Israel Says Readying 'Imminent' Attack On Iran As Airlines Cancel Flights To Region

Summary:

Middle East braces for Israeli 'retaliation' attack on Iran after Israel War Cabinet meets

Israeli Air Force says it has completed 'preparation' and that an attack is 'imminent'

US officials tell WSJ they believe Israel will launch an anti-Iran operation today

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi: Iranian missile and drone attack on Israel “will be met with a response.”

Netanyahu orders military: draw up a list of targets

Several major airlines canceling flights to Tel Aviv and whole region.

State Dept spox: “commitment to Israel’s security is sacrosanct”.

G7 working on measures against Iran as China, Russia signal weekend attack won't hurt relations with Tehran

European allies urge Israel against military response

Tehran warns that it's ready to hit back harder.

• • *

Update(1329ET): It appears things are moving fast, via Israel's Channel 12 broadcaster, following the earlier conclusion of Israel's War Cabinet meeting:

THE ISRAELI AIR FORCE HAS COMPLETED ITS PREPARATION FOR AN IMMINENT ATTACK AGAINST IRAN

The Times of Israel top headline has switched to: War cabinet decides to hit Iran back hard, hopes it won’t spark regional war

A host of airlines have canceled flights to the region, including the following:

Germany’s Lufthansa has suspended its regular flights to and from Tel Aviv, Erbil, and Amman, up to and including Monday. Flights to Beirut and Tehran will remain suspended until at least Thursday.

KLM cancelled all flights to and from Tel Aviv until Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Dutch arm of Air France says.

Britain’s easyJet on Sunday paused operations to and from Tel Aviv. The carrier said in an emailed statement to Reuters that it will temporarily pause operations to and from Tel Aviv until April 21.

Wizz Air says it had cancelled most of its flights to and from Tel Aviv, Saturday through Monday.

Finnair has suspended operations in Iranian airspace until further notice, which may cause longer flight times on flights from Doha. A spokesperson said the Finnish carrier will reroute over Egypt, resulting in delays of a “few minutes.”

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/uk-france-germany-join-bidens-call-israels-restraint-while-russia-defends-irans-strike

Zelensky Condemns Iran, Uses Attack On Israel To Ask For More Money

Once again the specter of a major Middle East war has overshadowed the much bloodier and fiercer Russia-Ukraine war, and coming at a moment the Zelensky government is deeply struggling to attract more weapons and funding from Western capitals, most notably Washington.

President Zelensky has weighed in on the Saturday night large-scale Iranian attack on Israel, which was retaliation for the April 1st Israeli strikes that flattened the consulate in Damascus. What's more is he sought to connect what's happening in the Middle East right now to Ukraine.

Zelensky condemned Iran for the attack and said Ukrainians understand the "horror" of Iranian drones which have been deployed by Russia to attack Ukrainian cities.

"Ukraine condemns Iran’s attack on Israel using ‘Shahed’ drones and missiles. We in Ukraine know very well the horror of similar attacks by Russia, which uses the same ‘Shahed’ drones and Russian missiles, the same tactics of mass air strikes," Zelensky wrote on X Sunday.

"Every effort must be made to prevent a further escalation in the Middle East. Iran’s actions threaten the entire region and the world, just as Russia’s actions threaten a larger conflict, and the obvious collaboration between the two regimes in spreading terror must face a resolute and united response from the world," he added.

Zelensky continued while seeking to make a direct connection between the two conflict theaters as follows: "The sound of ‘Shahed’ drones, a tool of terror, is the same in the skies over the Middle East and Europe. This sound must serve as a wake-up call to the free world, demonstrating that only our unity and resoluteness can save lives and prevent the spread of terror worldwide."

He quickly pivoted from this theme of the Iran and Russia dual threats to "the world"… to asking the West for more weapons. The Ukrainian leader emphasized that "words do not stop drones and do not intercept missiles," but only action in form of more advanced weapons systems from allies.

"It is critical that the United States Congress make the necessary decisions to strengthen America’s allies at this critical time," he said.

Back in November, Zelensky actually publicly complained that the war between Israel and Hamas is "taking away the focus" from Russia's action in Ukraine.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/zelensky-condemns-iran-uses-attack-israel-ask-more-money

Why Isn’t Every Republican Leader in America Asking 24/7, “Who is the Real President? Who is Making the Decisions That are Destroying America?” Because We All Know It Isn’t Joe Biden.

