Trump, Netanyahu spoke Friday amid Israel-Iran conflict, White House official says
WASHINGTON, June 13 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Friday amid escalating conflict between Iran and Israel, a White House official said.
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The Independent
33 minutes ago
- The Independent
Protests, parades and Pride: One week in June 2025 is drawing stark American fault lines
On the first weekend: a vision of the nation built upon inclusivity and the tenets of liberalism — a conception of country that incorporates generations of fights for equity, for compassion, for expanding what it means to be an American. On the second weekend, in the same town: a public show of strength and nationalism constructed on a foundation of military might, law and order, a tour de force of force. And on the days in between: a city 2,000 miles from the capital locked in pitched battles over the use — abuse, many contend — of federal power and military authority to root out, detain and oust people who the current administration says do not belong. Today's United States — its possibility, its strength, its divisiveness, its polarization and fragmentation — is encapsulated in a single week in June 2025, its triumphs and frictions on vivid display. As events both planned and chaotically spontaneous play out, many Americans are frantically and sometimes furiously pondering assorted iterations of two questions: What is this country right now? And what should it be? Pride, protests and parades Consider two quotes from recent days from two very different Americans. The first came last weekend, during World Pride in Washington, when a 58-year-old gay man from Philadelphia named David Begler summed up what many were messaging in the days leading up to it after months of Donald Trump 's increasing attempts to target the LGBTQ community: "I want us to send a message to the White House to focus on uplifting each other instead of dividing.' The second came days ahead of the military parade planned Saturday for the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary, from the mouth of the president on whose 79th birthday it will be held: 'If there's any protester that wants to come out, they will be met with very big force,' Donald Trump said. 'I haven't even heard about a protest, but you know, this is people that hate our country, but they will be met with very heavy force.' Among the competing visions of America in 2025: the desire to protest and seek a redress of grievances against the government vs. the desire for control, order — and a respect for the government and for authority. The volatile combination of demonstrations and the U.S. military is a potent one, with its most recent roots in the protest movement of the 1960s against the Vietnam War. A young generation that would later be known as baby boomers regularly squared off against police and sometimes the military over U.S. involvement in what was framed as a war against communism in Southeast Asia. Historians give those protesters a fair bit of the credit for that war ultimately ending in 1975. President Jimmy Carter ultimately pardoned more than 200,000 people who had dodged the draft for that conflict. Then, as now, many in the establishment criticized protesters bitterly, saying they were undermining a nation to which they should be grateful. Questions of loyalty and betrayal were thrown around. The role of the military in quelling civilian protests was bitterly contested, particularly after Ohio National Guardsmen opened fire and killed four students during antiwar protests in May 1970 at Kent State University. There are echoes of that this week, not only in Los Angeles but now in Texas, where Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the deployment of 5,000 state National Guard troops ahead of the 'No Kings Day of Defiance' against the Trump administration's ongoing immigration raids. And as protesters in Los Angeles taunt the military and say guardsmen should be 'ashamed' to face off against what they call a just cause, it's easy to wonder: How can patriotism and protest coexist? Washington at the epicenter Democracy has always been messy and resistant to consensus. That's part of why the national slogan of the United States is 'e pluribus unum' — 'out of many, one.' And Washington, D.C., as the nation's capital, has long been the place where the many have come to make themselves known as part of the one — and to be noticed. It was where the 'Bonus Army" of World War I veterans marched in 1932 to demand their promised postwar payments and be heard in a demonstration that ended violently. It was where the first National Boy Scout Jamboree was held on the National Mall in 1937. It was where the 'March on Washington,' a centerpiece of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, ended with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s renowned 'I Have a Dream' speech. It was where, in 1995, the 'Million Man March' was held to address concerns of the American Black community, and where hundreds of thousands of women came to Washington largely in protest of Trump, just a day after his first inauguration. It is also the place where Americans remember, where the memorials to World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War sit. It is where the country erected stone shrines in various shapes and sizes to the presidents it most admired — Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt. It is the site of museums containing some of the most distilled expressions of culture — from the Holocaust Museum to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum to the National Museum of African American History. Is it so hard to believe, then, that two events as opposite as World Pride and a military parade unfold here, within blocks of each other, within a week's time? At a politically fractious moment when some families can hardly break bread without political arguments erupting over Trump, Gaza and Israel, immigration and LGBTQ rights, isn't it possible that the weird and downright uncomfortable juxtaposition of these two starkly different events might be the most American thing of all? Walt Whitman, one of the most famous poets in American history, had this to say about the the diversity of America when he wrote 'I Hear America Singing' to underscore that its citizens all contribute to the nation's song: 'I am large. I contain multitudes.' And in one week in June, at a time when the fate of the United States is being discussed in every direction we turn, the capital of Whitman's nation has become a showcase in displaying those messy democratic multitudes to the world. For better or for worse. ___
