World War III?
Iran as the nexus, and oh, what a tangled web we weave
See updates through November 19, 2024, at end of post.
My inclination is to think Vladimir Putin is bluffing, but if he isn’t, we may well be on the precipice of what a few people are worrying may be World War III. The U.S. and U.K. are discussing allowing Ukraine to strike military targets inside Russia. Putin, who has claimed to be fighting the North Atlantic Treaty Organization all along,[1] and who has sought to emulate Peter the Great and his empire,[2] an empire that included territory now held by NATO countries, has threatened war on NATO in response.[3]
What precipitates this are discussions to allow Ukraine to stop fighting with one hand tied behind its back, that is to use U.K.- and U.S.-supplied munitions to strike military targets within Russia—Russia obviously suffers no such constraint on its ability to strike within Ukraine—is Iran, also the power behind Hamas and Hezbollah against Israel, shipping missiles to Russia in support of its war effort against Ukraine.[4]
If he has half a brain cell left, Donald Trump must be thrilled. He is Putin’s toady. He is Binyamin Netanyahu’s toady.
And of course, the neoconservatives, including, it must be said, Kamala Harris, in their adoration of Israel and Netanyahu, will have once again bitten off much more than they can chew, and to put it mildly, on a much grander scale than I imagined.[5]
Me, I’m on the wrong side of all of this, supporting Ukraine and opposing Israel’s genocide. When Putin launched his second invasion of Ukraine (the first was Crimea), I argued that his imperialist logic would lead inexorably to a wider war and figured we should get it over with. More recently, it has been clear that Netanyahu, too, seeks a wider war that would draw in the U.S.[6] Which is to say that everybody would be happy but me—and, of course, all the people who are dying, will die, and would die.
Update, September 15, 2024: I have already predicted a wider regional war in the Middle East. This is meant to and likely will draw in the U.S. and enjoys the full backing of U.S. neoconservatives whose ideology forms the governing paradigm in Washington, D.C.[7]
We are starting to see how this World War III will be justified. It seems that Russia is trading information on nuclear weapons development for previously reported Iranian ballistic missiles.[8] In addition to increasing the threat to Ukraine,[9] this, of course, threatens a nuclear exchange with Israel which both Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have pledged to defend, apparently at any cost.
This war will have two parents: Vladimir Putin and Binyamin Netanyahu. But, of course, we will blame Putin and Iran. I am aghast as I continue to wonder how many lives must be sacrificed to neoconservative bloodlust.
Update, September 17, 2024: The least that can be said of White House efforts to contain Israel’s war on and genocide against Gaza is that they are a failure.[10] I strongly doubt that those efforts are sincere as a wider regional war may very well combine with Russia’s second invasion of Ukraine to yield a neoconservative-pleasing World War III.[11] It is hard to see how, with so many nuclear powers involved, this doesn’t go nuclear[12] in a more complicated scenario than I anticipated when Vladimir Putin launched that invasion but assumed inevitable. And the latest despicable Israeli attack on Lebanon, involving exploding pagers, aimed at Hezbollah but also severely injuring civilians—including children[13]—is surely another step along the way.
Update, September 18, 2024: For a second straight day, Israel has attacked Hezbollah’s communication devices, adding more injuries, including among the innocent, to yesterday’s count. This round of attacks appears to have targeted two-way radios. For its part, Hezbollah claims it is undeterred in its attacks supporting Hamas and promises a severe response to these Israeli attacks in addition.[14]
Update, September 19-21, 2024: There’s a bit to digest in a Washington Post analysis of why Israel’s Mossad attacked Hezbollah’s communication devices when it did, suggesting that once the plan was set in motion, the trigger needed to be pulled quickly to avoid detection.[15] But 1) these attacks were followed up with bombing raids that have taken out several Hezbollah leaders, and 2) Joe Biden’s administration has supposedly—to no avail and I don’t believe convincingly—been trying to tamp down any Israeli move to broaden the war for months,[16] while continuing to pay and provide arms for all of it.[17] Mossad all along had the option to not set this plan in motion, but this is one more bit of evidence[18] that, of course, Binyamin Netanyahu wants a wider war[19] (it’s entirely too convenient but Ishaan Tharoor fails to challenge the blame cast on Netanyahu’s coalition partners[20] when Netanyahu himself is plainly desperate to remain in power) which of course is how Hezbollah interprets it.[21]
The war crimes continue: “The seemingly indiscriminate nature of the attacks has drawn the attention and concern of experts in international law who caution that the explosions may rise to the level of war crimes.
“‘If it is Israel behind this, they’ve got some tough questions to answer, including to the U.S. government, because the U.S. government is providing great military support,’ said Brian Finucane, a former State Department legal adviser under Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump. ‘It really should be in the U.S. government’s interest to ensure that its military partners are complying with the laws of war.’”[22]
We need to accept that neither Netanyahu nor Biden are acting in good faith, that both are criminals of the highest order, and that we cannot have a serious discussion about the genocide in Gaza or a wider regional war in the Middle East or a possible World War III until we do.
Update, September 22, 2024: I have only this one source, Thomas Neuberger, and for something this explosive, I would prefer to have more. There is a suggestion that the U.S. military has pushed back, strongly, perhaps to the level of what is arguably a coup, against plans to allow Ukraine to use missiles supplied by the U.S. and U.K. on targets in Russian territory and against plans to support Israel’s war on Lebanon and possible war on Iran.[23] I do not know if this is true, but allegedly, “’the Pentagon has taken over, essentially, diplomacy as well as any action, militarily speaking, with regard to both theaters of war,’ meaning Ukraine and Israel.”[24]
“[Joe] Biden was furious, we’re told, but ‘took that advice.’ Except, as [Lawrence] Wilkerson tells it, it wasn’t advice, but instruction. ‘No dice,’ as Wilkerson characterized the message, sounds pretty final.
“This is good news and bad news. The good, U.S. policy is now:
· “To [Binyamin] Netanyahu, if you invade Lebanon or attack Iran, you’re on your own.
· “To [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy, no to long range missiles reaching deep into Russia.
“So we and the world are safer, at least for a while.” But as Neuberger observes,[25] there is an obvious implication for our constitutional oligarchy that elected officials are no longer in charge. On the other hand, we are talking about an abjectly failed political system that has failed to offer an alternative to continued support for Netanyahu’s genocide, that continues to be under the sway of warmongering neoconservatism that also holds neoliberalism as a moral imperative, that demands to be displaced.[26]
I can see two reasons why this might have happened:
1. The military has learned lessons from catastrophically failed wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
2. The military seeks to avoid being implicated in Netanyahu’s war crimes.
Again, I do not know if this is true. I prefer much stronger sourcing for anything like this. And I do not expect ever to learn the truth of it. In her introduction to Neuberger’s article, Yves Smith suggests that “[a]n alternate view is that someone managed to get through Biden’s thick skull that the US could not win against either Russia or Iran (the latter has been a finding of repeated war games) in a conventional war, and the consequences of the US escalating and losing would be worse than backing off. Another confirmation of this theory is that other reports suggest Jake Sullivan supported the US military’s position, meaning Biden had opposition from key members of his team, and not just the armed forces.”[27]
Frankly, at this point, I am so disgusted with this charade of “democracy” that I am willing to accept that either Neuberger or Smith may be right. This insanity needs to stop.
Note, September 22, 2024: Citations have been added to the original text.
Update, September 23, 2024: If Thomas Neuberger’s article,[28] referenced in the previous update, is correct, there is no sign of it today as Israel appears set to repeat in Lebanon what it has done in Gaza and the U.S. military announced it is deploying additional troops to the region. The attack appears to have a “green light” from the U.S. even as some Israeli officials threaten Lebanon with total annihilation.[29]
Update, September 24, 2024: The Washington Post confirms that U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin strongly objects to allowing Ukraine to use U.S.- and U.K.-supplied missiles against targets deep in Russian territory.[30] Secretary of State Antony Blinken and a number of North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies, on the other hand, support allowing such use. According to the Post, discussions continue. This leaves much of Thomas Neuberger’s article unconfirmed, certainly including that the Defense Department had issued an ultimatum to the Commander-In-Chief.[31]
Update, September 26-27, 2024: As the war in Lebanon continues to intensify[32] and Binyamin Netanyahu repeats his duplicitous game of agreeing to one thing in private—in the face of international condemnation of Israel’s genocidal war[33]—only to repudiate it in public,[34] Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said the U.S. is not providing any military or intelligence support for Israel’s attacks on Lebanon. It is unclear if the U.S. is providing warning of Hezbollah missiles aimed at Israel.[35] This appears to confirm another element of Thomas Neuburger’s report, that Israel would be on its own in invading Lebanon,[36] although it remains unclear if such an invasion is imminent.[37]
Update, September 28-29, 2024: Israel appears to have killed Hassan Nasrallah and other senior Hezbollah leaders in a bombing of Beirut.[38] “Since Sept. 16, more than 1,000 people in Lebanon have been killed, including at least 87 children, the health ministry said Saturday. As Israel has touted a pinpoint campaign on Hezbollah assets, witnesses have spoken of strikes that have killed entire extended families.”[39] And the attacks have continued, including one against the Houthis in Yemen.[40] This, of course, is bound to infuriate Israel’s opponents rather than pacify them, as indeed we see with Iran,[41] the country at the heart of my worries about a possible World War III. “History … has shown that a military victory has never provided Israel with the security it seeks.”[42] But it is the approach Israel, Joe Biden, and both major party candidates for the U.S. presidency continue to insist upon—even as it is ever more difficult to distinguish the present situation from the wider regional war, that would draw in the U.S.,[43] which now has two carrier strike groups and an amphibious ready group in the area,[44] that Netanyahu so desperately desires.[45]
Iran has promised to retaliate at the time and place of its choosing.[46] A path to peace seems nowhere in sight.
Update, October 1-2, 2024: With White House approval[47] backed by an increasing U.S. military presence in the Middle East,[48] Israel has launched what it calls “limited, localised, and targeted ground raids based on precise intelligence against Hezbollah terrorist targets and infrastructure in southern Lebanon.”[49] A large Palestinian refugee camp has been struck and Syria reported intercepting missile attacks on Damascus.[50] With U.S. arms and funding, Israel is attacking the Occupied Territories, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen. One has to ask, where does this stop? When do we admit, that as suggested by Israel’s own history with invasions into Lebanon[51] and as with Gaza before this, a fully-fledged and now-regional war is occurring? When does Iran, having been threatened by Binyamin Netanyahu with regime change[52] and which launched a limited ballistic missile attack on Israel on October 1,[53] decide enough is enough and bring its own forces to bear? When does the U.S. step in, having pledged to stand by its ally[54] in a war it, having failed miserably in Iraq, cannot possibly win against the somewhat larger country of Iran? When, if ever, as Netanyahu and the Joe Biden administration promise to retaliate for the Iranian retaliation,[55] do we admit that this is absolute madness? And when, with initial approval for Israel’s incursion into Lebanon and applause for Hezbollah’s “decapitation” after,[56] do we stop pretending that Biden is anything less than fully complicit with Netanyahu or any less berzerk?
Update, October 25, 2024: The tit-for-tat insanity continues. In response to Iran’s missile attack on Israel,[57] Israel has launched a strike, allegedly on military targets, on Iran.[58] I have to doubt that this strike will be any more precise than its attacks on Gaza and Lebanon, which is to say, not precise at all.
Update, November 17, 2024: Donald Trump, who won re-election in significant part because Kamala Harris failed to repudiate Joe Biden’s neoconservative policies,[59] has wasted little time in announcing rabidly pro-Israel settlement nominees,[60] and of particular concern for Ukraine, Tulsi Gabbard for Director of National Intelligence.[61] Meanwhile, Biden has reportedly now reversed previous policy and is now permitting Ukraine to use ATACMS missiles on Russian targets.[62]
Update, November 19, 2024: In what appears to be a response to Joe Biden’s decision to permit Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied missiles to strike Russian territory, Vladimir Putin has lowered the threshold in Russia’s “nuclear doctrine” for a nuclear response. Russian diplomats are comparing the present situation to the Cuban missile crisis.[63] Russian forces have generally underperformed against Ukrainian forces throughout the war and this is one reason I have thought that Putin might well turn to nuclear weapons.
[1] Dan Bloom, Esther Webber, and Jamie Dettmer, “Putin threatens war as Western allies near deal on missile strikes in Russia,” Politico, September 12, 2024, https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-vladimir-putin-war-in-ukraine-missile-strike-deal-britain-keir-starmer-united-states-joe-biden-white-house-summit-nato-iran-diplomacy/; Josh Cheetham and Jake Horton, “War in Ukraine: Fact-checking Russian claims that Nato troops are fighting in Ukraine,” British Broadcasting Corporation, September 21, 2022, https://www.bbc.com/news/62974506; Thomas Graham, “What Does Putin Really Want in Ukraine?” Council on Foreign Relations, May 16, 2024, https://www.cfr.org/expert-brief/what-does-putin-really-want-ukraine; Jonathan Guyer, “How America’s NATO expansion obsession plays into the Ukraine crisis,” Vox, January 27, 2022, https://www.vox.com/22900113/nato-ukraine-russia-crisis-clinton-expansion
[2] Guardian, “Putin compares himself to Peter the Great in quest to take back Russian lands,” June 10, 2022, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/10/putin-compares-himself-to-peter-the-great-in-quest-to-take-back-russian-lands; Simeon Netchev, “Peter the Great and the Russian Empire, c. 1725,” World History Encyclopedia, September 18, 2023, https://www.worldhistory.org/image/17891/peter-the-great-and-the-russian-empire-c-1725/
[3] Dan Bloom, Esther Webber, and Jamie Dettmer, “Putin threatens war as Western allies near deal on missile strikes in Russia,” Politico, September 12, 2024, https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-vladimir-putin-war-in-ukraine-missile-strike-deal-britain-keir-starmer-united-states-joe-biden-white-house-summit-nato-iran-diplomacy/
[4] Dan Bloom, Esther Webber, and Jamie Dettmer, “Putin threatens war as Western allies near deal on missile strikes in Russia,” Politico, September 12, 2024, https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-vladimir-putin-war-in-ukraine-missile-strike-deal-britain-keir-starmer-united-states-joe-biden-white-house-summit-nato-iran-diplomacy/
[5] David Benfell, “Get ready to fight, kids,” Not Housebroken, September 9, 2024, https://nothousebroken.substack.com/p/get-ready-to-fight-kids; David Benfell, “Kamala Harris, the neoconservative,” Not Housebroken, September 11, 2024, https://nothousebroken.substack.com/p/kamala-harris-the-neoconservative
[6] Murtaza Hussain, “Israel and Israel Alone Kicked Off This Escalation — In a Bid to Drag U.S. Into War With Iran,” Intercept, April 14, 2024, https://theintercept.com/2024/04/14/israel-iran-drag-us-war-netanyahu-biden/
[7] David Benfell, “Get ready to fight, kids,” Not Housebroken, September 9, 2024, https://nothousebroken.substack.com/p/get-ready-to-fight-kids
[8] Dan Sabbagh, “Alarm in UK and US over possible Iran-Russia nuclear deal,” Guardian, September 14, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/sep/14/alarm-in-uk-and-us-over-possible-iran-russia-nuclear-deal
[9] Dan Bloom, Esther Webber, and Jamie Dettmer, “Putin threatens war as Western allies near deal on missile strikes in Russia,” Politico, September 12, 2024, https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-vladimir-putin-war-in-ukraine-missile-strike-deal-britain-keir-starmer-united-states-joe-biden-white-house-summit-nato-iran-diplomacy/
[10] Stephen Collinson, “America’s push for an Israel-Hamas deal is a failure on repeat. But the US can’t walk away,” Cable News Network, September 6, 2024, https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/06/politics/american-push-israel-hamas-deal-analysis/index.html
[11] David Benfell, “World War III?” Not Housebroken, September 15, 2024, https://nothousebroken.substack.com/p/world-war-iii
[12] Thalif Deen, “Are the World’s Ongoing Conflicts in Danger of Going Nuclear?” Inter Press Service, September 17, 2024, https://www.ipsnews.net/2024/09/worlds-ongoing-conflicts-danger-going-nuclear/
[13] Suzan Haidamous et al., “Thousands injured in Lebanon as pagers used by Hezbollah explode,” Washington Post, September 17, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/09/17/lebanon-pagers-exploding-hezbollah/
[14] Susannah George et al., “Lebanon reels as more devices explode, casualties rise,” Washington Post, September 18, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/09/18/hezbollah-israel-pager-attack-lebanon-explosions/
[15] Loveday Morris, Joby Warrick, and Shira Rubin, “A key question behind Israeli attack on Hezbollah devices: Why now?” Washington Post, September 19, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/09/18/israel-hezbollah-pagers-lebanon-war-strategy/
[16] Stephen Collinson, Caitlin Hu, and Shelby Rose to Meanwhile in America list, “The United States could not make its anxiety about an escalating conflict in the Middle East much clearer,” Cable News Network, September 19, 2024, https://www.cnn.com/newsletters; John Hudson, “Israel’s clash with Hezbollah strains U.S. effort to prevent wider war,” Washington Post, September 19, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/09/19/us-influence-lebanon-israel-hezbollah-attacks/; Ishaan Tharoor, “A broader Israel-Lebanon war now seems inevitable,” Washington Post, September 20, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com//world/2024/09/20/hezbollah-pager-attacks-israel-lebanon-war/
[17] Stephen Collinson, “America’s push for an Israel-Hamas deal is a failure on repeat. But the US can’t walk away,” Cable News Network, September 6, 2024, https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/06/politics/american-push-israel-hamas-deal-analysis/index.html
[18] Loveday Morris, Joby Warrick, and Shira Rubin, “A key question behind Israeli attack on Hezbollah devices: Why now?” Washington Post, September 19, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/09/18/israel-hezbollah-pagers-lebanon-war-strategy/
[19] Murtaza Hussain, “Israel and Israel Alone Kicked Off This Escalation — In a Bid to Drag U.S. Into War With Iran,” Intercept, April 14, 2024, https://theintercept.com/2024/04/14/israel-iran-drag-us-war-netanyahu-biden/
[20] Ishaan Tharoor, “A broader Israel-Lebanon war now seems inevitable,” Washington Post, September 20, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com//world/2024/09/20/hezbollah-pager-attacks-israel-lebanon-war/
[21] Claire Parker, “Hezbollah chief calls pager, radio attacks an ‘act of war’ by Israel,” Washington Post, September 19, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/09/19/israel-lebanon-attack-explosions-hezbollah/
[22] Jonah Valdez, “Paging The Hague: Israel’s Exploding Electronics Might Be War Crimes,” Intercept, September 19, 2024, https://theintercept.com/2024/09/19/israel-pager-walkie-talkie-attack-lebanon-war-crimes/
[23] Thomas Neuburger, “An American Coup?” Naked Capitalism, September 21, 2024, https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2024/09/an-american-coup.html
[24] Lawrence Wilkerson, quoted in Thomas Neuburger, “An American Coup?” Naked Capitalism, September 21, 2024, https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2024/09/an-american-coup.html
[25] Thomas Neuburger, “An American Coup?” Naked Capitalism, September 21, 2024, https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2024/09/an-american-coup.html
[26] David Benfell, “Can we please lock all these elites in a room by themselves?” Not Housebroken, September 2, 2024, https://nothousebroken.substack.com/p/can-we-please-lock-all-these-elites
[27] Thomas Neuburger, “An American Coup?” Naked Capitalism, September 21, 2024, https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2024/09/an-american-coup.html
[28] Thomas Neuburger, “An American Coup?” Naked Capitalism, September 21, 2024, https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2024/09/an-american-coup.html
[29] Jeremy Scahill and Murtaza Hussain, “Israel's Bloodbath in Lebanon,” Drop Site, September 23, 2024, https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/israel-bloodbath-lebanon-hezbollah
[30] Isabelle Khurshudyan et al., “Debate over Ukraine weapons restrictions divides allies, administration,” Washington Post, September 24, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/09/24/ukraine-weapons-limits-biden-permission-atacms/
[31] Thomas Neuburger, “An American Coup?” Naked Capitalism, September 21, 2024, https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2024/09/an-american-coup.html
[32] Loveday Morris, Claire Parker, and Shira Rubin, “On the cusp of all-out war against Hezbollah, Israel weighs next move,” Washington Post, September 25, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/09/24/israel-lebanon-war-border-hezbollah/; Mona Zhang and Nahal Toosi, “World leaders voice frustration at Israel and the US as violence mounts in Middle East,” Politico, September 24, 2024, https://www.politico.com/news/2024/09/24/middle-east-violence-un-00180823
[33] Maziar Motamedi, “UN votes against Israel’s occupation of Palestine: Will it change anything?” Al Jazeera, September 19, 2024, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/9/19/unga-resolution-against-palestine-occupation-will-it-change-anything; Cathrin Schaer, “Red lines: Will Arab leaders go beyond angry words?” Deutschewelle, September 26, 2024, https://www.dw.com/en/no-red-lines-will-arab-leaders-go-beyond-angry-words-to-bring-peace/a-70333738; Ishaan Tharoor, “At the U.N., overwhelming anger at Israel,” Washington Post, September 27, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com//world/2024/09/27/israel-united-nations-netanyahu-general-assembly-un-anger/; Times of Israel, “US, France lead joint call for immediate 21-day truce between Israel and Hezbollah,” September 26, 2024, https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-france-lead-joint-call-for-immediate-21-day-truce-between-israel-and-hezbollah/; Mona Zhang and Nahal Toosi, “World leaders voice frustration at Israel and the US as violence mounts in Middle East,” Politico, September 24, 2024, https://www.politico.com/news/2024/09/24/middle-east-violence-un-00180823
[34] Julian Borger and Patrick Wintour, “Netanyahu says Israel ‘will not stop’ attacks on Hezbollah despite ceasefire calls,” Guardian, September 26, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/sep/26/netanyahu-israel-attacks-lebanon-hezbollah-ceasefire-calls; Ishaan Tharoor, “At the U.N., overwhelming anger at Israel,” Washington Post, September 27, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com//world/2024/09/27/israel-united-nations-netanyahu-general-assembly-un-anger/; Times of Israel, “Netanyahu vows to carry on Lebanon strikes with ‘full force’ as allies pan truce report,” September 26, 2024, https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-vows-to-carry-on-lebanon-strikes-with-full-force-as-allies-pan-truce-report/
[35] Reuters, “Pentagon says US not providing intel help for Israeli operations against Hezbollah,” Times of Israel, September 26, 2024, https://www.timesofisrael.com/pentagon-says-us-not-providing-intel-help-for-israeli-operations-against-hezbollah/
[36] Thomas Neuburger, “An American Coup?” Naked Capitalism, September 21, 2024, https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2024/09/an-american-coup.html
[37] Julian Borger and Patrick Wintour, “Netanyahu says Israel ‘will not stop’ attacks on Hezbollah despite ceasefire calls,” Guardian, September 26, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/sep/26/netanyahu-israel-attacks-lebanon-hezbollah-ceasefire-calls; Ishaan Tharoor, “At the U.N., overwhelming anger at Israel,” Washington Post, September 27, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com//world/2024/09/27/israel-united-nations-netanyahu-general-assembly-un-anger/; Times of Israel, “Netanyahu vows to carry on Lebanon strikes with ‘full force’ as allies pan truce report,” September 26, 2024, https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-vows-to-carry-on-lebanon-strikes-with-full-force-as-allies-pan-truce-report/
[38] Al Arabiya, “Massive Israeli strikes in Beirut target Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah: Sources,” September 27, 2024, https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2024/09/27/israel-army-says-carrying-out-new-strikes-against-hezbollah-in-south-lebanon; Gabriel Gavin, “Hezbollah’s Nasrallah killed in Lebanon airstrikes, Israel says,” Politico, September 28, 2024, https://www.politico.eu/article/hezbollah-hassan-nasrallah-kill-lebanon-strike-israel-war/; Barak Ravid and Dave Lawler, “Israel conducts massive strike in Beirut targeting Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah,” Axios, September 27, 2024,https://www.axios.com/2024/09/27/israel-airstrike-hezbollah-hq-beirut; Liz Sly, “Hasan Nasrallah, Hezbollah leader and force in Middle East, dies at 64,” Washington Post, September 28, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2024/09/28/hasan-nasrallah-hezbollah-lebanon-dies/
[39] Kareem Fahim et al., “Nasrallah’s death stuns Lebanon, as Israel pummels Beirut,” Washington Post, September 28, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/09/28/hasan-nasrallah-hezbollah-israel-beirut/
[40] Dov Lieber, Jared Malsin, and Stephen Kalin, “Israel Strikes Targets in Yemen as It Presses Air Campaign Against Hezbollah,” Wall Street Journal, September 29, 2024, https://apple.news/A8YQ_SBYPS36K30TAvPuVNg
[41] Peter Beaumont and William Christou, “Iran vows vengeance after assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah,” Guardian, September 28, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/sep/28/israel-says-it-has-killed-hezbollah-leader-hassan-nasrallah; Dov Lieber, Jared Malsin, and Stephen Kalin, “Israel Strikes Targets in Yemen as It Presses Air Campaign Against Hezbollah,” Wall Street Journal, September 29, 2024, https://apple.news/A8YQ_SBYPS36K30TAvPuVNg
[42] Sanam Vakil, quoted in Kareem Fahim et al., “Nasrallah’s death stuns Lebanon, as Israel pummels Beirut,” Washington Post, September 28, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/09/28/hasan-nasrallah-hezbollah-israel-beirut/
[43] Murtaza Hussain, “Israel and Israel Alone Kicked Off This Escalation — In a Bid to Drag U.S. Into War With Iran,” Intercept, April 14, 2024, https://theintercept.com/2024/04/14/israel-iran-drag-us-war-netanyahu-biden/
[44] Dov Lieber, Jared Malsin, and Stephen Kalin, “Israel Strikes Targets in Yemen as It Presses Air Campaign Against Hezbollah,” Wall Street Journal, September 29, 2024, https://apple.news/A8YQ_SBYPS36K30TAvPuVNg
[45] Murtaza Hussain, “Israel and Israel Alone Kicked Off This Escalation — In a Bid to Drag U.S. Into War With Iran,” Intercept, April 14, 2024, https://theintercept.com/2024/04/14/israel-iran-drag-us-war-netanyahu-biden/
[46] Dov Lieber, Jared Malsin, and Stephen Kalin, “Israel Strikes Targets in Yemen as It Presses Air Campaign Against Hezbollah,” Wall Street Journal, September 29, 2024, https://apple.news/A8YQ_SBYPS36K30TAvPuVNg
[47] Erin Banco and Nahal Toosi, “US officials quietly backed Israel’s military push against Hezbollah,” Politico, September 30, 2024, https://www.politico.com/news/2024/09/30/us-israel-military-hezbollah-00181797
[48] Dan Lamothe, “U.S. sends more troops, warplanes to Middle East as bulwark against Iran,” Washington Post, September 30, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/09/30/us-troops-middle-east-israel-iran-hezbollah/
[49] Israel Defense Forces, quoted in Guardian, “Israeli military says it is carrying out ‘limited’ ground operation targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon,” October 1, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/oct/01/israel-lebanon-attack-hezbollah-ground-operation-war-latest
[50] Guardian, “Israeli military says it is carrying out ‘limited’ ground operation targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon,” October 1, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/oct/01/israel-lebanon-attack-hezbollah-ground-operation-war-latest
[51] Jamie Dettmer, “Israel risks a long fight in Lebanon,” Politico, October 1, 2024, https://www.politico.eu/article/israel-lebanon-hezbollah-idf-benjamin-netanyahu-najib-mikati-blue-line/; Barak Ravid, “Past wars loom over Israel's ground operation in Lebanon,” Axios, October 1, 2024, https://www.axios.com/2024/10/01/israel-lebanon-hezbollah-middle-east-wars
[52] Jamie Dettmer, “Israel sends troops into Lebanon — but its real target is Iran,” Politico, September 30, 2024, https://www.politico.eu/article/target-iran-israel-seizes-reshapes-middle-east-hamas-hezbollah-tehran/
[53] Eric Bezail-Eimil, “Iran launches ballistic missile attack against Israel,” Politico, October 1, 2024, https://www.politico.com/news/2024/10/01/iran-israel-missile-strike-00181882
[54] Guardian, “Israeli military says it is carrying out ‘limited’ ground operation targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon,” October 1, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/oct/01/israel-lebanon-attack-hezbollah-ground-operation-war-latest
[55] Steven Scheer, Maya Gebeily, and Parisa Hafezi, “Israel vows response to Iran missile attack as fears of conflict escalation rise,” Reuters, October 1, 2024, https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-military-has-begun-limited-raids-against-hezbollah-targets-border-area-2024-09-30/
[56] Erin Banco and Nahal Toosi, “US officials quietly backed Israel’s military push against Hezbollah,” Politico, September 30, 2024, https://www.politico.com/news/2024/09/30/us-israel-military-hezbollah-00181797; Ishaan Tharoor, “As war expands, Netanyahu thinks he’s winning,” Washington Post, October 1, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com//world/2024/10/01/middle-east-war-expands-netanyahu-win-iran-lebanon-israel/
[57] Eric Bezail-Eimil, “Iran launches ballistic missile attack against Israel,” Politico, October 1, 2024, https://www.politico.com/news/2024/10/01/iran-israel-missile-strike-00181882
[58] Paul McLeary, “Israel launches attacks on Iranian military targets,” Politico, October 25, 2024, https://www.politico.com/news/2024/10/25/israel-iran-airstrike-hamas-blinken-00185665
[59] David Benfell, “The fascists have won,” Not Housebroken, November 12, 2024, https://nothousebroken.substack.com/p/the-fascists-have-won
[60] Qasim Rashid, “Trump Nominees Are Not Just A Joke — They Are Dangerous,” Let’s Address This, November 15, 2024, https://www.qasimrashid.com/p/trump-nominees-are-not-just-a-joke; Ishaan Tharoor, “Trump and the Israeli right resume their embrace,” Washington Post, November 15, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com//world/2024/11/15/trump-israel-right-wing/
[61] Jeremy Scahill, “Tulsi Gabbard Would Be a Shock to the U.S. Intelligence System, Drop Site, November 17, 2024, https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/tulsi-gabbard-record-director-national-intelligence
[62] Ellen Nakashima et al., “Biden approves Ukraine’s use of long-range U.S. weapons inside Russia, reversing policy,” Washington Post, November 17, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/11/17/ukraine-russia-north-korea-atacms/
[63] Guy Faulconbridge and Anton Kolodyazhnyy, “Putin issues warning to United States with new nuclear doctrine,” Reuters, November 19, 2024, https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-issues-warning-us-with-new-nuclear-doctrine-2024-11-19/