Israel vs Palestine/Lebanon/Iran/Yemen/Syria: a New Middle East War

[ThePythonicCow]

Posted by Chip (here)
It only means Israel may be willing to unleash catastrophic escalation rather than accept defeat. And after watching its actions lately, I no longer find the argument ‘they would never go that far’ nearly as reassuring as some do.

I can imagine the globalists creating an event so catastrophic that, like dropping the atomic bombs on Japan, or 9/11 (both of which I presume some "deep staters" played the essential role in making happen), the course of history is changed in a way that the globalists anticipate will be to their advantage.

[gini]

´Norman Finkelstein thinks Trump is too humiliated to attack Iran again ´|

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=4eg3yiYeQxc

--
9 Apr 2026 ✪ UNAPOLOGETIC
In this episode of UNAPOLOGETIC, Norman Finkelstein unpacks the aftermath of the US–Iran war, beginning with the ceasefire and what it actually reveals about both sides. He argues there was no clear victory, before tracing the deeper roots of US strategy toward Iran over decades.

The conversation explores Donald Trump’s highly personalised decision-making, the role Israel played in tipping the balance, and why expectations of regime collapse inside Iran failed.

Finkelstein also examines the broader consequences: the collapse of legal norms around war, the destruction unfolding in Lebanon, and Iran’s justification for its response under international law.

In the final stretch, the discussion turns to Trump’s political base, the rise of alternative media voices, and what this moment reveals about power, propaganda, and global order.

Norman’s forthcoming book is Gaza’s Gravediggers: An Inquiry into Corruption in High Places (OR Books, 2026) https://orbooks.com/catalog/gazas-gra...


Chapters:
00:00 Opening And Context
01:56 Ceasefire And First Reactions
06:12 No Clear Victory
10:20 US Strategy On Iran
14:16 Trump’s Personal Motives
18:54 Israel Tips The Balance
23:23 Iran’s Internal Response
28:44 Collapse Of Expectations
33:46 Trump And Chaos Politics
40:06 War Without Pretext
46:36 Lebanon And Regional Fallout
52:50 Iran’s Legal Justification
58:21 Gulf States Criticised
01:03:41 Trump’s Base And Media
01:10:30 Rise Of Alternative Voices
01:17:00 Final Reflections

[Arcturian108]

Here is what Randy Mott on Twitter thinks Trump's strategy is in regards to Iran, and I tend to agree with him:

"Almost no one gets what Trump is doing. So some facts:
1. There is no really controlling national authority in Iran anymore, just factions around certain leaders and some diehard nutjobs.
2. This was the plan from the start: to decapitate the regime.
3. Any agreement with a government not in control cannot be enforced. There is no one with the power to get compliance.
4. The endgame has to deal with multiple groups with varying degrees of pain thresholds. No one in the IRGC (save defections) is going to agree to the US demands.
5. By announcing deals of any sort with a major faction, the Administration has triggered infighting in the regime. This does a lot of the work that would otherwise fall to the Iranian people resisting the Islamic Republic.
6. This approach: (A) thins out the ultimate "hangers-on," (B) pushes any who want to truly cooperate to rebuild a secular state into defection, i.e., joining the resistance; (C) completely destroys coordinated opposition to the rise of the Iranian people when the moment comes.
7. Trump is thinking at a different level than any of the superficial observers. This reflects a very realistic view of the situation based on hard facts. Any ultimate new Iranian government has to replace the IRGC, not seek accommodation with its members. If the latter occurred, we would not be eliminating the threat.
8. There is a shadow government in waiting and millions of Iranians ready to rise up. Everything we can do to facilitate this will make it less painful."

Twitter Link

[sdv]

The Strait of Hormuz is not closed. The reality on the ground is far more complicated. The following article details who has been let through, who has been turned back, and what the procedure is.

https://africa.businessinsider.com/l...-sends/ej6p030

[sdv]

Posted by Arcturian108 (here)
Here is what Randy Mott on Twitter thinks Trump's strategy is in regards to Iran, and I tend to agree with him:

"Almost no one gets what Trump is doing. So some facts:
1. There is no really controlling national authority in Iran anymore, just factions around certain leaders and some diehard nutjobs.
2. This was the plan from the start: to decapitate the regime.
3. Any agreement with a government not in control cannot be enforced. There is no one with the power to get compliance.
4. The endgame has to deal with multiple groups with varying degrees of pain thresholds. No one in the IRGC (save defections) is going to agree to the US demands.
5. By announcing deals of any sort with a major faction, the Administration has triggered infighting in the regime. This does a lot of the work that would otherwise fall to the Iranian people resisting the Islamic Republic.
6. This approach: (A) thins out the ultimate "hangers-on," (B) pushes any who want to truly cooperate to rebuild a secular state into defection, i.e., joining the resistance; (C) completely destroys coordinated opposition to the rise of the Iranian people when the moment comes.
7. Trump is thinking at a different level than any of the superficial observers. This reflects a very realistic view of the situation based on hard facts. Any ultimate new Iranian government has to replace the IRGC, not seek accommodation with its members. If the latter occurred, we would not be eliminating the threat.
8. There is a shadow government in waiting and millions of Iranians ready to rise up. Everything we can do to facilitate this will make it less painful."

