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Euronews
an hour ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Israelis face daily fears of missile strikes as Iran conflict surges
On Thursday, Jimmy, a volunteer paramedic and one of the first respondents on site during the 7 October Hamas attack, rushed to action when a series of sirens sounded across Holon, a city south of Tel Aviv. "When the sirens sound, first respondents have to get into their vehicles and wait for the calls from the control hub to start coming in," Jimmy, a 36-year-old Arab-Israeli, who grew up in Jordan and East Jerusalem, told Euronews. "As we headed to the impacted site, I realised that we were nearing my building. When we got there, I discovered that yes — it was my building which had been destroyed by a missile." "I had only moved in the day before, because the apartment I had been living in for four years in Revohot — south of Tel Aviv — was destroyed by an Iranian missile earlier this week," explained Jimmy. "All the remaining clothes I own are ruined, as is the few bits of furniture I had left." "I've been through — and seen — a lot in the last few years, but with time I have learned to disconnect my feelings, because otherwise I would just sit and cry at this never-ending war," said Jimmy, who runs a delivery business, alongside his volunteering activities. "The hardest part for me is that I have an eight-month-old son who I haven't seen for months now, because my wife and he are in Eilat, in the south of Israel, where it's much safer than here." "The thing is, I have to keep working when I can, and I also feel that I am needed as a volunteer," added Jimmy. Although the country has been on standby since Wednesday — the sixth day of Israel and Iran's open conflict — restrictions on civilians were eased, and workplace activities, as well as small gatherings, were allowed to resume. Despite this, schools remain shut and the streets are empty. For many in Israel, raising children in this climate is tough. "I wouldn't be so worried if I didn't have her", 30-year-old Emma from the US told Euronews. She lives in Jaffa in southern Tel Aviv, with her husband and their 10-month-old son. "We don't have a bomb shelter in our building because we live in an Arab neighbourhood, my husband is an Arab Israeli. Many of the affordable apartments in Israel are not equipped, so at night we take our baby and go sleep at my mother-in-law's house," Emma told Euronews. For Emma, there is a clear reason that Israel finds itself in this situation. "I think my morale is better than most Israelis' and that's because I don't believe that what the government is doing is right — so I understand why we are in this position." Nizan, 34, is a tech entrepreneur and father-to-be who usually resides in Tel Aviv. But since Israel's escalating conflict with Iran, he and his wife have relocated to Haifa, in the north of the country, to stay with her family. 'The noises we are hearing from the shelter are very different to those we hear when there are missiles fired from Hamas or by Hezbollah. Even with the Iron Dome, it sounds like a truck is going through a tunnel right over your head," Nizan told Euronews. Many in Israel fear being caught out by a missile when they are out doing essential things like heading to the shops or driving to pick up supplies, as the conflict remains particularly hard on civilians. According to health officials, some 24 Israelis were killed by Iranian rocket salvos in the first week of the conflict, while more than 2,400 have received medical treatment for injuries. All were civilians. Meanwhile, Iranian rights groups based abroad have reported that at least 657 people were killed in Iran by Thursday. "If you are out, the instructions are to just lay on the ground with your hands above your head — but I don't think that really does much. On the evening of Iran's first attack, we were driving to Haifa and we saw the sky light up with so many missiles." "We weren't sure whether to stop because there are alarms all over the country, and you don't know if it's for the area. If it's safer to go on, or to stop on the side of the road," added Nizan. As a business owner, Nizan manages his team remotely, despite workplace restrictions having been lifted. "I run a business of 12 people. Every morning I get worried calls from my colleagues, who tell me they have children who are scared because of a nearby missile or something, it's hard for them to focus", added Nizan. "I feel misunderstood by people living in Europe. Israel escalated the conflict because Iran has repeatedly stated they want to wipe Israel off the face of the Earth." "However, the success of this open conflict will of course be measured by whether this fighting between Israel and Iran continues long-term", concluded Nizan. Oriella, a teacher who lives in Tel Aviv, told Euronews that she feels "exhausted." "There are no nights, your head is filled with worries and insecurities, because you are mentally exhausted, because we have been at war for years," she said. "In my apartment block we have a shelter, people share small talk, but they don't really want to speak — they are tired of having to converse in the middle of the night. They want to sleep. The children in the shelter are either chatting or crying", said Oriella, 59. "I don't like wars, I believe in diplomatic solutions — I think that is what we should be working towards with Iran. People are experiencing so much suffering and for what? To have wars again, and again, and again," sighed Oriella. 