Sunny Hostin leaves The View hosts speechless as she defends Iran and complains about Israel

The View 's Sunny Hostin found herself at odds with her co-hosts this week during a fiery debate about the legality of Israel 's preemptive strikes on Iran.
Hostin, a former federal prosecutor, argued that Israel's bombings violate international law and needed to be done 'diplomatically.'
But co-hosts Alyssa Farah Griffin, Sara Haines, and Joy Behar weren't buying it, given Iran's own heinous track record.
All three pointed out how Tehran is the world's leading funder of terrorism, and that it does not play by the conventional rules of foreign policy.
'Well, Iran's launched tons of missiles against Israel in the last few years,' Griffin said Wednesday.
'That is fine, but you have to do that legally and under international criminal law,' Hostin replied.
The remark led Behar to note: 'I'm not sure Iran does things legally.'
Hostin continued to push back, but once the dust settled, she turned to the camera to assure viewers she was not anti-Semitic.
'Under international law, Israel should not be preemptively striking another country,' she explained. 'We really need to have a bird's-eye view of what's going on.
'If that's okay for Israel to do, if that's okay for our president to do, is that okay for another country to do to us?' she added, leading Behar to point out the threat Iran poses to Israel.
'Well think of it this way,' Behar said. 'What if Canada was saying - was going to build a nuclear bomb and they threatened to kill us all. What would we do?'
'You have to do it diplomatically, Joy - you can't just bomb a country,' Hostin shot back.
'What's so diplomatic about having a nuclear bomb and threatening another country?' Behar replied.
Hostin responded by saying Iran 'doesn't necessarily' have nuclear weapons at this point.
'No, but they're building it,' Behar declared.
'Obama acknowledged that they were building,' Griffin added.
Hostin, however, continued to blame Trump for the conflict.
At this point Haines looked to have had enough and questioned how Hostin could defend the rights of the Iranian government given its funding of terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah.
'Israel has had a target on its back its entire existence from every terrorist organization known to man, and Iran is the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism,' Haines argued.
'Doesn't mean you can proactively bomb a country,' Hostin fired back.
'I'm not going to defend the legal-ness of a terrorist nation that's been funding people killing people for decades and say, well, they didn't follow the rules,' Haines continued. 'They've never followed rules'.
Co-host Whoopi Goldberg stressed that such issues are why global organizations like the United Nations exist.
'Which is why I recommend what's going on right now because the US is not actively involved,' Haines said.
Griffin pointed out that Iran has launched ballistic missile attacks on US forces in Iraq as recently as three years ago.
'They have attacked Israel, preemptively,' the former Trump aide added. 'They are a terrorist nation.'
Hostin went on to ask: 'So, we should do what they do?'
Griffin asserted that it was up to the Iranian people to rid themselves of their regime.
'Can I just say this so I don't get a bunch of hate mail - criticism of the Israeli government is not anti-Semitic,' Hostin concluded
'I am criticizing Benjamin Netanyahu. I am criticizing Israel. I am not an anti-Semite. But, under international criminal law, what is happening now is not legal. That's the line.'

