Latest news with #Bibi
Sky News AU
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Sky News AU
'It's not Israel's responsibility': Iranians should seize the opportunity to free themselves from dictatorship, while critics need to lay off Netanyahu
A lesson from both the Holocaust and October 7 is that when someone tells you he plans to kill you, you believe him. When that someone is building nuclear weapons, you doubly believe him. In a world of weakness, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Bibi) is a lone leader of strength. He is the only leader who isn't afraid to fight radical Islam head on while others surrender their countries. Tiny Israel is David taking on the Iranian Goliath, which is 80 times its size, with 10 times its population. Another lesson from the Holocaust is that what starts with the Jews never ends there. In the 1930s the world largely ignored the rise of Hitler and the persecution of the Jews in Germany. Instead of acting early, cowardly leaders ensured that World War II wrought the largest loss of life in history. It is the same story with radical Islam. World leaders lectured Israel as Muslim suicide bombers exploded in Tel Aviv's buses and Jerusalem's cafes. Eventually the West was hit too. In Paris, London, Madrid, New York, and Bali, Muslim extremists brought death. Israel's precision strikes have destroyed the military leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran. They have severely damaged its nuclear program. The Iranian response has indiscriminately targeted civilians in Israel. Thankfully, unlike the Islamic world, Israel protects its citizens and invests in bomb shelters, warning sirens and rockets to shoot down missiles. Nevertheless, there have been casualties in Israel. Refugees from Ukraine have been killed along with Arabs and Jews. Young children and the elderly. Each of these murders is a war crime but don't expect the UN or international courts to get involved. The Islamic Republic of Iran will pay for the destruction they have caused. Israel will likely destroy their oil infrastructure, one of the only parts of their economy that contributes anything. As Israel's Defence Minister said, because of their targeting of Israeli civilians, 'Tehran will burn'. The Bible says: 'To everything there is a season… a time for war, and a time for peace.' Bibi is a man who knows how to make peace and has made more peace deals with Arab countries than any Israeli leader in history. But he also knows when it is a time for war, a vanishingly rare quality in leaders these days. Can anyone seriously imagine Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, faced with a threat to Australia's national security, rising to the challenge in this way? For that matter it's hard to picture the leaders of once great empires, Britain or France protecting their nations like this. While some in Israel have disagreements with aspects of Netanyahu's domestic politics, the country is united behind him as he seeks to remove the nuclear 'Sword of Damocles' which the Islamic Republic of Iran has hung over it. It's not tiny Israel's responsibility to free the people of Iran. They must seize the opportunity themselves and end the extremist Islamic dictatorship that hangs gays and murders women for not wearing headscarves. They may never get a chance like this again. The world stood by and issued statements and sanctions while North Korea developed nuclear weapons. Fanatical Ayatollahs with nukes would make North Korea look like child's play. Netanyahu is wanted in the Hague on fabricated war crimes charges but it's to Oslo where he should be summoned and presented with a Nobel Peace Prize. No man has singularly reshaped the Middle East in modern times, crushing terrorist groups and leading to the overthrow of brutal dictatorships. If there had been an Israel and a Benjamin Netanyahu in the 1930s and 1940s, there wouldn't have been a Holocaust. Netanyahu keeps a bust of Winston Churchill in his office. There are many parallels between the two men. For decades now, Netanyahu has been a powerful, often lone voice in calling out the dangers of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He went into the lion's den like no Israeli leader before him and appeared before Congress to challenge the then-sitting President Barack Obama and his Iran capitulation deal. Churchill was often pilloried for his continued warnings about the rising Nazi danger. Feckless leaders of the West, then as in now, were exhausted from past wars and desperate to avoid a new war at all costs. In the 1930s, they allowed the Nazis to threaten the world and murder millions. Netanyahu has just ensured that whatever happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will not do the same. The world owes an enormous debt of gratitude to Prime Minister Netanyahu. I don't expect them to thank him but the least they can do is be quiet and get out of the way. Australian Jewish Association CEO Robert Gregory is a political commentator on issues affecting Israel and the Australian Jewish community
France 24
2 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
Iran-Israel war: a lifeline for Netanyahu?
