US shrinks presence in Middle East amid fears of Israeli strike on Iran
The United States is on high alert in anticipation of a potential Israeli strike on Iran.
Its State Department has authorised the evacuation of some personnel in Iraq.
The Pentagon has green-lit the departure of military family members across the Middle East.
The heightened security environment comes as President
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
1News
an hour ago
- 1News
Pentagon has contingency plans to invade Greenland if necessary
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared to acknowledge that the Pentagon has developed plans to take over Greenland and Panama by force if necessary, but refused to answer repeated questions at a hotly combative congressional hearing Friday about his use of Signal chats to discuss military operations. Democratic members of the House Armed Services Committee repeatedly got into heated exchanges with Hegseth, with some of the toughest lines of questioning coming from military veterans, as many demanded yes or no answers, and he tried to avoid direct responses about his actions as Pentagon chief. In one back-and-forth, Hegseth did provide an eyebrow-raising answer. Representative Adam Smith asked whether the Pentagon has developed plans to take Greenland or Panama by force if necessary. 'Our job at the Defense Department is to have plans for any contingency,' Hegseth said several times. It is not unusual for the Pentagon to draw up contingency plans for conflicts that have not arisen, but his handling of the questions prompted a Republican lawmaker to step in a few minutes later. ADVERTISEMENT 'It is not your testimony today that there are plans at the Pentagon for taking by force or invading Greenland, correct?' said Representative Mike Turner. As Hegseth started to repeat his answer about contingency plans, Turner added emphatically, 'I sure as hell hope that is not your testimony'. 'We look forward to working with Greenland to ensure that it is secured from any potential threats,' Hegseth responded. Time and again, lawmakers pressed Hegseth to answer questions he has avoided for months, including during the two previous days of hearings on Capitol Hill. And frustration boiled over. "You're an embarrassment to this country. You're unfit to lead," Representative Salud Carbajal snapped, the California Democrat's voice rising. 'You should just get the hell out.' GOP lawmakers on several occasions apologised to Hegseth for the Democrats' sharp remarks, saying he should not be subject to such 'flagrant disrespect'. Hegseth said he was 'happy to take the arrows' to make tough calls and do what's best. Questions emerge on Signal chats and if details Hegseth shared were classified ADVERTISEMENT Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth fields questions on the Pentagon budget from the House Armed Services Committee, at the Capitol in Washington (Source: Associated Press) Hegseth's use of two Signal chats to discuss details of the US plans to strike Houthi rebels in Yemen with other US leaders as well as members of his family, prompted dizzying exchanges with lawmakers. Hegseth was pressed multiple times over whether or not he shared classified information and if he should face accountability if he did. Hegseth argued that the classification markings of any information about those military operations could not be discussed with lawmakers. That became a quick trap, as Hegseth has asserted that nothing he posted — on strike times and munitions dropped in March — was classified. His questioner, Representative Seth Moulton, a Massachusetts Democrat and Marine veteran, jumped on the disparity. 'You can very well disclose whether or not it was classified,' Moulton said. 'What's not classified is that it was an incredible, successful mission,' Hegseth responded. ADVERTISEMENT A Pentagon watchdog report on his Signal use is expected soon. The morning's headlines in 90 seconds including Air India crash, ferry still out of action, and ignoring TikTok KiwiSaver hacks. (Source: 1News) Moulton asked Hegseth whether he would hold himself accountable if the inspector general finds that he placed classified information on Signal, a commercially available app. Hegseth would not directly say, only noting that he serves'at the pleasure of the president'. He was asked if he would apologise to the mother of a pilot flying the strike mission for jeopardising the operation and putting her son's life at risk. Hegseth said, 'I don't apologise for success'. Trump's speech at Fort Bragg raises Democratic concerns about politics in the military Gen Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who appeared along Hegseth, was questioned about Trump's speech at Fort Bragg this week and whether the military was becoming politicised. ADVERTISEMENT The Defense Department has a doctrine that prohibits troops from participating in political activity while in uniform. Members of the 82nd Airborne Division were directed to stand behind Trump at Fort Bragg, and they booed and cheered during his incendiary remarks, including condemnation of his predecessor, Joe Biden. There was also a pop-up MAGA merchandise stand selling souvenirs to troops in uniform. Caine repeatedly said US service members must be apolitical, but that he was unaware of anything that happened at Fort Bragg. Hegseth is pressed about policies on women in uniform and transgender troops Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth fields questions on the Pentagon budget from the House Armed Services Committee, at the Capitol in Washington (Source: Associated Press) Hegseth got into a sharp debate about whether women and transgender service members should serve in the military or in combat jobs. He said he has worked to remove diversity programs and political correctness from the military. He said he has not politicised the military but simply wants the most capable troops. ADVERTISEMENT Representative Chrissy Houlahan demanded to know if Hegseth believes that both men and women can pull a trigger, cause death, operate a drone or launch a missile. 