http://www.planetgraphix.info/forum/ Planet Graphix powered by the Galaxy. en Wed, 06 May 2026 11:09:23 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.planetgraphix.info/forum/images/misc/rss.png http://www.planetgraphix.info/forum/ http://www.planetgraphix.info/forum/showthread.php?14458-Watch-BBC-traces-how-huge-wave-of-Israeli-strikes-brought-chaos-to-Lebanon&goto=newpost Wed, 06 May 2026 07:10:03 GMT Image: https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/branded_news/e67b/live/434353b0-4916-11f1-b55d-0f258dce1735.jpg Watch: BBC traces how huge wave of...
Watch: BBC traces how huge wave of Israeli strikes brought chaos to Lebanon

At 14:15 local time on 8 April 2026, Israel launched a massive wave of strikes against Lebanon - just hours after US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between the US, Israel and Iran to pause fighting in the Gulf region.
Israel said it struck 100 targets in 10 minutes, dashing hopes in Lebanon that the pause in fighting in Iran would end the violence there too.
The latest conflict between Israel and Hezbollah - the Lebanese militia and political party that is funded and armed by Iran - started on 2 March after the group fired rockets into Israel, which responded with widespread air strikes and a ground invasion of southern Lebanon.
Since then, more than 2,600 people in Lebanon have been killed, according to Lebanon's health ministry, and roughly a fifth of the population displaced, the UN says.
The BBC's Nawal Al-Maghafi has been piecing together what happened that day and meeting people who lost loved ones on one of the deadliest chapters in the country's recent history.
Read more about this story here.
Adblock test (Why?) ]]> Planetary News of the Day RipperJack http://www.planetgraphix.info/forum/showthread.php?14458-Watch-BBC-traces-how-huge-wave-of-Israeli-strikes-brought-chaos-to-Lebanon http://www.planetgraphix.info/forum/showthread.php?14457-Nothing-will-bring-back-my-son-How-10-minutes-of-bombing-by-Israel-shattered-lives&goto=newpost Wed, 06 May 2026 07:10:03 GMT 'Nothing will bring back my son': How 10 minutes of bombing by Israel shattered lives in Lebanon

In the southern suburbs of Beirut, the neighbourhood of Hay el Sellom is barely recognisable.
What was once a densely populated, lively community is now a landscape of collapsed concrete, twisted metal and exposed wires. Homes have been reduced to layers of rubble. Staircases lead nowhere. The sounds of everyday life have been replaced by silence.
Despite repeated Israeli attacks since the start of the Iran war on other parts of Beirut's southern suburbs, where Hezbollah holds sway, residents say this neighbourhood remained calm until the afternoon of 8 April.
Beirut's southern suburbs had faced repeated Israeli evacuation orders and air strikes since the start of the war, but residents told us few people left Hay El Sellom, as they had nowhere to go. They also said that this neighbourhood had remained relatively calm.
On that Wednesday, Mohammed's son Abbas was at home asleep when the building was hit by an Israeli air strike. "The three floors above mine all fell into one room," Mohammed says. "They all came down together… on top of him."
It was part of a deadly wave of strikes that begun at 14.15 local time and saw about 100 targets across Lebanon hit in the space of just 10 minutes, according to Israel.
The destruction wrought in this brief window would surpass that of any other day in this war. The stated targets included Hezbollah command centres and military sites, but among the casualties were many ordinary Lebanese citizens.
The death toll for the day reached 361, according to the Lebanese authorities, with more than 1,000 injured.
'This is the second home I've lost'

In the weeks after the attack, the BBC visited some of the areas hit to piece together what happened on that day. We met Mohammed in the ruins of his apartment.
"This is the second home I've lost," he says. "In the last war [in 2024] I lost a home. And in this war I lost another.
"I wish it was just my home that I lost, and that my son survived. This brick can be rebuilt. But nothing will bring back my son."