Is there anyone left who doesn’t see that Joe Biden is not the president? Joe Biden isn’t running the show.

Everyone in Washington DC knows Joe Biden is for all intents and purposes brain-dead. Everyone knows he should be in a nursing home with a sign around his neck listing his name and phone number in case he wanders off. Everyone knows he wears diapers. Everyone knows he doesn’t know what year it is, or most of the time, where he is, what he’s reading on the teleprompter, or what he’s signing.

This is the worst kept secret in history: Joe Biden is a brain-dead zombie puppet.

Biden is a wooden dummy and someone is the ventriloquist. Biden is the frontman for the biggest scam in world history.

So, why isn’t every Republican politician in Washington DC and America asking “Who is in charge? Who is running the country? Who is making the decisions that change our lives and our children’s future? Who is giving the orders?

Someone is making ridiculous, absurd, insane decisions. Someone wants America destroyed. Someone wants America weak and impotent. Someone wants to turn Americans into serfs and slaves, dependent on government to survive.

Someone wants America part of a One World government with all other poor and powerless nations of the world.

Who made the decision to leave the border open and invite the whole world in- including murderers, terrorists, Jew-hating Muslim radicals, Hamas, Hezbollah, MS-13, and Chinese military-age males? Who would want this?

Who made the decision to leave the border open- thereby allowing all the fentanyl and other deadly drugs in the world to flow into the USA and kill over 100,000 Americans a year? Who would benefit from that?

Who made the decision to add half billion dollars a year to the national debt to pay for 20 million new illegal aliens? Why do we need them? Who benefits?

Who made the decision to treat illegal aliens better than U.S. citizens, and better than even our hero military vets?

Who is making the decision to allow the violent criminals out with “no bail?” Look around- almost every crime in America is committed by criminals arrested or convicted 5 times, 10 times, 20 times, 50 times. Why are they walking the streets? Why are they still breathing? Why aren’t they in prison for life, or given the death penalty?

Who is making the decision to “feminize” the U.S. military and base it on DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion), CRT, climate change, and transgender ideology?

Who made the decision to release billions of dollars to Iran right before they funded one of the worst terror attacks in history upon Israel? Who gave them the green light to attack Israel twice without America lifting a finger to stop them?

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/04/wayne-root-why-isnt-every-republican-leader-america/

Brawl erupts in Georgia parliament over 'Russian-inspired' foreign agent law

Fistfights broke out among Georgian lawmakers on Monday as a parliamentary committee debated a bill on "foreign agents" which critics say is modelled on draconian legislation in neighbouring Russia.

Video from inside the parliament building in the capital Tbilisi showed a brief but violent brawl between lawmakers after the chairman of the chamber's legal affairs committee appeared to strike the leader of the United National Movement opposition party, which opposes the bill.

The governing Georgian Dream bloc last month announced that it supported the legislation, which still needs to pass other approval stages before it can become law.

The law would require organisations receiving more than 20% of their funding from overseas to register as "foreign agents" and submit to monitoring by the justice ministry, or else face hefty fines.

Critics have compared it to a 2012 Russian law, which has been steadily expanded since then and used to crack down on Russian civil society and independent media. They have cast the law as symbolic of an authoritarian shift in Georgia.

"The Russian legislation that now is proposed in parliament is against Georgia's national interests, against our European aspirations," said Irakli Pavlenishvili, a civil rights activist and opposition politician.

"The whole international community and Georgian community is agreed on this topic".

However, Givi Mikanadze, a Georgian Dream lawmaker, told national television: "Georgian society absolutely deserves to know which organisations are being financed, from which sources.

"We are talking about transparency and having an obligation (to the Georgian people)."

The ruling party says it remains committed to Georgia one day joining the European Union.

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili has said she will veto the bill, arguing that it would endanger Georgia's hopes of joining the EU and NATO. Parliament can override a presidential veto. Russia is strongly opposed to Georgia joining NATO.

Last month, more than 60 civil society organisations and media outlets said they would not comply with the new "foreign agent" legislation if it becomes law.

The Reuters Daily Briefing newsletter provides all the news you need to start your day. Sign up here.

