On Tuesday, Iran said its supreme leader made the decision to fire dozens of missiles into Israel as a retaliation for Israel’s invasion of Lebanon as well as the assassinations of top Hezbollah and Hamas leaders. About 400 ballistic missiles were fired into southern and central Israel, and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement that if Israel responds to the attack, it would be followed by more destructive strikes.
President Pezeshkian accused the US of their complicity in the assassination of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hasan Nasrallah who died in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut, Hezbollah confirmed on Saturday. Turkiye Today published images of Netanyahu allegedly issuing the order for the airstrike while in New York. Following the attack Iran vowed to continue to support Hezbollah’s efforts against Israel.
“I think Iran has been reluctant and patient and Israel has struck them in ways that are outrageous… striking in Tehran and killing Hamas negotiators, striking in Lebanon and killing the leader of Hezbollah, the chief negotiator, and leaders of the IRGC and the Palestinian resistance,” Dr. Jim Kavanagh, an independent journalist who joined The Critical Hour said on Tuesday.
“So, if Iran didn't respond in some way that was very strong and that hurts Israel, then they would have lost their legitimacy in the eyes of the Axis of Resistance and those who support the Palestinian resistance against Israel at this point,” he explained.
“I'm worried about this situation. I think Israel kind of wanted something like this to happen. I think they're probably going to respond in a very nasty way, including, maybe even at this point, nuclear weapons. But, the game is on,” he added. “And, the problem is the US supports Israel, is going to support them, whatever Israel does in response. It is a terrible situation. It's the crime of the century and it's the closest we've ever come, I think, to nuclear war.”
Following Iran’s launch of ballistic missiles at Israel, US crude oil prices rose more than 2%, CNBC reported. An analyst who spoke to the American news source said traders will have to determine if there is a scenario where Iranian oil supplies will be at risk.
“...and the Israeli economy, this is the weakness of Israel. It’s a small country with a small population,” Kavanagh said. “They cannot, and they're not there to fight and be killed and to be blown up and to blow up. They want to have ‘nice’ Western European lives [like] colonial masters, and get rid of the Arabs who are annoying them all the time. And, clearly, this isn't happening. And they're being driven out of the cities near the borders now.”
“...they can't have a war of attrition with Iran or with Hezbollah, and that's why they have to either quickly kill off as many people or drive them out, or stop Iran in some way that's devastating and they think will stop Iran. It's an extremely dangerous situation. And, the most dangerous thing about it is that the US is part of it. The US considers Israel a 51st state," he added.
“American culture and political culture has been thoroughly Zionized. They're committed to Zionism, to the Zionist project. And they and the people in control of this country right now will do anything to prevent the Zionist project from being stopped. And, Israel knows. That's what's at stake now. The future of the Zionist project. And the other side knows that, too.”
This spring, two US government authorities on humanitarian assistance concluded that Israel had deliberately blocked deliveries of food and medicine into Gaza, Scheer Post reported. The US Agency for International Development gave Secretary of State Antony Blinken an assessment of what they found, while the State Department’s refugees bureau reported their findings to top diplomats in late April, the report found.
However, US law requires the government to cut weapons shipments to any country that prevents the delivery of US-backed humanitarian aid. The US has not curbed their shipments of weapons to Israel since the war began, but have instead flooded their ally with bombs and other weaponry.
“[Israel] will use every weapon at their disposal before they will relinquish control of Gaza, which is whatever it says what this is about now,” the analyst said. “...the ethnic cleansing and the genocidal attack on Gaza - is not going to stop until the Israelis are forced to give up control of Gaza. All these things we're talking about, the humanitarian aid, etc. Why do the Israelis get to control what humanitarian aid comes into Gaza? The Israelis have no right to control anything about Gaza.”
“And, this is what's at stake now. The Israelis are fighting in Gaza for the expansion of the Zionist project and the continuation of the Zionist project. And the Americans are supporting them 110%. And they won't stop that unless they're hurt, badly hurt, unless there's a price for them to pay, both the Israelis and the Americans, that they decide is too high. And I don't know what that price could possibly be.”
The US government allegedly green-lit Israel’s military attack on Lebanon, The New Republic wrote. US officials reportedly told Israel that the US would support their decision to bomb Hezbollah targets, even with Biden urging a cease-fire. The report names presidential adviser Amos Hochstein and White House coordinator for the Middle East Brett McGurk, who told Israeli officials that the US supported their strategy to launch military attacks on Lebanon.
However, when asked on Monday if he was comfortable with Israel’s ground invasion of Lebanon, Biden said, “I am comfortable with them stopping. We should have a cease-fire now.”
“[Biden is] talking as if he's a spectator of this. He's not a spectator. He's giving all the weapons. The Israelis say it time and time again. They've said that we could not do this without the weapons you give us. So this is an American project."
“And this, go[es] back to the fact that [...] Israel is not entitled under US law to a dime of American aid because they have nuclear weapons and they're not a signatory to the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty. And the US government has to lie every year. The president has to certify to Congress that Israel doesn't have nuclear weapons in order to, or else it would be against the law to give them any kind of aid. So, this is going on forever," Kavanagh explained.
"And, I don't know what's going to stop it, but we're in it. We're getting to a stage where there's a military fight over it and that is going to decide at least for the next 10, 20 years what's going to happen.”