Israel can do it all: sabotage against the enemy of Fordo with American warplanes, Israeli intelligence, and Russian support for the attack on Iran
Rather than wait for American help, Israel could decide to attack Fordo alone — taking a chance with the planes and munitions it has at its disposal. According to some analysts, Israel could potentially launch a sabotage campaign against the site. In a television interview, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would achieve all of its objectives. We can do it.
For days, Israeli officials hoped that Mr. Trump would send American warplanes armed with the only munitions in the world that are deemed powerful enough to destroy Fordo.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in favor of the United States’ help in defense of Israel, but he needs to start rationing his weapon power as the war continues, experts say.
With Israel’s airspace closed and much of its economic life suspended, the war’s protraction will also come at an economic cost. The sooner the war ends, the faster commercial flights will return and businesses can resume full operations.
The route is fraught with risk and the effect may be limited. “It probably won’t be on the scale of what the U.S. can achieve,” said Itamar Rabinovich, a former Israeli ambassador to Washington. “If we could do what the U.S. can, we would have already done it.”
New opinion polling showed continued support for the Israeli campaign, as did the tone of the Israeli news media. The strongest polling position for Mr. Netanyahu since October 2023 is due to the attack on Iran.
Elio, the Waterfront and the Lost Albums: New Movies and Music for the NPR/Play Days Experiment (with a Guest Review)
The latest Pixar movie, Elio, is about an orphan who believes that being kidnapped by aliens is his only way to happiness. There are two more new movies that are worth checking out.
📺 TV: From The Waterfront, which focuses on a family struggling to maintain control of a fishing empire, to King of the Hill returning after 15 years, these are some shows worth checking out this summer.
🎵 Music: Next Friday, Bruce Springsteen is releasing seven new records at once, featuring previously unreleased music recorded between 1983 and 2018. To prepare for his upcoming box set, Tracks II: The Lost Albums, take a look at this listening guide.
🎮 Games: NPR’s Vincent Acovino attended the Play Days showcase, where he had the opportunity to experience a variety of games, including Resident Evil Requiem and a heist game that took him by surprise. He wrote an honest review of a lot of upcoming titles.
The latest on the Israel-Iran war: Trump’s control of the National Guard, Iran’s nuclear sites, and the Pentagon’s responsibility
❓ Quiz: Educated guesses and trick questions left me with a barely passing score this week. Are you up for the challenge of passing with flying colors? Give it a try.
European diplomats are meeting the Iranian foreign minister in a bid to try and reach a diplomatic solution to the conflict between Israel and Iran. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has suggested that Israel will continue attacking Iran’s nuclear sites even if Trump doesn’t take part. According to a group, over 650 people in Iran have been killed by Israeli strikes. Iran has been accused by Israel of killing 24 people in its country.
The White House said the president would make a decision on whether to strike Iran within two weeks. This latest move over the United States’ involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict comes amid growing concerns from some of his vocal supporters, who have expressed that they think Trump is betraying his “America First” principles. Tucker Carlson, a former Fox News host, warned that the president’s legacy could be on the line if he were to make an unpopular decision. The White House has dismissed any connection between the decision’s delay and the criticism.
Source: Court backs Trump’s control of National Guard. And, the latest on the Israel-Iran war
The Moment of Justice: Los Angeles, California, Insights from Doctors Without Borders During a March 2019 Barrel Action
In California, a federal appeals court ruled that President Trump can maintain control over the 4,000 California National Guard troops in Los Angeles. The governor was attempting to regain control of the Guard. The Trump administration deployed the troops nearly two weeks ago in response to protests in LA, which were sparked by immigration raids in the area.
Good morning. You’re reading a newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day.
Doctors Without Borders launched a two-year project in 2022 aimed at healing psychic wounds in the remote area of Alto Baudóin western Colombia. Conflicts between criminal organizations and armed rebel groups have resulted in years of violence in the region. The project involves tearing up photographs of loved ones and homes and then sewing them back together, an act that serves as a metaphor for healing. Rituals could be used to help people manage their mental health issues. Fernanda Pineda documented the initiative in her photo series Riografias del Baud. Here, you can look at the photo collection.
Israel and the Second Israeli-Iran War: A “Freeway to Tehran” for Israel, and a “Front for Defense of Democracy”
Civilians pay a heavy price as both sides deplete their arsenals. Some 430 civilians have been killed by Israeli strikes in Iran, according to Iranian state media citing the Health Ministry, and more than 3,500 injured, with anxiety high as hundreds of thousands attempt to flee major cities. Israeli officials say 24 people have been killed in Iranian strikes in Israel, and more than 1,000 wounded.
That could also significantly help the U.S. military should President Trump decide to directly enter the conflict, using massive bunker-buster bombs in an attempt to stop Iran’s nuclear capabilities. The White House said that President Trump will make a decision in the next two weeks.
Israel can now strike any targets it wants, since it’s gained control of Iran’s skies after its air defense was crippled. Netanyahu described it as a “free highway to Tehran” for Israel in an interview with Fox News.
That’s another difficult number to know for sure, but Fabian Hinz, a missiles expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Berlin, tells NPR that, like most nations, Iran has fewer missile launchers than they do missiles, so their destruction is “definitely an issue” for Iranian forces as they plan salvos towards Israel.
Netanyahu said in an interview on Thursday that they attacked the launchers. It does not matter how many missiles they have, it is more important the number of launchers they have. And we’re getting there, I think we’ve passed half.”
The longer the war drags on, Israel will be forced to decide what to do, according to a senior analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracy which advocates for Israeli security and is critical of Iran.
That would be a bad day if Israel’s missiles ran out, says Karako. That situation would be very bad.
“Whenever you’re talking about somebody shooting big ballistic missiles at you, you pay real close attention to the clock in terms of how long you can shoot back,” says Tom Karako, director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
As the war between Israel and Iran enters its second week, there’s a specific kind of math that will determine just how much longer it can go — how many long-range missiles Iran has versus how many missile interceptors Israel has to shoot them down.
“I think it’s in Iran’s calculus that it wants to reach that point so it can pressure Israel more to give up on its ambition of destroying Iran’s nuclear infrastructure,” he says.
