Israel orders mass 'evacuation' from Northern Gaza, humanitarian crisis certain to ensue

[Broomstick]

It's getting to the point that Israel should STFU and go home.

[LadyTevar]

It's getting to the point that Israel should STFU and go home.

Agreed.
Striking back at Iran is going to bit them badly in the ass.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

Photos: Iran shows military might as tensions with Israel soar

As regional tensions run high, Iran has paraded drones, missiles and soldiers to show it is ready for a response from Israel after launching an unprecedented attack on its archenemy.

Iran carried out its first-ever direct attack on Israel at the weekend in response to an April 1 air strike on the consular building of Iran’s embassy in Syria.

Iran’s attack “brought down the glory of the Zionist regime [Israel]”, President Ebrahim Raisi said at a military base on the outskirts of Tehran on Wednesday.

“This operation showed that our armed forces are ready,” he said in a speech to the regular army and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for Army Day, a national holiday.

Wednesday’s parade saw the Iranian armed forces showcase a range of military equipment, including drones and long-range ballistic missiles.

Among them were multiple versions of the Ababil, Arash and Mohajer drones as well as the Dezful medium-range ballistic missile and S-300 air defence missile system.

Raisi reiterated warnings against “the slightest act of aggression” by Israel, saying it would lead to “a fierce and severe response”.

Israel has said it will respond to the weekend attack with military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari saying Iran will not get off “scot-free”.

The Israeli army said most of the projectiles fired by Iran were shot down with the help of the United States and other allies and the attack caused only minimal damage.

Iran hailed the attack as “successful” and said it “achieved all its objectives”, including inflicting damage to an airbase and intelligence centre that it said was used by Israel to carry out the strike in Damascus.

On Wednesday, Iran’s air force commander, Hamid Vahedi, warned Iran’s enemies against making a “strategic error”.

“We are 100 percent ready on all aerial fronts,” he was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency.

In his speech, Raisi also hit out at countries that had “sought to normalise relations” with Israel.

“These countries are now humiliated in front of their own people, which constitutes a strategic failure for the regime” of Israel, he said.

In 2020, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco normalised relations with Israel as part of the US-brokered Abraham Accords, vehemently criticised by the Palestinians.

Egypt and Jordan signed peace accords with Israel in 1979 and 1994, respectively.

Iran insisted its attack on Israel was limited and carried out in “self-defence” after the strike on its consular building.

It said it had informed the United States and given a 72-hour warning to neighbouring countries before the attack.

Is Iran trying to provoke a response from Israel?

[Solauren]

Is Iran trying to provoke a response from Israel?

Probably.

Nothing beefs up a regime like a war against a hated enemy.

Also, let's face facts, the US has shown it's not getting involved in regional wars right now, so if there was ever a time to try to take out Israel, this is it.

[bilateralrope]

Is Iran trying to provoke a response from Israel?

Maybe.

Or maybe they think that showing off their military might is the best way to convince Israel to leave them alone.

[LadyTevar]

Is Iran trying to provoke a response from Israel?

Maybe.

Or maybe they think that showing off their military might is the best way to convince Israel to leave them alone.

I think this is more likely.

I don't think Israel will appreciate it either way. We'll just have to wait til after Passover to see what they do.

[Ralin]

Is Iran trying to provoke a response from Israel?

How? By having weapons and stating facts?

[EnterpriseSovereign]

Is Iran trying to provoke a response from Israel?

How? By having weapons and stating facts?

They weren't stating facts, they were selling the idea to their people that somehow their failed attack beat Israel.

[bilateralrope]

Is Iran trying to provoke a response from Israel?

How? By having weapons and stating facts?

They weren't stating facts, they were selling the idea to their people that somehow their failed attack beat Israel.

As well as showing Israel that they could do it again. Multiple times. Does Israel have enough munitions to defend against repeat attempts ?


Or, for a better question, if you were in Iran's position, how would you send a message to Israel that they need to calm down ?

[Ralin]

How? By having weapons and stating facts?

They weren't stating facts, they were selling the idea to their people that somehow their failed attack beat Israel.

As well as showing Israel that they could do it again. Multiple times. Does Israel have enough munitions to defend against repeat attempts ?


Or, for a better question, if you were in Iran's position, how would you send a message to Israel that they need to calm down ?

As I saw someone say a little while ago, the fact that the notoriously thin-skinned and aggressive government of Israel, a country known to install malware in nuclear power plants for funsies, hasn't retaliated yet lends credence to the idea that their leadership believes Iran has shown they can credibly threaten them with worse if they don't accept that honor has been satisfied and move on.

[Ralin]

Ghetto edit: Checking and yes I see that 'nuclear power plant' isn't accurate but that wasn't really the important bit

[Broomstick]

I don't think Israel will appreciate it either way. We'll just have to wait til after Passover to see what they do.

Protesters for the Jewish hostages held in Gaza are using the Moses-quote "Let my people go!" in slightly modified form against Netanyahu & Co. Passover is all about that narrative. Wonder if that's going to go anywhere?

Unfortunately, I think a lot of the hostages from Oct 7 are dead, some still under the rubble of Gaza. With the IDF targeting anything even vaguely connected or associated with Hamas, and Hamas holding those people, it would seem inevitable that hostages were killed. Given the resulting mess, even body retrieval is going to be impossible in some cases which will be pretty horrible to observant Jewish families

[Broomstick]

As I saw someone say a little while ago, the fact that the notoriously thin-skinned and aggressive government of Israel, a country known to install malware in nuclear power plants for funsies, hasn't retaliated yet lends credence to the idea that their leadership believes Iran has shown they can credibly threaten them with worse if they don't accept that honor has been satisfied and move on.

