Monthly Archives: April 2026

Israel preparing to strike energy facilities if Iran truce collapses: Report

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Hundreds of pro-Iranian demonstrators take streets to protest against Israeli-US attacks on Iran and Middle East, in San Francisco, California, United States on April 8, 2026. [Tayfun Coşkun – Anadolu Agency]

Israel, along with its ally the US, is preparing for a possible collapse of the ceasefire with Iran, with energy facilities could be potential targets, local media reported on Sunday, Anadolu reports.

“There is close coordination between the two sides, and if fighting resumes, the targets will also include Iranian energy facilities,” the Israeli newspaper Maariv said, citing a senior unnamed Israeli military official.

“Iran insists on its previous position regarding its right to uranium enrichment, and there is no optimism among mediators” in talks between Washington and Tehran, the report claimed.

On Feb. 28, the US and Israel launched a joint offensive on Iran, killing more than 3,300 people. Tehran retaliated with strikes on Israel and other regional countries hosting US assets.

The war was brought to a halt on April 8 under a two-week ceasefire mediated by Pakistan.

Washington and Tehran held rare direct talks in Pakistan last weekend, but the talks ended without any agreement. Mediators are seeking to hold another round of discussions in Islamabad.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said Sunday that major differences remain between Tehran and Washington despite progress in negotiations.

READ: Iran is seeking to end war ‘with dignity,’ says President Pezeshkian

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. 

Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Straight of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don't need people to join wars after they've already won. He's challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Straight of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it's fun to kill everyone ...
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it’s fun to kill everyone …

Continue ReadingIsrael preparing to strike energy facilities if Iran truce collapses: Report

Lebanese army reopens key routes disrupted by Israeli attacks

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Tens of thousands of displaced Lebanese have started returning to their homes after being forced to flee due to Israeli strikes, following the implementation of a 10-day temporary ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon announced by U.S. President Donald Trump in April 18, 2026. [Elif Öztürk – Anadolu Agency]

Following damage caused by weeks of Israeli strikes, the Lebanese army said its specialized units have fully reopened the Khardali–Nabatieh road in southern Lebanon and partially restored access to the Burj Rahal–Tyre bridge, Anadolu reports.

Restoration work on the Tayr Falsah–Tyre bridge is also ongoing in coordination with the National Litani River Authority, the army said in a statement carried by Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency.

It added that efforts to reopen roads, dismantle barriers, and uphold internal security are continuing.

Since March 2, Israel has waged an offensive on Lebanon that has killed some 2,300 people, wounded over 7,500, and displaced over 1 million, according to the latest official figures from Lebanon.

A 10-day temporary ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that took effect last Thursday has been followed by reported violations.

READ: Protesters in Swedish capital condemn Israel’s West Bank annexation plans, strikes on Lebanon

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. 

Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Straight of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don't need people to join wars after they've already won. He's challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Straight of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it's fun to kill everyone ...
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it’s fun to kill everyone …

Continue ReadingLebanese army reopens key routes disrupted by Israeli attacks

More than 1,000 Tel Aviv homes left uninhabitable by Iran war: Mayor

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A view of the destruction after a missile debris from Iran’s retaliation attack hits Ramat Gan, Israel on April 06, 2026. [ Gideon Markowicz – Anadolu Agency]

More than 1,000 homes in Tel Aviv have been left uninhabitable by the recent war with Iran, the city’s mayor said Saturday, Anadolu reports.

Israeli Channel 12 quoted Ron Huldai, who said that “more than 1,000 apartments in Tel Aviv are no longer fit for living” because of damage caused by Iranian missiles and drones.

During the US-Israeli war on Iran, which began Feb. 28, Tehran launched repeated missile and drone attacks on major Israeli cities in response to large-scale strikes on Iranian territory.

Some missiles and shrapnel from interception attempts struck buildings in Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan and Bnei Brak, killing and injuring dozens, and causing extensive damage to homes, vehicles and infrastructure.

Channel 12 reported earlier this week that Israeli officials estimate the cost of 40 days of war with Iran and Lebanon at around $17.5 billion.

The figure does not include reconstruction costs or losses from the partial shutdown of the Israeli economy during the fighting.

Israel preparing to strike energy facilities if Iran truce collapses: Report

According to Israeli media, nearly 30,000 Israelis have filed claims with the Israeli Tax Authority’s compensation fund for direct property damage, including 18,408 claims related to buildings, 2,594 to equipment and 6,617 to vehicles.

The Israeli economic website, Calcalist, reported last week that the 12-day war against Iran last June cost around 3 billion shekels ($1 billion) in compensation for businesses.

The Finance Ministry estimates that compensation costs from the war fought between Feb. 28 and April 8 will reach 6.5 billion shekels.

The ceasefire took effect April 8 after talks between the US and Iran, hosted in the Pakistani capital, failed to produce a final agreement to end the war.

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. 

Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Straight of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don't need people to join wars after they've already won. He's challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Straight of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it's fun to kill everyone ...
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it’s fun to kill everyone …

Continue ReadingMore than 1,000 Tel Aviv homes left uninhabitable by Iran war: Mayor

Argentina’s president visits Israel to open embassy in Jerusalem

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President of Argentina Javier Milei in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on March 1, 2025. [Luciano Gonzalez – Anadolu Agency]

Argentine President Javier Milei arrived in Israel on Sunday for an official visit during which he is set to open his country’s embassy in Jerusalem, Israeli media reported, Anadolu reports.

Milei met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday evening, and the two men delivered joint statements after their talks, The Times of Israel news portal reported.

They also signed memorandums of understanding on security and artificial intelligence, the outlet said.

During his visit, Milei will open his country’s embassy to Israel in Jerusalem, the newspaper added.

