Latest news with #Israeli-led
The Journal
21 hours ago
- Politics
- The Journal
Israeli soldiers routinely ordered to fire on civilians waiting for humanitarian aid in Gaza
ISRAELI SOLDIERS IN Gaza have been ordered repeatedly to fire on unarmed civilians when they approach humanitarian aid distribution sites, according to reporting from the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. Aid sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a private entity the UN and NGOs have refused to deal with, have been the sites of regular massacres since the organisation began operating in the besieged Palestinian territory. Israeli forces have also killed people near UN aid distribution sites. Since 27 May, 549 people have been killed near aid sites in Gaza, according to the territory's health ministry. The United States approved $30m in funding for the GHF yesterday. Soldiers who recently returned from Gaza have told Haaretz that officers are regularly ordering them to fire live ammunition at crowds of people as a means of telling them not to approach the aid sites until they are open. Palestinians flock to the aid center set up by the US and Israeli-led Gaza Humanitarian Relief Foundation Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo This is despite the fact that the crowds of hungry people pose no threat to the troops. 'It's a killing field,' one soldier said. 'Where I was stationed, between one and five people were killed every day. They're treated like a hostile force – no crowd-control measures, no tear gas – just live fire with everything imaginable: heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, mortars. Then, once the centre opens, the shooting stops, and they know they can approach.' Our form of communication is gunfire. Another soldier said they often open fire on people who arrive early looking for food. Advertisement 'We open fire early in the morning if someone tries to get in line from a few hundred meters away, and sometimes we just charge at them from close range. But there's no danger to the forces.' I'm not aware of a single instance of return fire. There's no enemy, no weapons. One soldier said firing shells at civilians has become routine. 'You know it's not right. You feel it's not right – that the commanders here are taking the law into their own hands. But Gaza is a parallel universe. You move on quickly. The truth is, most people don't even stop to think about it.' Haaretz reported that Israel's Military Advocate General has ordered an investigation be carried out by the branch of the military that looks into suspected war crimes. One senior officer said that firing live ammunition at civilians 'goes against everything the army is supposed to stand for'. 'Why are people collecting food being killed just because they stepped out of line, or because some commander doesn't like that they're cutting in? 'Why have we reached a point where a teenager is willing to risk his life just to pull a sack of rice off a truck? And that's who we're firing artillery at?' While much of the world's attention was drawn to the recent conflict between Israel and Iran, the Israeli war against Gaza has fallen down the list of priorities in the arena of international affairs. 'Gaza doesn't interest anyone anymore,' said a reservist. 'It's become a place with its own set of rules. The loss of human life means nothing. It's not even an 'unfortunate incident,' like they used to say.' Need more information on what is happening in Israel and Palestine? Check out our FactCheck Knowledge Bank for essential reads and guides to navigating the news online. Visit Knowledge Bank Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Iraqi News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Iraqi News
Trump wants quick win in Iran, but goal remains elusive
Washington – President Donald Trump vowed that his order to bomb Iran would be a one-off and not the beginning of another prolonged US war in the Middle East. But with Trump musing about everything from 'unconditional surrender' to regime change, it remains to be seen if the US intervention will remain limited — or if Iran will let it be. Two days after the United States bombed Iran's key nuclear sites as part of an Israeli-led military campaign, Iran fired missiles at a major US base in Qatar that were shot down. Trump said that Iran gave advance notice of the missiles and offered thanks, apparently seeing a choreography to show that Iran can hit back without causing American casualties that would be sure to trigger another US strike. Iran acted similarly in 2020 when Trump ordered the killing of top general Qasem Soleimani, hitting back at a base in Iraq housing US troops without killing any — and tensions then subsided. But Israel's strikes on Iran starting on June 13 mark the biggest attack on the region's second most populous country since the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war, with the risks potentially existential for the Islamic Republic. Stacie Pettyjohn, director of the defense program at the Center for a New American Security, said that the US strike was 'incredibly successful' on a tactical level but 'it's not clear that it's actually achieved the operational or strategic objectives.' Iran is suspected to have moved highly enriched uranium stockpiles out of targeted sites. Iran also has plenty of other options to respond, including by threatening global oil prices through action in the oil-rich Gulf — which can range from closing the Strait of Hormuz to harassing ships with low-cost drones. 'The Middle East is a theater where US military success, hearkening back to the first Gulf War, has often proved to be rather ephemeral and led to long-term commitments in terms of US forces to maintain stability after that initial success,' she said. – Trump warms to interventionism – Trump campaigned by billing himself as anti-war and just last month delivered a speech in Riyadh in which he denounced 'nation-builders' who failed by 'intervening in complex societies that they did not even understand themselves.' But Trump, always in tune with television images, quickly backed Israel after the apparent success of initial strikes, even through Trump had publicly urged Netanyahu to hold off and give a chance for diplomacy. Since then, and despite criticism from some in his right-wing base who loathe US interventionism, Trump has dialed up the tone. He has taken to social media to urge Tehran's nearly 10 million people to evacuate, to demand 'unconditional surrender' by Iran even though he said the United States was not at war, and to speak of the benefits of regime change, refashioning his campaign slogan to say, 'Make Iran Great Again.' Netanyahu has also expanded goals well beyond nuclear sites, with Israel striking the gate of Evin prison, notorious for jailing political prisoners. Netanyahu has called on Iranians to rise up against Iran's theocratic government, which has long faced wide domestic opposition. Iran under the Shah, who was deposed in 1979, was an ally of the West and Israel. But some Iran watchers expect a nationalist backlash against US and Israeli strikes — and so long as the Islamic republic is in place, the next moves for Trump are murky. The United States and Israel may have pushed back the Iranian nuclear program but it is unclear if Tehran would accept a binding agreement, said Max Boot, a military historian at the Council on Foreign Relations who was an advocate for the 2003 Iraq invasion. If Iran does not, 'we're locked in this kind of perpetual war with Iran, where every time there's any detection of any advance in their nuclear program, then Israeli aircraft are going to wind up having to bomb again,' he said. 'I'm not sure that there has been a carefully thought-out end-game in here.'