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BBC News

23 minutes ago

• BBC News

AI disinformation wey dey comot from di Iran- Israel War

Plenti disinformation don comot online since wen Israel start to dey strike Iran last week, dis na as BBC Verify don review plenti posts for social media wey dem use to boost how effective di Tehran response dey. Di analysis find out some videos wey dem use artificial intelligence to make, wey bin dey brag about Iran military capacity togeda wit fake clips wey show wetin strikes cause for Israeli targets. Di three most viewed fake videos wey BBC Verify find don get ova 100 million views from all di platforms wey dem follow post dem. Pro-Israeli accounts sef don also share dia own disinformation online. Dis na mainly by say dem repost old clips of protests and gatherings for Iran wey dem go lie say dem dey show say di public for Iran no dey feel dia goment and dey support di Israel military campaign. Israel bin launch strikes for Iran for 13 June wey cause Iran to send several rounds of missile and drone attacks to Israel. One joinbodi wey dia work na to torchlight and analyse open source images tok say di amount of disinformation wey dey online dey, "astonishing" and even accuse who dem call "engagement farmers" say dem dey try to make money from di kasala by sharing misleading content wey dey made to get attention online. Geoconfirmed, wey be di online verification group write for X say, "we dey see everting from unrelated videos from Pakistan, to recycled videos from di October 2024 strikes, wey don gada ova 20 million views, to game videos and AI generated content wey dem dey try pass off say na wetin happun be dat". Some accounts don turn "super spreaders" of disinformation as dem dey get growth for dia followers. One pro Iranian account wey no look like e get any ties wit Tehran don grow dia followers from ova 700,000 for 13 June to 1.4 million for 19 June. Dis na 100% growth and, e neva even reach one week sef. Na one of di many not known accounts wey don dey show for pipo feeds as of recent. All of dem get blue ticks, get ogbonge messaging and don dey post disinformation well-well. Bicos some dey use names wey look like say dem dey official, so pipo go reason say dem bi real accounts but e no dey clear who dey run di accounts. Dis amount of disinformation dey marked as "di first time wey we go see di use of generative AI for dis level during kasala", na wetin Emmanuella Saliba wey be di Chief Investigative Officer for di analyst group Get Real tell BBC Verify. Accounts wey BBC Verify review bin dey normally show AI generated pictures as e be like say dem wan exaggerate how di Iran response to Israel strikes dey successful. One image wey get 27m views show dozens of missiles as dem dey enta di city of Tel Aviv. Anoda video look like e show missile strike on top one building for di Israeli city late for night. Ms Saliba say dis clips dey normally show night time attacks wey dey make am harder to verify. Di AI fakes dey also focus on claims say dem destroy di Israeli F-35 fighter jets, wey be di state of di art planes US make wey fit strike both targets for ground and for air. If di plenti clips wey dey comot dey real, dat mean say Iran for don destroy 15% of di Israel fleet of fighters. Dis na wetin Lisa Kaplan wey be di CEO of di Alethea analyst group tell BBC Verify. We neva fit verify any video of F-35s wey dem shoot down. One of di post wey don go far claim to show jet wey dey damaged afta dem shoot am down for Iranian desert. But signs of AI manipulation bin dey inside, like how di pipo wey dey