Either that, or Israel's allies have had some strong words with them. The US has already flat out stated that they aren't helping out if Israel attacks Iran, with an implication that wouldn't help out with consequences, either, and that Israel is rapidly burning through American good will. If that's what's happening with Israel's strongest ally what are the rest saying?

[EnterpriseSovereign]

That would make Israel more reluctant to attack Iran itself, however some of those attacks came from proxies in Lebanon and Yemen. To me that particular elephant in the room seems like Israel's third option.

[Ralin]

And the US has vetoed Palestinian membership in the UN. What's that about a two state solution again?

[Gandalf]

Score one more for Genocide Joe it seems.

[Gandalf]

Apparently Israel has just struck Isfahan in Iran.

Iran says the nuclear sites are unharmed.

[LadyTevar]

BBC NEWS Live

Summary[/b[
An Israeli missile has struck Iran, two US officials have told the BBC's US partner CBS News

Iranian state media cite unconfirmed reports of explosions in the central province of Isfahan, but have downplayed reports of an attack. Israel has not officially commented

Video from Isfahan posted by BBC Persian shows orange flashes in the night sky and the sound of what appears to be bursts of anti-aircraft fire
Isfahan is home to a large airbase, a major missile production complex and several nuclear facilities. The global nuclear watchdog says no nuclear sites were damaged

Iran has been on high alert in the wake of Israel pledging to respond to Iran's unprecedented missile and drone attack on Israel on Saturday night
Tehran has maintained it was retaliation for a presumed Israeli air strike on its consulate in Syria on 1 April, in which 13 people were killed

[EnterpriseSovereign]

Iran has 'no plans for retaliation' after airstrike believed to be carried out by Israel

Iran has no plans to immediately retaliate after an airstrike believed to have been carried out by Israel, the country's foreign minister has said.

Both the US and Israel have said they were not involved in a blast at a military base overnight in Iraq which is thought to be used by armed groups backed by Iran.

Tensions in the region are high after Friday morning's airstrike on Iran, believed to have been carried out by Israel. Both sides though, have played the airstrike down and Iranian officials say they 'have no plans for immediate retaliation'.

Hossein Amirabdollahian, Iran's foreign minister, spoke to NBC News in New York where he was attending a U.N. Security Council session, said his country was not planning to respond unless Israel launches a significant attack.

He said: "If Israel takes a decisive action against my country and this is proven to us, our response will be immediate and to the maximum and will cause them to regret it."

Fear, confusion and pride are amongst the deeply mixed emotional reactions to Israel's alleged strike on Iran.

The two countries have waged a shadow war for decades, but an Iranian drone and missile strike last week was the first direct military attack on Israel.

In the latest development, US officials were told that Israel carried out a strike inside Iran in what's believed to be a retaliatory strike against Tehran.

Israel's government has not issued an official comment, while the commander-in-chief of the Iranian army said reports of explosions above the city of Isfahan were related to anti-aircraft systems shooting at what he called a suspicious object that did not cause any damage.

[Rogue 9]

The House has passed the foreign aid package, including Israel aid. NPR

House passes foreign aid bills to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan
April 20, 2024 2:10 PM ET

By Barbara Sprunt

The House of Representatives has voted to pass roughly a $95 billion foreign aid package that includes funding to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.

Democratic support outweighed Republican opposition from those who had various frustrations with the speaker, including that he put forth a vote on Ukraine aid without first securing support for a bill aimed to strengthen security along the U.S.-Southern border.

The House-passed bills are similar to a $95 billion package that passed in the Senate in February.

The White House and Congressional Democrats urged Speaker Johnson to hold a vote on that package in the wake of Iran's recent unprecedented attack on Israel, and amid briefings that Ukraine is in dire need of U.S. aid.

Aid for Ukraine remains deeply unpopular with various members in Johnson's conference. By breaking the package up into distinct bills for aid to the three countries — along with a fourth bill aimed at implementing sanctions and policies to counter China, Iran and Russia — Johnson allowed members to vote their conscience on each piece of legislation.

President Biden said in a statement on Wednesday that he supports the House package, which now moves to the Senate.

Ahead of the vote, Rep. Michael McCaul, who chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee, said "history will judge us by our actions here today."

"The world is watching. Our adversaries are watching," the Texas Republican said.

Eyes on potential motion to vacate vote

On Friday, after the House cleared a procedural vote to advance the bills to a Saturday vote on full passage, a third Republican member signed onto the effort to remove Johnson as speaker.

Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar blasted the speaker for prioritizing Ukraine aid over efforts to secure the southern border.

This comes about a month after Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene first filed the motion to vacate resolution nearly a month ago, in part over frustration with the speaker on how he handled a $1.2 trillion spending package.

House Freedom Caucus chair Bob Good, R-Va., told reporters on Friday that although he doesn't defend Johnson's performance as speaker, he thinks it's not in the interest of the Republican party to go through another speakership fight six months before an election.

"I hope they will not move forward with that," he said of the GOP trio that is sponsoring the motion to vacate resolution. "I think we ought to have a contest in November, a deliberative process to select, hopefully, the speaker of the House majority. But I don't think it'd be a wise course of action to do that now."

[EnterpriseSovereign]

All I can say is, better late than never.

[Formless]

All I can say is that Israel deserves not a cent of my tax dollars. Quite the opposite, actually. I demand a refund.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

Oh definitely, they're not all of equal importance.

[Formless]

Then why, pray tell, are you posting that in this thread? I know the Ukraine thread has been locked for the moment, but you already posted the same thing there before that happened. It doesn't mean the same thing posting it here. This thread is about Israel, not Ukraine.

[aerius]

All I can say is, better late than never.

Are you fucking serious? You support more money & arms for Israel so it can better carry out its genocide of the Palestinians?
I don't even know what to say to you, that is how fucked up you are.