aggression

US Argues ‘Emergency’ of Iran War Means Israel Needs 20,000+ More Bombs Without Congressional Approval

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Original article by Jon Queally republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

Civil defense forces in Lebanon attempt to extinguish a blaze that erupted after Israeli bombardment on a solar farm and electricity generation facility in southern coastal city of Tyre on March 4, 2026. (Photo by Kawnat HAJU / AFP via Getty Images)

‘Who cares about Israel’s genocide, apartheid, and aggression?” asked one human rights expert.

The US State Department is hiding behind the war against Iran that was started by US President Donald Trump last week to justify an emergency order to ship more than 20,000 bombs—estimated at a value of $660 million—to Israel, skirting a pending approval process for the sale by Congress.

In a statement issued quietly on Friday night, the State Department said 12,000 BLU-110A/B general purpose, 1,000-pound bombs had been determined for approval, noting that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has “provided detailed justification that an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale to the Government of Israel of the above defense articles and defense services is in the national security interests of the United States, thereby waiving the Congressional review requirements under Section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act.”

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Not included in the statement, according to the New York Times, were additional parts of the sale that “include 10,000 bombs of 500 pounds each and 5,000 small-diameter bombs.”

“This is an emergency of the Trump administration’s own creation.” —Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.)

According to the Times:

The State Department did not mention these details in the announcement, but two current US officials and a former, Josh Paul, who worked on weapons transfers at the State Department, said they were part of the emergency sale. The current officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive arms transactions.

This is the first time that the second Trump administration has formally declared an emergency, allowed under the Arms Export Control Act, to bypass Congress to sell arms to Israel. The administration has bypassed the informal approval process in Congress three times to sell arms or send weapons aid to Israel, but previously has not declared an emergency.

The push for the “emergency” arms sale comes as Israel pummels Lebanon with airstrikes, forcing an estimate 500,000 people or more in southern regions outside of Beirut to flee their homes. It also coincides with Israeli forces hitting targets in Iran alongside the US in what experts say is a wholly illegal attack on that country.

Rep. Gregory W. Meeks (D-N.Y.), ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, denounced the move by the Rubio in a Friday statement.

“Today’s invocation of the Arms Export Control Act’s emergency authority to bypass congressional review for two munitions cases to Israel exposes a stark contradiction at the heart of this administration’s case for war,” said Meeks. “The Trump administration has repeatedly insisted it was fully prepared for this war. Rushing to invoke emergency authority to circumvent Congress tells a different story. This is an emergency of the Trump administration’s own creation.”

Others also questioned the emergency sale, especially given Israel’s record of genocide in Gaza over the last two years and its pivotal role in pushing the Trump administration toward a war of choice with Iran.

Meeks, in his statement, argued that key questions about Trump’s war in Iran remain unanswered.

“What is the endgame? What preparations have been made to protect American citizens in the region? And how much will this war cost the American people?” asked Meeks. “The administration has provided no credible answers. The American people deserve answers, and Congress must demand them.”

Original article by Jon Queally republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

Orcas discuss Donald Trump and the killer apes' concept of democracy. Front Orca warns that Trump is crashing his country's economy and that everything he does he does for the fantastically wealthy.
Orcas discuss Donald Trump and the killer apes’ concept of democracy. Front Orca warns that Trump is crashing his country’s economy and that everything he does he does for the fantastically wealthy.
Donald Trump explains why he established his Bored of Peace
Donald Trump explains why he established his Bored of Peace
Orcas discuss rotting brain. Front Orca says "Wish someone would lock him up".
Orcas discuss rotting brain. Front Orca says “Wish someone would lock him up”.
Continue ReadingUS Argues ‘Emergency’ of Iran War Means Israel Needs 20,000+ More Bombs Without Congressional Approval

Portending Another Attack, Israeli Foreign Ministry Smears Sumud Flotilla as ‘Jihadist Initiative’

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Original article by Jessica Corbett republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

Members of the Global Sumud Flotilla wave a Palestinian flag and make a peace symbol with their hands. (Photo by Global Sumud Flotilla)

One journalist said that it “feels like the response is being set up to be more severe than in the past.”

After Hamas urged international support for the Global Sumud Flotilla, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday signaled another potential attack by claiming on social media that the peaceful humanitarian mission to feed starving Palestinians in the Gaza Strip “is a jihadist initiative serving the terror group’s agenda.”