around di jets bin dey di same size as di nearby motor and how di sand no even move small to show say jet crash land on am. Anoda video wey get 21.1 million views for TikTok show one Israeli F-35 wey air defences bin shoot down, but wia di video bin actually come from na from one flight simulator video game. TikTok don comot di video afta BBC Verify meet wit dem. Ms Kaplan explain say some of di focus wey dey on top F-35s na from network of accounts wey Alethea bin formerly link to Russian influence operations. She bin note say Russian influence operations don shift from dia work to undermine support for di war for Ukraine to come sow doubts on top weda Western and especially American weapons dey work well. Ms Kaplan say, "Russia no really get response to di F-35. So wetin dem go do? Na to reduce di support e dey get for certain kontris." Disinformation also dey spread by well-known accounts wey don chook mouth for di Israel Gaza war and oda kasala bifor. Dia motivations dey different but sabi pipo tok say some of dem fit dey try to make money from di kasala as some social media platforms don dey offer money to accounts wey dey get plenti views. Pro-Israeli posts, howeva, dey focus on suggestions say di goment of Iran dey face backlash as di strikes dey go on. Among dem, na widely shared AI video wey lie, wey show Iranians dey hala "we love Israel" for di streets of Tehran. But recently, amd as di speculation about US strikes for Iran nuclear sites still dey grow, some accounts don start to dey post AI pictures of B-2 bombers ova Tehran. Pipo don dey torchlight di B-2 since Israel strikes for Iran start bicos na di only aircraft wey fit effectively carry out attack for Iran underground nuclear sites. Official sources for Iran and Israel don share some of di fake images. State media for Tehran share fake videos of strikes and AI image of crashed F-35 while Israel Defense Forces (IDF) gbab community note for X for one of dia post say dem use old unrelated footage of missile bombardment. Plenti of di disinformation wey BBC Verify review don dey shared for X. Sotay users now dey ask di platform AI chatbot, Grok weda di posts na true or na lie. But for some cases, Grok don tok say di AI videos dey real. One of dat kain video show plenti trucks wey dey carry ballistic missiles dey comot from one mountainside complex. Di signs of AI content show as di rocks for di video bin dey move dia self na wetin Ms Saliba tok. But Grok still tell X users say di videos bin dey real and also cite reports wey media outlets like Newsweek and Reuters put out say make pipo "check trusted news for clarity". X no ansa BBC Verify wen dem ask for comments for wetin Grok dey do. Many videos also comot for TikTok and Instagram, For statement to BBC Verify, TikTok tok say dem dey ginger to enforce community guidelines "wey prohibit inaccurate, misleading or fake content" and dem dey work wit independent fact checkers to "verify misleading content". Instagram owner Meta no ansa dia own request for comment. While motivation for pipo wey dey create dis online fakes dey plenti, many of dem dey shared by ordinary social media users. Matthew Facciani, wey be researcher for di University of Notre Dame, bin suggest say disinformation fit spread sharparly online wen pipo dey faced wit two options like di kain wey kasala and politics dey bring comot. E say, "dat one torchlight wetin be di bigger social and psychological issue of pipo wey wan reshare tins if e go wit dia political identity and also in general, more sensationalist emotional content wey dey spread quicker for di online world".