He is adamant that everyone who died were residents of the building. "If I thought there was even a 1% chance that someone from Hezbollah lived here, I wouldn't have stayed," he says. "I would never risk my son's life."
"Maybe, since I'm 45 years old, I wouldn't worry about the risk to myself but a young man with his whole life ahead of him - I would not put him in a building if anyone was there."
Following the death of his son, Mohammed expressed his sympathies for Hezbollah, asking it to defend Lebanon, in an interview with local media. That's a sentiment echoed by many people we spoke to in areas that have been consistently attacked by Israel.
Hezbollah – an Iran-backed militia and political party based in Lebanon – had fired rockets into Israel on 2 March, in response to US and Israeli attacks on Iran. A wider Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon followed, and further attempts to destroy the Hezbollah leadership.
Earlier on 8 April, a temporary ceasefire between the United States and Iran had been announced, a pause in a wider regional war that had already reshaped the Middle East.
Even though Israel said Lebanon would not be included, people on the ground were cautiously hopeful – until the assault began.
'It all became silent'

By analysing verified footage, social media posts and satellite imagery and comparing these with eyewitness accounts, we have identified at least five strikes that hit Hay el Sellom in quick succession.
Some Israeli media reported Ali Mohammed Ghulam Dahini was killed in the neighbourhood, and say he was a senior Hezbollah figure. We also found a memorial poster which describes him as a Hezbollah fighter. We asked the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) if Dahini was a target, but it did not respond to this question, nor did it provide specific information about who or what was being targeted in Hay el Sellom.
The narrow streets of Hay el Sellom are strewn with rubble and twisted metalWhat is clear is the scale of civilian casualties. The Lebanese health ministry has told us more than 80 people were killed in this neighbourhood. Our analysis shows that at least 15 of those who died were children.
The narrow roads that run between tightly packed buildings in Hay el Sellom slowed rescue efforts. Residents describe people trapped under rubble, calling out for help, sending messages and waiting.
One of the first to arrive at a nearby hospital was Ghassan Jawad. He had been asleep when the building collapsed around him and his family.
"I suddenly found myself underground," he says. "I thought I was dead." He remembers the sound of people screaming. "I started to pray because I knew that was it."
Then, he says, something unexpected happened. "My cat started digging. She made a small hole so I could breathe."
After about 10 minutes, he heard voices above him, as neighbours began digging through the rubble. "They brought hammers and metal bars," he says. "They dug me out." But others did not survive.
"I could hear people dying," he says quietly. "I heard my mother praying next to me… then her voice stopped." His mother, two sisters and their children were all killed. "It became silent," he says. "Completely silent."
Simultaneous strike

Just four miles away, in central Beirut, another neighbourhood was also struck -Corniche al Mazraa, one of the city's busiest areas. At 14:15 a gym class was in progress, a restaurant was preparing food, and a barber was mid-cut.
Then with no prior warning the explosions came, killing 16 people, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
It was the first time this neighbourhood had been targeted in the latest war.
Noha, a fitness instructor, was at work seven storeys above street level when two bombs hit a confectionary company's warehouse, causing a powerful blast that damaged surrounding buildings.
CCTV cameras across Corniche al Mazraa recorded the moment of the attackShe told me that she had often watched from a distance as the southern suburbs of Beirut were pounded, never thinking that the attacks would reach the heart of the city. "For us, this happened without warning," she says.
"I looked out and found the world was black. I found people all covered in blood. I found people on the floor."
Noha questions why the area was struck. "The target was civilian. Certainly, a civilian target," she says. "We are the ones who were hurt."
We searched for evidence of a Hezbollah target and could not find one. We also asked the IDF, but it did not respond.
Noha had an overhead view of the aftermath of the Corniche al Mazraa attackSisters killed

We have identified at least four other strikes that occurred within a one-mile radius of the gym.
Across the country, similar scenes were unfolding within the same 10-minute window. From Hermel in the north, across the Bekaa valley to villages in the deep south, strikes were reported almost simultaneously.
The southern city of Sidon was among those struck without warning, with bombs flattening the Hezbollah-affiliated al Zahraa religious complex.
Rahma, 27, and Rayan, 22, young women from a family forced to flee their home near the Israeli border, were visiting the mosque when the attack came.
Kawkab holds a photograph of one of her daughters"They said they were going to pray," says their mother, Kawkab. "Half an hour later, the complex was hit." Both girls were killed.
"We came here for safety," Kawkab says.
Al Zahraa's cleric, Sheikh Sadiq Naboulsi, was also killed in the attack. He had deep ideological and family ties to Hezbollah, although did not himself hold an official position. Another man killed here - Mohammed Ma'ani - was a senior Hezbollah official in the group's liaison and co-ordination unit. The IDF declined to confirm whether either men were the intended targets.
It has also been possible to identify seven of the other nine individuals reportedly killed here. All the available evidence suggests they were civilians.
The two sisters died while attending prayers at the al Zahraa mosqueThe IDF says it targeted 250 Hezbollah operatives that day but has not provided a full list of names. Lebanon's health ministry disputes this, saying the vast majority of those killed were civilians.
Asked what steps were taken to protect civilians, the IDF said it made "extensive efforts to mitigate harm to uninvolved individuals".
The IDF also said that most of the targeted sites were located "within the heart of the civilian population, as part of Hezbollah's cynical exploitation of Lebanese civilians as human shields to safeguard its operations".
Hezbollah denies this, stating that Israel targets civilians as a pressure tactic. The group, proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the UK, US and some gulf Arab states, added that it never wanted war and is acting in self-defence.
On 8 April Israel says it hit 100 targets within 10 minutes, making it one of Lebanon's deadliest days in decades. More than 360 people were killed, and over 1,000 injured that day, Lebanon says.
Israel called the operation Eternal Darkness. To the Lebanese people who lived through it, it is known as Black Wednesday.
Additional reporting by Jasmin Dyer and Jake Tacchi
Adblock test (Why?) ]]> Planetary News of the Day RipperJack http://www.planetgraphix.info/forum/showthread.php?14457-Nothing-will-bring-back-my-son-How-10-minutes-of-bombing-by-Israel-shattered-lives http://www.planetgraphix.info/forum/showthread.php?14456-Cruise-ship-with-hantavirus-outbreak-to-sail-to-Canary-Islands&goto=newpost Wed, 06 May 2026 07:10:03 GMT A Dutch cruise ship with a hantavirus outbreak on board is to sail to the Canary Islands, Spain's health ministry has said.
Two crew members, including the ship's reportedly British doctor, require urgent medical care and were due to be evacuated on a hospital aircraft to the Canary Islands on Tuesday. A third person linked to a German national who died was also due to be evacuated.
Officials were determining which passengers required urgent evacuation from Cape Verde, where the ship was docked, the health ministry added.
Three passengers who were aboard the MV Hondius have died, after it set sail from Argentina on its voyage across the Atlantic Ocean around a month ago.
Some 149 people from 23 countries remained aboard under "strict precautionary measures", the ship's operator Oceanwide Expeditions said.
Aside from the British crew member, there are 22 other British nationals on board.
The remaining passengers would go on to the Canary Islands, where they were expected to arrive within three to four days, the health ministry said, adding that the exact port of arrival had not yet been decided.
Cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions said its plan was to sail to "Gran Canaria or Tenerife".
It said the World Health Organization (WHO) had explained that Cape Verde "cannot carry out this operation".
"The Canary Islands are the closest location with the necessary capabilities. Spain has a moral and legal obligation to assist these people, among whom are several Spanish citizens," the statement added.
After arriving at the Canary Islands, crew and passengers would be examined, given whatever care was needed and would then be able to begin their journeys back home, Spain's health ministry said in a statement.
All interactions with those who had been on the MV Hondius would happen in "special spaces and transports specifically set up for this situation", the ministry said.