Twitter Link

This is fantasy, not reality, but I wonder if Trump believes it.

On the one hand, as always, Trump is supposedly supporting a ceasefire and peace negotiations while shoring up stocks and building an alliance to attack Iran again. Iran, on the other hand, is offering some compromise on original demands in these talks but is probably well aware that the war is not over ... or is it going to let itself be brutally betrayed by Trump a third time in the space of a year?

A country and government do not fall apart if a leader is killed. Even in North Korea someone would step into the breach. It is in the US that a president is elevated to a god-like state whose life is more important than that of the people and extraordinary steps must be taken to ensure his safety. The US does have a plan of how to keep government functioning smoothly if a leader is killed, and this plan has been tested and has worked in the past. Iran also has such plans. The government is intact at all levels and is functioning. They are not using government buildings as they know that the US/Israel will commit war crimes and attack those buildings.

[Bill Ryan]

Posted by ThePythonicCow (here)

Posted by Chip (here)
It only means Israel may be willing to unleash catastrophic escalation rather than accept defeat. And after watching its actions lately, I no longer find the argument ‘they would never go that far’ nearly as reassuring as some do.

I can imagine the globalists creating an event so catastrophic that, like dropping the atomic bombs on Japan, or 9/11 (both of which I presume some "deep staters" played the essential role in making happen), the course of history is changed in a way that the globalists anticipate will be to their advantage.

Yes. But (for anyone else reading this) do see this personal and rather unusual post of mine yesterday, on a members-only thread. I don't now believe this will happen. I can't know that I'm right, but I hope that I may be.

[thirtythree]

Posted by Arcturian108 (here)
Here is what Randy Mott on Twitter thinks Trump's strategy is in regards to Iran, and I tend to agree with him:

"Almost no one gets what Trump is doing. So some facts:
1. There is no really controlling national authority in Iran anymore, just factions around certain leaders and some diehard nutjobs.
2. This was the plan from the start: to decapitate the regime.
3. Any agreement with a government not in control cannot be enforced. There is no one with the power to get compliance.
4. The endgame has to deal with multiple groups with varying degrees of pain thresholds. No one in the IRGC (save defections) is going to agree to the US demands.
5. By announcing deals of any sort with a major faction, the Administration has triggered infighting in the regime. This does a lot of the work that would otherwise fall to the Iranian people resisting the Islamic Republic.
6. This approach: (A) thins out the ultimate "hangers-on," (B) pushes any who want to truly cooperate to rebuild a secular state into defection, i.e., joining the resistance; (C) completely destroys coordinated opposition to the rise of the Iranian people when the moment comes.
7. Trump is thinking at a different level than any of the superficial observers. This reflects a very realistic view of the situation based on hard facts. Any ultimate new Iranian government has to replace the IRGC, not seek accommodation with its members. If the latter occurred, we would not be eliminating the threat.
8. There is a shadow government in waiting and millions of Iranians ready to rise up. Everything we can do to facilitate this will make it less painful."

Twitter Link

Iranian military command and political power is decentralized which is nothing new.

Hence the resilience. Similar to the arms of an octopus that function as mini brains allowing them operate with partial autonomy from the central brain.

[Bill Ryan]

A new report from Chris Martenson, rarely (now) posting his analysis publicly. As we've learned to expect from him, he's always focused on the bigger picture and is stressing the impact of oil shortages on just about everything and everyone in the months to come.

It's just 10 minutes, and not a political video. He's only talking about the real-world knock-on economic effects.

It's So Bad, I'm at a Loss for Words

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=YFQS7UJAPx0

[Ravenlocke]

The Resonance

Israelis in English: “we just want peace, we’re the victims 🥺”

Israelis in Hebrew:

https://x.com/Partisan_12/status/2042561056275599635

Rula Jebreal

Her name was Ritaj Rihan, 9 years old.

“A sane country does not kill children as a hobby.”


https://x.com/rulajebreal/status/2042392007193083924

[shaberon]

You may notice that, at least for one day, there is not another Zionist air force massacre of Lebanon.