The Sun

31 minutes ago

• The Sun

Israel will keep bombing Iran's nuke sites even without Trump – we will finish the job, says Netanyahu's ex-adviser

ISRAEL will continue blitzing Iran's nuclear sites with or without the US joining strikes, Benjamin Netanyahu's ex-adviser says. It comes as Donald Trump has revealed he has opened a two-week window for talks as he mulls whether America will intervene in the conflict. 9 9 9 9 The US president, through White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, said there is "a substantial chance of Iran in the near future". Trump had previously tried to curb Tehran's sprawling nuclear scheme through diplomacy. He gave Iran's regime 60 days to thrash out a deal - a deadline that passed two days before Israel unleashed unprecedented strikes on Iran's nuke sites last Friday. Trump has this week been weighing whether to give the green light for the US to step in and deploy a 15-ton mega bunker buster bomb. America's intervention has repeatedly been touted by Trump, who warned Iran would suffer the "full strength and might" of his military. But Netanyahu's ex-adviser Nadav Shtrauchler - who told The Sun the Israeli PM was preparing to strike Iran alone days before he did - said the embattled nation is prepared to carry on without the US. He said: "Of course Israel can carry on. "I think it is going swifter here than people thought when they planned it. "So Israel can proceed and have many targets to go through." Strategic adviser Shtrauchler said he believes the conflict will end with an agreement being thrashed out - and said America's involvement could change the course of the conflict. US participation would most likely involve strikes against Iran's underground Fordo uranium enrichment facility, considered to be out of reach to all but America's bunker-buster bombs. Shtrauchler added: "It's a different story with the US, both with the military and the geopolitical side. It's a big deal and will change things. "It's going to end with an agreement if the regime does not fall, but it is too soon to know that. "So if the US decides against intervening you wil see more from the Israel side and at some point it will end with an agreement. "It will make an effect and will change the end result. "But for now we can see that Israel is working very well itself and we can proceed like this - not without the US support but without the US intervening." It comes as Israel and Iran continue to trade heavy blows - with no sign of de-escalation in the weeklong battle. Israel's 'Churchill moment' by Katie Davis, Chief Foreign Reporter (Digital) BRITAIN will never be safe until Iran's nuclear scheme is wiped out, Israel's ambassador told The Sun. Tzipi Hotovely said Israel is facing its "Churchill moment" and doing the UK a "huge service" by wiping out the rogue state's efforts to create a nuke weapon. She also rebuked Sir Keir Starmer 's calls for de-escalation as she insisted Tel Aviv acted at the "last minute" to save their country from "nuclear holocaust". The PM - who chaired an emergency Cobra meeting this week - has insisted that the UK wants to de-escalate the situation and resolve it through diplomacy. But Amb. Hotovely said Iran had its chance for diplomacy during Donald Trump 's 60-day deadline to t hrash out a deal over its nuclear programme. And she warned the UK would never be safe until Iran loses any chance of developing a nuke. The diplomat said Israel is facing its "Churchill moment" as Netanyahu finds himself in a similar position as the British wartime leader did in 1940 - drawing the US into a war with its enemy. Speaking to The Sun at its headquarters in London, she said: "When they're calling for de-escalation, you need to understand that the only way to de-escalate the situation is by removing the threat. "As long as Iran will race faster to have its ballistic missile programme that can destroy cities in Israel, if we will let them continue with that, cities in the UK won't be safe." European and Iranian officials met yesterday in Geneva, and Trump has said he will allow two weeks for negotiations before deciding whether to strike the rogue nation. Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi made a condition for renewed talks a ceasefire, saying: "There is no room for negotiations with the U.S. until Israeli aggression stops." Talks later on Friday between Araghchi and officials from the EU ended without a breakthrough after four hours. No date was set for the next round of talks, aimed at getting Iran back to the negotiating table with the US. Missiles continued to rain down in Iran and Israel as the talks were held on Friday in a scramble to de-escalate the conflict. Netanyahu has insisted Israel's military operation in Iran would continue for as long as it takes to eliminate the "existential threat" of Iran's nuclear program and arsenal of ballistic missiles. 9 9 9 9 Israel's top general echoed the warning, saying the Israeli military was ready for a prolonged campaign. Iran previously agreed to limit its uranium enrichment and allow international inspectors access to its nuclear sites under a 2015 deal. But after Trump pulled the US unilaterally out of the deal during his first term, Iran began enriching uranium up to 60 per cent a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent. Access was also restricted access to its nuclear facilities. Netanyahu signed off a plot to bomb Iran's nuke facilities last week - killing several of its top generals and nuclear scientists, and striking several nuclear facilities. Iran has retaliated by firing 450 missiles and 1,000 drones at Israel, according to Israeli army estimates. Most have been shot down by Israel's multitiered air defenses, but at least 24 people in Israel have been killed and hundreds wounded. 9