While Israel has not taken responsibility for recent drone attacks on the Global Sumud Flotilla—whose name means perseverance in Arabic—the incidents have raised eyebrows, given the country’s history of attacking previous ones. The foreign ministers of 16 other nations on Tuesday implored Israel not to target this flotilla, which involves activists and political leaders from dozens of countries, including eight US veterans.

As Middle East Eye reported Thursday, Hamas—which Israel and the United States designate as a terrorist organization despite its governance of Gaza—called for escalating the global movement in solidarity with the strip “in rejection of the [Israeli] occupation’s aggression, crimes of genocide, and starvation.”

“We call for mobilizing all means to support the Global Sumud Flotilla heading to Gaza, and we warn the occupation against targeting it,” Hamas also said in a statement, part of which was quoted in the Israeli ministry’s post on X.

Responding on the same platform, journalist Séamus Malekafzali said: “Past comments from the Israeli government about the aid flotillas focused on celebrity vapidity or didn’t mention their aim at all. Now, they’re honing in on it being a supposedly terrorist instrument. Feels like the response is being set up to be more severe than in the past.”

The post came two days after Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism published a report titled “Global Sumud Flotilla”: A Humanitarian Cover With Documented Links to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.

As Brussels Signal reported Thursday:

Flotilla representatives and critics dismissed these claims as Israeli disinformation, echoing accusations leveled at prior missions, and called the report a case of “guilt by association,” reliant on photos and unverified affiliations rather than evidence of operational control.

Organizers emphasised transparent crowdfunding for aid, with no terror funding, and framed the convoy as a grassroots response to aid blockages.

Earlier this week, a commission of independent experts at the United Nations concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, and an investigation from The New Humanitarian found that Israeli forces have killed nearly 3,000 Palestinian aid-seekers and wounded almost 20,000 others since October 2023. As of Thursday, the overall death toll has topped 65,000, though experts warn the true tally is likely far higher.

Original article by Jessica Corbett republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
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Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
Vote Labour for Genocide.
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Continue ReadingPortending Another Attack, Israeli Foreign Ministry Smears Sumud Flotilla as ‘Jihadist Initiative’

US and UK escalate aggression on Yemen as Signal scandal unfolds

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Original article by Aseel Saleh republished from peoples dispatch under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA) license.

US aircraft launched 41 airstrikes early Friday morning across Yemen. Photo: Al Manar news

The last couple of weeks saw an unprecedent escalation by the Western coalition against Yemen, after Ansar Allah resumed Red Sea operations in retaliation for Israel’s renewed genocide and aid ban in Gaza.

For nearly two weeks, the US has conducted daily airstrikes on Yemen. The UK also took part in the heavy, non-stop aggression in different areas across Yemen. 

In the early hours of Friday, March 28, US fighter jets hit more than 40 locations in the Arab country including the capital Sana’a, Saada, Marib, Al-Jawf, and Hodeidah governorates. The airstrikes reportedly left several people across the country injured. 

On Thursday, March 27, at least two people were killed and two others wounded in a series of US airstrikes that targeted the Yemeni capital Sana’a.

The aggression was launched one day after the US launched 15 airstrikes on the southern and northeastern regions of Sanaa, in addition to the vicinity of Sanaa International Airport. The US and the UK targeted the Saada governorate in northwestern Yemen with dozens of airstrikes on the same day as well.

The western coalition had already intensified its airstrikes against Yemen for several days before Wednesday, March 26. Dozens of people, including women and children, were reported killed in the fierce aerial campaign. 

US national security exposed after Signal chat on Yemen’s aggression plan leaked 

A huge scandal has rocked the Trump administration after internal national security deliberations related to the US plans to strike Yemen were mistakenly leaked through the Signal messaging application, on Monday, March 24. 

Contents of the Signal chat were published in The Atlantic after its Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg was seemingly inadvertently added to the chat by US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.

Goldberg disclosed the content of the chat, which was considered a huge breach of data security via a story published by The Atlantic. The journalist revealed that he knew that the US was planning to bomb different targets belonging to Ansar Allah across Yemen on March 15, two hours before the first airstrike was launched.  

Goldberg elaborated that he became aware of the plan once the US Secretary of Defense Pete Hesgeth texted him the information at 11:44 am. Goldberg said that “the plan included precise information about weapons packages, targets, and timing.”

The breach has provoked criticism and raised questions about the accountability in Trump’s cabinet as it has not only revealed sensitive details related to military-operations, but also what was perceived as institutional dishonesty inside the Trump administration. 