[Ravenlocke]

Pepe Escobar reposted

Press TV 🔻

First train crosses rebuilt Yahyaabad railway bridge in Kashan, central Iran, after it was damaged in a US-Israeli attack on April 7.

Follow: http://T.me/presstv

https://x.com/PressTV/status/2042556425243709481

[Ravenlocke]

🅰pocalypsis 🅰pocalypseos 🇷🇺 🇨🇳 🅉

Pax Americana Is Collapsing: Trump as Yeltsin-Gorbachev, Brzezinski’s Plan Fails, and the West’s Financial Bubble Heads for Oblivion

Sergey Glazyev: Unfortunately, the change from one system of management to another — I call this change from one world order to another world order — is going through a world war. And Americans are doing the same as the British did 100 years ago, trying to maintain their geopolitical dominance. They were trying to do this by creating conflicts all over the world and putting competitive nations in a struggle with each other. So Americans are doing the same.

They introduced a trade war against China and a financial war against Russia. They supported the Nazi regime in Ukraine. They undermined their competitors and satellites in Europe. Finally, the idea maybe was to concentrate capital and power, but in fact, the result of this is the collapse of Pax Americana, and you see everything is going on according to the theory of long cycles.

The transition period usually takes maybe 33–35 years, or one third of a century. The previous transition period started with World War I and finished with the collapse of the British Empire, maybe in 1947. But the final point was the Suez Crisis in 1953 or ’54, when Britain and France wanted to get control again over the Suez Canal, but the Soviet Union and the United States didn’t support this — from both sides — and everybody understood that the world changed. It became a new world system; I call it an imperial world system with a few superstates which divided the world between themselves.

The present transition period started with the collapse of the Soviet Union and now is finishing with the collapse of the United States. The collapse of the Soviet Union happened because of the decrease in efficiency of the Soviet planning system, which the Chinese partially inherited. The collapse of Pax Americana now is explained by the decline in efficiency of the American financial system, which created financial bubbles instead of growth of production.

But the point is that the leaders of the previous cycle really do not understand what is going on, and they’re trying to maintain their leadership through wars, using any instruments to maintain their dominance, but it doesn’t work in the situation when these states are losing their efficiency. And you see, I call President Trump like President Yeltsin and Gorbachev together in one person. So they really try to maintain their dominance, but in fact, they undermine their leadership by their own actions.

And unfortunately, they are trying to implement, as I mentioned, the Brzezinski plan, which was focused on Ukraine and Iran, but it doesn’t work. And it was quite clear that these two conflicts will not lead to the results that Western geopoliticians expected. They expected that the Russian political system would collapse after the hybrid war started with the West because of sanctions, because Brzezinski thought that Russian oligarchs are very powerful and will change the power if the West introduces sanctions. But that didn’t happen, because Western politicians do not really understand the nation’s psychology: if our country is under any aggression, the population becomes concentrated around the power and supports the power, as well as in Iran, we see the same situation.

So this plan didn’t work, but it was quite clear that it would not work, and it’s a pity that Western politicians really do not understand this and are trying to continue this kind of crazy policy in spite of the fact that the cost of this policy becomes higher and higher.

https://x.com/apocalypseos/status/2042473235066057012

[Vicus]

"We have been betrayed!" is the cry over the Promised Land. - today



Yes, you know, it’s burning in the Promised Land, and without the Iranians missilesThe political fire is burning, and it's burning fiercely. Israeli media outlets like Haaretz, The Jerusalem Post, Yedioth Ahronoth, and The Times of Israel—they're probably not indignant, but rather screaming their heads off, because they believe the US is, at the very least, betraying Israel.

A number of politicians, Israeli and even European, have accused Trump of repeating the same move he made in May 2025 by not continuing the war with the Houthis. The funny thing is, it actually seems to be true, but, excuse me, if anyone doesn't like it, they can send their own fleet, its marines and its AviationAnd fight as much as your soul desires.

But when they called for beatings on the ayatollahs, for some reason no one went. Israel was doing its usual thing – bombing residential areas in Lebanon, under the pretext that Hezbollah was supposedly there. And that was it. Meanwhile, the US was supposed to use its strategic and other air power to raze the mountains where the Iranian IRGC missilemen were hiding, to eliminate them. Defense and then deploy the ground army. Seize the islands, disperse the ayatollahs…

The question is: where is Israel here? Where are the European NATO allies? Moreover, Israeli media were busy predicting exactly when American marines and paratroopers would "throw the ayatollahs" out of the Hormuz Islands. But things went somewhat awry...

