Exclusive interview: The exiled Crown Prince of Iran
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Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the former Shah of Iran, is fast emerging as a potentially pivotal figure in Middle Eastern politics. As the only major Iranian opposition leader to openly advocate for a pro-West and pro-Israel position, Pahlavi's vision for a post-theocratic Iran is not just a matter of internal reform, but a potential sea change for regional stability and global security.
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CTV News
5 hours ago
- CTV News
Lebanese army warns Israeli airstrikes might force it to freeze co-operation with ceasefire committee
BEIRUT — The Lebanese army condemned Friday Israel's airstrikes on suburbs of Beirut, warning that such attacks are weakening the role of Lebanon's armed forces that might eventually suspend co-operation with the committee monitoring the truce that ended the Israel-Hezbollah war. The army statement came hours after the Israeli military struck several buildings in Beirut's southern suburbs that it said held underground facilities used by Hezbollah for drone production. The strikes, preceded by an Israeli warning to evacuate several buildings, came on the eve of Eid al-Adha, a Muslim holiday. The Lebanese army said it started coordinating with the committee observing the ceasefire after Israel's military issued its warning and sent patrols to the areas that were to be struck to search them. It added that Israel rejected the suggestion. The U.S.-led committee that has been supervising the ceasefire that ended the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war in November is made up of Lebanon, Israel, France, the U.S. and the UN peacekeeping forces in Lebanon known as UNIFIL. 'The Israeli enemy violations of the deal and its refusal to respond to the committee is weakening the role of the committee and the army,' the Lebanese army said in its statement. It added such attacks by Israel could lead the army to freeze its cooperation with the committee 'when it comes to searching posts.' Since the Israel-Hezbollah war ended, Israel has carried out nearly daily airstrikes on parts of Lebanon targeting Hezbollah operatives. Beirut's southern suburbs were struck on several occasions since then. The conflict between Hezbollah and Israel began on Oct. 8, 2023, when the Lebanese militant group began launching rockets across the border in support of its ally, Hamas, in Gaza. Israel responded with airstrikes and shelling and the two were quickly locked in a low-level conflict that continued for nearly a year before escalating into full-scale war in September 2024. It killed more than 4,000 people in Lebanon, including hundreds of civilians, while the Lebanese government said in April that Israeli strikes had killed another 190 people and wounded 485 since the ceasefire agreement. There has been increasing pressure on Hezbollah, both domestic and international, to give up its remaining arsenal, but officials with the group have said they will not do so until Israel stops its airstrikes and withdraws from five points it is still occupying along the border in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah says that it has ended its military presence along the border with Israel south of the Litani River, in accordance with terms of the ceasefire deal. Bassem Mroue, The Associated Press
CBC
6 hours ago
- CBC
Aid group in Gaza closes distribution centres over safety concerns
A U.S.- and Israeli-backed group handing out aid in Gaza said on Friday all its distribution sites were closed until further notice, urging residents to stay away from these venues "for their safety" after a series of deadly shootings. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which last week started handing out meals to hungry Palestinians inside the war-shattered Gaza Strip, said that a reopening date would be announced later. The GHF opened two sites in southern Gaza on Thursday after closing all of its centres the previous day in the wake of shootings in the vicinity of its operations. It has so far operated four distribution centres. The organization bypasses traditional relief agencies and has been criticized by humanitarian organizations, including the United Nations, for alleged lack of neutrality, which it denies. GHF halted distributions on Wednesday and said it was pressing Israeli forces to improve civilian safety beyond the perimeter of its operations after dozens of Palestinians were shot dead near the Rafah site over three consecutive days. The Israeli military said on Sunday and Monday that its soldiers had fired warning shots. On Tuesday, it said, forces also fired warning shots before firing toward Palestinians that it said were advancing toward troops. GHF has said that aid was safely handed out from its sites without any incident. After the two-month ceasefire broke down in March, Israel blockaded aid supplies into Gaza for 11 weeks, prompting a famine warning from a global hunger monitor. Israel, which has only partially lifted the blockade since, vets all aid into Gaza and accuses Hamas of stealing some of it, something the militant group denies. Israel has re-intensified an offensive against Gaza's dominant Hamas militant group since breaking a two-month-old ceasefire in March in a war triggered by the cross-border attack on Oct. 7, 2023, led by Hamas, considered a terrorist organization by several countries including Canada. WATCH l Friend of Weinstein, Haggai relieved family gets 'peace of mind': IDF recovers bodies of Canadian Israeli Judih Weinstein, husband 9 hours ago Duration 2:04 The initial attacks killed 1,200 people in Israel, including several Canadian citizens. Some 251 hostages were also taken, with around a couple dozen believed still alive, according to the Israeli government. While many of the remaining were freed in periodic prisoner exchanges, the bodies of other hostages have been repatriated, including Canadian citizen Judih Weinstein and her husband just this week. Israel's military campaign in response to those attacks has killed over 54,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.
National Post
7 hours ago
- National Post
Avi Benlolo: Media fuels violence with false reporting on Gaza
Article content White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt echoed his concern: 'We don't take the word of Hamas with total truth… unlike the BBC,' she said. 'I suggest that journalists who actually care about the truth do the same.' Article content Meanwhile, a coordinated effort has been underway to discredit the newly formed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation — designed to provide food aid without Hamas's interference. Hamas and its apologists have tried to paint this effort as chaotic or violent. Let me be clear: the only reason the United Nations is no longer operating in Gaza is because of its complicity. It failed to condemn the October 7th massacre. And for nearly two decades, UNRWA turned a blind eye as Hamas built terror tunnels beneath its buildings and stashed rockets in its schools. Article content British columnist Melanie Phillips calls this media onslaught a 'verbal pogrom against Israel and the Jews.' She's right. 'We've never seen anything like this before,' she wrote. 'Its unique construction from falsehoods… tells us something pathological is going on here.' In America, Jews are being assaulted and even murdered for supporting Israel. As I discussed last week, in Canada, mobs surround synagogues, block cultural events, and intimidate Jewish families. This isn't protest — it's persecution. Article content Article content My heart breaks for the innocent lives lost. But the responsibility lies squarely with Hamas. It started this war on October 7th. And it continues to prolong the suffering by refusing to release hostages, disarm, or accept peace. Civilian suffering in Gaza is the direct consequence of Hamas's war strategy — not Israel's. Article content From day one, Hamas has waged a dual campaign of terror and disinformation. Incredibly, the Western press continues to cite Hamas-run ministries and outlets like Al Jazeera as if they were impartial. Responsible journalists in any other conflict would verify sources and question motives. Why is Hamas treated differently? Article content Even our own leaders haven't escaped the fog of propaganda. Early in the war, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wrongly blamed Israel for a hospital explosion. The reality? It was caused by a misfired Palestinian rocket. He took Hamas at its word — and the media echoed it. Article content I've experienced this bias firsthand. When antisemitic mobs surround peaceful Jewish events in Toronto, Canadian media is largely silent. Apparently, defending Israel isn't fashionable, and G-d forbid one of our city's esteemed radio stations interview a Jew like me about what is happening around us. Article content Article content But this isn't just bias anymore. It's complicity. It's libel dressed as journalism. And in this climate of fear and rising antisemitism, it's dangerous. Article content