Daily Mail​

32 minutes ago

• Daily Mail​

The surgeon's daughter who campaigned against hummus at university: Meet Palestine Action's VERY middle-class leader who has swapped targets from chickpea dip to RAF war planes

The middle-class daughter of a top NHS surgeon who campaigned against hummus at university has been revealed as the leader of Palestine Action. Huda Ammori, a former campaigner at the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, founded the controversial group alongside Richard Barnard, 51, a former member of Extinction Rebellion, in 2020. The 31-year-old was born in Bolton to a Palestinian father, a surgeon, and an Iraqi mother. She later went on to graduate from the University of Manchester with an international business and finance degree. Despite her middle class roots, Ms Ammori quickly became captivated by student activism during her time at the prestigious institution - even getting a brand of hummus banned from the campus shop. The then-student, who had spotted 'Sabra' hummus, half-owned by a company who invest in Israeli 's military forces, was on sale, launched a tireless campaign that eventually saw the chickpea dip successfully blacklisted. Now, she leads the militant Palestine Action movement. Over the past five years, the group have claimed responsibility for vandalised buildings, ram-raided factories and, most recently, even infiltrated Britain's largest RAF base, damaging two military planes. Having posted footage online showing two people inside the base at RAF Brize Norton, the group are now set to be proscribed by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, meaning it will be a criminal offence to belong to or support Palestine Action. Ms Ammori first had a political awakening in 2016, after receiving a surprising call from her mother in 2016 insisting that she join the Labour Party. A graduate from the University of Manchester, Ms Ammori quickly became captivated by student activism during her time at the prestigious institution - even campaigning to get a brand of hummus banned from the campus shop Describing such demand as initially 'confusing', she wrote in The New Arab: 'Coming from my Iraqi mother, this qas quite confusing given that Tony Blair, under the Labour government, led the invasion and destruction of Iraq'. However, for both Ms Ammori and other pro-Palestine activists, the election of Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the Labour Party offered, they believed, a 'renewal of hope'. But such hope was ultimately to be short lived. Following Corbyn's defeat in the 2019 general election, Ms Ammori said she quickly abandoned any 'asking and begging' of government bodies for help with her activist plight. Instead, she formed a new militant movement with Mr Barnard, a raised Catholic who once belonged to a Christian anarchist group called the Catholic Worker. He has, according to the magazine Prospect, almost 30 tattoos, including Benedictine mottos, an Irish Republican slogan, 'freedom' in Arabic and 'all cops are bastards'. Ms Ammori, who said previously that her Palestinian great-grandfather was killed by British soldiers in the 1936 u[rising, has never been deterred by the risk of jail time as a result of the group's extreme behaviour. Highlighting her fearless nature, she told the publication: 'When you do these types of actions, you do it with an understanding that you could end up in prison'. Having claimed responsibility for more than 300 incidents at government buildings, universities and British-based defence sites, amongst numerous others, some of the group's most fierce activists have indeed been imprisoned for their protests. Shocking footage shared by the group showed protesters storming across the RAF runway in Oxfordshire on electric scooters. The activists are then seen spraying red paint into the turbine engines of the air-to-air refuelling tankers which the RAF say are 'vital for enhancing the operational reach and flexibility of Britain's military air power' On Friday, bodycam footage was uploaded online which showed two of the group's activists infiltrating Britain's largest RAF base and spraying red paint into the engines of two Airbus Voyager aircraft before escaping without being caught. The shocking video showed protesters storming across the RAF runway in Oxfordshire on electric scooters. The activists are then seen spraying red paint into the turbine engines of the air-to-air refueling tankers which the RAF say are 'vital for enhancing the operational reach and flexibility of Britain's military air power'. Palestine Action claimed to have used repurposed fire extinguishers to spray the paint, while they say they caused further damage with crowbars. They said that the damage to the planes at Brize Norton was deliberately undertaken as it is the base 'where flights leave daily for RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus' - the base used for military operations in the Middle East. In response to the shocking incident, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer condemned the footage, stating in a post on X: 'The act of vandalism committed at RAF Brize Norton is disgraceful. 'Our Armed Forces represent the very best of Britain and put their lives on the line for us every day. 'It is our responsibility to support those who defend us.' Meanwhile, opposition leader Kemi Badenoch said: 'The security breach at Brize Norton is deeply concerning. 'This is not lawful protest, it is politically-motivated criminality. We must stop tolerating terrorist or extremist groups that seek to undermine our society. The full force of the law must come down on those responsible.' A security review has been launched across all UK military bases and the incident is currently being investigated by counter terror police. The Home Secretary, who hopes to proscribe the organisation, has the power to do so under the Terrorism Act of 2000 if she believes it is 'concerned in terrorism'. Proscription will require Ms Cooper to lay an order in Parliament, which must then be debated and approved by both MPs and peers. A spokesperson for Palestine Action accused the UK of failing to meet its obligation to prevent or punish genocide. The spokesperson said: 'When our government fails to uphold their moral and legal obligations, it is the responsibility of ordinary citizens to take direct action. 'The terrorists are the ones committing a genocide, not those who break the tools used to commit it.' Some 81 organisations have been proscribed under the 2000 Act, including Islamist terrorist groups such as Hamas and al Qaida, far-right groups such as National Action, and Russian private military company Wagner Group. Another 14 organisations connected with Northern Ireland are also banned under previous legislation, including the IRA and UDA. In August last year, five Palestine Action activists who caused over £1million worth of damages at a weapons factory in Glasgow, were jailed for a total of five years and two months. Stuart Bretherton, 25, Eva Simmons, 25, Calum Lacy, 23, Erica Hygate, 23 and Sumaya Javaid, 22, scaled the Thales UK building in Glasgow's Govan on June 1 2022 and staged a demonstration on its roof. The five protestors unfurled banners and erected flags and ignited pyrotechnics, while two remained at the building overnight and glued themselves to the roof after refusing to engage with police. A total of £1,130,783 of damage was caused and the premises were shut due to safety concerns. Bretherton, of Kilmacolm, Inverclyde, Simmons, of London, Lacy of Edinburgh as well as Hygate and Javaid of Birmingham, pleaded guilty to conducting themselves in a disorderly manner. Hygate separately pleaded guilty to a vandalism charge, while Javaid also pleaded to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner. All but Javaid received 12 month sentences while she was jailed for 14 months.