On the eve of launching strikes on Iran, his government looked to be on the verge of collapse, with a drive to conscript ultra-Orthodox Jews threatening to scupper his fragile coalition. Nearly two years on from Hamas's unprecedented attack in 2023, Netanyahu was under growing domestic criticism for his handling of the war in Gaza, where dozens of hostages remain unaccounted for. Internationally too, he was coming under pressure including from longstanding allies, who since the war with Iran began have gone back to expressing support. Just days ago, polls were predicting Netanyahu would lose his majority if new elections were held, but now, his fortunes appear to have reversed, and Israelis are seeing in "Bibi" the man of the moment. – 'Reshape the Middle East' – For decades, Netanyahu has warned of the risk of a nuclear attack on Israel by Iran -- a fear shared by most Israelis. Yonatan Freeman, a geopolitics expert at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, said Netanyahu's argument that the pre-emptive strike on Iran was necessary draws "a lot of public support" and that the prime minister has been "greatly strengthened". Even the opposition has rallied behind him. "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is my political rival, but his decision to strike Iran at this moment in time is the right one," opposition leader Yair Lapid wrote in a Jerusalem Post op-ed. A poll published Saturday by a conservative Israeli channel showed that 54 percent of respondents expressed confidence in the prime minister. The public had had time to prepare for the possibility of an offensive against Iran, with Netanyahu repeatedly warning that Israel was fighting for its survival and had an opportunity to "reshape the Middle East." During tit-for-tat military exchanges last year, Israel launched air raids on targets in Iran in October that are thought to have severely damaged Iranian air defences. Israel's then-defence minister Yoav Gallant said the strikes had shifted "the balance of power" and had "weakened" Iran. "In fact, for the past 20 months, Israelis have been thinking about this (a war with Iran)," said Denis Charbit, a political scientist at Israel's Open University. Since Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, Netanyahu has ordered military action in Gaza, against the Iran-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon and the Huthis in Yemen, as well as targets in Syria where long-time leader Bashar al-Assad fell in December last year. "Netanyahu always wants to dominate the agenda, to be the one who reshuffles the deck himself -- not the one who reacts -- and here he is clearly asserting his Churchillian side, which is, incidentally, his model," Charbit said. "But depending on the outcome and the duration (of the war), everything could change, and Israelis might turn against Bibi and demand answers." – Silencing critics – For now, however, people in Israel see the conflict with Iran as a "necessary war," according to Nitzan Perelman, a researcher specialised in Israel at the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) in France. "Public opinion supports this war, just as it has supported previous ones," she added. "It's very useful for Netanyahu because it silences criticism, both inside the country and abroad." In the weeks ahead of the Iran strikes, international criticism of Netanyahu and Israel's military had reached unprecedented levels. After more than 55,000 deaths in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, and a blockade that has produced famine-like conditions there, Israel has faced growing isolation and the risk of sanctions, while Netanyahu himself is the subject of an international arrest warrant for alleged war crimes. But on Sunday, two days into the war with Iran, the Israeli leader received a phone call from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, while Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has held talks with numerous counterparts. "There's more consensus in Europe in how they see Iran, which is more equal to how Israel sees Iran," explained Freeman from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Tuesday that Israel was doing "the dirty work... for all of us." The idea that a weakened Iran could lead to regional peace and the emergence of a new Middle East is appealing to the United States and some European countries, according to Freeman. © 2025 AFP
The South African
2 days ago
- Politics
- The South African
FOREVER WARS – Part 8: Iran
So the ancient timeless agitation between Israel and the Arab world has reignited – again. Is Iran, the last of the seven countries on General Wesley Clarke's 'memo', finally about to fall? Or, is Israel about to be blown off the map? Tel Aviv awoke to a terrifying Tuesday this week as Iran unleashed a barrage of back-to-back missile strikes on the Israeli city, killing at least 24 and wounding hundreds, in what Tehran called a 'campaign of revenge.' Iran also struck the port city of Haifa (which receives a third of Israel's imports) on day 5 of the tit-for-tat attacks between the two Middle Eastern countries. Iran's counterstrike is retaliation to Israel's airstrike on more than 100 nuclear, military and infrastructure targets across Iran last Friday – including its main nuclear facility in Natanz – that killed several top Iranian military officials and nuclear scientists. Israel's attack came two days before Iran was set to resume talks with the US over Iran's nuclear programme. On Monday, 16 June, Israel bombed Iran's State TV broadcaster IRIB with an airstrike, captured live on camera. The talks between the United States and Iran, scheduled for last Sunday in Oman, have been cancelled. Let's recap. Back in 2007, ex-NATO commander Clarke told the world, in an interview with Democracy Now , that, 10 days after 9/11, he was shown a