35-year-old Zohran lives in Tel Aviv and works in the nightlife industry. However, his work has been placed on hold, and he is now waiting to see whether he will receive any financial compensation from the government, he explained. "I would say I am used to having my life on hold", Zohran told Euronews. Not having a shelter in his building is a major worry, he added. "Two minutes away from my flat there is an underground parking lot. So I run there, with many other people." "Although I am a strong opponent of Netanyahu, with this war against Iran's regime, most of us are with the government. This is a war with a country, where the leaders say they want to destroy us", concluded Zohran. A US appeals court has allowed President Donald Trump to maintain control of the National Guard in Los Angeles, following a challenge to their deployment by the state's governor. Trump called in the troops following protests over immigration raids. The decision halts a ruling from a lower court judge who found the president acted illegally in doing so. The National Guard deployment was the first by a US president without the governor's permission since 1965. In its decision, a three-judge panel on the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously concluded it was likely Trump lawfully exercised his authority in federalising control of the guard. It said that while presidents don't have unfettered power to seize control of a state's guard, the Trump administration had presented enough evidence to show it had a defensible rationale for doing so, citing violent acts by protesters. 'The undisputed facts demonstrate that before the deployment of the National Guard, protesters 'pinned down' several federal officers and threw 'concrete chunks, bottles of liquid, and other objects' at the officers," the court wrote in an explanation of its decision. "Protesters also damaged federal buildings and caused the closure of at least one federal building. And a federal van was attacked by protesters who smashed in the van's windows," the court added. "The federal government's interest in preventing incidents like these is significant.' It also found that even if the federal government failed to notify California Governor Gavin Newsom before federalising the National Guard as required by law, he had no power to veto the president's order. Trump celebrated the decision on his Truth Social platform, calling it a 'big win.' He wrote that 'all over the United States, if our cities, and our people, need protection, we are the ones to give it to them should state and local police be unable, for whatever reason, to get the job done.' Newsom issued a statement expressing disappointment that the court is allowing Trump to retain control of the National Guard. But he also welcomed one aspect of the decision. 'The court rightly rejected Trump's claim that he can do whatever he wants with the National Guard and not have to explain himself to a court," Newsom said. " The president is not a king and is not above the law. We will press forward with our challenge to President Trump's authoritarian use of US military soldiers against citizens.' The court case could have broader implications on the president's power to deploy soldiers within the US after Trump directed immigration officials to prioritise deportations from other Democratic-run cities. Trump argued that the troops were necessary to restore order. Newsom said the move inflamed tensions, usurped local authority and wasted resources. The protests have since appeared to be winding down.
The Print
an hour ago
- Politics
- The Print
Trump can't end wars. He's more interested in commercial deals
The fate of this meeting was always hanging by a thread. US President Donald Trump had announced well before the talks that Iran would not be allowed to have nuclear weapons. At the same time, the US was preparing a hurried evacuation of its embassy in Iraq and had allowed its military dependents to leave locations around the Middle East due to 'heightened security risks'. When Oman's foreign affairs minister Badr Albusaidi announced the sixth round of US-Iran nuclear talks in Muscat on 12 June, he would have had an inkling of the events that would follow. Two days later, he declared that the meeting had been called off. Wading into war Far from staying out of the Israel-Iran war, the US has waded deep into it by laying down conditions that are unacceptable not only to Tehran but also to several other regional and middle powers. A nuclear-armed Shia-dominated Iran is certainly not favoured by the Sunni-dominated Arab world, which incidentally is tied in uneasy knots with Israel through the Abraham Accords. However, Arab states, which once considered Israel a potential ally in their contestations against Iran, are now sceptical about US-Israel objectives. Soon after the Israeli attacks, the UAE waived visa fines for overstaying Iranian citizens, and the Gulf states condemned Israel's unprovoked attack on Iran. The Arab states are well aware of the camaraderie between the US and Israel, and their deep sense of solidarity in combating Iran's nuclear programme. It is no secret that the two powers jointly seek a regime change in Iran, which will herald the beginning of a new state with a pliant, pro-US head of state in Tehran. Due to the total trust deficit between the US and Iran, war is now Trump's only path to achieve this objective. On Thursday, however, officials from the two countries are reported to have held a rare telephonic conversation to find a diplomatic solution as Israel's attacks intensify. Trump had a window of opportunity to continue US-Iran talks and offer a better alternative to war. It is unlikely he was not aware of Israel's war preparedness. By bringing Iran to the negotiating table in Muscat as scheduled, Trump could have bargained for time and sent a message to Israel about whose decision would prevail on regime change in Tehran. Now, driven to the wall, a desperate Iran may consider attacking US bases and military installations in the region. It may even target American and Israeli personnel anywhere in the world, thereby forcing Washington to respond with deterrence or counterattacks as a security measure. Far from stopping the war, Trump finds himself