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The Guardian
11 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Time for Jews to repay ancient debt to Cyrus the Great and liberate Iran, Netanyahu suggests
It was in the Beersheba, about a thousand kilometers and 2,500 years from Babylon, that Benjamin Netanyahu suggested on Thursday that the time had come for the Jews to repay their ancient debt to Cyrus the Great and bring liberation to Iran. The Israeli prime minister had just made a tour of Beersheba's Soroka hospital which a few hours earlier had sustained a direct hit from an Iranian ballistic missile on one of its buildings. It was for that reason the scene of an escape which was already being dubbed miraculous by Israel's leaders. The hospital's director had only just ordered the evacuation from that particular building's upper floors, and the last of the patients had only been moved out hours before the missile struck. If he had not acted, Soroka could well have gone down in history as Israel's worst loss of life since the Hamas massacre of civilians on 7 October 2023. Netanyahu's long grip on power had looked irretrievably broken on that date 20 months ago, as his security forces had been powerless to save Israeli lives. But now, two wars on, with over 55,000 more people dead, the prime minister is carrying himself as a man of destiny. Increasingly confident of fundamentally redrawing the map of the Middle East, he toyed with the idea of regime change in Iran – the leader of a 10 million-strong nation calling on a population almost ten times bigger to overthrow the clerical regime that has ruled the country since the 1979 revolution. 'People ask me – are we targeting the downfall of the regime?' Netanyahu said, talking to the press in a hospital compound strewn with broken glass for hundreds of metres, glinting in the desert sun. 'That may be a result, but it's up to the Iranian people to rise for their freedom. Freedom is never cheap. It's never free. Freedom requires these subjugated people to rise up, and it's up to them. But we may create conditions that will help them do it.' If Israeli bombs were to break down the pillars of the Islamic Republic, Netanyahu said it would represent the paying of millenia-old dues, dating back to the liberation of the Jews from captivity in Babylon, by the Cyrus of Persia, the legendary predecessor of the ayatollahs. 'I want to tell you that 2,500 years ago, Cyrus the Great, the king of Persia, liberated the Jews. And today, a Jewish state is creating the means to liberate the Persian people,' he said. When Cyrus stormed ancient Babylon, it was by land invasion. There are fewer guarantees that an aerial bombing campaign – not an option for the ancients – can change another country's leadership in the way favoured by the bombers. So far there are signs that even fervent opponents of the oppressive regime are rallying to its cause in the face of an outside threat. At worst, bombing campaigns can bring monsters to power, as the US bombing of Cambodia helped create the Khmer Rouge. On this occasion, Netanyahu had come to the southern city of Beersheba, on the edge of the Negev desert, to paint Iran's leaders as monsters for the bombing of the Soroka hospital. 'We're targeting missile sites. They're targeting a hospital,' he said. 'They're targeting civilians because they're a criminal regime. They're the arch-terrorists of the world.' An hour earlier, Israel's president, Isaac Herzog, had stood in the same spot, with the same charred building behind him, and made the same argument, telling Iran's leaders: 'Your crimes against humanity, your war crimes, won't deter us.' Herzog left without taking questions, nor was Netanyahu challenged with questions over Israel's relentless destruction of the hospitals and clinics of Gaza, where 2.2 million Palestinians have been locked in, under conditions of near-starvation reminiscent of accounts of Middle East sieges of ancient times and the Middle Ages. Aryeh Myers, a spokesperson for the Israeli Magen David Adom emergency services, argued that there was a critical distinction, pointing to Israeli claims of Hamas strongholds under Gaza's medical facilities. 'The main difference between this hospital is it is a totally civilian hospital,' Myers said, as he helped oversee the evacuation of bedridden patients to other hospitals in the region. 'There are no tunnels underneath [Soroka] – it's not housing terrorist headquarters. This hospital is for the civilians who live in the Negev region – whether they are Jewish residents, Muslim residents, whoever it is. 