Latest news with #militaryvictory
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
How Fox News helped champion Trump's attacks on Iran: ‘I agree with the president'
The US bombing of Iran last weekend prompted sober reporting from the mainstream US media, along with considered discussion of whether the US had violated international law in attacking a foreign country. Fox News, however, took a different tack, championing a war that, according to reports, it had helped convince Donald Trump to start. 'This will go down in history as one of the greatest military victories,' roared Sean Hannity, arguably Fox News's best known host, on Saturday night. After the right-wing network aired Trump's White House address which hailed the strikes as a success, Hannity continued in the same vein. 'I agree with the president,' he said. 'This is one of the most skilled, important, imperative peacekeeping, peace-through-strength-keeping operations in the last 40 years, and certainly the reign of terror in Iran, whether they know it or not, is coming to a quick end.' Hannity, who said he had spoken to Trump before going on air, then brought on Mark Levin, a conservative talkshow host who reportedly urged Trump to allow Israel to attack Iran during a private lunch in early June. Levin was not impartial. 'You're looking at a historic figure,' Levin said of Trump. 'We just kicked their ass.' His voice rising, Levin added: 'These Islamo-Nazis were building nuclear weapons to attack us too, with intercontinental ballistic missiles. Guess what? You can go to bed peacefully tonight and know that's not gonna happen. 'This mission was never going to fail under this commander in chief,' Levin said, before concluding: 'This is historic, he is historic, the United States military is historic.' It made sense that Fox News would cheer the strikes. It had spent days appearing to support the idea. On 17 June, host Brian Kilmeade pulled up a map of all the places Iran might attack – a map which included Germany, Italy and parts of the Middle East. He then showed off some photos of all the rockets Iran has, as Mark Dubowitz, from the pro-Israel thinktank Foundation for Defense of Democracies, speculated that Iran could deliver a 'nuclear payload'. 'Do you think we should help [Israel] finish the job at Fordo?' Kilmeade asked Dubowitz. 'We gotta help them finish the job,' Dubowitz said. 'Only we can slice through the concrete, slice through the mountain under which the nuclear site is buried.' Kilmeade concluded: 'President Trump's got some big decisions.' And it wasn't just Kilmeade. 'Iran wants to hold the world hostage,' a chyron blared during Jesse Watters show on 19 June. Later the chyron switched: 'An unarmed Iran would give US leverage', after Watters said 'there's risks to action and there's risks in inaction' before comparing the situation to a person undergoing 'life-saving surgery'. Trump, a known cable news watcher, was paying attention, according to the New York Times. 'The president was closely monitoring Fox News, which was airing wall-to-wall praise of Israel's military operation and featuring guests urging Mr Trump to get more involved,' the Times reported. It added that some of Trump's aides 'lamented' that Tucker Carlson, who has emerged as an anti-interventionist voice, was no longer on the network. That split between right-wing media has been stark. Many non-conservatives found themselves in the novel position of agreeing with Carlson, as he repeatedly stated in the days ahead of the attacks that the US should not get involved. On 18 June, Carlson confronted Republican senator Ted Cruz, shouting: 'You don't know anything about Iran!' in a memorable exchange. But Fox News had the president's ear, and it was awash with fawning praise after the attacks, as a series of guests, many of whom had vested interests in Iran being attacked, lined up to champion Trump. Among those was Amir Avivi, a retired Israeli general who has proposed forcibly relocating Palestinians to Egypt. 'This was an excellent opportunity to end the war which was led by president Trump and the Israeli people thank him for his leadership.' Avivi said, adding that Trump had created a 'global deterrence'. Still, in the Maga world, even the most sycophantic media organizations can never be absolutely certain of their footing. Pete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, went on a performative rant at the Pentagon on Thursday, lashing out on specific journalists he accused of not having been Pravda enough in their reporting of the strikes. 'Jennifer, you've been about the worst,' Hegseth said to Jennifer Griffin, a Fox News reporter, when she asked if the government was certain that highly enriched uranium had now been removed from Fordow. Continuing to experiment with grammar, Hegseth told Griffin she had also been: 'The one who misrepresents the most intentionally.' Could this be a rift between the administration and its most ardent supporter? No. Griffin offered a light pushback to Hegseth before agreeing with him that the Iran mission was 'absolutely' the most successful she had witnessed during her time reporting at the Pentagon. That seemed to do the trick. 'I appreciate that,' Hegseth said.
