The Gaza Grind and Iranian Gambit Will Have a Cost for Israel
Israel, the Middle East's scrappy David, has been slinging stones at giants for decades. But lately, this underdog looks less like a hero and more like a boxer who's taken one too many jabs. The Gaza quagmire and a bruising brawl with Iran have left Israel wobbling. In a neighbourhood where grudges come with rocket launchers, looking mortal is as clever as yelling 'Aa bail mujhe maar' in a bullock race.advertisementGaza's been grinding on like a violently tragic scene stuck on loop. It's been two years since Hamas's October 7 sneak attack, and Israel's scorched earth with extra scorch strategy hasn't exactly won hearts. Hamas's Gaza Health Ministry claims over 56,000 have died. It doesn't matter exactly how many have perished, the world has stopped counting and started judging. Images of rubble, daily body counts, and a humanitarian crisis have turned Israel's iron fist into a global public relations disaster. The macabre scars of October 7 don't justify the carnage anymore. With 50-plus hostages still in Hamas's grip, Israel's war aim too remains elusive. It seems death and destruction have all been in vain.For 20 months, Israel's been juggling Iran's proxies Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis, and the now-defunct Assad regime, like a circus act. Then, in June 2025, Israel went for the jugular, bombing Iran's alleged nuclear sites. Tehran hit back, lobbing missiles that pierced Israel's vaunted air defences. Trump's America, dragged into the mess, dropped 'bunker busters' on Iran's nuclear installations, delaying their programme only by a few months, not years. The enriched uranium and know-how are still there. Iran's leaders, vowing deterrence, might just hit fast-forward. Trump's truce felt like a reality TV cliffhanger: lots of drama, zero closure.From History's Champ to Today's Chump?advertisement
Israel's wars in 1948, 1967, 1973, all ended with it flexing on the podium. Not this time. The war in Gaza has not delivered a knockout to Hamas, whose fighters are still planting bombs. Hezbollah is nursing wounds post-November 2024 but plotting a comeback, and the Houthis are playing pirates of the Arabian Sea, in the Red Sea to be precise. Iran, the proxy puppeteer, will likely upgrade their arsenal with shinier rockets. Israel's invincible aura has cracked like a kulhad thrown on railway tracks.Over in the West, Israel's fan club is shrinking. UK and European parliaments, now more diverse, are echoing public disgust with calls for ceasefires and arms embargoes. 'Genocide' accusations are sticking on Israel's Teflon robe. In a decade, Israel's blank cheque from the West might bounce. The old 'hit hard, apologise later' playbook is as outdated as a pager. Continued dependence on this might explode in its face or rather groin. Ask Hezbollah!Israel, once David to a gaggle of Goliaths, needs a new script. Enemies are emboldened, allies are wavering, and the Gaza grind is bleeding goodwill. Time for a rethink on Gaza. Because all the perfumes of Arabia can't sweeten this iron fist. As for me, I'm just a satirist with a keyboard and a deadline, watching Israel play chess with a sledgehammer. Checkmate's looking tricky, mate.(Kamlesh Singh, a columnist and satirist, is director of news with India Today Digital)- Ends(Views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author)Tune InMust Watch
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
36 minutes ago
- Time of India
Trump channels Xi's China surveillance playbook as ICE deploys facial recognition app to identify people
The Trump administration is extending its surveillance powers within the US quietly, arming Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers with a new mobile app that can scan fingerprints or faces on the street to identify individuals by just pointing a smartphone camera at them, as per a report. US Surveillance on the Streets As per ICE's internal emails obtained by 404 Media revealed that the app, named 'Mobile Fortify', is already being used by ICE for the facial recognition component of the app for people entering or exiting the United States, but now that system is being used inside the US by ICE to identify people in the field, as reported by 404 Media. What Is Mobile Fortify? One of the emails, which was sent to all Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), mentioned that, 'The Mobile Fortify App empowers users with real-time biometric identity verification capabilities utilizing contactless fingerprints and facial images captured by the camera on an ICE issued cell phone without a secondary collection device,' as quoted in the report. According to the 404 Media report, the main purpose of ICE is to use this new tool to identify people whose identity ICE officers do not know. The email pointed out that, 'This information can be used to identify unknown subjects in the field,' adding, 'Officers are reminded that the fingerprint matching is currently the most accurate biometric indicator available in the application,' as quoted in the report. ALSO READ: Palantir Under Siege: Protesters rage over surveillance, ICE links in NYC office blockade Live Events A Digital Way to Deportation The use of the Mobile Fortify app is one of the latest examples of ICE, which comes amid the Trump administration's increasing use of high-end technology for its mass deportation efforts and ICE's enforcement of its arrest quotas of 3,000 arrests per day, as reported by 404 Media. The 404 Media reported, citing an internal ICE data seen by NBC News, which said that the Trump administration has arrested only 6% of known immigrant murderers. While ICE has continued to detain nonviolent, working members of immigrant communities who have lived in the country for decades, especially in Los Angeles, as reported by 404 Media. Civil Liberties Concerns Meanwhile, civil liberties proponents have constantly feared and critiqued the biometric systems, as per the report. The deputy director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, Nathan Freed Wessler, highlighted that, 'Face recognition technology is notoriously unreliable, frequently generating false matches and resulting in a number of known wrongful arrests across the country. Immigration agents relying on this technology to try to identify people on the street is a recipe for disaster. Congress has never authorized DHS to use face recognition technology in this way, and the agency should shut this dangerous experiment down,' as quoted in the report. ALSO READ: California, the world's fourth largest economy, to charge road tax as people go electric, citizens furious FAQs What exactly is Mobile Fortify? It's a mobile app that lets ICE officers use facial recognition and fingerprint scans with just their phone's camera to identify people in real time, as per the 404 Media report. Do ICE officers need extra equipment to use it? No. The app works directly on ICE-issued smartphones, no fingerprint readers or extra devices are needed.