Reporting by Felix Light Editing by Andrew Osborn and Gareth Jones

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/fistfight-erupts-georgia-parliament-over-russian-inspired-foreign-agent-law-2023-03-06/

Long Island Rep. D’Esposito’s New Bill Criminalizes Anti-Zionism Through IHRA’s ‘Working Definition’

New York Rep. Anthony D'Esposito curbs free speech with IHRA 'working definition' bill to supplement federal hate crime statutes.

Long Island Republican Rep. Anthony D’Esposito introduced a bill that would include the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) “working definition” of antisemitism to federal civil rights laws, effectively curbing free speech.

The bill titled “Define to Defeat Act” is said to provide Jewish Americans “the same protection against discrimination as everyone else,” according to D’Esposito’s main webpage. The bill, however, enlists entitlements beyond what is seemingly constitutional while prohibiting anti-Zionist or speech critical of Israel.

https://twitter.com/RepDesposito/status/1778543062681108566

D’Esposito is one of many in Congress who has received funding from AIPAC, at $69,000, while serving the people of NY-04. His agenda seems to be unsurprisingly right on par with the Israel Lobby.

The act will “clarify” existing laws to widen civil rights obligations relating to hate crimes. D’Esposito’s presser states, “The legislation would provide federal officials with an objective, contemporary definition of antisemitism, better helping them to assess and prosecute criminal and discriminatory incidents motivated by antisemitism.”

D’Espositio said in the release:

Following the October 7 attacks on Israel, Jews around the world, including in America and New York, endured and continue to endure record-breaking levels of antisemitic attacks and hate. My legislation would provide federal officials the tools they need to fully assess, investigate, and prosecute this criminal behavior.

The Define to Defeat Act does not create a new law or a protected class but only widens the lens through which federal officials can act upon existing civil rights obligations to crimes motivated by bias and hate.

The press release also states that it was a much-needed act since “criminal antisemitic actors” would exercise “loopholes in the laws, such as falsely claiming their attack on Jewish institutions, individuals, or points of Jewish collective identity were motivated by ‘anti-Israel’ sentiment.”

The IHRA’s “working definition” is fairly encompassing and includes anti-Zionism. This conflating of anti-Zionism with antisemitism has been a crutch for the pro-Israel lobby to rely on, particularly as support for Israel drops, according to Gallup. The IHRA’s “working definition” reads:

Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.

The IHRA provides examples of manifestations, including the “targeting of the state of Israel, conceived as a Jewish collectivity.” It also stated, “Antisemitism frequently charges Jews with conspiring to harm humanity, and it is often used to blame Jews for ‘why things go wrong.’ It is expressed in speech, writing visual forms and actions, and employs sinister stereotypes and negative character traits.”

https://nationalfile.com/long-island-rep-despositos-new-bill-criminalizes-anti-zionism-through-ihras-working-definition/

Trump: King of Israel

Manhattan DA’s Office Asks Court to Impose $1,000 Sanctions For Each of Trump’s Social Media Posts for ‘Violating Gag Order’ – Threatens Jail Time

Prosecutors on Monday will be seeking to hold President Trump in contempt for ‘violating’ Judge Merchan’s gag order in the Stormy Daniels ‘hush money’ trial.

Jury selection was underway on Monday morning for Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s lawfare case against Trump. Last April Trump was hit with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records and conspiracy.

The far-left judge overseeing the Stormy Daniels trial trampled all over Trump’s First Amendment rights with a strict gag order.

Juan Merchan earlier this month expanded Trump’s gag order and barred the former president from criticizing his family members.

The judge’s daughter, Loren Merchan, is a far-left political operative who worked for the Biden-Harris campaign.

Earlier this month Trump threw down the gauntlet and blasted Judge Merchan in a series of Truth Social posts.

President Trump said he will continue to tell the truth and will “gladly become a Modern Day Nelson Mandela,” and is willing to “sacrifice my Freedom for that worthy cause.”

“Now, we have Merchan, who is not allowing me to talk, thereby violating the Law and the Constitution, all at once. It is so bad what he is trying to get away with – How was he even chosen for this case??? I heard he fought like hell to get it, and all of the rest of them also! If this Partisan Hack wants to put me in the “clink” for speaking the open and obvious TRUTH, I will gladly become a Modern Day Nelson Mandela – It will be my GREAT HONOR. We have to Save our Country from these Political Operatives masquerading as Prosecutors and Judges, and I am willing to sacrifice my Freedom for that worthy cause. We are a Failing Nation, but on November 5th, we will become a Great Nation again. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump said on Truth Social a couple of weeks ago.

