Daily Discussion - April 16, 2024

Israel’s War Leaders Don’t Trust One Another

Long-simmering grudges and arguments over how best to fight Hamas have soured relations between Israel’s wartime decision makers—Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and the former head of the Israeli military, Benny Gantz. The three men are at odds over the biggest decisions they need to make: how to launch a decisive military push, free Israel’s hostages and govern the postwar strip.

Now, they also must make one of the biggest decisions the country has ever faced: how to respond to Iran’s first-ever direct attack on Israeli territory. Thei…  Read morer power struggle could affect whether the Gaza conflict spirals into a bigger regional fight with Iran that transforms the Middle East’s geopolitical order and shapes Israel’s relations with the U.S. for decades

Severe floods ravage Dubai minutes after intense rain storm

Dubai International Airport forced to divert flights after torrential downpour causes the runway to look like an ocean.

Citizens are being told to stay inside as thunder, lighting, hail and heavy rain slams the region.

Dubai saw more rainfall in one day than they see on average for an entire year, nearly 5 inches.

The country of Oman was also hit by the intense rain which reportedly killed 18 people.

Dubai is more generally known for its hot and dry desert weather, with the average temperature in April 33ºC.

However, flash flooding can be deadly, especially if people are in the vicinity…  Read more of dry riverbeds known as ‘wadi’ in Arabic, which can quickly fill with water and wash away vehicles and bystanders.

Ukraine funding Bill Include $8 billion to pay the salaries of government employees

Republican House leader Mike Johnson proposes $48 billion for Ukraine, including almost $8 billion to pay Ukrainian government salaries and pensions.

Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday said he planned this week to advance a long-stalled national security spending package to aid Israel, Ukraine and other American allies, along with a separate bill aimed at mollifying conservatives who have been vehemently opposed to backing Kyiv.

Mr. Johnson’s announcement, coming after he has agonized for weeks over whether and how to advance an infusion of critical aid to Ukraine amid stiff Republican resist…  Read moreance, was the first concrete indication that he had settled on a path forward. It came days after Iran launched a large aerial attack on Israel, amplifying calls for Congress to move quickly to approve the pending aid bill.

U.S. says escalation with Iran is not in U.S. or Israel's interests

Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a group of American Jewish leaders on Tuesday that further escalation with Iran is not in the interests of either the U.S. or Israel, three people who attended the meeting told Axios.

The Biden administration and several other Western countries allied with Israel are urging Benjamin Netanyahu's government not to rush into a retaliation against Iran that could lead to a regional war.

The U.S. assessment is that Iran would respond to any significant, overt Israeli strike on Iranian soil with a new round of missile and drone attacks, a senior U.S. offici…  Read moreal told Axios."We think it will be very hard to replicate the huge success we had on Saturday with defeating the attack if Iran launches hundreds of missiles and drones again — and the Israelis know it," another U.S. official said.

U.S. says war drone escalation with Iran is not in U.S. or Israel's interests

Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a group of American Jewish leaders on Tuesday that further escalation with Iran is not in the interests of either the U.S. or Israel, three people who attended the meeting told Axios.

The Biden administration and several other Western countries allied with Israel are urging Benjamin Netanyahu's government not to rush into a retaliation against Iran that could lead to a regional war.

The U.S. assessment is that Iran would respond to any significant, overt Israeli strike on Iranian soil with a new round of missile and drone attacks, a senior U.S. offici…  Read moreal told Axios."We think it will be very hard to replicate the huge success we had on Saturday with defeating the attack if Iran launches hundreds of missiles and drones again — and the Israelis know it," another U.S. official said.

Over 50 survivors of Israeli rave massacre have committed suicide

Following the Hamas-led massacre at the Nova Music Festival on October 7, about fifty survivors have committed suicide, revealed Guy Ben Shimon.

Ben Shimon, a survivor of the massacre, spoke on Tuesday at a Parliamentary hearing for a State Audit Commission on the treatment of the survivors of October 7.

"Few people know, but there have been almost 50 suicides among the Nova survivors. This number, which was true two months ago, may have increased since," Ben Shimon said, emphasizing that many of his friends who escaped the massacre could not recover from what they had experienced.…  Read morep>

"There are many survivors who had to be forcibly hospitalized due to their psychological state. My friends are not getting out of bed, neither am I," he described their condition since the October 7 attack.

China reveals plan to end Ukraine war

World powers should focus on restoring peace and stability in Ukraine rather than seeking “selfish gains,” Chinese President Xi Jinping said during a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday.

The chancellor arrived in China on Sunday, accompanied by a large delegation of ministers and business executives.

Meeting with Scholz at Beijing’s Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, Xi told the German leader that all parties should work together to restore peace in Ukraine as soon as possible. The Chinese leader also outlined four principles that he believes will prevent the…  Read more conflict from escalating.

US makes failed bid for Iran to allow 'symbolic strike' by Israel

An Iranian military security official has revealed exclusively to The Cradle that the US contacted the Islamic Republic, asking the nation to allow Israel "a symbolic strike to save face” following Iran's retaliatory drone and missile barrage this weekend.

“Iran has received messages from mediators to let the regime do a symbolic strike to save face and asked Iran not to retaliate,” the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, revealed to The Cradle.

He added that Tehran “outright rejected” the proposal, delivered by mediators, and reiterated warnings…  Read more that any Israeli attack on Iranian soil would be met with a decisive and immediate response.

Police Shut Down Conservative Conference To "Guarantee Safety"

Police in Brussels have stormed a right-wing conference attended by Nigel Farage and Suella Braverman after orders for the event to be shut down.

Local authorities ordered the controversial National Conservatism (NatCon) Conference to be closed to “guarantee public safety”.

Ms Braverman, the former home secretary, and Mr Farage, the former Ukip leader, were among the political names advertised to speak at the event on Tuesday alongside right-wing Hungarian autocrat Viktor Orban.

Officers arrived after the event began at the Claridge venue in central Brussels to tell organisers the…  Read more event would be shut down. According to a report on social media, police arrived while Mr Farage was addressing the event, giving attendees 15 minutes to leave the venue. However, officers did not appear to force the event to shut down and speeches continued.

Ukrainians in frontline cities feel brunt of Russia’s invasion

Under orders from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s forces are rushing to fortify their defence lines. They claim to be holding on but Russia is pounding them with devastating glide bombs, missiles and heavy artillery to try to punch its way through.

Just 30km north-west of Avdiivka, Myrnohrad is in their crosshairs. So are the nearby frontline cities of Kostyantynivka, Kramatorsk, Pokrovsk and Slovyansk, all of which are coming under heavy and steady Russian attacks, leaving locals few options but to flee.

Of Myrnohrad’s pre-war population of 47,000, only about half remain.…  Read more The same is true of every other city and town in the region — more than 1mn people have fled since 2022, according to regional authorities.