This is to help in "avoiding all contact with the local population and ensuring the safety of healthcare personnel", it added.
Hantavirus is usually spread from rodents, but the WHO has said it could have spread among "really close contacts" aboard the ship. It stressed the risk to the public was low.
Seven cases of hantavirus - two confirmed and five suspected - have so far been identified, according to the latest WHO update.
The two confirmed cases are a Dutch woman, who is among those who died, and a 69-year-old UK national who was evacuated to South Africa for medical treatment.
The woman's husband also died but he is not a confirmed case, nor is the German national who passed away on 2 May.
Adblock test (Why?) ]]> Planetary News of the Day RipperJack http://www.planetgraphix.info/forum/showthread.php?14456-Cruise-ship-with-hantavirus-outbreak-to-sail-to-Canary-Islands http://www.planetgraphix.info/forum/showthread.php?14455-Welcome-aisabellayndext1249&goto=newpost Wed, 06 May 2026 04:52:47 GMT Hi aisabellayndext1249, welcome to the forum! If you need anything just ask. Hi aisabellayndext1249, welcome to the forum! If you need anything just ask. ]]> Member Introductions RipperJack http://www.planetgraphix.info/forum/showthread.php?14455-Welcome-aisabellayndext1249 http://www.planetgraphix.info/forum/showthread.php?14454-Welcome-zavictoriagooget5185&goto=newpost Wed, 06 May 2026 04:03:50 GMT Hi zavictoriagooget5185, welcome to the forum! If you need anything just ask. Hi zavictoriagooget5185, welcome to the forum! If you need anything just ask. ]]> Member Introductions RipperJack http://www.planetgraphix.info/forum/showthread.php?14454-Welcome-zavictoriagooget5185 http://www.planetgraphix.info/forum/showthread.php?14453-Welcome-zsophapetrovz8304&goto=newpost Wed, 06 May 2026 03:16:27 GMT Hi zsophapetrovz8304, welcome to the forum! If you need anything just ask. Hi zsophapetrovz8304, welcome to the forum! If you need anything just ask. ]]> Member Introductions RipperJack http://www.planetgraphix.info/forum/showthread.php?14453-Welcome-zsophapetrovz8304 http://www.planetgraphix.info/forum/showthread.php?14452-Welcome-zloganfrancsz6330&goto=newpost Wed, 06 May 2026 02:28:28 GMT Hi zloganfrancsz6330, welcome to the forum! If you need anything just ask. Hi zloganfrancsz6330, welcome to the forum! If you need anything just ask. ]]> Member Introductions RipperJack http://www.planetgraphix.info/forum/showthread.php?14452-Welcome-zloganfrancsz6330 http://www.planetgraphix.info/forum/showthread.php?14451-Welcome-zcharlesstolze2185&goto=newpost Wed, 06 May 2026 01:19:27 GMT Hi zcharlesstolze2185, welcome to the forum! If you need anything just ask. Hi zcharlesstolze2185, welcome to the forum! If you need anything just ask. ]]> Member Introductions RipperJack http://www.planetgraphix.info/forum/showthread.php?14451-Welcome-zcharlesstolze2185 http://www.planetgraphix.info/forum/showthread.php?14450-Welcome-zajohnmaaley8792&goto=newpost Tue, 05 May 2026 23:40:21 GMT Hi zajohnmaaley8792, welcome to the forum! If you need anything just ask. Hi zajohnmaaley8792, welcome to the forum! If you need anything just ask. ]]> Member Introductions RipperJack http://www.planetgraphix.info/forum/showthread.php?14450-Welcome-zajohnmaaley8792 http://www.planetgraphix.info/forum/showthread.php?14449-Hate-crime-prosecutions-to-be-fast-tracked-after-antisemitic-attacks&goto=newpost Tue, 05 May 2026 19:10:00 GMT Image: https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/7e28/live/828cdc00-48a1-11f1-b55d-0f258dce1735.jpg Hate crime prosecutions are to be fast-tracked... Hate crime prosecutions are to be fast-tracked following a spate of recent antisemitic incidents, the head of the Crown Prosecution Service has said.