The Guardian
29-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
How Fox News helped champion Trump's attacks on Iran: ‘I agree with the president'
The US bombing of Iran last weekend prompted sober reporting from the mainstream US media, along with considered discussion of whether the US had violated international law in attacking a foreign country. Fox News, however, took a different tack, championing a war that, according to reports, it had helped convince Donald Trump to start. 'This will go down in history as one of the greatest military victories,' roared Sean Hannity, arguably Fox News's best known host, on Saturday night. After the right-wing network aired Trump's White House address which hailed the strikes as a success, Hannity continued in the same vein. 'I agree with the president,' he said. 'This is one of the most skilled, important, imperative peacekeeping, peace-through-strength-keeping operations in the last 40 years, and certainly the reign of terror in Iran, whether they know it or not, is coming to a quick end.' Hannity, who said he had spoken to Trump before going on air, then brought on Mark Levin, a conservative talkshow host who reportedly urged Trump to allow Israel to attack Iran during a private lunch in early June. Levin was not impartial. 'You're looking at a historic figure,' Levin said of Trump. 'We just kicked their ass.' His voice rising, Levin added: 'These Islamo-Nazis were building nuclear weapons to attack us too, with intercontinental ballistic missiles. Guess what? You can go to bed peacefully tonight and know that's not gonna happen. 'This mission was never going to fail under this commander in chief,' Levin said, before concluding: 'This is historic, he is historic, the United States military is historic.' It made sense that Fox News would cheer the strikes. It had spent days appearing to support the idea. On 17 June, host Brian Kilmeade pulled up a map of all the places Iran might attack – a map which included Germany, Italy and parts of the Middle East. He then showed off some photos of all the rockets Iran has, as Mark Dubowitz, from the pro-Israel thinktank Foundation for Defense of Democracies, speculated that Iran could deliver a 'nuclear payload'. 'Do you think we should help [Israel] finish the job at Fordo?' Kilmeade asked Dubowitz. 'We gotta help them finish the job,' Dubowitz said. 'Only we can slice through the concrete, slice through the mountain under which the nuclear site is buried.' Kilmeade concluded: 'President Trump's got some big decisions.' And it wasn't just Kilmeade. 'Iran wants to hold the world hostage,' a chyron blared during Jesse Watters show on 19 June. Later the chyron switched: 'An unarmed Iran would give US leverage', after Watters said 'there's risks to action and there's risks in inaction' before comparing the situation to a person undergoing 'life-saving surgery'. Trump, a known cable news watcher, was paying attention, according to the New York Times. 'The president was closely monitoring Fox News, which was airing wall-to-wall praise of Israel's military operation and featuring guests urging Mr Trump to get more involved,' the Times reported. It added that some of Trump's aides 'lamented' that Tucker Carlson, who has emerged as an anti-interventionist voice, was no longer on the network. That split between right-wing media has been stark. Many non-conservatives found themselves in the novel position of agreeing with Carlson, as he repeatedly stated in the days ahead of the attacks that the US should not get involved. On 18 June, Carlson confronted Republican senator Ted Cruz, shouting: 'You don't know anything about Iran!' in a memorable exchange. But Fox News had the president's ear, and it was awash with fawning praise after the attacks, as a series of guests, many of whom had vested interests in Iran being attacked, lined up to champion Trump. Among those was Amir Avivi, a retired Israeli general who has proposed forcibly relocating Palestinians to Egypt. 'This was an excellent opportunity to end the war which was led by president Trump and the Israeli people thank him for his leadership.' Avivi said, adding that Trump had created a 'global deterrence'. Still, in the Maga world, even the most sycophantic media organizations can never be absolutely certain of their footing. Pete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, went on a performative rant at the Pentagon on Thursday, lashing out on specific journalists he accused of not having been Pravda enough in their reporting of the strikes. 'Jennifer, you've been about the worst,' Hegseth said to Jennifer Griffin, a Fox News reporter, when she asked if the government was certain that highly enriched uranium had now been removed from Fordow. Continuing to experiment with grammar, Hegseth told Griffin she had also been: 'The one who misrepresents the most intentionally.' Could this be a rift between the administration and its most ardent supporter? No. Griffin offered a light pushback to Hegseth before agreeing with him that the Iran mission was 'absolutely' the most successful she had witnessed during her time reporting at the Pentagon. That seemed to do the trick. 'I appreciate that,' Hegseth said.
