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COMMENTARY: Evil Islamic regime posed existential threat to free world

HILLEL NEWMAN - March 20, 2026

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Over the past few weeks, I have been asked repeatedly: Why, and why now?

Three weeks ago, the United States and Israel launched a joint operation, “Roaring Lion”, also known as “Epic Fury”, against the brutal and destabilising Islamic Republic regime in Iran. This is not a war over territory or resources. It is an urgent act of self-defence for the protection of millions of innocent civilians, for regional stability, and for the values that underpin the free world. At its core, it is a struggle between barbarism and civilisation.

Prior to the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Israel and the United States maintained good relations with Iran. That changed overnight. The Islamic Republic regime declared itself an enemy of both Israel and the West, institutionalising calls of “Death to America” and “Death to Israel”.

These were not empty slogans; they became a blueprint for action.

Over decades, the regime built and financed a global network of terror proxies, including Hezbollah and Hamas, to export its ideology and violence. At the centre of this effort stands the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, responsible for orchestrating terror operations, weapons proliferation and regional destabilisation.

The Islamic Republic regime has relentlessly pursued nuclear capabilities and developed vast ballistic missile arsenals. For more than 20 years, the international community has sought to resolve this through diplomacy. Negotiations were pursued in good faith and extended repeatedly to give diplomacy every possible chance.

Throughout this period, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported repeated violations and noncompliance by Iran.

These efforts failed not because diplomacy was not tried, but because the regime chose delaying tactics and an uncompromising attitude. It chose escalation over compliance. It became clear that the Iranian regime will never cease its efforts to annihilate the state of Israel and Western civilisation.

So the “Why now?” is clear. The threat grew, till it posed existential threats that could not be overlooked or delayed any further.

The objectives of the current operation are to remove two existential threats: the regime’s nuclear ambitions and its ballistic missile program. Both had reached a critical and time-sensitive stage, with efforts under way to harden and conceal capabilities deep underground, placing them beyond the reach of any future intervention.

The operation also targets the instruments of internal repression, including the IRGC and the Basij forces, which have brutally suppressed the Iranian people.

In doing so, the operation seeks to create conditions in which Iranians themselves may determine their future, free from decades of violence and oppression. We draw a firm distinction between the Islamic Republic regime and the people of Iran.

Our confrontation is not with the Iranian people, but with a regime that has oppressed them for nearly half a century.

The hope is that this moment will also open a path for Iranians to reclaim their future.

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In the weeks since the launch of the operation, the Islamic Republic regime has demonstrated the scale of the threat it poses, by escalated attacks across the region, targeting 12 countries.

It demonstrated also the lack of any checks and balances in this regime.

In stark contrast to the precise US-Israel actions, directed solely at military objectives, the regime directed indiscriminate missile and drone attacks aimed at civilian populations.

Some have questioned the legality of this operation. Such criticism ignores a fundamental reality.

For more than four decades, Iran has waged a sustained campaign of aggression through proxies and direct attacks. Thousands of Americans and Israelis have been killed in attacks linked to Iran’s proxies.

Millions of Israelis have lived for decades under constant threat, with mere seconds to seek shelter from incoming rockets. Australians, living more than 12,000km from our region, have also experienced the threat and impact of Iranian terror.

Iranian-linked activities reached Australian soil, and the government has responded with firm diplomatic and security measures, including the designation of the IRGC as a terror entity and the expulsion of the Iranian ambassador.

Australia has acknowledged the threat and rightfully stood by its allies in confronting destabilising behaviour in the region.

Under international law, states have not only the right but the obligation to defend and protect their citizens. This operation is not only a US and Israel concern. It is a broader effort to defend a rules-based international order against those who seek to undermine it through violence and coercion.

The outcome of this confrontation will be consequential. We are witnessing the potential reshaping of the Middle East. Removing the existential threats posed by the Islamic Republic regime could open the door to peace, stability and co-operation across the region.

