. Reportedly only for this day Russians lost 10 tanks. About hour ago was a claim about Russian jet was shot down, but no confirmation. Russian aviation today acted with completely impunity - alas, it's usual thing for Avdiivka direction.  
Backbone of Avdiivka defense is 110th mech.brigade and 129th TDF brigade of Kryvyi Rih city  - they are on northern flank and the city itself; and 53rd mech.brigade on southern flank. Also one separate rifle battalion, 501st marines battalion of 36th marines brigade and mobile groups of "Omega" National Gurd special force brigade and groups of 3rd SOF regiment. Against them - multiple number of mobiks motor-rifle regiments and DPR units. 

https://www.defensenews.com/land/2023/10/09/uncertain-fate-for-active-protection-on-armys-combat-vehicles/
The interesting part is halfway down, WRT Iron Fist:
 

A good rundown on changes the US Army is making because of lessons learned in Ukraine.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/change-plans-us-army-embraces-110000928.html
Upgraded artillery. Willing to buy from outside the US. A lighter Abrams tank with a smaller logistical footprint. Top attack protection must be increased. Tactical operations centers must get smaller, both in size and in electromagnetic signature. Remote logistics (tech support, really). Lots of SHORAD  

Rail lines are easily and quickly repaired. It's an inefficient use of finite resources to hit an empty line just to put it out of order for a few hours.
The stuff traveling on those rail lines absolutely should be hit as often as possible, but we're talking about targets that are not static and are tens of kilometers behind enemy lines. ISR is spotty at best at those distances.

Tokmak probably isn't really closed for Russian logistics. If it were that simple it would have been done months ago, as you alluded to. One of the most pervasive myths in this war is that you can "close" a supply route with indirect fires. That's not how it works. Russian and Ukrainian forces are separated by only a few kilometers in most places yet those forces are resupplied. There is attrition, yes, but plenty gets through.

A good rundown on changes the US Army is making because of lessons learned in Ukraine.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/change-plans-us-army-embraces-110000928.html
Upgraded artillery. Willing to buy from outside the US. A lighter Abrams tank with a smaller logistical footprint. Top attack protection must be increased. Tactical operations centers must get smaller, both in size and in electromagnetic signature. Remote logistics (tech support, really). Lots of SHORAD  

Tokmak probably isn't really closed for Russian logistics. If it were that simple it would have been done months ago, as you alluded to. One of the most pervasive myths in this war is that you can "close" a supply route with indirect fires. That's not how it works. Russian and Ukrainian forces are separated by only a few kilometers in most places yet those forces are resupplied. There is attrition, yes, but plenty gets through.

Tokmak probably isn't really closed for Russian logistics. If it were that simple it would have been done months ago, as you alluded to. One of the most pervasive myths in this war is that you can "close" a supply route with indirect fires. That's not how it works. Russian and Ukrainian forces are separated by only a few kilometers in most places yet those forces are resupplied. There is attrition, yes, but plenty gets through.

Tokmak probably isn't really closed for Russian logistics. If it were that simple it would have been done months ago, as you alluded to. One of the most pervasive myths in this war is that you can "close" a supply route with indirect fires. That's not how it works. Russian and Ukrainian forces are separated by only a few kilometers in most places yet those forces are resupplied. There is attrition, yes, but plenty gets through.

Specialists in military aviation will invariably say that cutting rails via bombardment is wasteful. They are repaired too quickly and too cheaply to bother. And if you are so accurate that you can destroy a rail in front of a train, then you probably can hit a locomotive directly.
The only static railway targets worth taking down are apparently bridges.

Tokmak probably isn't really closed for Russian logistics. If it were that simple it would have been done months ago, as you alluded to. One of the most pervasive myths in this war is that you can "close" a supply route with indirect fires. That's not how it works. Russian and Ukrainian forces are separated by only a few kilometers in most places yet those forces are resupplied. There is attrition, yes, but plenty gets through.

I love how like 70 % of what US recently makes is called Join Precision X. I want Joint Precision Fries with my Joint Precision Burger, thanks.

Does it?
Iran has always backed anti-Israel militants, it's like an open secret at this point. And Israel has always mounted clandestine operations to reduce the support for terrorist organisations or the progress of Iranian weapons programs.
There will be no conventional war between these countries because they have no shared border and neither of them has the means to mount a naval invasion of the other. 
The point in time to deal with Iran, weaken BRICS and generally do something good was when the anti-theocratic protests were at their peak in Iran last year. Fund and arm the population, break the Mullah regime. But the West has a) for better or worse lost its Machiavellian ways and b) after Syria no one really wants to dip their foot into pro-democratic rebellions in the Middle East anymore. And Israel alone does not have the means.

My prediction, for what it's worth:
Israel will kick out Hamas and drop lots of bombs, maybe do an incursion into Gaza, then a memorial will be held for the victims and then things will quiet down and we'll be back at the usual situation of endless tensions and occasional rumblings. Down the line, a hostage exchange. I don't see this conflict really escalating.

Please, guys, it's bad enough this thread has been dallying with conspiracy theories about how Russia invaded Ukraine because of Canada or something. I don't think it illuminates much about what's happening in Ukraine right now to theorize about how a conflict happening thousands of kilometers away - one which has been happening for decades longer than either Russia or Ukraine existed in their current incarnations - is actually all masterminded by Putin in order to... elect Trump?! I love political thrillers and spy stories too, but sometimes stuff around the world just happens, it doesn't all need to be connected to a sinister grand plan. For sure everything that happens everywhere in the world is connected in some way or another because that's the nature of human civilization, but that's a less interesting insight than I hope for given the expertise of people on this thread.

Evil Axis became more strong
Dramatic Increase in DPRK-Russia Border Rail Traffic After Kim-Putin Summit
https://beyondparallel.csis.org/dramatic-increase-in-dprk-russia-border-rail-traffic-after-kim-putin-summit/
 
Developments elsewhere at the Tumangang Rail Facility indicate that North Korea is not simply planning to resume border traffic to pre-Covid-19 levels, but further expand the facility’s capacity at this border crossing.   Military transfers between the two countries would violate multiple UN Security Council resolutions and be subject to additional sanctions by the United States and its allies.   In the aftermath of the Kim-Putin summit, satellite images as of October 5, 2023, captured a dramatic and unprecedented level of freight railcar traffic at North Korea’s Tumangang Rail Facility located on the North Korea-Russia border. In light of a U.S. government official’s statement yesterday that North Korea has begun transferring artillery to Russia, it is probable that these shipments are to support Russia in its war with Ukraine.1 

Somber post about the daunting task still facing Ukrainian forces: