Iran has come out of the shadows and attacked Israel directly. **Read OP before posting**

igCorcaigh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122460977#Comment_122460977

EDIT: Agreed; there has been terrible leadership on both sides of the conflict IMHO, and the middle ground has been ceded to the extremists, especially in Gaza. Really sad :(

tayto lover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122460962#Comment_122460962

And I wasn't trawling back through history. I was talking about the situation as it is now. Hamas committed a massacre and Israel responded by killing more innocents in Gaza. Thousands of women and children, hospital workers, nuns, ambulance personnel etc etc. Yet they could organise with pinpoint accuracy the taking out of Hamas suspects in other countries while it took a 2,000 lb bomb to kills several hundred Gazans and a few Hamas while having no idea at all where the unfortunate hostages are. And that's nothing to do with other conflicts or other Arab states. The blame lies with the guilty parties in the present conflict.

volchitsa

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122460988#Comment_122460988

I presume you mean NO or "terrible" leadership on both sides.

And yes. Netanyahu is a terrible man who IMO is quite capable of running the war for his own political ends rather than for Israel's genuine greater good, never mind to save the hostages' lives. There are so many tragic missed opportunities in all this, but one on the Israeli side is that they didn't manage to get rid of Netanyahu so that he wasn't in place when the attacks happened.

But in practical terms, Hamas have been by far the worst plague visited on Gaza. They've used millions of pounds of foreign donations, not to improve the lives of ordinary Gazans, but to continue their harebrained schemes to destroy Israel.

volchitsa

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122461001#Comment_122461001

But if you only start on Oct 7 (and you can't have it both ways - either you go back through history or you start at the latest flare-up) then Israeli civilians were the subject of an unprovoked attack on their own legally-held territory, not even the disputed parts like the west bank, in their own homes, with children murdered and kidnapped.

Hamas were the legal government of a neighbouring entity. International law allows a country to attack in order to prevent another such invasion. The fact that Hamas had chosen to keep its tunnels for its soldiers rather than build shelters, as Israel does for its citizens, is not Israel's responsibility.

Now, as I said previously, this is not the thread for this discussion, so I suggest we leave it at that.

igCorcaigh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122461004#Comment_122461004

yes, a typo, thank you; I meant terrible.

igCorcaigh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122461004#Comment_122461004

Fully agree 👍️but ultimately, Israel has to take the chance for peace. Gaza has been demolished, and the Zionists settlers proceed in their land grabs.

Blaming Hamas without acknowledging the oppression and dispossession of the Palestinian people misses the whole reason why this conflict exists in the first place.

thatsdaft

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122460914#Comment_122460914

Germany provides 35% of Israeli weapons

Yet no one mentions that as left wing only hates the US and the Iranians and Russians (one of the comrades is higher up the page) the exploit these weak minded useful idiots

tayto lover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122461144#Comment_122461144

Definitely but we better keep the thread on track.

combat14

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122460491#Comment_122460491

well they facilitated some of the tunnels to supply hamas to attack israel

Beasty

Please reead the Opening Post

Gaza talk belongs in the dedicated thread, not this one

Kermit.de.frog

Things are moving fast. Lots of speculation but the US, UK and Russia have told their citizens to leave Lebanon immediately. No sign when Iran might attack.

https://twitter.com/spectatorindex/status/1819822426211156016

Mike Murdock

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122461004#Comment_122461004

And also to feather the nests of their billionaire leaders in exile.

Funny how Arafat was also a billionaire when he was alive and leading Fatah, whilst ordinary Palestinians lived in poverty.

But on the Iranian leadership, they are a cancer in the Middle East. The fact that Obama called them the "Adult in the Room" in the Middle East, speaks a lot for his judgement.

Kermit.de.frog

https://twitter.com/AdamAlbilya/status/1819851447774986607

Not an unusual occurrence.

Wolf359f

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122461979#Comment_122461979

Maybe Russia is willing to send AA missiles to Iran in return for more attack drones. Seeing as how Iran may need more AA and Russia seem to be lacking AA defense vs Ukraine and seem to be more focused attacking Ukraine than defending their oil refineries etc… Logic seems out the window with Russia atm!

Kermit.de.frog

The Iranians have told diplomats of neighbouring Arab countries that they do not care if their response leads to all out war according to the WSJ

Kermit.de.frog

https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/1820173076207739106

They said the same on April 13th before their choreographed missile launches and nothing came of that.

Kermit.de.frog

https://twitter.com/Jerusalem_Post/status/1820191658035532033

….

Wolf359f

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122464606#Comment_122464606

Iran weren't too happy for 3rd party countries shooting down attack drones that entered their airspace. Maybe they expected the same response Russia got from Romania and Poland!

silliussoddius

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122464233#Comment_122464233

Hardline muslims have their own dungeons and dragons fantasy similar to the end times for evangelical christians. Given Iranian religious leaders like to hand out fatwahs to authors, I wouldn’t be surprised if at some point they finally go for the big showdown.

batman75

Given the prolonged build up it's look like it's going to be a major attack on Israel. Most likely targeting military facilities.

omerin

The only hope for peace in Gaza and the Westbank is if Iran decimates the IDF. While one could argue that the ordinary Israeli is pro the destruction of the Palestinians, let's hope for minimum civilian deaths.

How a leader of a so called democratic country can lead his country into a position like this, is probably testament to his madness, and the mindset of the people.

Biden and his representatives have either been led up the garden path or more likely culpable of facilitating a madman and a genocide. Let's hope he pays for his crimes and is before a court in the coming years. He should never be left visit this country again, in any capacity.

nacho libre

I don't think either of those things will happen

It will be another choreographed response. It was telling in Nasrallah's speech he made a plead to the Americans to control Israel. He also didn't say it was all out war, rather a different phase to the conflict. Iran and Hezbollah will try and hit IDF facilities that will be largely empty and then spin it as a win. If the Iranians didn't go to war over the killing of Soleimani(?) they are not going to war over Haniyeh(?).

Despite the stereotype of the mad mullah, the Ayatollah has proven himself to be fairly pragmatic when it comes to foreign affairs. Also the new leader of Iran wanted to improve relations with the west- Bibi couldn't have that so that's probably one of the reasons he sanctioned the assassination of Ismail. It probably has increased his popularity with Israelis too. That might be only temporary, though.

nacho libre

I wonder is this true or hyperbole. The Iranians have made bold claims before about what their weapons are capable of.

https://armyrecognition.com/news/army-news/army-news-2024/new-irans-arman-air-defense-system-capable-of-intercepting-modern-us-israeli-fighter-jets

silliussoddius

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122466300#Comment_122466300

Yeah, come on Iran. Where are you when the world needs you?

nacho libre

A US base in Iraq has been attacked.

TheValeyard

Iran is moving into strike position

https://twitter.com/WarMonitor3/status/1820832007611400282

.Donegal.

Could be tonight then?

silverharp

Hopefully Iran even if they do something "unscripted" stick to a military target like an isolated airbase or some such, I think its well possible for Iran to demonstrate that they can overwhelm the Israeli air defenses but keep it below the level of an unpredictable emasculation

TheValeyard

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122470694#Comment_122470694

Not sure. Think there's a large Arab meeting tomorrow. Might hold off until it's finished, although they are risking an Israeli preemptive strike.

Kermit.de.frog

Apparently the US is dangling the carrot of a softening of sanctions on Iran in return for restraint.