drawn even deeper into it. Iran may also block the Strait of Hormuz, a lifeline for an energy–starved Europe, already deprived of Russian oil and gas. Since its cyber attack on Saudi Arabia's oil installations in 2012, Iran has sharpened its capabilities through short and medium-range and surface-to-surface missiles. These can be used to target oil infrastructure platforms, pipelines, commercial vessels, navigation and radar equipment, and ports in the region. Can Trump's America sit back and leave Europe to its fate in the Gulf, as it tried doing in the Russia-Ukraine conflict? Also read: What India must learn from Israel's air strikes on Iran — clarity, speed, precision Trump's promises Israel's objective of dismantling Iran's nuclear capabilities will be incomplete until the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, spread over 54,000 square feet and buried deep under a mountain near Qom, is totally destroyed. This can be done only by the GBU-57A, a 30,000-pound precision-guided 'bunker buster' bomb, mounted on a US B-2 bomber. It is only a matter of time before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu compels Trump to use the ultimate weapon, which will force Iran to surrender and facilitate a regime change. Such an intervention, which can be authorised only by the President of the United States, will probably please Israel, but not before seriously eroding Trump's credibility as one who will 'end wars'. His resolve to end wars and not get involved in the kind of battles America fought in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan will evaporate into thin air. Trump's path to power was paved with promises of 'making America great again' and ending wars around the world. In fact, the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas conflicts were the only major ongoing wars during his campaign. 'I'm not going to start a war, I'm going to stop the wars,' Trump said, addressing his supporters immediately after winning the second term. In his first 100 days in power, his focus was on undoing his predecessor's policies. He wanted to hunt down illegal immigrants and oust them from the US in humiliating handcuffs, streamline federal institutions, and consolidate as many constitutional powers as possible. Recently, the president wondered whether he could appoint himself the head of the Federal Reserve. Trump's resolve to make America great again implies that it has lost its sheen. Assuming that he is right, the American president should know that the country was great for several reasons. It was 'a land of opportunities' and had the ability to keep the dollar powerful as a globally accepted currency for trade settlements. Above all, America was the global superpower that could successfully intervene in conflicts and flashpoints even in a multipolar world, with emerging economies and hegemons contesting its position of eminence. Trump's priority should be to keep America out of wars rather than make feeble attempts to stop them. As of now, he seems to have failed. A US president who is interested in making commercial deals instead of using the country's economic, political, and military muscle to prevent global conflicts cannot end wars. Seshadri Chari is the former editor of 'Organiser'. He tweets @seshadrichari. Views are personal. (Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)
India.com
2 hours ago
- Politics
- India.com
Three Muslim countries will become the cause of Iran's destruction, 40000 US soldiers on alert in…, Trump in fear of…, the countries are...
Iran's missiles reaching over 2,300 km to hit Israel in just minutes because… technology behind it is… Tehran: The conflict between Iran and Israel entered its seventh day on Friday, the world's eyes are fixed on the United States as it has indicated to join the war. Meanwhile, Iran has threatened that it will not back down from targeting American bases in West Asia. Tehran has already shown its strength by launching its lethal missiles on major cities of Israel. Now, the question arises that if US jumps into the war and support Tel Aviv, how would Tehran retaliate? As per a report by The Guardian, after Donald Trump approved the plans to attack Iran, the US defence department is considering the ways to attack the Middle East country. Amidst the tension, America has deployed its 40,000 soldiers in the Gulf region, including UAE, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, on high alert. Iran Has Options It is worth noting that, Tehran has several options to retaliate against US and missile attack is the most prominent among them. Tehran has several lethal ballistic missies and it has already shown its might by firing hundreds of ballistic missiles on Israel. According to US intelligence officials, these missile attacks can be carried out by Iran on American military bases in Arab countries. America has at least 20 military bases in West Asia and surrounding regions, most of which fall within the range of 2,000 kms of Iran's Sejjil-2 ballistic missile. In such a scenario, expert believe that the US bases in Iraq and Syria will be the first target and after than Tehran may attack bases located in Arab countries. Attack At Sea Notably, the US has stationed two large aircraft carriers in West Asia and the third war ship is on its way. Iran can also target these ships. The Strait of Hormuz, which is located between the Arabian Peninsula and the western shore of the Persian Gulf, is the place where Iran can show its strength there. The recent attacks on Israel have shown that how difficult it is to stop Iran's ballistic missiles. In such a situation, the US has started deploying its Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defence in West Asia to stop these lethal ballistic missiles. The Pantagon has deployed its patriot batteries in OIraq
NDTV
3 hours ago
- Politics
- NDTV
How Did The Muslim World Go So Wrong?
