World

Israel’s direct strike on Iran marks a new phase

Saturday, October 26, 2024
Israel’s attack on Iran was part of a new phase in tensions as it was the first time Israel admitted to a direct strike on Iran, with Tehran downplaying the impact and Israel exaggerating its achievements, analyst Abas Aslani said.

"This indicates that … Israel may be encouraged by the US to avoid a full-scale war in the region," Aslani, a senior research fellow at the Center for Middle East Strategic Studies, told Al Jazeera from Tehran. "The initial assessment and the initial reaction here in Tehran indicates that maybe a serious or significant reaction, a direct reaction against Israel, was not as likely."

However, Aslani said some sort of response from Iran should be expected.

Israeli military confirms it has launched attacks on Iran

Saturday, October 26, 2024
As we have been reporting, several loud explosions have been reported on the outskirts of Tehran.

The Israeli military has now confirmed that it is conducting attacks on military targets.

Here’s the full statement, published by Israel’s Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee:

The [Israeli military] is currently attacking with precision military targets in Iran in response to the Iranian regime’s ongoing attacks against the State of Israel over the past few months.

The [Israeli military] is on alert offensively and defensively as we follow developments from Iran and its proxies.

The [Israeli military] is conducting an ongoing situational assessment and at this stage, there has been no change in the Home Front Command’s instructions.

We must continue to be vigilant and obey the instructions of the Home Front Command in order to inform the public of any new developments immediately.

Will the US president pressure Israel to allow foreign journalists into Gaza?

Wednesday, October 23, 2024  
Israel's restrictions on international journalists have allowed the military to carry out its genocide in Gaza with impunity for more than a year.

Politicians in the US are finally questioning that.

Weeks before Americans elect a new president, dozens of Democrats from the House of Representatives have written to Joe Biden.

They want him to intervene and push Israel for 'unrestricted, independent media access to Gaza'.

Will the US president act?

And how will this play out in campaigning ahead of the November 5 election?

Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra

Guests:

Laura Albast -- Fellow, Institute for Palestine Studies

Tim Dawson -- Deputy Secretary General, International Federation of Journalists

Ashish Prashar -- US political strategist and former adviser to Middle East peace envoy Tony Blair

What is next for Hamas in Gaza?

Tuesday, October 22, 2024
Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh were killed by Israel, leaving the group to debate a successor. And, as Israel’s war on Gaza continues, questions remain about what lies ahead for Gaza’s leadership and its people.

In this episode:

    Diana Buttu, Lawyer and Al-Shabaka Board Member

What is behind the Canada-India fallout?

Monday, October 21, 2024
Assassination claims, diplomatic expulsions, and mounting tensions: Canada accuses India of orchestrating the killing of a Sikh activist on its soil, igniting a diplomatic standoff. With both nations at odds, the Sikh community is caught in the middle. How are they navigating this, and what does the blame game mean for their future and security?

In this episode:

    Jaskaran Sandhu, World Sikh Organization

Genocide unfolding: 640 Palestinians killed in north Gaza in 17 days

Monday, October 21, 2024  
Israel has killed at least 640 Palestinians in north Gaza since it laid siege to the area 17 days ago, 33 of them since dawn on Monday, medical sources have told Al Jazeera.

In Gaza, civilians face unimaginable hardship amid ongoing conflict. Children carry injured siblings on foot, struggling to survive. War-torn streets leave them exhausted, vulnerable, and reliant on strangers for help. In the south, drone strikes target makeshift shelters, killing displaced civilians. Families mourn innocent lives lost in supposed "safe zones." Nowhere in Gaza is safe, especially in the north, where Israeli forces intensify their offensive. Civilians are forced to flee under the threat of death, with hospitals overwhelmed and the war showing no signs of ending.

Al Jazeera’s Zein Basravi reports.

Why is the US leading calls for political change in Lebanon?

Saturday, Oct 5, 2024
Lebanon is again under attack as Israel wages war against the country's dominant political and military force - Hezbollah.

Although its primary target is the armed group, Israel's attacks have been indiscriminate, killing civilians and medical workers just as it has done in Gaza.

But the conflict is also bringing pressure to change Lebanon's fragmented political system.

So who is looking for this political change - and what might it mean?

Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra.
Guests:
Hala Jaber, journalist and author of books on Iraq and Lebanon including 'Hezbollah: Born with a Vengeance'.
Nadim Houry, Executive Director at Arab Reform Initiative and former director of Human Rights Watch.
David Wood, Senior Analyst with International Crisis Group in Beirut.

Israel’s recent attacks shows it infiltrated Hezbollah : Marwan Bishara

Saturday, Oct 5, 2024  
Al Jazeera’s political analyst Marwan Bishara says Hezbollah losing contact with its leader Hashem Safieddine shows that Israel is able to "deliver one blow after another" to the group.

"It is also significant that it proves there is an intelligence breach when it comes to Hezbollah, allowing Israel to locate and attack one leader after another," Marwan Bishara said.

"From the rigging and detonating of communication devices and the assassination of one Hezbollah leader to another, all the way to Hassan Nasrallah and now apparently his successor, underlines that either Israel is getting help or it has infiltrated Hezbollah in various ways digitally, electronically or perhaps with human resources," Marwan Bishara added.

Israel has not yet decided how to respond to Iran: Biden

Saturday, Oct 5, 2024  
US President Joe Biden says the US military and diplomats are "constantly in contact" with their Israeli counterparts.

Biden said he would think about alternatives to striking Iranian oilfields if he were in Israel’s shoes, adding that he thinks Israel has not yet concluded how to respond to Iran.

Biden also said sanctions on Iran are "under consideration right now".

Biden made his remarks to reporters at a White House news briefing.

Tehran’s patience is being tested by Israel: Analysis

Friday, Oct 4, 2024
Tohid Asadi, a writer and specialist in Iranian affairs, told Al Jazeera that Iranian officials are making "double-edged statements."

On the one hand, they claim they are not "warmongers", and at the same time, they are saying, "We are not afraid of war".

Asadi explained that this means if Israel demonstrates aggression towards Iran, there will be "tough consequences".

He said the message from Tehran is clear, that its patience has reached a limit.

He said Tehran is still seeking de-escalation, but if Israel "decides to continue this insatiable desire to expand the battlefield, there is going to be [a] crushing response".