In general, what's happening has sharply reminded me of 2020 and 2023, when angry cries came from Armenia, which still hasn't recognized Artsakh, about Russia being obliged to go to war with Azerbaijan because Artsakh is Armenia. Ultimately, Artsakh has become definitively Karabakh. And now story It's all happening again. Those who should have gone and fought chose to stay home. And yes, everything that's happening is similar.

History tends to repeat itself.

Well, yes, a year ago, our very own beloved Donald Trump threatened to raze Houthi cities to rubble. That was, if memory serves, on May 4th or 5th. And by May 6th, the squadron, led by the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman, was already steaming home.

Let me remind you, emphasizing it in bold: without saying a word to their Israeli allies.

And after that, for a whole year, American warships sailed the Red Sea, staying close to the African coast and warning the Houthis. Just in case, because, as everyone knows, anything can happen.

And today, many in Israel desperately don't want a repeat of last year. Many factors have converged here, the most important of which is that Netanyahu desperately needs a victorious war with the annexation of more land.

Israeli journalists haven't yet figured out where and how to praise Trump, but politicians have already begun preparing the artillery barrage.

Opposition leader and former Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, clearly dreaming of a comeback, if not a higher rise, stated on Elon Musk's social media:

"In our entire history, we have never faced a diplomatic disaster of this magnitude. Israel wasn't even at the negotiating table when decisions were made that affected the foundations of our national security. Benjamin Netanyahu is to blame for implementing a failed policy. Because of it, Israel, while engaged in a military confrontation, failed to achieve a single goal."

A typical outcry from the opposition? No, for the Jews, things are more serious. Israel has effectively found itself sidelined from decisions on matters of war and peace. And rightly so, because while the US made demands on Iran, Israel simply attacked silently, pursuing its own goals and objectives. Proud of the destroyed Iranian leaders and commanders.

continue: https://en.topwar.ru/280700-nas-pred...etovannoj.html

[shaberon]

Popping out of the time machine:

A KC-46 Pegasus aircraft of the United States Air Force was destroyed in the March 27 Iranian attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, a satellite image shared by aviation journalist Babak Taghvaee on April 8 revealed.

The latest satellite image from Prince Sultan revealed that at least one Pegasus was destroyed there. The aircraft lost its entire nose section.

Wonder what else is in that bag of blur.

It was a newer class of tanker.

Meanwhile, yesterday, during cease-fire, they appear to have simply lost one of their most expensive reconnaissance drones, the Triton:








It plummeted from 56,000 feet almost to the sea under 7700 before the signal went out.

[Ravenlocke]

RT

South Korea to hand out cash aid amid Iran crisis — Reuters

South Koreans will receive $67–$405 in relief payments after parliament approved an extra budget

Around 35 million people (70% of the population) qualify, with payouts varying by income level and place of residence


https://x.com/RT_com/status/2042628728195371349

Clash Report

South Korea proposed a $17 billion supplementary budget to cushion the economic impact of the Iran conflict and rising oil prices.

It includes cash payments to the bottom 70% of earners (about 36 million people), ranging from $65–$400 per person to offset energy and inflation costs.

https://x.com/clashreport/status/2042628624096928130

[shaberon]

Posted by Ravenlocke (here)
And unfortunately, they are trying to implement, as I mentioned, the Brzezinski plan, which was focused on Ukraine and Iran, but it doesn’t work. And it was quite clear that these two conflicts will not lead to the results that Western geopoliticians expected.

To put it further, yes, that was the US "Great Game" type of plan, but, in his final years, Brzezinski decided that you should just stop because those last pieces won't work. Not as in, you can succeed with tactics there and for some reason the results are not good, but, that these were insurmountable obstacles that "you" couldn't achieve in the first place. It won't work because you can't even do it. And, yes, the attempt was made anyway.

[Vicus]

The US continues to evacuate wounded soldiers in the Middle East through the Ramstein air base. -today



The American military continues to evacuate the wounded from the Iranian theater of operations. A C-17A Globemaster III heavy-lift transport aircraft, tail number #AE1173, completed its seventh medical evacuation en route from Ramstein, Germany, to Joint Base Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. This is the seventh flight since the beginning of Operation Epic Fury.

On the ground in Andrews, the evacuees were met by a Walter Reed team. One armored Patient Evacuation Vehicle (PEV)—essentially an intensive care unit on wheels—was joined by one Medical Ambulance Bus (MAB). The mission: quickly and safely transport the wounded to Walter Reed Military Hospital in Bethesda.

