There is emerging debate inside the Pentagon about the wisdom of sending ships, fighter jets, and troops to the Middle East and whether the move helps prevent further escalation or encourages Israel to get bolder in its strikes because of the U.S. support.
Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, praised his military for its “brilliant work” in executing its retaliatory strike against Israel last week, which he called “the least punishment for the usurping Zionist regime over the astonishing crimes of this wolf-like regime and rabid dog of America.”
A former top Iranian military official said last week that missile launch platforms across the country are locked and loaded to respond to any potential Israeli response to Tehran’s retaliatory strike last week across Israel…
Israel’s bombardment of a Beirut suburb has resulted in extensive damage across the once-bustling area and for residents to flee.
Israel’s major weapon providers in the U.S. and U.K. were quick to come out to condemn Iran for daring to fight back against Israel and treated the Iranian strike as though it happened in a vacuum and the Israelis were unsuspecting victims.
The Iranians last week warned Washington in a letter passed on by the Qataris that they will no longer act with “unilateral self-restraint” if Israel decides to respond to the bombing campaign last week.
Internal emails among officials inside the Pentagon and U.S. State Department showed concerns about war crimes by the IDF in Gaza in the early stages of the war and that the rising death toll inside the enclave would hurt relations between Washington and other countries in the Middle East.