Int'l Business Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Trump Wants Quick Win In Iran, But Goal Remains Elusive
President Donald Trump vowed that his order to bomb Iran would be a one-off and not the beginning of another prolonged US war in the Middle East. But with Trump musing about everything from "unconditional surrender" to regime change, it remains to be seen if the US intervention will remain limited -- or if Iran will let it be. Two days after the United States bombed Iran's key nuclear sites as part of an Israeli-led military campaign, Iran fired missiles at a major US base in Qatar that were shot down. Trump said that Iran gave advance notice of the missiles and offered thanks, apparently seeing a choreography to show that Iran can hit back without causing American casualties that would be sure to trigger another US strike. Iran acted similarly in 2020 when Trump ordered the killing of top general Qasem Soleimani, hitting back at a base in Iraq housing US troops without killing any -- and tensions then subsided. But Israel's strikes on Iran starting on June 13 mark the biggest attack on the region's second most populous country since the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war, with the risks potentially existential for the Islamic Republic. Stacie Pettyjohn, director of the defense program at the Center for a New American Security, said that the US strike was "incredibly successful" on a tactical level but "it's not clear that it's actually achieved the operational or strategic objectives." Iran is suspected to have moved highly enriched uranium stockpiles out of targeted sites. Iran also has plenty of other options to respond, including by threatening global oil prices through action in the oil-rich Gulf -- which can range from closing the Strait of Hormuz to harassing ships with low-cost drones. "The Middle East is a theater where US military success, hearkening back to the first Gulf War, has often proved to be rather ephemeral and led to long-term commitments in terms of US forces to maintain stability after that initial success," she said. Trump campaigned by billing himself as anti-war and just last month delivered a speech in Riyadh in which he denounced "nation-builders" who failed by "intervening in complex societies that they did not even understand themselves." But Trump, always in tune with television images, quickly backed Israel after the apparent success of initial strikes, even through Trump had publicly urged Netanyahu to hold off and give a chance for diplomacy. Since then, and despite criticism from some in his right-wing base who loathe US interventionism, Trump has dialed up the tone. He has taken to social media to urge Tehran's nearly 10 million people to evacuate, to demand "unconditional surrender" by Iran even though he said the United States was not at war, and to speak of the benefits of regime change, refashioning his campaign slogan to say, "Make Iran Great Again." Netanyahu has also expanded goals well beyond nuclear sites, with Israel striking the gate of Evin prison, notorious for jailing political prisoners. Netanyahu has called on Iranians to rise up against Iran's theocratic government, which has long faced wide domestic opposition. Iran under the Shah, who was deposed in 1979, was an ally of the West and Israel. But some Iran watchers expect a nationalist backlash against US and Israeli strikes -- and so long as the Islamic republic is in place, the next moves for Trump are murky. The United States and Israel may have pushed back the Iranian nuclear program but it is unclear if Tehran would accept a binding agreement, said Max Boot, a military historian at the Council on Foreign Relations who was an advocate for the 2003 Iraq invasion. If Iran does not, "we're locked in this kind of perpetual war with Iran, where every time there's any detection of any advance in their nuclear program, then Israeli aircraft are going to wind up having to bomb again," he said. "I'm not sure that there has been a carefully thought-out end-game in here."