You often run into people who look down upon the Muslim world, pointing at the chaos, armed terror groups, militia rule and dictatorship to conclude that there is something fundamentally wrong with Muslims and their religion. Others take the opposite view, arguing that the Muslim world's present-day turmoil owes much to the West's repeated interventions and historical injustices. Both arguments offer partial truths, but they miss the broader reality: much of the Muslim world, especially in West Asia, lies in ruins. The causes are complex and layered, but the evidence is undeniable. From the shattered boulevards of Tripoli to the bombed-out alleys of Aleppo, from Baghdad's sectarian heartlands to Gaza's crumbled skyline, a common image emerges - of nations torn apart, societies hollowed and futures stolen. This devastation is neither natural nor inevitable. It is the cumulative result of decades of war, opportunistic foreign interventions, proxy conflicts, repressive regimes and colonial legacies. And in all of this, ordinary people, displaced, disillusioned and discarded, are the ones who suffer the most. Aftershocks Of Empire This is not about defending despots or absolving extremists. It is a plea for consistency, justice and memory. It is a call to understand how historical interference, political hypocrisy and selective moral outrage have turned one of the world's richest cultural regions into a perpetual battleground. The story of the Muslim world's chaos is not just about religion or governance. It is about the aftershocks of empire, the exploitation of oil and ideology, and a world order that has failed millions. In the 1920s, Winston Churchill famously quipped that he was not in favour of allowing 'the Arab tribes' to control their own affairs in Palestine. This imperial disdain wasn't just personal opinion; it was policy. Following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, Britain and France carved up West Asia through the Sykes-Picot Agreement, drawing arbitrary borders and installing loyalist rulers. These new 'nation-states' were not crafted with local realities in mind but were designed to serve European interests - strategic positioning, oil pipelines and control of trade routes. This era of manufactured states and manipulated societies set the stage for future instability. Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, each is a product of imperial drawing boards rather than organic nation-building. As regimes collapsed and identities clashed, these fissures widened. The West may have formally exited the region in the mid-20th century, but its legacy never left. Instead, West Asia continued to be haunted by postcolonial trauma, Cold War alignments and economic dependency. Sea Of Ruin Take Libya. Muammar Gaddafi ruled it for over four decades with an iron grip. He was a tyrant, but he also provided free education, healthcare and relative stability. NATO's intervention in 2011, under the guise of humanitarian protection, toppled him but offered no plan for what came next. Libya descended into chaos, with rival militias carving up the country. Weapons looted from Libyan arsenals flooded Mali and Syria, fueling other wars. Gaddafi's fall wasn't the birth of democracy; it was the opening act of a long, bloody disintegration. Iraq offers an even starker example. The 2003 US-led invasion, based on false claims of weapons of mass destruction, dismantled not only Saddam Hussein's regime but also the entire Ba'athist (party) state structure. The de-Ba'athification programme purged thousands of civil servants and military officers, creating a vacuum that was quickly filled by sectarian militias and, eventually, the dreaded and bloodthirsty Islamic State. Iraq went from dictatorship to a failed democracy haunted by car bombs and assassinations. Once a cradle of civilisation, it now struggles to keep the lights on. Syria, too, became a battlefield of global ambition. What began as peaceful protests in 2011 soon morphed into a full-scale civil war, drawing in Russia, the United States, Iran, Turkey, Israel and countless non-state actors. While Assad's brutality is undeniable, so too is the damage inflicted by competing foreign agendas. More than half of Syria's population has been displaced. Cities like Aleppo and Raqqa have become modern ruins. Afghanistan was a theatre of invasion and war, resulting in total collapse of the existing system. First it was the Communist USSR that invaded the country in the late '70s. It was ultimately ousted with the American money, muscle and machine guns after a decade of misrule. Then, the US-led allied forces invaded it in 2001, claiming to install stability and democracy. The experiment failed miserably. The ousted Taliban made a dramatic comeback in 2021, with Western forces making an inglorious retreat. They have left the local population, women and children, at the mercy of the extremist Taliban. Iran's Turn Now? And now it is Iran, dangerously poised to be on the road to ruin. It has been subjected to cycles of isolation, sanctions sabotage, and now, open threats of regime change. Its current hardline government owes its survival not just to repression but also to an embattled nationalism born from decades of foreign pressure. From the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)-backed 1953 coup that ousted Prime Minister Mossadegh to present-day nuclear tensions, Iran's story is as much of external meddling as of internal