Director of public prosecutions Stephen Parkinson has told prosecutors in England and Wales to bring charges more quickly, in order to clamp down on "daily incidents affecting the Jewish community, involving threats and abuse designed to cause fear and distress".
He told BBC News it "is important law enforcement steps up and recognises we are in a period of crisis for the Jewish community".
The intervention comes after two Jewish men were stabbed in Golders Green, and a number of arson incidents in areas with large Jewish communities.
Parkinson stressed the new guidance applies to all hate crimes, but that it had been necessary to announce now due to the "very significant spike" in antisemitic incidents.
He pointed to the success of swift arrests and prosecutions in bringing to an end riots which broke out nationally in the wake of the Southport attack in 2024.
"We're acting quickly in order to build confidence, but also to bring crime to a halt," the chief prosecutor continued.
"In the Southport riots two years ago, when the police, prosecutors and the courts worked together and worked swiftly, the riots came to an end.
"The action I'm taking won't be the whole solution, I'm afraid, to antisemitism - but it would be part of the solution to show that law enforcement is taking this seriously and we're acting on the front foot."
Parkinson said he had urged prosecutors to make a charging decision as soon as they have seen the "core evidence" in order to speed up the process, rather than delaying to "present a perfect case".
He continued: "If we can strengthen the case thereafter, we can do so - but it's important that the Jewish community sees and has confidence we will take action."
In the last year there were 137,550 suspected hate crime incidents in total recorded by police forces in England and Wales, but less than a tenth result in criminal charges being issued.
Asked why only a small percentage of cases make it to court, Parkinson said one of the reasons was "victim attrition" - when someone impacted by crime decides not to engage with the justice process, often out of a lack of faith it will lead to a conviction.
He continued: "Reports are made but victims are just not prepared to stay with the process for reasons that are entirely understandable, including the delays that they experience in the justice system."
Parkinson also said police needed to gather evidence more quickly to "get the whole process energised".
He warned there is evidence that high-profile antisemitic incidents lead to a rise in related offences against Jewish people, adding: "I've had reported to me today an increase in instances over the last weekend, and that seems to be the pattern.
"We're starting to record specifically crimes of antisemitism, and indeed against the Muslim community, so we can chart specifically the impact on different communities."
Adblock test (Why?) ]]> Planetary News of the Day RipperJack http://www.planetgraphix.info/forum/showthread.php?14449-Hate-crime-prosecutions-to-be-fast-tracked-after-antisemitic-attacks http://www.planetgraphix.info/forum/showthread.php?14448-Woman-35-died-in-explosion-after-ex-partner-forced-entry-into-her-home&goto=newpost Tue, 05 May 2026 19:10:00 GMT Woman died after ex 'with explosive device forced entry to house'

Jo Shaw was killed in the explosion in Bristol on Sunday A woman and her ex-partner died in a blast after he forced his way into the house "in possession of an explosive device", police have said.
Jo Shaw, 35, and Ryan Kelly, 41, died in the explosion in Bristol on Sunday, with police treating Shaw's death as a homicide.
Three other people, including a child, were treated for minor injuries following the explosion and did not need to stay in hospital.
Supt Matt Ebbs, from Avon and Somerset Police, said Shaw's death had been recorded as a homicide "based on the information known to us at this time". The force has referred itself to the police watchdog over the incident.
Ryan Kelly, 41, died in the explosion The mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct is due to previous police contact with the victim prior to Sunday.
Avon and Somerset Police said the contact related to "other domestic incidents".
Supt Ebbs said specially-trained officers are providing Shaw's family with updates and support.
"We know everyone's thoughts and sympathies will be with her devastated family," he added.
"We recognise there is significant interest in what happened, but at the centre of it there are many people grieving and we would please ask everyone respects that and gives them the privacy they want."