France 24
5 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
Trump wants quick win in Iran, but goal remains elusive
But with Trump musing about everything from "unconditional surrender" to regime change, it remains to be seen if the US intervention will remain limited -- or if Iran will let it be. Two days after the United States bombed Iran's key nuclear sites as part of an Israeli-led military campaign, Iran fired missiles at a major US base in Qatar that were shot down. Trump said that Iran gave advance notice of the missiles and offered thanks, apparently seeing a choreography to show that Iran can hit back without causing American casualties that would be sure to trigger another US strike. Iran acted similarly in 2020 when Trump ordered the killing of top general Qasem Soleimani, hitting back at a base in Iraq housing US troops without killing any -- and tensions then subsided. But Israel's strikes on Iran starting on June 13 mark the biggest attack on the region's second most populous country since the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war, with the risks potentially existential for the Islamic Republic. Stacie Pettyjohn, director of the defense program at the Center for a New American Security, said that the US strike was "incredibly successful" on a tactical level but "it's not clear that it's actually achieved the operational or strategic objectives." Iran is suspected to have moved highly enriched uranium stockpiles out of targeted sites. Iran also has plenty of other options to respond, including by threatening global oil prices through action in the oil-rich Gulf -- which can range from closing the Strait of Hormuz to harassing ships with low-cost drones. "The Middle East is a theater where US military success, hearkening back to the first Gulf War, has often proved to be rather ephemeral and led to long-term commitments in terms of US forces to maintain stability after that initial success," she said. Trump warms to interventionism Trump campaigned by billing himself as anti-war and just last month delivered a speech in Riyadh in which he denounced "nation-builders" who failed by "intervening in complex societies that they did not even understand themselves." But Trump, always in tune with television images, quickly backed Israel after the apparent success of initial strikes, even through Trump had publicly urged Netanyahu to hold off and give a chance for diplomacy. Since then, and despite criticism from some in his right-wing base who loathe US interventionism, Trump has dialed up the tone. He has taken to social media to urge Tehran's nearly 10 million people to evacuate, to demand "unconditional surrender" by Iran even though he said the United States was not at war, and to speak of the benefits of regime change, refashioning his campaign slogan to say, "Make Iran Great Again." Netanyahu has also expanded goals well beyond nuclear sites, with Israel striking the gate of Evin prison, notorious for jailing political prisoners. Netanyahu has called on Iranians to rise up against Iran's theocratic government, which has long faced wide domestic opposition. Iran under the Shah, who was deposed in 1979, was an ally of the West and Israel. But some Iran watchers expect a nationalist backlash against US and Israeli strikes -- and so long as the Islamic republic is in place, the next moves for Trump are murky. The United States and Israel may have pushed back the Iranian nuclear program but it is unclear if Tehran would accept a binding agreement, said Max Boot, a military historian at the Council on Foreign Relations who was an advocate for the 2003 Iraq invasion. If Iran does not, "we're locked in this kind of perpetual war with Iran, where every time there's any detection of any advance in their nuclear program, then Israeli aircraft are going to wind up having to bomb again," he said.
NDTV
6 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Many Nations Ready To Supply Iran With Their Nuclear Warheads: Top Putin Aide
New Delhi: Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced on Sunday that he will travel to Moscow for high-level talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, following overnight US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit in Istanbul, Mr Araghchi said the consultations with President Putin would take place Monday morning. The move comes in the immediate aftermath of the US targeting three key Iranian nuclear sites, in what Washington has described as a "necessary step" to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. "Russia is a friend of Iran, we always consult with each other," Araghchi told reporters. "I'm going to Moscow this afternoon for serious consultations with the Russian president tomorrow morning." The strikes, ordered by US President Donald Trump, took place late Saturday night, nine days into an Israeli-led aerial campaign targeting Iranian nuclear infrastructure. U.S. officials claimed the attacks were focused on neutralising Iran's potential nuclear weapons programme. The Iranian foreign minister condemned the strikes as a gross violation of international law, adding that they had "crossed a very big red line by attacking nuclear facilities." He warned that Tehran would invoke its right to self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter. "We have to respond," he said. Medvedev: "Trump Has Started Another War" In Moscow, Dmitry Medvedev, ex-Russia president and the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, launched an attack on President Trump, accusing him of plunging the United States into a new war in the Middle East. Medvedev published his reaction on Telegram, stating bluntly, "Trump, who came in as a peacemaker president, has started a new war for the U.S." The former Russian president questioned the effectiveness of the US operation, saying it had failed to achieve any substantial military objectives. "Critical infrastructure of the nuclear fuel cycle appears to have been unaffected or sustained only minor damage," he wrote. "The enrichment of nuclear material - and now we can say it outright, the future production of nuclear weapons - will continue." In one of his most provocative assertions, Medvedev claimed that "a number of countries are ready to directly supply Iran with their own nuclear warheads." He did not identify which nations he was referring to. Medvedev further stated that the Israeli population was now living under constant threat, with explosions rocking multiple parts of the country. "The US is now entangled in a new conflict, with prospects of a ground operation looming on the horizon," he added. He also suggested that the attacks had politically strengthened Iran. "Iran's political regime has survived - and in all likelihood, has come out even stronger. The people are rallying around the country's spiritual leadership, including those who were previously indifferent or opposed to it." Iran's Position Mr Araghchi, meanwhile, dismissed any suggestion that Tehran would rejoin diplomatic talks under current conditions. "We were in the middle of diplomacy. We were in the middle of talks with the United States when Israelis blew it up," he said. He added that negotiations with European interlocutors were ongoing in Geneva just two days prior to the US strikes. "And again, this time, Americans decided to blow it up," he said. "So it was not Iran, but the US who betrayed diplomacy. They betrayed negotiations." Iran's top diplomat asserted that the Mr Trump administration had effectively disqualified itself from any future peace initiatives. "They have proved that they are not men of diplomacy, and they only understand the language of threat and force. And this is very unfortunate," Mr Araghchi said.
