Trump morally obligated to use bunker busters on Iran nuclear sites
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Ultimately, of course, Israel destroyed nearly all of Hezbollah's military capabilities — along with a couple thousand Hezbollah cell phones and pagers. But the year-long war — and its daily barrages of missiles — rendered much of the country's north uninhabitable. Indeed, thousands of Israelis remain without permanent homes.
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Transfer this scenario to Tel Aviv — one of the world's most densely populated cities — and the results would be chaotic, if not catastrophic. Many of those impacted by Hezbollah rockets fled Israel's north for Tel Aviv last year — but as Iran targets the entirety of Israel, there is nowhere for Tel Avivis to flee. This is a situation that could not be more combustible — particularly for Israelis already fed up with 20 months of war with Hamas in Gaza. For now, at least, Israelis remain committed to Netanyahu's Iranian strategy. But ongoing mass-casualty events like the ones we saw this week could spark talks of regime change in Jerusalem, as well.
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Scenes of civil unrest are also unfolding in Tehran — with the potential to devolve far more quickly. Unlike in Israel, order exists in Iran not to achieve public safety — but as a tool for mass control. And the regime has been losing control for years. More than half of all Iranians sat out of last year's presidential election, for instance, the lowest-ever turnout since the Iranian Revolution in 1979.
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This is an act of extraordinary bravery in a nation where voting is a compulsory display of both fealty and fear. Such bravery has similarly been displayed since the war with Israel began as Iranians — both at home and abroad — begin to manifest the regime change mantra many never believed possible.
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But even as regime change becomes possible, is it actually desirable? And is it Israel's role to foment it? Here, too, is where only America can make a difference. Despite denials this week by Israeli President Isaac Herzog that Jerusalem is aiming to oust the Ayatollah, Prime Minister Netanyahu is speaking a very different language.
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He repeatedly urged Iranians this week to rise up against their leadership; 'This is the time, your hour of freedom is near, it's happening now,' he told the London-based news agency Iran International. But then what? While Israel must prevent its war with Iran from turning into its war with Hezbollah, President Trump has his eyes on Libya, and the decade of tribal conflict that followed American intervention a decade ago.
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But Libya combusted as a consequence of the Arab Spring, fuelled by aid from wealthy Gulf-State enablers. Iran has no such regional support — only a 'superpower' can make a difference and that means the U.S. The only way for Trump to avoid a protracted play in Iran is to embark on a short and surgical one. And he should. Soon.
This is likely to achieve the most important goal for everyone — an end to Iran's nukes along with the potential for an end to the Islamic Republic. The first Israel and America can and must make happen; the second, however, only Iranians can achieve for themselves.
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CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Israeli-backed group seeks at least US$30 million from US for aid distribution in Gaza
Omar al-Hobi, 43, from Rafah, unpacks a bag of food he collected at a distribution center run by private contractor the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in the southern Gaza Strip, as he arrives at his family's tent in Khan Younis, Tuesday, June 10, 2025. At left are his children and his wife, Anwaar Saleh.(AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) WASHINGTON — WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S.-led group has asked the Trump administration to step in with an initial $30 million so it can continue its much scrutinized and Israeli-backed aid distribution in Gaza, according to three U.S. officials and the organization's application for the money. That application, obtained by The Associated Press, also offers some of the first financial details about the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and its work in the territory. The foundation says it has provided millions of meals in southern Gaza since late May to Palestinians as Israel's blockade and military campaign have driven the Gaza to the brink of famine. But the effort has seen near-daily fatal shootings of Palestinians trying to reach the distribution sites. Major humanitarian groups also accuse the foundation of cooperating with Israel's objectives in the 20-month-old war against Hamas in a way that violates humanitarian principles. The group's funding application was submitted to the U.S. Agency for International Development, according to the U.S. officials, who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The application was being processed this week as potentially one of the agency's last acts before the Republican administration absorbs USAID into the State Department as part of deep cuts in foreign assistance. Two of the officials said they were told the administration has decided to award the money. They said the processing was moving forward with little of the review and auditing normally required before Washington makes foreign assistance grants to an organization. In a letter submitted Thursday as part of the application, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation secretary Loik Henderson said his organization 'was grateful for the opportunity to partner with you to sustain and scale life-saving operations in Gaza.' Neither the State Department nor Henderson immediately responded to requests for comment Saturday. Israel says the foundation is the linchpin of a new aid system to wrest control from the United Nations, which Israel alleges has been infiltrated by Hamas, and other humanitarian groups. The