One of the property's windows has been boarded up, but the rest of the house appears to be intactPolice said they first received a call from a person inside the property, in Sterncourt Road in Frenchay, reporting a domestic-related incident at 06:17 BST. The caller said a man, whom they knew, had forced entry to the house.
At around 06.30, the caller said the intruder was believed to be in possession of an explosive device.
The explosion occurred at about 06:32. The first officers arrived on the scene at 06:34 and were joined by the fire and ambulance services shortly afterwards.
Following the incident, an army bomb disposal team and specialist police officers made extensive searches of the area to ensure it was safe.
A police cordon was reduced on Sunday night and almost all residents were allowed to return home.
A search of an address in nearby Speedwell, linked to Kelly, did not require any evacuations of surrounding properties in the area.
A white forensics tent was set up outside the house over the weekendSupt Ebbs said police activity was likely to continue at the scene of the explosion for several more days, but said there was not believed to be any risk to the wider public.
He emphasised the incident is not being treated as terrorism-related, adding: "We believe the cause of the explosion to be deliberate.
"Analysis work of the explosive device has not yet been completed."
Supt Ebbs said it would ultimately be for a coroner to determine the cause of death.
He thanked all emergency services involved in the response, as well as volunteers who supported the evacuation process.
"This remains a challenging and complex enquiry, and we are ensuring our officers and staff have access to any support they need," Supt Ebbs said.
Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.
Adblock test (Why?) ]]> Planetary News of the Day RipperJack http://www.planetgraphix.info/forum/showthread.php?14448-Woman-35-died-in-explosion-after-ex-partner-forced-entry-into-her-home http://www.planetgraphix.info/forum/showthread.php?14447-Bowen-Strait-of-Hormuz-standoff-raises-risk-of-sliding-back-into-all-out-war&goto=newpost Tue, 05 May 2026 19:10:00 GMT Bowen: Strait of Hormuz standoff raises risk of sliding back into all-out warImage:... Bowen: Strait of Hormuz standoff raises risk of sliding back into all-out war

Control of the Strait of Hormuz has become the central issue in the crisis.The ceasefire in the Gulf is four weeks old and showing its age. The US and Iran's determination to keep the pressure on each other has put it in serious jeopardy. This is a dangerous moment.
The ceasefire opened up a chance for diplomacy that looked for a short time as if it might make progress. Americans and Iranians faced each other across a conference table in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, but came away empty-handed.
The Pakistanis are trying to revive the process, without much success so far. Both America and Iran want to have a deal. But they have different deals in mind and are sticking to their red lines. Until one or the other, or preferably both, decide to offer concessions, renewed full-scale hostilities remain an incident away.
More than ever there is a strong risk of misperception and miscalculation of intentions and consequences. Both are classic ways in which crises slip out of control and wars escalate.
America's decision to escort two ships through the Strait of Hormuz was always going to produce a reaction from Iran. This week's urgent question is whether it ends there or whether more action and reaction power a slide back into all-out war.
Control of the Strait of Hormuz has become the central issue in the crisis. It was open to navigation, without restriction or the payment of tolls, until 28 February -when the US and Israel attacked Iran. Now Iran has demonstrated how closing it can mean everything from an offensive weapon to a revenue raiser and an insurance policy. This week, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has told MPs that there will be no return to the old status quo.
The US cannot allow Iran to make the Strait of Hormuz into home waters that the Tehran regime can control and use to charge shippers millions in tolls, without accepting that tactical victory over Iran's armed forces has become a strategic defeat.
Closing the strait has global economic consequences. The length of time it stays closed will determine how severe the consequences of the war will be for people across the world. Shortages of oil and gas, as well as helium for high tech industries and feedstocks for fertiliser, are having an increasingly heavy impact on millions of people a long way from the war zone. The fertiliser crisis risks causing hunger in countries that do not have secure food supplies.
President Donald Trump's motives, declared and undeclared, are always complex and changeable. He has used social media to try to persuade oil traders not to drive up the price of petrol for American motorists.