Mint
37 minutes ago
- Mint
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth tears into media over Iran strikes coverage: ‘In your DNA to cheer against Trump'
US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth on Thursday slammed the media for 'cheering against Trump and creating doubt' about the latest American strikes on Iran's nuclear sites. Speaking at a Pentagon news conference, Hegseth came down heavily on the media, criticising it for focusing on scandal, half-truth, and leaked information. While defending the strikes, Pete Hegseth pushed back against leaked intelligence assessments that reportedly downplayed the impact of the operation. The Defence Secretary dismissed early analysis suggesting the strikes may have delayed Iran's nuclear progress by only a few months. 'Destroyed, defeated, obliterated – choose your word,' Hegseth said. 'This was a historically successful attack.' Accusing journalists of rooting for failure, he said, 'You (media) cheer against (US President Donald) Trump so hard… it's in your DNA and your blood to cheer against Trump because you want him not to be successful so bad, you have to cheer against the efficacy of these strikes… you have to hope that maybe they weren't effective… so let's take half-truths, leaked information, and then spin it in everyway we can to try to cause doubt and manipulate the public mind.' The briefing began with Hegseth blasting reporters for what he described as their obsession with scandal. 'You're hunting for scandals all the time,' he said, accusing the press of ignoring 'historic moments' such as stronger US military and increased European defence spending. Hegseth expressed frustration over the media's reliance on leaks, claiming they distorted the narrative. 'When someone leaks something, they do it with an agenda,' he said. 'That is what has changed—this new cycle based on irresponsible reporting.' The Pentagon on Thursday disclosed new details about the United States' secretive bombing operation targeting three Iranian nuclear sites, highlighting the crews involved and Iran's last-minute attempts to fortify the Fordow facility, CNN reported. In a morning briefing, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called the raid "the most secret and most complex military operation in history." While few specifics were provided, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine outlined how the mission was conducted and shared rare details about the personnel and technology behind it. According to CNN, the crews that flew the 37-hour mission included both men and women, ranging from captain to colonel, drawn from the US Air Force and the Missouri Air National Guard. Most were graduates of the elite Air Force Weapons School in Nevada. "When the crews went to work on Friday, they kissed their loved ones goodbye, not knowing when or if they'd be home," Caine said. "Late on Saturday night, their families became aware of what was happening." He added that when the bombers returned to Missouri, their families greeted them with "flags flying and tears flowing."
NDTV
39 minutes ago
- NDTV
Trump Plans Executive Orders To Power AI Growth In Race With China
Washington: The Trump administration is readying a package of executive actions aimed at boosting energy supply to power the U.S. expansion of artificial intelligence, according to four sources familiar with the planning. Top economic rivals U.S. and China are locked in a technological arms race and with it secure an economic and military edge. The huge amount of data processing behind AI requires a rapid increase in power supplies that are straining utilities and grids in many states. The moves under consideration include making it easier for power-generating projects to connect to the grid, and providing federal land on which to build the data centers needed to expand AI technology, according to the sources. The administration will also release an AI action plan and schedule public events to draw public attention to the efforts, according to the sources, who requested anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. The White House did not respond to requests for comment. Training large-scale AI models requires a huge amount of electricity, and the industry's growth is driving the first big increase in U.S. power demand in decades. Between 2024 and 2029, U.S. electricity demand is projected to grow at five times the rate predicted in 2022, according to power-sector consultancy Grid Strategies. Meanwhile, power demand from AI data centers could grow more than thirtyfold by 2035, according to a new report by consultancy Deloitte. Building and connecting new power generation to the grid, however, has been a major hurdle because such projects require extensive impact studies that can take years to complete, and existing transmission infrastructure is overwhelmed. Among the ideas under consideration by the administration is to identify more fully developed power projects and move them higher on the waiting list for connection, two of the sources said. Siting data centers has also been challenging because larger facilities require a lot of space and resources, and can face zoning obstacles or public opposition. The executive orders could provide a solution to that by offering land managed by the Defense Department or Interior Department to project developers, the sources said. The administration is also considering streamlining permitting for data centers by creating a nationwide Clean Water Act permit, rather than requiring companies to seek permits on a state-by-state basis, according to one of the sources. In January, Trump hosted top tech CEOs at the White House to highlight the Stargate Project, a multi-billion effort led by ChatGPT's creator OpenAI, SoftBank and Oracle to build data centers and create more than 100,000 jobs in the U.S. Trump has prioritized winning the AI race against China and declared on his first day in office a national energy emergency aimed at removing all regulatory obstacles to oil and gas drilling, coal and critical mineral mining, and building new gas and nuclear power plants to bring more energy capacity online. He also ordered his administration in January to produce an AI Action Plan that would make "America the world capital in artificial intelligence" and reduce regulatory barriers to its rapid expansion. That report, which includes input from the National Security Council, is due by July 23. The White House is considering making July 23 "AI Action Day" to draw attention to the report and demonstrate its commitment to expanding the industry, two of the sources said. Trump is scheduled to speak at an AI and energy event in Pennsylvania on July 15 hosted by Senator Dave McCormick. Amazon earlier this month announced it would invest $20 billion in data centers in two Pennsylvania counties.