'It depends on the context,' Hegseth said, adding that 'women carry equipment differently, a 155 round differently, a rucksack differently'. Hegseth, who has previously said women 'straight up' should not serve in combat, asserted that women have joined the military in record numbers under the Trump administration. He said the military 'standards should be high and equal'. He was also asked about three female service members, now being forced out as part of the Pentagon's move to ban transgender troops. Hegseth agreed that their accomplishments, which Houlahan read out, were to be celebrated, until he learned they were transgender. Republican lawmakers jumped to his defence, criticising any Pentagon spending on gender transition surgery. Democrats ask about plans for action against Greenland and Panama ADVERTISEMENT President Donald Trump has said multiple times that he wants to take control of the strategic, mineral-rich island nation of Greenland, long a US ally. Those remarks have been met with flat rejections from Greenland's leaders. 'Greenland is not for sale,' Jacob Isbosethsen, Greenland's representative to the US said at a forum in Washington sponsored by the Arctic Institute. In an effort not to show the Pentagon's hand on its routine effort to have plans for everything, Hegseth danced around the direct question from Smith, leading to the confusion. 'Speaking on behalf of the American people, I don't think the American people voted for President Trump because they were hoping we would invade Greenland,' Smith said.
Otago Daily Times
2 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Israeli strikes on Iran to 'continue for days'
Israel said early on Friday it had struck Iranian nuclear targets to block Tehran from developing atomic weapons, and Iranian media and witnesses reported explosions including at the country's main uranium enrichment facility. Calling the offensive "Rising Lion," Israel said it was also targeting Iranian commanders and missile factories, and declared a state of emergency in anticipation of retaliatory missile and drone strikes by Tehran. "We are at a decisive moment in Israel's history," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a recorded video message. Israel targeted Iranian scientists working on a nuclear bomb, its ballistic missile programme and its Nantanz uranium enrichment facility, in an operation that would continue for days, he said. People gather in the street in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Iran. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS A witness in Nantanz city said multiple explosions were heard near the facility, and a senior Iranian official told Reuters that the country's leadership was holding a top security meeting. Iran's state TV said several explosions were heard in Tehran and the country's air defence system was on full alert. An Israeli military official said Israel was striking "dozens" of nuclear and military targets. The official said Iran had enough material to make 15 nuclear bombs within days. "Following the preemptive strike by the State of Israel against Iran, a missile and UAV (drone) attack against the State of Israel and its civilian population is expected in the immediate timeframe," Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a statement. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Israel acted unilaterally because it believes the operation was necessary for self-defence. "Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region," Rubio said in a statement. "Let me be clear: Iran should not target US interests or personnel," he added. CNN reported that US President Donald Trump was convening a cabinet meeting. New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon called it "a really unwelcome development in the Middle East". "The risk of miscalculation is high. That region does not need any more military action, and risk associated with that." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo: Reuters Crude oil prices jumped more than $US3 a barrel on the news. US and Iranian officials were scheduled to hold a sixth round of talks on Tehran's escalating uranium enrichment programme in Oman on Sunday, according to officials from both countries and their Omani mediators. But the talks have appeared to be deadlocked. Trump said on Thursday an Israeli strike on Iran "could very well happen" but reiterated his hopes for a peaceful resolution. US intelligence had indicated that Israel was making preparations for a strike against Iran's nuclear facilities, and US officials said on condition of anonymity that Israel could attack in the coming days. The US military is planning for the full range of contingencies in the Middle East, including the possibility that it might have to help evacuate American civilians, a US official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Scoop