classified memo by a colleague at the Pentagon outlining how the US was going to knock out seven Middle East and North Africa countries in five years. Lest we forget, those seven countries were: Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, Libya, Lebanon, Syria…and Iran. (As I pointed out in part one of this series, it was actually 8 countries – if you include Afghanistan.) All but one of those countries have been bombed, invaded, destabilised or overthrown by the West – and Israel. And…here we are. Last domino on the Middle-Eastern map, Iran, is now too in the crosshairs of the US-NATO-Israel axis of evil. The axis may be way over schedule, and no doubt over budget, but they are right on course. And what is the big gripe with Iran? Well, apart from the usual, stock-standard, Western Arabiophobic racism? According to Israel – and their loyal slavish pit bull, the US – Iran is in the process of creating a nuclear weapon. We've heard the words countless times before. Israel, specifically Netanyahu, has said it over and over, ad nauseam; 'Iran CANNOT have a nuclear weapon!' And Trump just basically parrots his puppetmaster, Bibi. In fact, do you know how many times, and for how long, Benjamin Netanyahu has been crying wolf, going on and on about Iran building an atomic bomb? Believe it or not…since at least 1992. Some say as early as 1984. Here are just a few dates and quotes from when Bibi tried to terrorise the world with Iran's phantom nuke: 1992: 'Iran is 3-5 years from nuclear capacity.' 2003: 'Iran's nuke programme is a global threat.' 2010: 'Iran could produce a bomb within a year.' 2021: 'Iran closer than ever to nuclear weapons.' 2024: 'Iran dangerously close to nuclear bomb.' 2025: 'Iran days away from enrichening uranium for a bomb.' That's right, according to Bedlam Bibi, Iran has been right on the cusp of building a nuke…for decades. Unfortunately, these fear-mongering, propaganda lies are regurgitated by the Western echo chamber mainstream media, particularly in the US. By the way, this is the same Netanyahu who said we could restore peace to the Middle East if we could just get rid of Iraq's Saddam…if we could just get rid of Libya's Gaddafi….if we could just get rid of Syria's Assad. Well, all that happened, and…do we have peace in the region? And now, Bibi is saying…if we could just remove the Iranian regime, there would finally be peace in the Arab world. Are we learning yet…? So, let me get this straight. Everyone else in the world can have nukes…but not Iran? Russia and the US have more than 5000 nuclear missiles each. France and the UK have more than 200 each. China, India, Pakistan and North Korea have nearly 1000 between them. And we have the nations of Italy, Turkey, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands 'hosting' more than 100 nukes collectively. Yet, Iran is not even allowed to have… one? What's that all about…? Just more of that Western Arabiophobic racism? Here's the thing though…there's no substantial proof that Iran is developing nuclear weapons. And it's not just me – and the Iranians – saying it. On 25 March this year, Trump's director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, appeared in testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee where she made it clear that US intelligence has determined Iran is not building a nuclear weapon. In her opening statements, she said: 'The IC [intelligence community] continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Khamenei has not authorised the nuclear weapons program he suspended in 2003.' She also said the IC was closely monitoring if Tehran decided to reauthorise its nuclear weapons programme. However, you know who doesn't give a toss what Gabbard or the IC think? Their boss, President Donald J. Trump. In a brief interview on Airforce One on Tuesday, a reporter reminded Trump what Gabbard said to the Senate Committee about Iran not having a nuclear weapon. Trump responded, 'I don't care what she said, I think they were very close to having one.' (Nice. Way to go, throwing your DNI under the bus there, Big Don.) That's because Trump doesn't care what his cabinet, staff, advisors, voter base or the American people think or want. He only cares what Benjamin Netanyahu wants. Because, as we've well established, Trump is Bibi's patsy, Bibi's b**ch. It's clear now that Trump was never about America First or MAGA, he was always about MIGA. If Israel and the US thought ratcheting up tensions with Iran was somehow going to spur the Iranian people to turn against the 'regime' in Tehran and overthrow the Ayatollah and his government, they were dead wrong. All the airstrikes did was coalesce and galvanise the Iranian people, against their common foe. As one article put it, Israel is making the case for a nuclear-armed Iran. In fact, a video has gone viral of an Iranian woman at a rally in Tehran, without a hijab, shouting and calling for Iran to acquire a nuke – the very thing Israel and the US are trying to prevent. 'These b*st*rds have been driving us crazy for 400 years', she said. 'These scoundrels spent a year and a half killing half a million people. Now, an attack (on us). We want an atomic bomb!' The crowd around her cheered her on. 