The dividing line today is not between religions or cultures, but between moderates and extremists. Israel, Australia and many countries across the Arab world stand firmly in the camp of moderation and want to see the circle of peace grow, including through frameworks such as the Abraham Accords.

Over the past few days, the question has shifted from why and why now to: What comes next? In taking action, we are not only defending our citizens, we are helping to secure a safer and more stable future for our region and for partners such as Australia who share these values.

Hillel Newman is Israel’s new ambassador to Australia.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/evil-islamic-regime-posed-existential-threat-to-free-world/news-story/a68690208cdf724284cff0e50e7ea7f8

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese heckled, protester thrown out after commotion at Lakemba Mosque

Yashee Sharma - Mar 20, 2026

The Muslim community's strained relationship with the federal government reached a boiling point today as protesters heckled Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at Lakemba Mosque in south-west Sydney.

Albanese and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, whose electorate covers Lakemba, attended ahead of Eid al-Fitr celebrations tonight, which mark the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

They were sitting during a speech to the congregation when protesters came forward and booed the pair, yelling "shame", "disgrace", "genocide supporters" and "get them out of here".

The speaker and other members of the community tried to calm the protesters, but they continued to shout.

Albanese and Burke remained seated as the speech continued.

But after about 15 minutes, their security detail appeared to signal that they should leave.

NSW Police were called to the mosque over a disturbance about 8am and ordered a 33-year-old man to move on. He was escorted out without any further incident.

The man, Sheikh Mukhlis, said he was thrown off the stairs barefoot after heckling Albanese and Burke.

"The question we need to ask ourselves is why are they there in our sacred places, in our sacred times, put up in front, smiling for photos," he said in a social media video.

"The irony is, if you listen to what the sheikh was actually saying in his khutbah, about our happiness being incomplete because there isn't peace in Gaza and there's a war in Lebanon."

The Muslim community has been divided on whether the federal government should be invited to events due to their ongoing strained relationship.

There have been increased tensions due to criticisms of the government's response to the Israeli war in Gaza, the increase in Islamophobic attacks in Australia and the NSW Police's response to Muslim men who were praying during a protest in Sydney.

Lakemba Mosque itself has received several hateful and threatening letters this year, which it said have left the community fearful.

Today was the first time the Lebanese Muslim Association invited Albanese to the Lakemba Mosque since October 7, 2023.

Lebanese Muslim Association secretary and spokesman Hajj Gamel Kheir said choosing to re-engage with the government is a way to give their concerns a voice.

"Walking away from engagement has not advanced our community, nor has it changed outcomes overseas," he said in a statement after the incident this morning.

"We do not open our doors for appearances.

"We do so because real conversations require access, and because our community deserves to be heard directly, not spoken about from a distance."

In a social media post after the commotion, Albanese said it was an honour to attend the Lakemba Mosque.

"Eid Mubarak. An honour to join thousands for Eid al-Fitr at Lakemba Mosque this morning," he said.

Albanese also visited the Lakemba Ramadan Night Markets with his wife Jodie and Canterbury-Bankstown Mayor Bilal El-Hayek earlier this month.

9news.com.au has contacted Albanese and Burke for comment.

https://www.9news.com.au/national/prime-minister-anthony-albanese-heckled-lakemba-mosque/8492774d-2843-46c2-be1e-71fa75fbfa72

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vidXvJ2sW4

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Albanese, Burke shouted at as anger erupts at Eid prayers at mosque

Maani Truu and Rachel Holdsworth - 20 March 2026

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Anger at the government has spilled over at an Eid prayer event attended by the prime minister and home affairs minister, with a couple of attendees calling for the politicians to be removed from the Western Sydney mosque.

Anthony Albanese and Tony Burke — whose electorate includes Lakemba, where the event was held this morning — sat quietly as a small number of people began yelling during a speech to the congregation following the prayers.