Downplaying the seriousness of the leak, Trump called the incident a “witch hunt” while speaking to reporters at the Oval Office. The US President instead focused on the success of the US airstrikes in Yemen. The White House also said that the leaked information shared via the commercial messaging application was not classified.

The Democrats slammed the Trump administration calling on the officials involved to resign. Meanwhile, the Republican and Democratic leaders of the Senate Armed Services Committee issued a bipartisan call for an expedited investigation into the breach.

Progressive movements and commentators have noted that amid the scandal, the attacks on Yemen themselves and their legality seem to be an afterthought for the Democrats who have instead focused their criticisms on the security violations of the officials’ communication.

Der Spiegel exposes new data security breach of Trump’s top officials 

While the Trump administration is trying to dismiss the embarrassing scandal, German news website Der Spiegel reported on Thursday, March 27 that it found the contact data of Trump’s most important security advisers via hacked data dumps and commercial providers. 

The leaked data included password details for Mike Waltz, Pete Hegseth, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, in addition to mobile phone numbers and email addresses. 

The website pointed out that these phone numbers and email addresses are apparently still in use, some of which are linked to accounts on social media networks like Instagram and LinkedIn.

Original article by Aseel Saleh republished from peoples dispatch under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA) license.

Continue ReadingUS and UK escalate aggression on Yemen as Signal scandal unfolds

Israel carries out more airstrikes in Damascus and Beirut

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Original article by Aseel Saleh republished from peoples dispatch under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA) license.

Aftermath of airstrike in Balbek. Photo: Al Akhbar

November marked an increase in Israeli airstrikes on different parts of Syria, foreshadowing a serious escalation in a third front in the region in addition to Gaza and Lebanon.

Israeli warplanes intensified their deadly attacks on different parts of the Syrian capital Damascus, and the Southern Suburb (Dahiyeh) in the Lebanese capital Beirut on Thursday, November 14.

The aerial attacks on Damascus targeted residential buildings in both Mazzeh and Qudsaya areas, leaving at least 15 people killed and 16 others injured, in addition to causing significant material damage to a number of buildings, according to a source in the Syrian military.

Thursday’s airstrikes on Damascus were preceded by a series of airstrikes that targeted different parts of Syria within the last couple of weeks. On Wednesday, November 13, Israeli fighter jets struck bridges on the Orontes River and roads in Al-Qusayr area in Homs countryside, near the Syrian Lebanese borders. The airstrikes inflicted great damage on the bridges and roads, which consequently became out of service, as per a report published by the Syrian Arab News Agency SANA.

On Sunday, November 10, Israeli warplanes targeted a residential building in the Sayyidah Zaynab area of Damascus, killing seven civilians including women and children. Previous airstrikes were launched by Israeli fighter jets on November 4, targeting a number of sites south of Damascus, resulting in material damages.

Syria’s Foreign and Expatriates Ministry condemned the Israeli attacks in a statement issued on Thursday. “The Israeli entity’s continuation of its attacks on Syria today comes only two days after the joint Arab-Islamic summit in Riyadh issued a broad condemnation of its brutal and escalating aggression on Syrian territory, and its warning of the danger of this escalation that is ravaging the region and its regional and international repercussions,” the Ministry stated.

“Syria affirms that the usurping entity’s continued disregard for international laws and regulations, and its indifference to all international demands to stop its aggression and violations, comes as a result of the Security Council’s failure to take a firm and real stance to deter it from its crimes, which also included attacks on international peacekeeping forces in Lebanon,” the Ministry added.

Meanwhile, Israel carried out at least four rounds of air raids on different targets across Beirut’s Southern Suburb (Dahiyeh), including Al-Amrousiyeh area near Beirut’s International Airport. Moreover, the Israeli aggression continued to target different areas of South Lebanon and Beqaa. The attacks across Lebanon on Thursday left at least 11 people killed and several others wounded, according to media reports.

The escalation of Israeli aggression and its expansion on different fronts has been increasing despite the mounting regional and international calls for a ceasefire and de-escalation, which indicates Israel’s total disregard of international law and its obligations. Israel insists on committing blatant violations of territorial integrity of sovereign states, due to the impunity it enjoys, and being given the greenlight by the United States.

Original article by Aseel Saleh republished from peoples dispatch under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA) license.

Continue ReadingIsrael carries out more airstrikes in Damascus and Beirut