Spectator
35 minutes ago
- Spectator
Netanyahu wants to topple the Iranian regime
Last night, the Middle East witnessed its fiercest clash yet as Israel and Iran traded blows. A daring Israeli operation, orchestrated by Mossad and the Israeli Air Force (IAF), obliterated Iran's top military commanders, including IRGC leaders, and struck ballistic missile sites and nuclear facilities. Iran initially retaliated with a barrage of drones, all of which were shot down. It then escalated its attack, firing over 200 ballistic missiles targeting civilians. Several missiles hit the densely populated cities of Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan, and Rishon Lezion, killing three civilians and wounding over 75. Unlike Iran's barrages last year, which inflicted minor damage, this assault overwhelmed Israel's defences. A lot less help from allies also meant that more missiles hit Israel. Israel's response is unrelenting. The IAF is hammering military targets deep inside Iran, aiming for maximum destruction. This is no isolated strike but the opening phase of a campaign to dismantle Iran's nuclear program and long-range missile capabilities. According to reports in the Israeli media, Israeli assessments indicate the attacks on Natanz and Isfahan have set Tehran's nuclear ambitions back several years. But this time, Israel's ambitions go beyond diminishing Iranian military capabilities. In a defiant address, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Iranians to overthrow their regime. Having helped free Lebanon from Hezbollah's iron grip, and Syria from President Assad's murderous regime, Israel hopes to achieve the same in Iran, for the benefit of Israel, the Iranian people, and for greater stability in the Middle East. For Israel, this is a fight for survival. Iran's leaders, from Ayatollah Khamenei to IRGC commanders, have repeatedly vowed to annihilate the Jewish state, pursuing nuclear weapons to match their genocidal rhetoric. Years of Israeli covert operations – sabotage, targeted killings – delayed Tehran's progress, but diplomatic efforts, including faltering US-Iran talks, failed to halt it. Israel's strategy extends beyond destruction As former Mossad chief Meir Dagan once warned, Israel would act only with 'a sword upon its neck'. That moment has arrived. Israel struck alone, though US President Donald Trump, despite initial reluctance, bolstered defences, and Jordan helped intercept drones. Germany and France, despite reservations over Israel's conduct in Gaza, have affirmed its right to self-defence. The UK's response has been tepid. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy's calls for de-escalation and 'stability' rang hollow. A nuclear Iran guarantees the opposite. Britain's hesitancy is perplexing when restraining Tehran's oppressive regime aligns with the interests of any nation valuing peace. Israel's strategy extends beyond destruction. By decapitating Iran's military and targeting its nuclear infrastructure, Jerusalem hopes to sow discord, sparking a revolution to topple the theocracy. The risks are immense: Iran's missile barrages could escalate, bringing more casualties and destruction. Prolonged conflict may isolate Israel further than the war in Gaza has, too. Iran now has a decision to make: continue attacking Israel and risk more destruction, or limp back to talks with President Trump from a position of weakness. Israel has no faith in a nuclear deal, a measure that has been tried, tested and failed. It wants the Americans join the attacks against Iran's fortified bunkers. The UK and its allies must back Israel's resolve, not with platitudes but with unwavering support. They also need to ramp up security for Jewish communities that will undoubtedly be targeted by Iran-backed terrorists. A nuclear Iran threatens global peace: stopping it now is not just Israel's fight, but the world's.
The Herald Scotland
39 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Lammy set for further talks with counterparts as Iran and Israel exchange fire
It comes after conversations with representatives from Iran, Jordan and Saudi Arabia as well as European foreign ministers on Friday. Meanwhile, Iranian state media said Tehran has warned the US, the UK and France not to help Israel stop Iran's strikes, according to reports. Iran launched missile and drone strikes on Israel overnight after a series of Israeli attacks on the heart of Tehran's nuclear programme and armed forces. Tehran's UN ambassador said 78 people had been killed and more than 320 wounded in the attacks, while Tehran's response was said to have killed at least three and wounded dozens. Speaking to broadcasters on Friday evening, Mr Lammy said: 'I spoke to my Iranian counterpart today to urge restraint at this time and calm. I recognise that this is a moment of grave peril in the Middle East.' Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump called for 'diplomacy and dialogue' in a call on Friday, amid a diplomatic flurry from western nations to try to calm the conflict. Sir Keir Starmer with Donald Trump (Carl Court/PA) Sir Keir had earlier urged his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu to de-escalate and work towards a 'diplomatic resolution'. A Cobra meeting of high-level ministers was convened on Friday afternoon to discuss the situation. The same is not expected on Saturday but Whitehall officials were expected to be meeting. The conflict was ignited by early morning Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear bases on Friday. Israel said the barrage was necessary before Iran got any closer to building a nuclear weapon, although experts and the US government have assessed that Tehran was not actively working on such a weapon. Iran retaliated with waves of drones and ballistic missiles, with explosions lighting up the skies over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Sir Keir is set for discussions with other world leaders at the G7 summit in Canada next week. Tensions between Israel, the US and Iran have escalated in recent weeks, amid negotiations over the Iranian nuclear deal, which is aimed at preventing the country from developing nuclear weapons.