Hecklers could be heard shouting "boo Tony Burke, boo Albanese", "genocide supporters", and "get them out of here". Other attendees appeared to give the prime minister and local member a warm welcome.

The speaker urged calm from the crowd, many of whom remained seated, before continuing his address.

"You called him honourable, he's responsible for the deaths of 1 billion people, 1 billion of our brothers and sisters," another attendee shouted.

"You don't represent us anymore."

The prime minister downplayed the incident on Friday, telling reporters that there were more than 30,000 people in attendance and "overwhelmingly the reception was incredibly positive".

"I walked through the crowd to the mosque, and not a single person heckled. There were a couple of hecklers inside; they were dealt with," he said.

"Contrary to what's been suggested, no-one was rushed out. We just sat there … it was dealt with by the community themselves because overwhelmingly they did not want that to occur."

Both Mr Albanese and Mr Burke remained until the end of the speech, which was held to mark the end of Ramadan, before being led out of the mosque run by the Lebanese Muslim Association.

The organisation's secretary, Gamel Kheir, defended the decision to invite the two politicians to the event while acknowledging he knew it would upset some community members who felt frustrated and alienated over a rise in Islamophobia.

"This is controversial in trying to get the prime minister to a sacred place like a mosque, I appreciate that," he told the ABC.

"But there has to be a way where you have access to government in order to express the anger."

The event was not a photo opportunity for the prime minister, he said, but a chance for him to hear the concerns of the community.

Lakemba Mosque has received several threats in recent weeks, including one addressing Mr Kheir by name.

"I believe he saw first hand the fact that there is a very much divided and angry community over what's happening," he said.

In a separate statement, the Lebanese Muslim Association wrote that Mr Albanese was welcome at the prayers and that they would "continue to open" their doors.

"We understand emotions are high, particularly given the ongoing suffering in Gaza and the devastation in Lebanon. These are not distant issues for our community," it read.

"But we also need to be clear. Choosing to engage with the elected leadership of this country is not a betrayal of those concerns. It is how we give them a voice."

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Community split over politicians at mosques

Mukhlis Mah, a member of the Stand for Palestine group, was among the protesters.

In a video posted to social media a short time after the disruption, he said: "The question we need to ask ourselves is why are they there in our sacred places in our sacred times, put up the front smiling for photos?"

The group has repeatedly called for politicians to be banned from Ramadan and Eid events and, in the past, has shared statements by Hizb ut-Tahrir, which was recently listed as a hate group under new legislation passed in the wake of the Bondi terror attack.

Mr Albanese linked his government's legislative response to the protest, alleging that "some people don't like that we've outlawed extremist organisations like Hizb ut-Tahrir and that brought a response from a couple of people."

Politicians faced similar protests during Eid last year, when the religious holiday coincided with the federal election campaign.

Former Coalition frontbencher Jason Wood had to be escorted out of an event on the outskirts of Melbourne after he was loudly heckled and physical altercations broke out.

Mr Burke also abandoned a scheduled appearance at a Ramadan prayer event in Lakemba last year after plans for a protest were circulated.

Members of the Muslim community are split on the issue of whether politicians should be invited into places of worship, as has happened for years. Some see their presence as a sign of progress, while others believe it is inappropriate.

Mr Burke and Mr Albanese have been contacted for comment.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-20/albanese-burke-heckled-as-anger-erupts-at-eid-prayers/106476780

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzQmQOknFr4

https://x.com/AlboMP/status/2034759622545060027

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Randa Abdel-Fattah slams Muslim event organisers for inviting PM, Burke to Lakemba mosque

JAMES DOWLING - 21 March 2026

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Anthony Albanese has played down a confrontation with protesters at a Sydney mosque, where he and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke were heckled as “genocide supporters”, insisting the overall reception was “incredibly positive”.