Al Bawaba
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Bawaba
Khamenei declares 'victory over Zionist entity,' warns U.S. and Israel of heavy future costs
ALBAWABA- In his first public address since the ceasefire was declared in the Iran-Israel conflict, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared what he described as a strategic victory for Iran and a humiliating failure for Israel and the United States. Addressing the nation, Khamenei congratulated the Iranian people for what he called a 'victory over the artificial Zionist entity,' claiming that Israel has been left 'reeling under blows it never anticipated.' He praised Iran's armed forces for penetrating Israel's multilayered defenses and rendering its military sites vulnerable, stating, 'Many of their civilian and military positions were leveled to the ground.' Khamenei sharply criticized U.S. President Donald Trump, accusing him of exaggerating the scale of the American attack on Iran while downplaying Iran's retaliatory strike on U.S. military assets. 'The American regime entered the war directly only because it feared the Zionist entity's total annihilation,' he said. 'They intervened—and achieved no success.' Also Read Missile hits Ashkelon as Iran launches new attack on Israel He confirmed that Iranian missiles had struck the U.S. Al-Asad Airbase in Iraq, calling it a 'powerful slap' and warning that Iran possesses the capability to strike major American bases in the region whenever it deems necessary. 'This could be repeated again,' he warned, 'and its cost will be heavy.' The Supreme Leader also denounced what he called Washington's real intention, forcing Iran into unconditional surrender. 'Surrender will never happen,' he declared. 'They invoke excuses like the missile program and nuclear file, but they really want our submission. That will never come from a strong and united nation like Iran.' He concluded by emphasizing national unity, praising the Iranian people for their steadfast support of the armed forces. 'We thank God for our strength and for a nation that stands together in times of challenge. The strength of the Zionist entity has been nearly crushed beneath our response,' Khamenei said.
Russia Today
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
‘Ukraine can win'
Ukraine can still achieve a military victory over Russia, US General Alexus Grynkewich said during a Senate hearing on Tuesday. He was confirmed as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe and head of the US European Command earlier this month. 'I believe Ukraine can win,' he responded when asked if Kiev could still prevail despite significant casualties and waning financial support. Grynkewich also noted that Ukrainian forces are displaying a level of tenacity that is hard for outsiders to fully comprehend. He did not specify what form a Ukrainian victory might take, nor did he provide further detail regarding battlefield prospects. Top NATO officials have long insisted that Ukraine should aim to defeat Russia militarily. The bloc continues to supply arms and intelligence to Kiev, even as it loses territory to Russian forces. Ukraine's 2023 counteroffensive failed to achieve any meaningful breakthroughs, and a more recent attempted incursion into Russia's Kursk Region was repelled. Meanwhile, Russian advances have continued along several sectors of the front line, including in the Donetsk and Kharkov regions. Military analysts and Western officials have increasingly questioned the viability of a Ukrainian victory. Last month, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul claimed that the military defeat of nuclear-armed Russia had been impossible 'from the very beginning.' US President Donald Trump has also repeatedly expressed doubt that Ukraine could secure a military victory over Russia, instead pushing for a negotiated settlement of the conflict. He has insisted that 'Crimea will stay with Russia,' referred to Ukraine as 'demolished,' and cautioned that the country may not be able to survive the conflict, even with US support. Moscow has also repeatedly insisted that its victory is inevitable and has criticized continued Western military aid to Ukraine, arguing that it only prolongs hostilities without affecting their outcome. Russian President Vladimir Putin has stressed that the conflict will end only when its 'root causes' are resolved and his country's security interests are taken into account. He has also accused Kiev's foreign backers of being uninterested in actually ending the conflict and using Ukraine to achieve their own goals.