'The Strait of Hormuz? Close it already,' she snapped. I don't have to tell you what happens to oil and petrol prices if that happens. If Iran does shut down the Strait, economists estimate it could push the oil price (currently around $75 per barrel) up to $130 p/barrel. Some speculators are talking $300 per barrel. Which means they won't have to forcibly lock you down again…because you won't be able to afford to drive anywhere. Trump's actions on Iran – and Israel – has split the MAGA base, down the middle. While the usual warmongering neocons – like senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal, Mike Pompeo and John Bolton – to name a few, are salivating at the prospect of destroying yet ANOTHER Middle-Eastern country, anti-war voices are coming out of the MAGA camp in droves. Here's what some experts, analysts, commentators and many from the MAGA base are saying on X about Trump's recent double-play against Iran: Conservative commentator and staunch Trump supporter, Tucker Carlson wrote; 'The real divide isn't between people who support Israel and people who support Iran or the Palestinians. The real divide is between those who casually encourage violence, and those who seek to prevent it — between warmongers and peacemakers.' He asked, 'Who are the warmongers? They would include anyone who's calling Donald Trump today to demand air strikes and other direct US military involvement in a war with Iran.' Carlson was also just in an interview with former Trump advisor, Steve Bannon. Both men were devout in their opposition to Trump attacking Iran. Republican representative for Georgia, Marjorie Taylor Greene, has been amongst the most vocal voices on Capitol Hill against a war with Iran. 'Anyone slobbering for the US to become fully involved in the Israel-Iran war is not America First or MAGA. Wishing for murder of innocent people is disgusting. We are sick and tired of foreign wars. All of them,' she posted. 'Real America First/MAGA wants world peace for all people. I don't want to see Israel, Iran or Gaza bombed. This position is NOT antisemitic. It's rational, sane, and what many Americans voted for in 2024,' she added. Comedian and podcaster, Dave Smith, posted; 'It's genuinely hard to imagine a worse decision than going to war with Iran. They pose absolutely no threat to us and the war would be a substantially larger catastrophe than Iraq. If you wanted to destroy the USA, another disastrous war in the Middle East would be the move.' Republican representatie for Kentucky, Thomas Massie, posted; 'This is not our war. But if it were, Congress must decide such matters according to our Constitution.' 'I'm introducing a bipartisan War Powers Resolution to prohibit our involvement. I invite all members of Congress to cosponsor this resolutionm,' he added. Other military and political analysts were more direct and brutal in their take on Trump's buckling to Bibi's push for (more) war. In an interview with Judge Napolitano, ex-CIA analyst Larry Johnson said: 'Donald Trump now has established himself in the last 48 hours as a liar.' He added: 'You know what this is? This is Saddam Hussein – Part 2.' In another interview with Napolitano, military and intelligence analyst, Scott Ritter, said: 'What the president just did here is undermine American legitimacy, and credibility, and shows that America is incapable of serious diplomatic engagement. What this proves is that Donald Trump – the most pro-war president out there – is a duplicitous, two-faced liar.' In an interview with Carlson, military analyst Douglas Macgregor said: 'The way Donald Trump handled Zelensky is the way he has got to handle Netanyahu. If he doesn't, Netanyahu will drag him into the abyss…because Bibi wants this war with Iran – come hell or high water.' Meanwhile, the US has reportedly dispatched a second aircraft carrier, the USS Nimitz, among other 'substantial military assets' to the Middle East as the Israel-Iran conflict ramps up. On Monday 16 June, Trump posted this on his Truth Social; 'Iran should have signed the 'deal' I told them to sign. Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again!' Then he added: 'Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!' That last line has sparked a mass exodus out of the city – of 10 million people. He followed that up in the past 24 hours with an apparent threat aimed at Ayatollah Khamenei when he posted: 'We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there. We are not going to take him out, at least not for now. (Did he just borrow a line from Juju?) But our patience is wearing thin.' Finally, he delivered an ultimatum to Iran: 'UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!' As the tit-for-tat strikes between the two countries continues into the sixth day, Israel has just announced that they've killed another Iranian military commander who was appointed only 4 days ago. Well, here we go again, folks. Like we've seen so many times before; left or right, Republican or Democrat. No matter who's in the Oval Office, the wars never end and the bombs keep dropping. Are we learning yet..? I think journo-activist, Caitlin Johnstone, said it best when she recently posted on X: 'There is absolutely no excuse for buying into the war propaganda about Iran after what we all saw with Iraq.' 'If you're a grown adult with internet access still swallowing this load of bull in the year 2025, you're either stupid…or evil,' she added. Let us know by leaving a comment below or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
Time Out
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Bibi 2025 ‘Eve' World Tour
South Korean singer-songwriter and actress Bibi has just kick started her first-ever world tour 'Eve' – starting with Seoul, she is taking the stage across the US and Canada before making her way back to several Asian cities including Hong Kong. Since her debut in 2019, Bibi has established herself as a strong contender in the Korean hip-hop scene, with a genre-bending sound that blends R&B, indie rock, and funk-pop influences. She has just released her second studio album Eve: Romance in May, so expect to hear bangers like Hongdae R&B, Bluebird, and more performed live. Bibi will take the stage at the AsiaWorld-Expo on Sunday, August 3, with tickets running from $699 to $1,799. The VIP packages will include a special laminate and lanyard, an autographed postcard, early access to merch, access to the pre-show soundcheck party, and a group photo with Bibi herself for VVIPs.
