The Israeli Campaign to End the War on the Middle East: The Case of Fate and Intimidation on the IRAS Site Fordo
Rather than wait for American help, Israel could decide to attack Fordo alone — taking a chance with the planes and munitions it has at its disposal. According to analysts, the site could be sabotaged by Israel. Netanyahu said in an interview on Thursday that Israel would achieve all of its objectives, suggesting that he could go it alone. We have the ability to do that.
For days, Israeli officials hoped that Mr. Trump would send American warplanes armed with the only munitions in the world that are deemed powerful enough to destroy Fordo.
For now, Israel does not seem set to take that route. Israel’s political leadership has begun to speak explicitly about prompting the collapse of the Iranian regime and assassinating its leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Even if Israel has no real way of toppling his government, the tone of the comments suggest that Israel, at the very least, intends to continue with its strikes for several days.
The protraction of the war will have an economic cost because Israel’s airspace has been closed. Businesses can resume full operations if the war ends sooner than later.
But experts say that this route is fraught with risk and that its effect may be limited. “It probably won’t be on the scale of what the U.S. can achieve,” said Itamar Rabinovich, a former Israeli ambassador to Washington. “If we could do what the U.S. can, we would have already done it.”
The tone of the Israeli news media on Friday indicated domestic support for the Israeli campaign. After Israel’s attack on Iran, Mr. Netanyahu’s party is in its strongest polling position since October 2023, when Hamas carried out the deadliest attack in Israel’s history.
Movies: Elio, King of the Hill, and Other New Music: From The Waterfront to the Israel-Iran War
🍿 Movies: The latest Pixar movie, Elio, follows a lonely 11-year-old orphan who believes that being abducted by aliens is his only path to happiness. There are a couple more new movies worth checking out.
📺 TV: From The Waterfront, which focuses on a family struggling to maintain control of a fishing empire, to King of the Hill returning after 15 years, these are some shows worth checking out this summer.
There is music. Next Friday, Bruce Springsteen is releasing seven new records at once, featuring previously unreleased music recorded between 1983 and 2018. Tracks II: The Lost Albums is a box set that will be available on January 26th.
🎮 Games: NPR’s Vincent Acovino attended the Play Days showcase, where he had the opportunity to experience a variety of games, including Resident Evil Requiem and a heist game that took him by surprise. Here’s his honest review of many upcoming titles.
The latest on Israel-Iran war: Trump backs the U.S. national guard, Israel’s control of the National Guard, and his legacy
This week’s quiz gave me barely passing score, but I had educated guesses and trick questions. Are you up for the challenge of passing with flying colors? Give it a try.
Today, European diplomats are meeting Iran’s foreign minister in Geneva in an attempt to reach a diplomatic solution between Israel and Iran as they enter their second week of war. Netanyahu suggested that Israel would continue to attack Iran even if Donald Trump did not take part. An independent group says over 650 people have been killed by Israeli strikes in Iran. Iran has killed 24 people in Israel, according to Israel.
Trump will make a decision about whether the U.S. will strike Iran within two weeks, the White House announced. This latest move over the United States’ involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict comes amid growing concerns from some of his vocal supporters, who have expressed that they think Trump is betraying his “America First” principles. The president’s legacy could be on the line if he made a wrong decision, according to Tucker Carlson. The White House said there was no connection between the decision and the criticism.
Source: Court backs Trump’s control of National Guard. And, the latest on the Israel-Iran war
The Up First newsletter: Doctors Without Borders after the LA protests in Los Campacidos del Baudó, Colombia
The federal appeals court in California upheld a ruling that President Trump can maintain control over 4,000 California National Guard troops. The decision blocks, at least temporarily, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s efforts to regain control of the Guard. The troops were deployed in response to the protests in LA, which were sparked by immigration raids.
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Doctors Without Borders launched a two-year project in 2022 aimed at healing psychic wounds in the remote area of Alto Baudóin western Colombia. The region has experienced years of violence due to conflicts between armed rebel groups and criminal organizations. The project involves tearing up photographs of loved ones and homes and then sewing them back together, an act that serves as a metaphor for healing. The goal is to create rituals that help individuals manage anxiety, depression and other mental health issues. Colombian photographer Fernanda Pineda documented the initiative in her photo series Riografias del Baudó. Here, you can look at the photo collection.