Footage reveals notorious Iranian prison heavily damaged by Israeli strikes during the war
Iranian authorities say 71 people were killed in the strike.
Footage shows comprehensive damage to the structures inside the jail, as well as the physical breach of the outer security.
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Sydney Morning Herald
3 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Australia needs a new China strategy: America's promised pivot to Asia is unlikely
The ceasefire between Israel and Iran, should it last, is a resoundingly positive development. But regional peace in its current form, after Israeli offensives in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Iran, cannot be sustained in the long run without continuous American involvement. This has serious implications for America's longstanding commitment to disentangle itself from Middle Eastern affairs and shift focus firmly to the Pacific and its only peer superpower competitor: China. Successive Australian governments have staked their plans to navigate the growing superpower rivalry in our region upon promises of an American laser-focus on the Pacific that is unlikely to ever truly materialise. Just as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese prepares to meet President Xi Jinping in China this month, the ongoing role of the US in reshaping the balance of power in the Middle East in Israel's favour should have leaders and policymakers here questioning the viability of an American 'Pivot to Asia' that never arrives. For Australians, the stakes couldn't be higher. The pivot was first announced in November 2011, when then US president Barack Obama addressed the Australian Parliament. In response to the disastrous Bush-era campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, Obama declared: 'After a decade in which we fought two wars that cost us dearly, in blood and treasure, the United States is turning our attention to the vast potential of the Asia-Pacific region.' Loading Obama promised to refocus the US-Australia partnership around maintaining a strategic balance as China's power expanded, while emphasising peaceful and co-operative relations in areas of mutual benefit, such as trade, diplomacy, climate and non-proliferation. Australia has doggedly upheld its end of the bargain, providing bases for American forces, joining new US-centred alliances and security pacts, such as the Quad and AUKUS, and signing onto exorbitant arms-procurement programs. But in the 14 years since a US president addressed our parliament, precious little of America's own commitments to the pivot have come to pass. The economic arm of the pivot was strangled in the cradle when President Trump formally abandoned the Trans-Pacific Partnership on the first day of his presidency in 2016. American commitment to diplomacy, multilateral institutionalism and regional trust-building have followed a similar trajectory. But the Trump administration retained a supposedly iron-clad commitment to abandon the neoconservative model of foreign interventions and begin to focus squarely on the challenges posed by a rising China. Trump's consistent stated opposition to these wars was one of the most popular ingredients in his early political success. Arguably the most critical moment in Trump's nascent election campaign occurred a week before the 2016 South Carolina Primary, when he decried the Iraq War as a 'big fat mistake' and called out the Republican establishment for lying about weapons of mass destruction. Trump went on to win South Carolina, and Jeb Bush, once the frontrunner, abandoned his campaign.
The Age
3 hours ago
- The Age
Australia needs a new China strategy: America's promised pivot to Asia is unlikely
The ceasefire between Israel and Iran, should it last, is a resoundingly positive development. But regional peace in its current form, after Israeli offensives in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Iran, cannot be sustained in the long run without continuous American involvement. This has serious implications for America's longstanding commitment to disentangle itself from Middle Eastern affairs and shift focus firmly to the Pacific and its only peer superpower competitor: China. Successive Australian governments have staked their plans to navigate the growing superpower rivalry in our region upon promises of an American laser-focus on the Pacific that is unlikely to ever truly materialise. Just as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese prepares to meet President Xi Jinping in China this month, the ongoing role of the US in reshaping the balance of power in the Middle East in Israel's favour should have leaders and policymakers here questioning the viability of an American 'Pivot to Asia' that never arrives. For Australians, the stakes couldn't be higher. The pivot was first announced in November 2011, when then US president Barack Obama addressed the Australian Parliament. In response to the disastrous Bush-era campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, Obama declared: 'After a decade in which we fought two wars that cost us dearly, in blood and treasure, the United States is turning our attention to the vast potential of the Asia-Pacific region.' Loading Obama promised to refocus the US-Australia partnership around maintaining a strategic balance as China's power expanded, while emphasising peaceful and co-operative relations in areas of mutual benefit, such as trade, diplomacy, climate and non-proliferation. Australia has doggedly upheld its end of the bargain, providing bases for American forces, joining new US-centred alliances and security pacts, such as the Quad and AUKUS, and signing onto exorbitant arms-procurement programs. But in the 14 years since a US president addressed our parliament, precious little of America's own commitments to the pivot have come to pass. The economic arm of the pivot was strangled in the cradle when President Trump formally abandoned the Trans-Pacific Partnership on the first day of his presidency in 2016. American commitment to diplomacy, multilateral institutionalism and regional trust-building have followed a similar trajectory. But the Trump administration retained a supposedly iron-clad commitment to abandon the neoconservative model of foreign interventions and begin to focus squarely on the challenges posed by a rising China. Trump's consistent stated opposition to these wars was one of the most popular ingredients in his early political success. Arguably the most critical moment in Trump's nascent election campaign occurred a week before the 2016 South Carolina Primary, when he decried the Iraq War as a 'big fat mistake' and called out the Republican establishment for lying about weapons of mass destruction. Trump went on to win South Carolina, and Jeb Bush, once the frontrunner, abandoned his campaign.