2 hours ago
- Scoop
The Morality Of Small Means: Sanctioning Israel's Ministers
They really ought to be doing more. But in the scheme of things, the sanctioning of Israeli's frothily fanatical ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich by New Zealand, Canada, Norway, the United Kingdom and Australia is a reminder to the Israeli government that ethnic cleansing, mass killing and the destruction of a people will receive some comment. But a closer look at the trumpeted move does little to suggest anything in the way of change or deterrence, certainly not in Gaza, where the cataclysm continues without restraint. According to the joint statement, both politicians 'have incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights. Extremist rhetoric advocating the forced displacement of Palestinians and the creation of new Israeli settlements is appalling and dangerous.' The violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank had 'led to the deaths of Palestinian civilians and the displacement of whole communities.' The reasoning for the imposition of such sanctions tends to minimise Ben-Gvir and Smotrich's zealous defence of programmatic and systematic displacement and removal of Palestinian existence in the Strip, despite the statement claiming that 'this cannot be seen in isolation'. The statement fails to note the warnings from the International Court of Justice that Palestinians in Gaza face the risk of genocide, with a final decision pending on the matter. Singling out individual members of the Netanyahu cabinet as the convenient lunatics and the devilishly possessed is a point of convenience rather than effect. It is true that, even by certain Israeli standards, a figure like Ben-Gvir is a bit too pungent, a convict of racist incitement, the procurer of assault rifles to West Bank settlers and an advocate for the full annexation of the territory. But identifying the villainous monsters conceals the broader villainous effort, and the Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong did as much in simply calling the two ministers 'the most extreme proponents of the unlawful and violent Israeli settlement enterprise.' The report of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, prefers to note the broader role played by such agents of power as the Israeli security forces, which it accuses of committing war crimes in directing attacks against the civilian population in Gaza, wilful killing and intentionally launching attacks that 'would cause incidental loss of life or injury to civilians'. Killing civilians seeking shelter in schools also implicated the forces 'in the crime against humanity of extermination.' The canvas of responsibility, in other words, is panoramic and large. Pity, then, that the latest expression of small means by these five powers does not extend to a complete halt to military cooperation, the selling of arms, or engagement across various fields of industry. That would have diminished the hypocrisy somewhat, something that the countries in question are unlikely to do. More's the pity that the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has been spared this fit of moral clarity. When considered in substance, the two ministers face the sorts of restrictions that will be mildly bruising at best: travel bans and the freezing of assets. The move by the Australian Labor government and its counterparts was, in the broader scheme of things, a modest one. It was also worth remembering that Canberra's decision was made in sheepish fashion, with Wong previously stating that Australia would never unilaterally make such a move, as 'going it alone gets us nowhere'. It was seen by Greens Senator Nick McKim as 'far too little and far too late'. Sanctions were needed against the 'Israeli industrial war machine.' On the other hand, Alex Ryvchin, co-chief of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry suggests that these measures can become a martyr's tonic. 'They have little support in Israel, but this is the sort of measure that will boost their notoriety and make them perhaps more popular'. Looking ever the marionette in the show, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio flapped about in condemning the sanctions, which 'do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home and end the war.' Bereft of skills in argumentation, he could only warn US allies 'not to forget who the real enemy is.' The sanctions seemed to cause the condemned two less grief than Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, who derided the decision as 'outrageous', 'scandalous' and 'unacceptable.' It was all part of 'a planned and coordinated pressure campaign.' Ben-Gvir was almost smug with the attention and bursting with semitic pride. 'We survived Pharoah, we will also survive [British Prime Minister] Keir Starmer,' he tooted in a statement. Smotrich even seemed thrilled by the timing of it all, having been at the inauguration of a new Jewish settlement near the West Bank city of Hebron when he heard the news. 'I heard Britain had decided to impose sanctions on me because I am thwarting the establishment of a Palestinian state,' he boasted. 'There couldn't be a better moment for this.' One point is certainly true: the selective moves against the dastardly two leaves the murderous apparatus intact, and the IDF war machine undiminished. Most of all, it will do nothing to halt the construction of a single settlement or save a single Palestinian from dispossession.
