Is this a random act of journalism?
From Hamas attack to U.S. war with Iran, violence forges a new Middle East
Early on a cool autumn morning in 2023, from a tunnel beneath the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar gave an order that sent thousands of Hamas fighters through the fence separating the territory from Israel. That green light has reordered the Middle East on a scale comparable to the Arab Spring or the carving up of the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century — but not remotely in the ways Sinwar had in mind.
I’m doubting Khamenei and the rest of the Iranian leaders thought it would end this way. Certainly Hamas probably did not consider that Israel would go scorched earth on Gaza, which also led to Israel going after Hezbollah. Remember the pagers?
Twenty-nine months later, the Middle East is almost unrecognizable. Israel stands indisputably as the military hegemon, its enemies demolished or decapitated. Saudi Arabia is emerging as a pivotal economic and political anchor, its Persian Gulf neighbors reeling under Iranian missile fire. Palestinians, mourning 75,000 dead in a shattered Gaza and losing territory in the West Bank, seem marginalized — by everyone, again.
Sinwar is dead — assassinated by Israel in October 2024 — and after nearly two and a half years of bloodshed and upheaval, the network he hoped would ride to his rescue is in ruins. Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was blown up in a joint U.S.-Israeli airstrike on Saturday. The regime that bankrolled and armed the “axis of resistance” for four decades is on the edge of collapse — perhaps taking with it Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis.
Tehran, facing a chaotic and uncertain succession, is making enemies of the entire region — firing drones and missiles haphazardly, and often vainly including civilian targets. Bashar al-Assad, the longtime Syrian ruler, now lives in frigid Moscow.
Let’s not forget the initial attack on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. When Democrats did what they did to Trump and Republicans they never considered how Trump would be Trump if he won the presidency again. How he would go scorched earth on, say, immigration. Well, Iran has learned a hard lesson, a much more violent one than Venezuela’s Maduro learned.
Driving the military campaign and aiming to shape the region’s future is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has survived repeated government collapses, an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court and years of corruption trials to lead Israel to an unprecedented military dominance. And President Donald Trump, who overcame two impeachments, a felony conviction and an assassination attempt to return to the White House and take the United States to war against Iran without a vote of Congress.
Again, perhaps Dems should have thought about the consequences of being unhinged.
While Israel has faced allegations of genocide, a new generation of Israelis are now bearing the traumas of war, like their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. And while American soldiers are once again dying in the Middle East in a war of uncertain duration and unclear goals, what Sinwar set off was not a liberation but an unraveling of everything he and his sponsors yearned for — a defeated Israel, Palestinian hopes for statehood, a Middle East rid of Western influence. The so-called Great Satan looks more like the Great Decider.
“Talk about a colossal miscalculation leading to catastrophic consequences,” said Bilal Saab, a Chatham House fellow and former Pentagon official in the first Trump administration. “That cataclysmic event single-handedly changed the face of the Middle East.”
What happens going forward? Time will tell. It’s actually worth reading the WP article.
Pass the popcorn ????????
I had the popcorn and huggy emojis, but they show up as question marks.
I invented popcorn.
https://i.imgur.com/5dZXT.gif
It’s really simple: On October 7, 2023, Hamas and Iran knew we had a weakling for President. The dummkopf from Delaware would never have taken out the Iranian government, was just barely functional anyway, and his administration was filled with the weak and the woke. Donald Trump? Ali Khamenei, himself used to killing his opponents, probably thought, as did the socialist from St Louis, that Mr Trump would wind up behind bars at that point in time, and that the Democrats would continue to hold the White House until January 20, 2029.
But then, shockeroonie, Joe Biden was exposed as being in serious mental decline, and was replaced as Democratic nominee by Kamala Harris Emhoff, and was then promoted to private citizen. All of a sudden, we had a leader who was not saddled with anti-Semitic advisers and staffers, who would have the presidency run by the actual President, and the President was not a pussy.
Donald Trump did not like war, and has tried to get the war in Ukraine stopped, alas! unsuccessfully. But while Mr Trump does not like wars, he’s enough of a man to realize that when force is the only option, force must be used.
Some of us aren’t that happy with the method used to destroy the government of Iran, but we sure can’t argue with the results.
The Kentucky Klansman has gone “Full Donnie” and celebrates the “results” in Iran!! What are the results? The War is hardly a week old. Note that your Mad King lied that the Iranian nucular program was previously – to quote – “oh-bliterated”.
Yet, of the half-dozen or so excuses promoted by this “brave new” administration “stopping the nukes” was still one of them! Also, Iran was attempting to assassinate trump. Also, regime change (which Big Donnie had hated at one time, but now kinda loves it). Also, Iran had instantly become an “imminent threat”! Also, Israel was going to invade and King Donnie worried this would make him look weaker. Iran IS a threat to Israel and the Saudis, but they needed U.S. help!!
It’s a war!! It’s not a war!! Biden!!! Obama!!! Hillary!!! LOL.
Donald trump has advocated invading Iran for some 40 years, but didn’t have the balls to do it alone. Netanyahoo and bin Salman recognize Lil King Donnie’s weakness and manipulated him. How will it turn out?
Remember so, so long ago (2024) when Donnie and his MAGAts were “America First” – no mo’ wars, baby!! Now President LePetomane has performed a perfect 180 to the absolute delight of his MAGAt cult!! LOL.
LOL. Donnie had promised to end the Ukraine war after he was elected and even before taking office!! His daddy, Vlad, played him. The Kentucky Klown calls other presidents “pussies”. But, Big Donnie is not!! He’s manly. He sees a young girl he wants and He takes her!!
BTW, on the related issue, the DOJ, which had previously released ALL the Epstein-Trump files, are now releasing MORE trump-Epstein files as AG Blondi has been subpoenaed by Congress to be deposed under oath!!! It’s NOT going to be televised, NOT going to have a 5 min time limit, so she’s less likely to perform her schtick for.
The End of JD Vance’s presidential aspirations?
“America doesn’t have to constantly police every region of the world. Our interest, I think very much, is in not going to war with Iran. It would be a huge distraction of resources. It would be massively expensive to our country.”
A war between Israel and Iran was in fact “the most likely and most dangerous scenario” for provoking World War III.
JD, We Hardly Knew Ye.
Depending largely on how badly the Iran kerfuffle turns out will determine whether JD throws his Mad King under the bus in the 2028 campaign or wants to be TrumpIII. Regardless, he’s likely to lose bigly, unless the Dems nominate aother Black woman, or a lesbian Muslim.
But it’s “a eternity” until the 2028 election and with the rapidly deteriorating and erratic Mad King Donald who knows what will happen!!! Buckle up, Americans!!
Fat jeff,
You do realize that you are sounding crazy.
this from a ‘man’ who has killed people…
Kristi Noem was fired as Minister of Homeland Security today, with Senator Markwayne Mullins (R-OK) taking her old job. A new job was created for Kristi – Director of Project Shield America!
Reportedly Big Donnie was upset that ICE Barbie was banging Donnie’s former 2016 campaign minister, Corey Lewandowski, and wanted to have you by her a luxury “sex plane” for their assignations.
OK Governor Kevin Stitt, a Repub, must appoint a new Senator to replace Trump-loyalist Markwayne within 30 days. Stitt has opposed Big Donnie on occasion, with King Don even calling Stitt a RINO.
Other unpopular Ministers under the gun are Gabbard, Kennedy, Hegseth, Blondi, Bessent, Epstein-Lutnick.