Sydney Morning Herald
3 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Police reveal identity of man charged over East Melbourne Synagogue fire
A group of about 20 people, some masked and wearing Palestinian keffiyeh scarves, entered the CBD Israeli restaurant, Miznon, at 8.15pm. They shouted offensive chants, scuffling with staff and knocking over tables, before police arrived and arrested one man. Footage from the Miznon incident shows diners screaming in fear inside the Hardware Lane restaurant, which is part-owned by an Israeli entrepreneur who has been promoting a controversial aid group in Gaza. A police source, who cannot be identified speaking about operational matters, said at least one of those who invaded the restaurant was part of a group known to counter-terrorism police for sometimes organising left-wing protests that turned violent. Victoria Police declined to comment on the identity of the person or the nature of the groups involved . A police spokesperson said investigations were ongoing into the incident at Miznon. Police are also investigating a third incident, where three cars were set on fire and the wall of a business in Melbourne's north-east was spray-painted with graffiti against the Israeli military about 4.30am on Saturday. The vandalised business, Lovitt Technologies Australia, on Para Road in Greensborough, is a weapons company with links to Israel and had previously been targeted by protesters opposing the Israeli military. The business was contacted for comment. Police condemn string of incidents No one was injured in any of the incidents and none were deemed terrorism, but Victoria Police Commander Zorka Dunstan said on Saturday that officers would investigate the motives of those involved. 'The investigation is under the security investigation unit, who is part of our counterterrorism command. The security investigation unit investigates matters of communal violence,' Dunstan said. 'We do recognise that these crimes are disgusting and abhorrent, but at this stage, we are not declaring this a terrorist incident. In the course of our investigation, we will examine the intent and the ideology of the persons involved or person to determine if this is, in fact, terrorism.' Dunstan alleged that the three incidents all had 'inferences of antisemitism' or anti-Israel protest activity, but investigators had yet to find a connection between them. 'We are taking all three incidents incredibly seriously. There's no place in Australia for hatred or discrimination of any kind, and we condemn it.' In addition to the significant police presence in the CBD for Sunday's pro-Palestine protests, officers are providing proactive patrols in the areas around the attacks. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Premier Jacinta Allan both condemned the attacks on Saturday. Loading 'Antisemitism has no place in Australia,' Albanese said. 'Those responsible for these shocking acts must face the full force of the law, and my government will provide all necessary support toward this effort.' Allan said: 'This is disgraceful behaviour by a pack of cowards. That this happened on Shabbat makes it all the more abhorrent.' Restaurant targeted after calls for boycott About the same time the synagogue was set alight on Friday night, police said a splinter group of about 20 people broke off from a larger anti-police protest in Melbourne's CBD and walked to the Israeli restaurant on Hardware Lane, where they shouted offensive chants. An independent photographer at the scene said the group asked patrons why they were giving money to the restaurant. The group chanted 'death to the IDF' and 'Miznon out of Melbourne', the photographer said. Pro-Palestine protesters have been calling for a boycott of Miznon after it emerged that one of its part-owners, Israeli entrepreneur Shahar Segal, is also a spokesman for the controversial aid group Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. This week, the Associated Press reported that American contractors were using live ammunition and stun grenades to guard Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid distribution sites while hungry Palestinians scrambled for food. Loading Nina Sanadze, a Jewish gallery owner and friend of Miznon's owners, went straight to the restaurant after receiving a call on Friday night. When she arrived, police had blocked the street and Miznon staff were sweeping away broken glass and remnants of tomatoes thrown at the windows. Inside, Sanadze said, staff were 'hugging, crying and shaking'. 'It was a very, very scary experience.' Sanadze said that when the group arrived, the restaurant's managers tried to 'step in and push the protesters out', directing customers to the back of the restaurant. 'It was hard for customers to do anything,' she said. 'I think the brawl broke out because people were actually trying to stand up and say, 'go away'.' After closing the doors, Miznon managers apologised to their shaken staff for the ordeal and carried on with their usual Friday tradition of Shabbat, lighting candles, singing Jewish songs and eating challah. 'We were not in the mood to eat, it was more of a thing of tradition and resilience to stand together,' Sanadze said. Sanadze emphasised that Miznon's workers were a mix of nationalities and that the restaurant 'has nothing to do with the [Israeli Defence Forces] or anyone over there'. A 28-year-old person from Footscray was arrested 'for hindering police and has been released on summons' over the restaurant incident, police said. Loading Dunstan said there was not enough evidence to arrest anyone else, but the identities of those involved had been recorded as investigations continued and police combed social media and CCTV footage. Incidents follow string of attacks The 'death to the IDF' chant was also heard in Melbourne's Bourke Street Mall during last Sunday's regular anti-Israel protest, and shouted from the Glastonbury stage in the UK by rap duo Bob Vylan in its controversial performance. The attack follows the firebombing in December that gutted the Adass Israel Synagogue in Ripponlea. Counterterrorism police later revealed that the attack involved 'criminals for hire' and a known underworld getaway car, but have yet to rule terrorism in or out. Dunstan did not have further information on that investigation. In a separate incident last month, vandals targeted a historic synagogue in South Yarra. Attackers used red paint to scrawl 'free Palestine' and 'Iran is da bomb', set inside the outline of a nuclear mushroom cloud, on the heritage-listed synagogue.