He must also be frustrated by the Iranian regime's resilience and determination to resist however much pain America and Israel inflict on the country. A regime prepared to shoot its own citizens in the streets for protesting, as the Islamic Republic's security forces did once again in January, is not going to worry too much about their welfare - at least not until it affects their hold on power.
Trump's frustration is the result of his own rash decision to go to war assuming an easy victory, without thinking through the consequences of what happens and what to do if it isn't easy. The US has shown the power of its highly efficient military, but the president's fluctuating decision-making has left the country in a strategic bind.
Trump's decision to order the US Navy to escort a couple of ships through the strait does not restore freedom of navigation. Between 40 and 60 vessels were transiting the strait every day until the US and Israel went to war.
Iran has shown that it is prepared to go back to war and might even be prepared to set the pace of escalation. It is strategy full of risk, but for the men who have replaced the former supreme leader and all the senior leaders killed by the US and Israel, it is a risk worth taking.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) looks to be the main target for Iran among their Gulf Arab neighbours. In response, the UAE has doubled down on its alliances with the US and Israel. The Israelis sent an Iron Dome anti-missile system to the UAE, and IDF soldiers to operate it – a significant gesture they refused to offer to Ukraine.
Fujairah is the UAE's biggest port and oil storage facilityIran's decision to target the Emirati port of Fujairah is significant. It is on the UAE's small stretch of coastline that is beyond the Strait of Hormuz, facing instead the Gulf of Oman.
Fujairah is the terminus of an oil pipeline that allows the UAE to export without going through Hormuz and has big oil storage facilities. That makes it strategically and economically vital for the Emiratis. They are deeply concerned about Iran's next moves. Despite robust public warnings to Tehran, and capable armed forces, the Emiratis still prefer to stay out of direct attacks on Iran. That policy might not survive a collapse of the ceasefire. Longer term, it is spending more billions on American weapons.
Trump seems still to believe that the Iranian regime will buckle in the face of US pressure and military force. He would like to be able to flourish a deal, but he will not accept one that his critics would say was not as good as the nuclear agreement that became President Barack Obama's signature foreign policy achievement.
During his first term, Trump dumped that agreement, known as the JCPOA, with substantial encouragement from Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He replaced it with a policy he called "maximum pressure" that failed to stop Iran enriching uranium and now looks to have started America and Iran on the road to a war that has no easy exits.
Adblock test (Why?) ]]> Planetary News of the Day RipperJack http://www.planetgraphix.info/forum/showthread.php?14447-Bowen-Strait-of-Hormuz-standoff-raises-risk-of-sliding-back-into-all-out-war http://www.planetgraphix.info/forum/showthread.php?14446-Welcome-madisnjunior9652&goto=newpost Tue, 05 May 2026 18:56:47 GMT Hi madisnjunior9652, welcome to the forum! If you need anything just ask. Hi madisnjunior9652, welcome to the forum! If you need anything just ask. ]]> Member Introductions RipperJack http://www.planetgraphix.info/forum/showthread.php?14446-Welcome-madisnjunior9652 http://www.planetgraphix.info/forum/showthread.php?14445-Welcome-Frankarins&goto=newpost Tue, 05 May 2026 13:41:10 GMT Hi Frankarins, welcome to the forum! If you need anything just ask. Hi Frankarins, welcome to the forum! If you need anything just ask. ]]> Member Introductions RipperJack http://www.planetgraphix.info/forum/showthread.php?14445-Welcome-Frankarins http://www.planetgraphix.info/forum/showthread.php?14444-Donating-cars-for-Ukraine-support-projects&goto=newpost Tue, 05 May 2026 13:26:22 GMT Many people think only money can help, but donating a donate car to ukraine or van may also create real value if the program has proper coordination and transparent delivery. ]]> Member Introductions SupportDriver http://www.planetgraphix.info/forum/showthread.php?14444-Donating-cars-for-Ukraine-support-projects