Iranian Ex-Official Supports Porn Star’s Stance On Israel

In sustained air strikes, Israel targeted more than 200 locations within a Gaza City neighborhood that Hamas had reportedly been using as launch sites for their attacks. The Gaza health ministry reported at least 950 fatalities and 5,000 injuries in the densely populated enclave.

Hamas invasion of southern Israel on October 7 has resulted in over 1,200 Israeli casualties, primarily among civilians. Some individuals were taken hostage and paraded through Gaza's streets. Hamas issued threats to execute Israeli captives in response to each Gaza home struck, but it remained uncertain if these threats were carried out.

Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant made a commitment to bring "significant changes to Gaza," hinting at the possibility of a ground offensive. Report say that more than 1,000 gunmen from Gaza were killed.

Reports also emerged of rocket fire originating from Lebanon and Syrian territory towards Israel, raising concerns about the conflict's potential expansion. Israeli forces responded with retaliatory actions.

"We do not yet know if these rockets were fired by the Syrian armed forces, by any of the many Iranian militias that exist and are welcomed by the Syrian regime, or Hezbollah or any other action," said Israel's Lieutenant Colonel Conricus.

"What we do know is that we retaliated fire toward the sources of fire, and currently the situation there is quiet."

With the escalating violence, numerous countries undertook efforts to evacuate their stranded citizens due to flight cancellations.

The conflict also spilled over into the West Bank and East Jerusalem, leading to casualties and injuries among Palestinians involved in clashes with Israeli forces.

According to copies of documents obtained by Iran International, in the first drafts of the press release from the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and the US, it had clearly sent a message to Iran to stay out of the fray.

It stated: “Our countries will support Israel in its efforts to defend itself and its people against such atrocities. We further call on other extremist groups, and any state that may seek to take advantage of such a situation, and in particular Iran, not to seek to exploit this situation for other ends, or to spread the conflict beyond Gaza.”

However, just hours later, when the final statements went out from President Macron of France, Chancellor Scholz of Germany, Prime Minister Meloni of Italy, Prime Minister Sunak of the United Kingdom, and President Biden of the United States, the reference to the Iranian regime had disappeared.

It comes as fingers are pointing at Iran for Hamas’s surprise attack on Israel on Saturday morning which since it began, has seen over 1,200 Israelis dead, more than 2,000 seriously wounded, and dozens taken hostage to Gaza.

As the days go by, more revelations expose the brutality of the assault which has seen babies beheaded, elderly women taken hostage, and young women raped and burnt alive in the streets. Retaliation from Israel has seen Gaza slowly razed, key members of the terror network assassinated and huge swathes of the enclave crushed. Hundreds have already died.

While there is no conclusive evidence as to the involvement of Iran in the worst offensive against the Jewish state in 50 years, Hamas is its biggest Palestinian proxy, receiving at least $100m a year in addition to military support and training. High level leaders of Iran’s Palestinian proxies have also had multiple meetings in recent weeks orchestrated and hosted by Tehran.

The latest statement of the world leaders instead read on Tuesday: “Our countries will support Israel in its efforts to defend itself and its people against such atrocities. We further emphasise that this is not a moment for any party hostile to Israel to exploit these attacks to seek advantage.”

The US has moved aircraft carriers into the Mediterranean as a clear deterrent to Iran not to escalate matters, from its proxies in Syria and Lebanon or its own soil.

While Iran’s Supreme Leader and President led the charge to sing out praise for the Hamas operation, General Charles Q. Brown, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said its moving support into the region was a clear warning to other countries, namely Iran’s proxies, ”not to get involved."

"We want to send a pretty strong message. We do not want this to broaden, and the idea is for Iran to get that message loud and clear," Brown said on Monday, naming Iran in no uncertain terms.

The group of world leaders in the latest show of support released on Tuesday, expressed its “unequivocal condemnation of Hamas and its appalling acts of terrorism”, adding that its actions have “no justification, no legitimacy, and must be universally condemned”, contrary to the regime rhetoric that Israel’s “occupation” has led to the current situation.

“In recent days, the world has watched in horror as Hamas terrorists massacred families in their homes, slaughtered over 200 young people enjoying a music festival, and kidnapped elderly women, children, and entire families, who are now being held as hostages,” the group said, while recognising what it called “the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people”.

“But make no mistake: Hamas does not represent those aspirations, and it offers nothing for the Palestinian people other than more terror and bloodshed,” it added.

On Wednesday, missiles were fired once again into Israel from Lebanon, the IDF responded with artillery fire. While Hezbollah continues to claim responsibility, the IDF Tuesday morning claimed the group responsible for the hostilities of recent days was Palestinian Islamic Jihad, also backed by Tehran.

Israeli shelling hit southern Lebanese towns in response to a fresh rocket attack by powerful armed group Hezbollah, as cross-border violence extended into a fourth day.

Hezbollah said it had fired precision missiles at an Israeli position in response to the killing of its members in Israeli shelling earlier this week, pledging "decisive" responses to attacks on Lebanese territory, especially deadly ones.

The Israeli military said it was attacking Lebanon after one of its northern positions near the Israeli town of Arab al-Aramshe was targeted with anti-tank fire on Wednesday.

It did not immediately provide details on casualties.