The Prime Minister and Mr Burke clashed with attendees of an Eid prayer event at the Lakemba mosque on Friday morning, where members of controversial protest cohort Stand4Palestine criticised Labor’s support for Israel amid ongoing Middle East conflict.

In the hours after the tense scenes, pro-Palestine academic Randa Abdel-Fattah criticised the Lebanese Muslim Association, which invited Mr Albanese and Mr Burke to the event, for granting them a “reward for supporting the genocide”.

But the LMA defended the decision, and said there needed to be a “circuit-breaker” after years of blocking MPs from attending.

Footage shared by Stand4Palestine shows organiser Mukhlis Mah being frogmarched away from the mosque while a large crowd watched outside.

“How dare you come here, this is our sacred place,” Mr Mukhlis said. “How could you?

“Why are you inviting him here today? The shame is on you.”

A physical altercation broke out during the interruption, which was quickly settled while Mr Albanese and Mr Burke sat without intervening.

“Genocide supporters, this is bad, Allahu Akbar (God is the greatest),” one protester said while filming.

“Why is he here? Get them out of here … go home.”

Another said Mr Albanese was “responsible for millions of Muslim deaths”, and should not be introduced as “honourable”.

“Why are you protecting him,” they asked.

He was called a “putrid dog” and told to “get out of here, mate” as he left.

“You have killed our brothers and sisters,” another heckler said.

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Mr Albanese said: “Overwhelmingly the reception was incredibly positive”.

“I walked through the crowd to the mosque, and not a single person heckled,” he said. “There were a couple of hecklers inside. They were dealt with … by the community themselves because overwhelmingly, they did not want that to occur.”

He largely attributed the hostile response to support for Hizb ut-Tahrir, rather than frustration at the Middle East conflict.

“Some people don’t like the fact that we’ve outlawed extremist organisations, like Hizb ut-Tahrir, and that brought a response from a couple of people.

“But if you’ve got a couple of people heckling in a crowd of 30,000, that should be put in perspective.”

Mr Albanese also shared a bundle of photos from the event on social media, without acknowledging the disruption, featuring him sitting among worshippers and taking a picture with a father and son.

Dr Abdel-Fattah said the Lebanese Muslim Association, the custodians of Lakemba Mosque who organised the event, had given Labor a “reward for supporting the genocide” by bringing them into Eid prayers at the country’s largest Muslim religious centre.

“The Israeli regime closed Al Aqsa mosque. Yet you invited the supporters and sponsors of Israel to our mosque here,” she wrote.

“There is no dua (supplication) strong enough against the traitors who invited them. The blood of Palestinians and Lebanese and Iranians is on the hands of the LMA.

“I hope your grants and selfies are worth it. Eternal shame. Islam is dignity and justice as evidenced by the principled people who protested and raised their voices and bodies against this corruption.”

Stand4Palestine also targeted the LMA on social media.

“Our dear sheikh Mukhlis Mah disgracefully thrown out of Lakemba Mosque for standing against the genocide supporting Albanese,” the group wrote on social media.

“He stood valiantly against his presence.”

Stand4Palestine is linked with fundamentalist Islamic group Hizb ut-Tahrir, though denies any formal connection.

Hizb ut-Tahrir was listed as a prohibited hate group on March 5 under new legislation passed after the Bondi attack.

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LMA secretary Gamel Kheir compared the disruption it to Mr Albanese’s frosty reception at the December 21 Bondi vigil where he was also booed by the crowd.

“If you compare it to what happened to the Prime Minister straight after the Bondi issue, where he was heckled … the vast majority were very respectful of the position and the fact that he did attend,” Mr Kheir said.

“To his credit, he stayed sitting down. He insisted that my speech finish. Which I did. But he was very calm, he was very collected.”

He said Friday’s service was the first Eid event federal MPs had been invited to after a years-long boycott.

“For the last couple of years, we haven’t approached – nor have we been approached by – any politicians to attend, which was traditionally the case,” he told The Australian.