Alvin Bragg’s office is now asking the court to impose sanctions and threatened Trump with jail time.

Per MSNBC: Manhattan DA’s office asks court to impose a $1k sanction for each of 3 prior posts, order him to take them down, and warn him that further violations will result in jail time. DA notes a 9:12 am post today, potentially made inside the courthouse, also violates the order.

NEW: Manhattan DA’s office asks court to impose a $1k sanction for each of 3 prior posts, order him to take them down, and warn him that further violations will result in jail time. DA notes a 9:12 am post today, potentially made inside the courthouse, also violates the order.

— Lisa Rubin (@lawofruby) April 15, 2024

Judge Merchan said he will sign the order to show case that sets forth a briefing schedule.

Merchan says during the lunch break, he’ll sign the order to show cause that sets forth a briefing schedule. With that, we break—and we’ll be back at 1:30.

— Lisa Rubin (@lawofruby) April 15, 2024

The 9:12 am post the DA’s office was referring to was related to a New York Post article bashing Michael Cohen as a “serial perjurer.”

https://www.stationgossip.com/2024/04/breaking-manhattan-das-office-asks.html

Democrat Senate Leader Chuck Schumer Proves He’s a Tool of the Chinese Communist Party [VIDEO]

https://rumble.com/embed/v4my23o/?pub=4

UN Says No Improvement in Aid Access in Northern Gaza

The US has said famine is already occurring in areas of northern Gaza

A UN official overseeing relief efforts in Gaza said aid access has not improved in the northern part of the Strip and pushed back on Israel’s claims that the UN was to blame for the difficulty in distributing the aid.

Jamie McGoldrick, a UN humanitarian coordinator, said the responsibility for the occupying power when it comes to providing humanitarian assistance for starving Palestinians “only ends when…aid reaches the civilians in Gaza.”

“It’s very easy for Israel to say we’ve sent you 1,000 trucks, so please deliver them inside Gaza,” McGoldrick said.

He said distribution inside Gaza was difficult due to the security vacuum and delays due to Israeli checkpoints. Aid workers have also been frequently targeted by Israeli forces, as 177 employees of the UN’s Palestinian relief agency, UNRWA, have been killed since October 7.

The killing of seven workers for the World Central Kitchen grabbed the world’s attention since six of them were from Western countries. In the latest incident, UNICEF workers reported that a vehicle they were traveling in was hit by Israeli gunfire, but nobody was hurt.

McGoldrick made the comments on Friday, the same day Israel announced it started letting aid into northern Gaza through a new border crossing. Israel initially said it would open the Erez border crossing to allow trucks into the northern part of the Strip, but it opened a crossing at a different location, which it didn’t specify. The Israeli military also declined to say how many trucks have been allowed in through the new crossing, so it’s unclear if it will make an impact.

“We’ve been asking for this for months,” McGoldrick said. “We’ve been calling out the fact that there’s a real humanitarian crisis in the north, where famine is imminent…it’s only now that we start to see the announcements.”

Samantha Power, the head of the US Agency for International Development, said last week that she believes famine is already occurring in parts of northern Gaza. Despite the acknowledgment from a high-level US official, the US continues to support Israel’s genocidal campaign and refuses to call for a unilateral ceasefire.

https://news.antiwar.com/2024/04/14/un-says-no-improvement-in-aid-access-in-northern-gaza/

Fetterman Blasts Biden For ‘Not Standing Firmly With Israel’: ‘I Don’t Agree With The President’

“When a nation can launch hundreds of drones towards Israel, I’m not going to be talking about conditions — ever,” he said, later adding that he supported Israel killing the Iranian general in Syria a couple of weeks ago.

President Biden reportedly told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday that the United States would not support an Israeli counterattack against Iran.

“I don’t agree with that,” Fetterman said.

“And I just think we should follow and have Israel’s back in this situation,” he added. “I don’t agree with the president.”

https://www.yourdestinationnow.com/2024/04/fetterman-blasts-biden-for-not-standing.html

Schumer Pledges Support For Israel After Iran Attack. Republicans Remind Him Senate Blocked Aid.

“As Israel is under attack from Iran, we stand with Israel and its people, and the United States will do everything we can to support Israel’s defense against Iran,” Schumer said in a post to X on Saturday.

https://www.womensystems.com/2024/04/schumer-pledges-support-for-israel.html