CNN
3 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
Taking on Israel's greatest foe has banished Netanyahu's political troubles in an instant
Benjamin Netanyahu is once again firmly in control of Israeli politics. The country's longest-serving prime minister has pulled himself back from the abyss with what appears to be a wildly successful opening to a military campaign against Iran. 'Bibi had his Churchill moment,' said one Israeli official from within the coalition, using the prime minister's nickname. One day before launching what Israel dubbed Operation Rising Lion, Netanyahu's government had faced a confidence vote from the opposition. Two of the ultra-Orthodox parties threatened to vote against the government in what would have put major pressure on Netanyahu. But he survived the vote – with quite some margin. Twenty-four hours later, Israel began attacking Iran. In one instant, Netanyahu's political problems were swept away. No more ultra-Orthodox parties complaining about the military draft or far-right parties shouting about praying in the al-Aqsa compound. 'The cards are in his hands. If they weren't a week ago, they are now,' said the official. The weekly political protests – first over the judicial reform, then over the war in Gaza – that have dogged Netanyahu for much of his current term quickly vanished, with orders from Israel's Homefront Command forbidding large gatherings of people. Netanyahu's testimony in his trial on charges of corruption is on hold and out of the headlines. The stories of the hostages still held in Gaza for more than 600 days of war are no longer front-page news. Netanyahu is well aware of the political consequences of such a successful military operation, according to an Israeli source in the prime minister's orbit, though the source insists it's not his focus right now 'If we are doing something good for Israel, it's good to us,' the source said. 'It's good for you electorally, it's good for you with the voters … He will harvest this in the future.' The source also pointed out the complete reversal of the political opposition from attacking Netanyahu to supporting him. 'This time, we have unity almost all over the Knesset, except from the Arab parties, and we have unity in the people,' said the source. Iran has been at the center of Netanyahu's identity for nearly his entire political career. His time as Israel's longest-serving leader is replete with warnings about Iran. Some have been borderline cartoonish, like when he held up a drawing of a bomb to warn of Tehran's advancing nuclear program at the United Nations General Assembly in 2012. He has since returned to the same podium – and many others – to lecture the world repeatedly about the intent of the Ayatollahs. Israel's existential fear wasn't a single one of its adversaries. It was all of them combined: an overwhelming attack from Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran and the Shiite proxies in Syria and Iraq. This was Israel's nightmare scenario that Hamas tried to instigate with its attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. It quickly became evident that each entity had its own interests. Hezbollah began launching attacks against Israel on October 8, but it was far from the massive barrages which worried the military's leadership. Iran launched two retaliatory attacks against Israel last year in April and October. The Houthis began firing drones and ballistic missiles at Israel from Yemen, but never more than one or two at a time. Over 20 months of war, Israel was able to defang each of its adversaries. Hamas is a shell of its former self, Hezbollah has been shattered, and the Houthis don't have the arsenal to pose a major threat. 'They've kind of broken down the axis into the more manageable parts,' former US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro told CNN. That allowed Israel to turn its focus to Iran without fear of massive retaliation from another front. From Netanyahu's political perspective, the risk was far lower, especially since Israel's spy agency has treated Iran like its playground for years. 'At his age, he has much less of a political career left to lose,' Shapiro said. 'So it's easier to throw the caution that held him back in the past to the wind, especially to reach for a career-defining goal.' But whether the military campaign against Iran buoys Netanyahu's long-sinking polling numbers is not a foregone conclusion, according to Yohanan Plesner, president of the Israeli Democracy Institute. Prev Next Polling in recent months has repeatedly shown Netanyahu far behind political rival Naftali Bennett. Crucially, it has indicated he would fall far short of being able to build a coalition with his current political partners, ousting him from leadership. The Iran operation may not ultimately deliver the political salvation Netanyahu wants, Plesner said, because it is an issue with broad agreement from the left and the right. 'It's a tremendous consensus around the need for Israel to do the utmost to prevent Iran from becoming nuclear,' Plesner told CNN. 'It's not an issue that there was an ideological debate about.' Israel is also mired in the ongoing war in Gaza with no clear exit and lacking a comprehensive day-after plan. A second war, even with far more tangible accomplishments, presents another risk to Netanyahu if it drags on. 'The ability of the government to translate the military successes into an advantageous diplomatic outcome is yet to be determined,' said Plesner.