“We took an active position not to invite them and we just thought that there needed to be a circuit breaker.

“The idea behind inviting the politicians was there had to be a message being sent that the community in Australia is suffering immensely from what’s happening overseas and the rise of Islamophobia – and that was the intention behind it. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but we needed something in order to be able to break that circuit of no communication with government, in order to express our concerns.”

Sheik Wesam Charkawi, who at last month’s anti-Herzog protest led prayers that were forcefully disrupted by NSW Police, also condemned the LMA for inviting Mr Albanese and Mr Burke.

“Where is the dignity?” he wrote on social media.

“The genocide supporters and enablers … must never have a place in our mosques. This self imposed humiliation has consequences.

“These are the very reasons why the Muslim community has zero consideration when it comes to policy and law. These are also the reasons why they deem the community irrelevant.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/anthony-albanese-tony-burke-heckled-at-eid-event-in-lakemba-mosque/news-story/93d4b30afe4dc3bf3da161fd9d73cc4c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHjpk8OiGF8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnr-mnr2i7I

https://www.instagram.com/p/DWFYZOQEiXM/

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Elon Musk’s brutal two-word Albo spray

Abisha Sapkota - 21 March 2026

Elon Musk has responded to the dramatic scenes of Anthony Albanese being heckled at Australia’s largest mosque.

Mr Albanese and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke were heckled and accused of being “genocide supporters” during Eid celebrations at Lakemba Mosque in Sydney’s southwest on Friday morning.

The pair are seated at the front of the mosque in video obtained by the ABC when a man in the crowd shouts “genocide supporters” while others audibly boo.

When another man attempts to intervene, the heckler says “genocide supporter, man”.

“Genocide supporters. Boo,” he shouts.

Mr Musk took to X to share that, “He is a simple man”, referring to Mr Albanese.

Speaking from South Australia, Mr Albanese said there were 30,000 people at the mosque and that “overwhelmingly the reception was incredibly positive”.

“I walked through the crowd to the mosque and not a single person heckled,” he said.

“There were a couple of hecklers inside, they were dealt with … no one was rushed out, we just sat there, it was dealt with.

“It was dealt with by the community themselves because overwhelmingly they did not want that to occur.”

Mr Albanese thanked organisers for the “very warm reception that occurred”.

“Yes, there were a couple of people who were heckling. Some people don’t like the fact that we have outlawed extremist organisations like Hizb ut-Tahrir, and that brought a response from a couple of people,” he said.

“But if you got a couple of people heckling in a crowd of 30,000, that should be put in that perspective.”

The incident was absent from a subsequent social media post by the Prime Minister.

Mr Albanese can be seen smiling and shaking hands with congregants in the post, which is captioned: “Eid Mubarak.

“An honour to join thousands for Eid al-Fitr at Lakemba Mosque this morning.”

In the video, a physical altercation also appears to break out between at least two men, with one man having his mouth covered by another man’s hand at one stage.

One of the men has since been identified as Stand4Palestine activist Mukhlis Mah.

“They threw him out and the police took over, throwing him down the stairs and giving him a move-on order,” the caption on a video posted to Stand4Palestine Instagram stated.

The group claimed Mr Mah was “thrown out” and that Lebanese Muslim Association (LMA) staff, who administer the mosque, put their hands on his mouth.

In the separate video, a voice shouts to get Mr Albanese and Mr Burke “out of here”.

“How dare you come here? How dare you come here? How dare you come here? This is our sacred place,” the voice shouts before being muffled by the scuffle.

In a statement, NSW Police said officers were called to the mosque after reports of a “disturbance during a meeting /service”.

“Officers attached to Campsie Police Area Command attended and removed a 33-year-old man from the premises before issuing him a move-on direction, which was complied with,” police said.

In a post, the LMA noted the Prime Minister’s visit was the first in the more than two and a half years since the October 7 attack and Israel’s subsequent war on Gaza, with no invitations to politicians having been issued in that time.

