Israel will likely use its limited attack on Iran to win a green light from the Biden administration to invade Rafah. While the muted response might have hopefully avoided a regional war, the price could be paid in Palestinian blood.
Israel targets Iranian bases in Isfahan with drones, while Iranian sources say air defenses intercepted the attack. Meanwhile, Gaza’s health ministry says the northern Gaza Strip is left without any health services.
On Palestinian Prisoners’ Day, rights groups report at least 5,000 Palestinians have been detained from Gaza since October 7, and at least 16 Palestinians have died in Israeli detention amid unprecedentedly inhumane conditions.
Israel’s indifference to international law is destabilizing the Middle East, even establishment voices say. The head of the Center for American Progress, a Democratic Party thinktank, says Israel is not a democracy and peace will only be possible if Palestinians have equal rights.
Iran said that its retaliation for Israel’s April 1 attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus would be “deemed concluded,” while Biden reportedly told Netanyahu that the U.S. would not back an Israeli counterattack.
The U.S. and Israel intensify preparations for a potential Iranian strike in response to Iran’s Damascus consulate attack. Meanwhile, Hamas has conditioned a ceasefire and prisoner swap on the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza.
Israel and Iran escalated threats of war as the U.S. central command chief visited the region on Thursday. Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes intensify in the central Gaza Strip.
Benjamin Netanyahu continues to raise the risk of a regional war which could draw in the U.S. — and the mainstream media is hiding the danger from its audience.
The U.S. government threatens further regional violence on the heels of drone attack that killed three American troops in Jordan. Human rights groups slam countries for pulling funding for UNRWA as Palestinians in Gaza face famine and starvation.