A Lebanese security source said Hezbollah fired two precision missiles into Israel, which the group considers its sworn enemy.

Residents of the southern Lebanese town of Rmeish said Israeli shelling hit nearby. A security source told Reuters that Israeli artillery rounds were hitting the rocket launch point around Dhayra, across from Arab al-Aramshe.

Local Lebanese television station al-Jadeed broadcast images of plumes of white smoke billowing out of a wooded region near some homes and farmland in Dhayra.

Hezbollah and Palestinian faction Hamas both claimed attacks from Lebanon on Tuesday. Lebanon's Hezbollah fired a guided missile at an Israeli tank, posting a video of its destruction, and Hamas said it launched a salvo of rockets into Israel.

The outbreak of violence along the border came after Hamas launched a deadly attack against Israel at the weekend, with Israel unleashing a bombing campaign against Gaza.

Shadi Shahidzadeh, Mansour Amini, Ataollah Zafar, and Valiollah Ghadamian received individual prison terms of five, three, and two years, respectively. The charges levied against them were related to "membership in illegal groups and associations with the intent of undermining national security," as reported by the US-based human rights advocacy group HRANA on Wednesday.

The Baha'i community is the largest non-Muslim religious minority in Iran loathed by the Shiite clerics and systematically persecuted since the Islamic Republic was established in 1979.

Earlier this year, they had received five-year prison sentences in a court, based on allegations linked to their faith.

Last week, the UK Foreign Office issued a statement stressing the immediate need to cease the harassment and persecution of the Baha'i community by the Islamic Republic. The UK government deemed the ongoing mistreatment of Baha'is as “unacceptable” and called upon the Iranian government to release all Baha'i prisoners, especially those who are elderly, require medical attention, or are in vulnerable situations.

The UK also underscored the importance of the judiciary refraining from imposing excessive bails on Baha'i detainees.

Since September 26, at least eight Baha'i citizens have been apprehended in Shiraz and Yazd. In August, the Baha'i International Community released a statement highlighting the continued suppression of Baha'is, including the arrests of approximately 60 Baha'is and the confiscation of properties belonging to 59 other Baha'is.

The United States House of Representatives also passed a resolution condemning the harassment of Baha'is by the Iranian government. The resolution called for the release of Baha'i prisoners and other individuals detained due to their religious beliefs.

Spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters the Biden administration is now trying to establish if the regime in Iran or elements within the system contributed to the planning of the attack by Hamas militants.

“Iran likely knew that Hamas was planning operations against Israel, but without the precise timing or scope of what occurred,” Miller told journalists at the State Department’s press briefing.

The Islamic Republic has been supporting Hamas for many years. It’s not yet established, however, how far the IRGC was involved in Hamas’ most recent operation.

Ghazi Hamad, a Hamas spokesman, told the BBC that the group had direct backing for the attack on Israel from Iran. A report in Wall Street Journal suggested the same, quoting unnamed sources from Hamas and Hezbollah.

Iran has denied involvement in the operation, which has killed more than 1,200 Israelis. “They say the Islamic Iran was behind this move… they are wrong… Palestinians did it themselves,” said Supreme Leader Ali Khamanei Tuesday.

On numerous occasions before, he has boasted that his regime has had a hand in confrontations against Israel (like the 33-day War with Hezbollah in 2006) and that Iran will keep on helping “any group that fights the Zionist regime.”

The extent of the regime’s involvement in the Hamas attack, if and when it’s established, would likely inform the nature of the response from Israel and the United States. Many in Washington are already pushing for retaliatory measures, including re-freezing the $6 billion of Iran’s old revenue that was unblocked last month to secure the release of five Iranian-Americans held hostage in Tehran.

US Senators have written to President Biden, demanding that access to the money (currently held in a Qatari bank) be denied.

“The State Department should immediately rescind the waivers that allowed Iranian funds converted and moved to more accessible bank accounts,” reads the lawmakers’ letter to Biden, “as well as work with US ally Qatar to immediately freeze the accounts containing these funds.”

The signatories believe that the $6 billion, even if used solely and entirely for humanitarian purposes, would free up other funds in Iran to be used on other, ‘malign’ activities.

Responding to this argument, the State Department Spokesperson said he could confirm that “not a cent” of the $6 billion has been spent at this point. “And we have the ability to freeze it at any time,” Miller concluded.

Hamas’ attack on Israel has enraged those who believe they had warned the Biden administration of the consequences of its lenient approach to the regime in Iran.

“Concessions to the ayatollahs have made them believe America will not stand up for itself or our allies,” Senator Tom Cotton told Fox News Tuesday, “President Biden must reverse his policies that have emboldened Iran and its terrorist proxies.”

It seems to be an attack line the Republicans would not abandon soon.

“Make no mistake— Hamas's genocidal violence was partly enabled by Biden unfreezing billions of dollars to Iran,” Senator Ted Cruz said Tuesday.

Tim Scott, another Republican Senator who is a ranking member of the Senate Committee on Banking, called for a hearing and an investigation into the ‘release of the $6 billion to Iran’.

“We should be signaling strength - not leniency - when it comes to Iran,” Senator Scott said in a statement Tuesday, “that’s why now is the time to pass my Solidify Iran Sanctions Act and send the message that Iran should not expect U.S. sanctions to lapse.”