strife. Meanwhile, regimes like those in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar continue to enjoy Western patronage. These nations are no less autocratic, no more democratic. Yet, their wealth and alignment with Western strategic interests insulate them from criticism. Human rights violations, censorship and state-sponsored religious extremism are quietly tolerated. The West does not oppose dictatorship, it opposes defiant dictators. This selective morality has real consequences. When Western powers punish some regimes while shielding others, they lose credibility. Worse, they stoke cynicism and anger across the Muslim world. Young people see the hypocrisy. They see the bombs dropped in the name of freedom and the silence that follows when friendly monarchs crush dissent. In that silence, extremist narratives take root; terror groups do not emerge from cultural voids, they are born in environments of injustice, humiliation and betrayal. Even Sudan, often omitted from this conversation, has a familiar story. Its colonial past, where the British pitted ethnic groups against each other, laid the groundwork for later divisions. Post-independence governments, often backed or sanctioned by foreign powers, struggled to hold a fractured society together. The current infighting isn't just a power struggle, it is the delayed detonation of a colonial time bomb, exacerbated by modern meddling from Gulf rivals, the West, and even Russia. Gift Of Nostalgia Amid all this, it is the ordinary people who pay the highest price. Families displaced across generations. Children growing up without schools or safe drinking water. Doctors operating by flashlight in makeshift clinics. Artists silenced. Intellectuals exiled. Hope becomes a rare commodity. In Gaza, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, to name just a few, the future has become just a concept. In such an environment, the past - even a past ruled by dictators - can seem strangely preferable. Say what you will about Saddam or Gaddafi, many in their countries recall the order, security and predictability of life under their rule. That nostalgia isn't about love for tyranny but about despair at what followed. What the Muslim world needs isn't more interventions, more bombs, or more regime-change fantasies. It needs principled action from the global community. It needs investment in peacebuilding, infrastructure and local civil society. It needs space to breathe, heal and rebuild. The West Learns No Lessons This is not an ode to the past. It's a warning. If history continues to repeat itself, it won't just be West Asia that suffers. Instability radiates. Refugees flee. Radical ideologies spread. And global trust erodes. The price of selective intervention is paid not just in Baghdad or Tripoli, but in Paris, London and New York, too - mostly in boats full of refugees and immigrants. It's time to move beyond the tired binaries: West vs. East, Islam vs. modernity, stability vs. chaos. The real battle is between integrity and hypocrisy, between memory and amnesia. Only when Western powers hold themselves to the same standards they demand of others can we begin to imagine a different future for the Muslim world. Let that future be written not in the language of conquest or control but in the vernacular of justice, sovereignty and dignity - and hope for a better future for the Muslim world. Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author
Gulf Insider
3 hours ago
- Gulf Insider
Teacher Guilty Of Swindling Funds
A school teacher who forged receipts for classroom supplies to pocket BD274 in petty cash has been sentenced to three years in prison. He was fined BD500 and ordered to repay the full amount, down to the last 35 fils. The court also ordered his deportation once the sentence is served and ordered the confiscation of the forged material. The First High Criminal Court found the 44-year-old Arab defendant guilty of swindling funds from his workplace over the course of 2023 and 2024. Scheme Working at a primary school, he carried out the scheme with the help of a well-meaning cashier who unknowingly processed fake invoices the teacher had submitted. He claimed to have covered expenses for design and technology supplies using his own receipts told a different story. Some were invented from scratch while others were genuine but tampered with. Money He used the papers to withdraw sums in cash from the school and kept the money for himself. Investigators found receipts for BD49.500, BD45.540, BD47.300, BD3.960, BD2 and BD22.250. In one case, he added a zero to an invoice for BD1, turning it into ten. In another, he rewrote a BD45 receipt. Some of the goods listed had in fact been returned to the shop, yet the money was still paid out. Fraud The fraud came to light after the Education Ministry's risk and audit unit noticed irregularities in the petty cash accounts. A review team examined the paperwork and picked out seven receipts linked to the teacher. All were found to be fake or altered. One shopkeeper confirmed that several of the receipts bearing his store's name had never been issued by him. Records The layout, paper and details did not match his records. He confirmed six of them were said the teacher knew full well what he was doing. He submitted the papers to make off with school funds and got away with it for months. His actions, they said, involved both theft and forgery. Also read: Bahraini Companies Warned Over Fake Tender Email Scam