'We've got a huge Bedouin community that live in this area who are served very much by this hospital. And the fact that this hospital was targeted is a horrendous state of affairs,' he said. International humanitarian law affords strong protections to hospitals, clinics, ambulances, and their staff, who are to be protected at all times. The bar for infringement is set very high. Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, argued that the Iranian missile had been aimed at a nearby Israeli military headquarters and claimed Soroka hospital only suffered 'superficial' damage from the blast wave. There was no question the damaged hospital building had been hit directly, however, and the map Araghchi used to illustrate his online claims bore little relation to the actual downtown area of Beersheba. On the other hand, Netanyahu's claims that he knew all of Israel's military sites and there was not such a site 'for miles and miles around', also seemed open to interpretation. The prime minister has a reputation for creativity when it comes to spinning a narrative, especially in this mood, as he surveyed thousands of years of history. Ultimately, he suggested, final liberation for Jews and Persians could depend on another latter day king far beyond these shores, whose evangelical supporters have also likened to Cyrus the Great. Netanyahu described Donald Trump as a saviour in waiting – 'a tremendous friend, a tremendous world leader', who he praised for 'his resolve, his determination, and his clarity'. The message has been consistent for several days now: if Israel is to play the transformative role for the ages that Netanyahu has in mind, it is clearly going to need a lot of help.
Fox News
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Fox News
America's Iran dilemma: How to strike Fordow without losing sight of China threat
Print Close By Robert Maginnis Published June 19, 2025 The simmering conflict between Israel and Iran is more than a geopolitical flashpoint—it reflects a historical rivalry stretching back nearly 2,500 years. When the Persian Empire under Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon in 539 BCE, it issued a decree allowing Jewish captives to return and rebuild Jerusalem's temple. Though that act was viewed as benevolent, it also placed Persia at the center of the region's civilizational balance. Since then, Persia and Israel have frequently occupied opposing poles of power in the Middle East. Today, that long arc has reached a perilous apex. A direct Israel–Iran confrontation is underway, and President Trump, appears poised to commit U.S. forces. Bomber task forces and carrier groups are moving into position, and speculation is mounting that America will launch a strike against Fordow—Iran's most secure nuclear facility. If such a strike occurs, it must be precise and restrained. While Iran's nuclear threat must be blunted, America's strategic focus must remain fixed on its greatest rival: China. WHY US MUST DESTROY IRAN'S FORDOW NUCLEAR FACILITY NOW Ancient Identity, Modern Stakes Iran's self-perception is steeped in its Persian heritage—a deep cultural identity that sees itself not only as a nation but as a civilizational anchor of the region. Though the Islamic Republic has distanced itself from pre-Islamic monarchy, it still invokes the legacy of Persian greatness. This fuels a deeply rooted view that Iran—not the Arab world or the West—is the rightful power broker of the Middle East. That mindset helps explain Iran's nuclear ambition. The regime believes regional leadership and deterrence demand atomic capability. This view is not merely ideological—it is strategic, historical, and, in Tehran's eyes, just. Fordow: The Nuclear Redoubt The Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant is buried deep—some 80 meters under Mount Alvand, near Qom. It houses IR-6 centrifuges and is shielded against conventional strikes. While Israel has conducted attacks on Natanz and Esfahan, Fordow remains intact—untouched in part because only the United States possesses the GBU-57A/B "Massive Ordnance Penetrator" capable of reaching it. HOW CLOSE WAS IRAN TO A NUCLEAR WEAPON BEFORE ISRAEL'S STRIKE ON TEHRAN? If the U.S. acts, it must be to eliminate Fordow and set back Iran's breakout timeline significantly. But it must do so with clear limits. Iran Will Strike Back No one should assume that Iran will capitulate after a single strike—even a successful one. Ayatollah Khamenei has already warned, "The battle has just begun." Iran retains the means to retaliate: proxy militias, ballistic missiles, cyber warfare capabilities, and naval forces prepared to strike U.S. assets and disrupt oil flows in the Strait of Hormuz. The regime's Revolutionary Guards and domestic intelligence apparatus are loyal and brutal—so hopes of a popular uprising in the wake of a strike are, for now, unrealistic. Thus, a military operation must be seen not as a war-ending blow, but a time-buying maneuver. Strategic Discipline: Follow Israel's Lead Israel's primary goal is not regime change, but to deny Iran nuclear weapons capability. Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter recently stated, "The entire operation… really has to be completed with the elimination of Fordow." That clear, narrow mission should also be the U.S. objective. ISRAEL'S WAR WITH IRAN IS A GLOBAL FLASHPOINT. AMERICA MUST LEAD BEFORE IT SPREADS America should support Israel with logistics, surveillance, munitions, and deterrence—but avoid entangling itself in a broader regional war. Any strike must be followed by verifiable proof—seismic signatures, ISR evidence, and ideally IAEA confirmation—that Fordow is inoperable. Without that, the mission lacks strategic and political clarity. China Remains the Pacing Threat All the while, the United States must remember this: Iran is a regional actor with limited global reach. China is a peer competitor with global ambition. The U.S. National Defense Strategy has repeatedly identified China as the pacing threat to U.S. global primacy—in technology, trade, cyber, and military strength. Xi Jinping is watching closely. A prolonged U.S. entanglement in the Middle East is precisely the kind of strategic distraction China hopes for. The Indo-Pacific remains the theater where America's future will be decided. Allowing a secondary conflict to drain U.S. bandwidth plays directly into Beijing's hand. The Real Mission: Contain, Don't Convert Regime change in Iran is not achievable through airpower alone, and it is not necessary to achieve our strategic aims. Washington must be content to degrade Iran's nuclear capacity, isolate the regime diplomatically, and fortify its regional allies. Deterrence must be reestablished through credible action—not open-ended intervention. Let the U.S. strike, when necessary, but not stay longer than required. Let Fordow fall, but let American strategy remain focused on China. CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION Consequences of Inaction The alternative—doing nothing—has grave implications. A nuclear Iran would shift the balance of power, embolden its proxies, and trigger proliferation in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey. Tehran would hold Tel Aviv hostage, threaten U.S. bases, and nullify American deterrence. Inaction sends a signal: U.S. red lines are negotiable. That would ripple far beyond the Middle East. Conclusion Iran's nuclear ambition is rooted not just in military calculus, but in a civilizational memory—one that casts Iran as the heir to ancient Persia's regional dominance. Israel, born from exile and forged in conflict, sees its very survival at stake. The United States must support its ally—but on clearly defined terms. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP We can and should eliminate Fordow. We can endure Iran's response. But we must not lose sight of the greater contest. America's future will not be shaped by the mountains of Qom, but by the islands of the South China Sea. Let history remember: we struck hard, struck smart, and remained focused. Fordow may fall—but our eyes must stay on China. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM ROBERT MAGINNIS Print Close URL
New York Times
11-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Can Trump Rename the Persian Gulf?
President Trump has floated changing the name of the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Gulf ahead of a trip to the Middle East next week, a move that infuriated Iran and its people. 'I'll have to make a decision,' Mr. Trump said in the Oval Office on Wednesday. 'I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings. I don't know if feelings are going to be hurt.' IRAQ IRAN Persian Gulf KUWAIT QATAR UNITED ARAB EMIRATES SAUDI ARABIA 500 miles By The New York Times This past week, The Associated Press reported that Mr. Trump planned to announce the renaming on his tour of several Arab countries, which have been lobbying for the change for years. The turquoise blue water has been called the Persian Gulf since at least 550 B.C., when the Persian dynasty of Cyrus the Great ruled an empire that spanned from India to the edges of western Europe. Ancient Persia is now modern-day Iran, and its entire southern coast stretches along the Persian Gulf. Iran's governments, going back to the pre-revolution era of the shah, have stoutly defended Persian Gulf as the only legitimate name. So have Iranians inside and outside the country, who view the name as a core part of their national and cultural identity. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