The trip marks Milei’s third visit to Israel since he took office in December 2023. He is scheduled to return to Argentina on Tuesday afternoon.

Milei first announced plans to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem during a visit to Israel in February 2024 and reiterated in November that the new mission was to be inaugurated in the spring.

More than 1,000 Tel Aviv homes left uninhabitable by Iran war: Mayor

Currently, only a handful of countries maintain embassies in Jerusalem, including the US, Kosovo, Honduras, Guatemala, Papua New Guinea, and Paraguay.

Most countries have refused to move their embassies to Jerusalem, viewing such an act as tacit recognition of Israel’s unilateral claim to the city as its capital.

The Palestinians regard East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, based on international resolutions that do not recognize Israel’s occupation of the city in 1967 or its annexation in 1980.

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. 

Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Straight of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don't need people to join wars after they've already won. He's challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Straight of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it's fun to kill everyone ...
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it’s fun to kill everyone …
Continue ReadingArgentina’s president visits Israel to open embassy in Jerusalem

‘The Whole Country’s Going to Get Blown Up’: Trump Renews Genocidal Threats to Iran as Ceasefire Collapses

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Original article by Stephen Prager republished form Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

US President Donald Trump addresses a Turning Point USA event at Dream City Church in Phoenix, Arizona, on April 17, 2026. (Photo by Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

“Whether he means it or not, his saying it is an indelible moral stain on our country,” said one law professor.

President Donald Trump on Sunday renewed his threat to carry out a genocidal attack on Iran, pledging to “blow up” the “whole country” of over 90 million people and to demolish critical civilian infrastructure if it does not sign a peace deal by Wednesday.

“If they don’t sign the deal, then the whole country is going to get blown up,” Trump said, according to Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst, who relayed the comments on air Sunday morning.

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Trump also reportedly said that the US was “preparing to hit [Iran] harder than any country has ever been hit before because you cannot let them have a nuclear weapon.”

The comments came after Iran once again closed the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday in response to the continued US blockade of Iranian ports, which Iranian officials said violated the terms of the agreement reached between the two countries.

After renewing the blockade, Iranian gunboats fired upon a pair of Indian-flagged ships attempting to travel through the strait Saturday.

In response, Trump issued a furious post on Truth Social Sunday morning, saying that he would send a team of negotiators—Vice President JD Vance, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, and special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff—to Islamabad on Monday for another round of negotiations.

“We’re offering a very fair and reasonable DEAL, and I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran,” Trump wrote. “NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!”

“They’ll come down fast, they’ll come down easy and, if they don’t take the DEAL, it will be my Honor to do what has to be done, which should have been done to Iran, by other Presidents, for the last 47 years,” he continued.

It echoed the similarly genocidal threat made by Trump earlier in April that “a whole civilization will die… never to be brought back again,” if Iran did not agree to a deal, which drew worldwide condemnation and sparked efforts by some members of Congress to pursue impeachment or push for Trump’s cabinet to remove him via the 25th Amendment.

https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/116431297579272777/embed

Trump has appeared eager to end the war with Iran after it caused economic upheaval and pushed his already dire approval rating even lower. But he has also backed Israel when it sought to undermine key points of the agreement, prompting retaliation from Iran.

The ceasefire announced earlier this month between the US and Iran initially included a halt to the hostilities between Israel and Lebanon. But within hours, Israel unleashed its most punishing set of attacks against Lebanon since the war began in March. Trump then backed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he claimed that Lebanon was never part of the deal.

Iran only agreed to open the Strait of Hormuz on Friday after Israel and Lebanon appeared to agree to a 10-day ceasefire. But Israel has already violated that agreement several times, continuing to raze Lebanese villages and fire upon people approaching its newly imposed “yellow line.”

In addition to calling for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which was open before he launched the war in late February, Trump has demanded that Iran make a deal to hand over all of its enriched uranium, which he refers to as “nuclear dust.”

A spokesperson for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has said such a proposal would violate Iran’s sovereignty: “Iran’s uranium is Iran’s asset. It is our responsibility, our energy, our sovereign right.”

An end to the attacks against Lebanon has been described as another central demand from Iran, although officials said the decision to close the strait again on Saturday was in response to Trump’s continued blockade of Iranian ports.

International law strictly prohibits indiscriminate attacks on civilian infrastructure with no military objective, including bridges and power plants that are critical to human life.

Trump’s previous threats to bomb Iran “back to the Stone Ages” suggest that the latest threats are less about accomplishing a specific military objective than about inflicting suffering on Iranian society as leverage.

Last time Trump made such a threat, a coalition of more than 200 groups, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Refugees International, and Oxfam America, wrote in an urgent letter stating that if carried out, such attacks would constitute “a grave atrocity” and that “a threat to wipe out ‘a whole civilization’ may amount to a threat of genocide.”

Human Rights Watch said that, if acted upon, “the statement could be indicative of criminal intent if Trump were ever prosecuted by the International Criminal Court.

The last time Trump threatened to unleash an apocalyptic attack on Iran, the threat preceded a deal that, at least in principle, involved the US agreeing to negotiate based on a set of terms laid out by the Iranians. This led many observers to characterize the threats as bluster meant to save face before capitulation rather than a sincere pledge to annihilate Iran.

However, Adil Haque, a law professor at Rutgers and the executive editor at Just Security, said that, “Whether he means it or not, his saying it is an indelible moral stain on our country.”

Original article by Stephen Prager republished form Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it's fun to kill everyone ...
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it’s fun to kill everyone …
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.

Continue Reading‘The Whole Country’s Going to Get Blown Up’: Trump Renews Genocidal Threats to Iran as Ceasefire Collapses