foundation's use of fixed sites in southern Gaza is in line with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to use aid to concentrate the territory's more than 2 million people in the south, freeing Israel to fight Hamas elsewhere. Aid workers fear it's a step toward another of Netanyahu's public goals, removing Palestinians from Gaza in 'voluntary' migrations that aid groups and human rights organizations say would amount to coerced departures. The U.N. and many leading nonprofit groups accuse the foundation of stepping into aid distribution with little transparency or humanitarian experience, and, crucially, without a commitment to the principles of neutrality and operational independence in war zones. Since the organization started operations, several hundred Palestinians have been killed and hundreds more wounded in near-daily shootings as they tried to reach aid sites, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Witnesses say Israeli troops regularly fire heavy barrages toward the crowds in an attempt to control them. The Israeli military has denied firing on civilians. It says it fired warning shots in several instance, and fired directly at a few 'suspects' who ignored warnings and approached its forces. It's unclear who is funding the new operation in Gaza. No donor has come forward. The State Department said this past week that the United States is not funding it. In documents supporting its application, the group said it received nearly $119 million for May operations from 'other government donors,' but gives no details. It expects $38 million from those unspecific government donors for June, in addition to the hoped-for $30 million from the United States. The application shows no funding from private philanthropy or any other source. AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report. Ellen Knickmeyer, The Associated Press
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Israeli-backed group seeks at least $30 million from US for aid distribution in Gaza
WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S.-led group has asked the Trump administration to step in with an initial $30 million so it can continue its much scrutinized and Israeli-backed aid distribution in Gaza, according to three U.S. officials and the organization's application for the money. That application, obtained by The Associated Press, also offers some of the first financial details about the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and its work in the territory. The foundation says it has provided millions of meals in southern Gaza since late May to Palestinians as Israel's blockade and military campaign have driven the Gaza to the brink of famine. But the effort has seen near-daily fatal shootings of Palestinians trying to reach the distribution sites. Major humanitarian groups also accuse the foundation of cooperating with Israel's objectives in the 20-month-old war against Hamas in a way that violates humanitarian principles. The group's funding application was submitted to the U.S. Agency for International Development, according to the U.S. officials, who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The application was being processed this week as potentially one of the agency's last acts before the Republican administration absorbs USAID into the State Department as part of deep cuts in foreign assistance. Two of the officials said they were told the administration has decided to award the money. They said the processing was moving forward with little of the review and auditing normally required before Washington makes foreign assistance grants to an organization. In a letter submitted Thursday as part of the application, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation secretary Loik Henderson said his organization 'was grateful for the opportunity to partner with you to sustain and scale life-saving operations in Gaza.' Neither the State Department nor Henderson immediately responded to requests for comment Saturday. Israel says the foundation is the linchpin of a new aid system to wrest control from the United Nations, which Israel alleges has been infiltrated by Hamas, and other humanitarian groups. The foundation's use of fixed sites in southern Gaza is in line with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to use aid to concentrate the territory's more than 2 million people in the south, freeing Israel to fight Hamas elsewhere. Aid workers fear it's a step toward another of Netanyahu's public goals, removing Palestinians from Gaza in 'voluntary' migrations that aid groups and human rights organizations say would amount to coerced departures. The U.N. and many leading nonprofit groups accuse the foundation of stepping into aid distribution with little transparency or humanitarian experience, and, crucially, without a commitment to the principles of neutrality and operational independence in war zones. Since the organization started operations, several hundred Palestinians have been killed and hundreds more wounded in near-daily shootings as they tried to reach aid sites, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Witnesses say Israeli troops regularly fire heavy barrages toward the crowds in an attempt to control them. The Israeli military has denied firing on civilians. It says it fired warning shots in several instance, and fired directly at a few 'suspects' who ignored warnings and approached its forces. It's unclear who is funding the new operation in Gaza. No donor has come forward. The State Department said this past week that the United States is not funding it. In documents supporting its application, the group said it received nearly $119 million for May operations from 'other government donors,' but gives no details. It expects $38 million from those unspecific government donors for June, in addition to the hoped-for $30 million from the United States. The application shows no funding from private philanthropy or any other source. ___ AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report.
Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Mahmoud Khalil vows to continue protesting Israel's war in Gaza after coming back home
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