In a statement, the LMA said it was aware that “emotions are high”.

“But, we also need to be clear,” it stated.

“Choosing to engage with elected leadership of this country is not a betrayal of those concerns,” in regard to wars in Gaza and Lebanon.

“Walking away from engagement has not advanced out community, nor has it changed outcomes overseas.

“It has not reduced Islamophobia here, and it has not strengthened our ability to influence decisions that affect us.”

https://au.news.yahoo.com/musk-brutal-two-word-albo-214145060.html

https://x.com/elonmusk/status/2034963059496952007

https://qresear.ch/?q=Elon+Musk

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‘We always say yes to them’: Trump wants Australia to participate in Iran war

Michael Koziol - March 21, 2026

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Washington: US President Donald Trump said he was surprised Australia “said no” to his request to help with the war in Iran, and called on Canberra to “get involved”.

Asked what he wanted Australia to do, Trump said: “They should get involved… I was a little bit surprised that they said ‘no’ because we always say yes to them.”

It was not immediately clear what Trump was referring to when he said Australia had refused a request to help.

The president was responding to a question from Sky News Australia as he boarded a US military helicopter to leave the White House, bound for Florida. He did not respond to further shouted questions.

Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles has previously acknowledged US requests for help with the Iran operation, without offering specifics.

Australia did not accede to that request, but agreed to provide defensive assistance to the United Arab Emirates by deploying a Wedgetail surveillance aircraft to the Gulf, following a request from the UAE.

Marles said there had been no request from Washington for Australia to send a warship to the Strait of Hormuz.

The Albanese government did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump’s latest remarks.

On Monday (US time), Trump called out Australia, Japan and South Korea for not assisting in the operation, at the same time as he said the US did not need their help. “WE NEVER DID!” he said in that post.

He has been especially critical of the United Kingdom for not sending aircraft carriers to assist, and of the US’s NATO allies for not participating in efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

However, on Thursday, the leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan said they were ready to contribute to “appropriate efforts” to help unblock the crucial shipping passage.

The British government has now also signed off on allowing the US to use UK military bases for “defensive operations” to degrade Iranian missile sites and capabilities that are being used to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

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After leaving Washington on Friday evening, Trump posted to Truth Social saying that the US was getting close to meeting its objectives in Iran and considering winding down military operations.

He listed those objectives as: degrading Iran’s missile capability, destroying its industrial base, eliminating its navy and air force, preventing it from getting close to developing nuclear weapons, and protecting the US’ Middle Eastern allies such as Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and others.

Trump suggested the US would withdraw and leave policing the Strait to allies that were more dependent on oil exports from the Middle East.

“The Hormuz Strait will have to be guarded and policed, as necessary, by other Nations who use it - The United States does not!” Trump wrote.

“If asked, we will help these Countries in their Hormuz efforts, but it shouldn’t be necessary once Iran’s threat is eradicated. Importantly, it will be an easy Military Operation for them.”

But Trump’s statement seemed at odds with his administration’s move to send more troops and warships to the region and request another $US200 billion ($284 billion) from Congress to fund the war.

His comments came shortly after he rejected declaring a ceasefire in Iran, while expressing confidence the Strait of Hormuz would “open itself” despite allies’ reluctance to offer assistance.

“It’s a simple military manoeuvre. It’s relatively safe,” he said. “But you need a lot of help, in the sense of: you need ships. You need volume. NATO could help us, but they, so far, haven’t had the courage to do so. And others could help us.”

The president was evasive about his plans for Kharg Island, Iran’s major oil export hub. US officials have said the White House is ordering hundreds of Marines to be deployed to the Middle East as it weighs a plan to seize the outpost.

“I may have a plan, or I may not, but how would I ever say that to a reporter?” Trump said.

https://archive.md/aNhhM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mdKMBLF7sI