But the important thing here isn't the finale, but the interim points. Before arriving in America, all the dead and wounded were first transported to Germany, to the Ramstein air base. It was there, to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center—the largest American military hospital outside the United States—that streams of "300s" and "200s" from the conflict zone arrived.

There, at the airbase, crews from the 10th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron transform C-17s into “flying hospitals” right on the airfield.

https://en.topwar.ru/280803-ssha-pro...ajn-v-frg.html

[ExomatrixTV]

• Trump LOSES IT On Tucker, Megyn, Candace and Alex:

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=NpH70bxSJr4

• Trump Goes Scorched Earth on Megyn Kelly, Tucker Carlson and Other Major MAGA Critics in Jaw-Dropping Post

• Megyn Kelly Opens Up About Israel, Charlie Kirk, and the Past Nine Months, with Ana Kasparian

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=hEJuMReNS_Q

[Ravenlocke]

Iran demands release of its frozen funds


Jackson Hinkle 🇺🇸

🚨🇮🇷🇺🇸🇰🇷🇶🇦 BREAKING: Bank executives are scrambling behind the scenes to RELEASE $7 BILLION of frozen Iranian funds held by South Korea in Qatari banks

The frozen assets are a result of U.S. financial sanctions, and Iran wants them released immediately

https://x.com/jacksonhinklle/status/2042617750141517978

https://x.com/mazzenilsson/status/2042647056242614286

The Cradle

No Islamabad talks without Lebanon ceasefire, frozen asset release: Tehran

https://x.com/TheCradleMedia/status/2042661651321631131

[Vicus]

The Nuclear Taboo That Stopped Working-today

Victor Gao is a busy figure. Born in 1962, his career began in 1985, when he became an English translator for Deng Xiaoping, the reformer who transformed China. In 1988, Gao joined the UN Secretariat and later graduated from Yale University. According to CCG, he has extensive experience in government, diplomacy, securities regulation, investment banking, and corporate management. He is currently vice president of the Center for China and Globalization in Beijing.

There's just one caveat. Gao doesn't hold any government office. He's not a minister, an ambassador, or an official spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His statements are his expert opinion, not the government's line. But given his past as a translator for one of China's most important leaders and his current role at a major think tank, his words are listened to.

According to numerous publications on social media and the Facebook platform, Victor Gao stated:

"I want to tell the Israeli government: If Israel uses a nuclear warhead against any country, including Iran, it will mean the destruction of Israel as a state."

Context: According to alternative data news According to sources, this statement came amid discussions of a possible escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. Beijing also called on the international community to "unite and calm Israel and the United States."

Why is it important

Let's take it in order.

At firstIsrael has never officially confirmed or denied the existence of a nuclear weaponsThis is the so-called policy of "deliberate ambiguity." But according to international experts and intelligence community assessments, Israel possesses a nuclear arsenal. If a Chinese analyst says "if Israel uses it," it means that in China's expert community, Israel's nuclear capability is considered a fact.

SecondlyThe phrase "the destruction of Israel as a state" is not a metaphor or hyperbole in a diplomatic context. It's a signal that the use of nuclear weapons by anyone is considered a red line, beyond which irreversible consequences follow. It's noteworthy that Gao speaks not only of Iran, but of "any country."

ThirdlyThe very fact that such statements are coming from Beijing indicates a shift in tone. China has traditionally avoided direct threats against specific countries. When an analyst associated with the Chinese expert community speaks of the "end of the state," it can be seen as a probing reaction or a signal that official Beijing does not formally make, but does not prohibit.

Five points

There's aThe nuclear taboo is an agreement that has held since 1945. No country has used nuclear weapons in combat since Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Any public discussion of the possibility of their use—even hypothetical—weakens this taboo. When a Chinese expert speaks about such a scenario out loud, it changes the information landscape.

SecondChina is building a position as a responsible power on the international stage. Warnings like Gao's fit into this logic: Beijing opposes nuclear escalation, but it formulates this in the strongest possible terms.

The thirdFor Israel, such statements are additional pressure. Even if Gao doesn't speak on behalf of the government, his words are relayed in global media and shape public opinion. According to social media, a video of his statements has received tens of thousands of shares.

FourthThe war in Gaza and the escalating tensions with Iran are forcing all sides to outline their red lines. China is doing this through the voices of experts rather than officials—it allows for a more assertive tone while maintaining diplomatic leeway.

FifthThe situation demonstrates how the international security architecture is changing. Previously, nuclear warnings came from Washington and Moscow. Now, Beijing is joining the discussion, and in a much more direct manner.

https://en.topwar.ru/280808-jadernoe...o-rabotat.html