Al Mayadeen – October 3, 2024
Day 363 of Israeli genocide in Gaza: 41,788 killed, 96,794 injured
The Israeli occupation continues to commit genocide in the Gaza Strip, bombing Palestinians indiscriminately and resulting in multiple massacres per day.
Over the past 24 hours, the Israeli occupation committed eight massacres against families in the Gaza Strip, 99 of whom were martyred and 169 wounded were hospitalized.
This comes as the genocidal war against the Gaza Strip approaches its one-year mark. As of October 3rd, which marks the 363rd day of the conflict, the Israeli occupation has killed 41,788 Palestinians and injured 96,794, according to the latest tally by the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip.
Moreover, hundreds remain either buried under the rubble or unaccounted for since October 7, 2023, due to the aggression and the inability of Civil Defense teams to reach them. This is a result of the systematic destruction of their resources, equipment, and civilian infrastructureleading to bombarded locations across the region and even the killing of their personnel.
The Israeli genocide continues
The Israeli occupation forces continue their genocide in the Gaza Strip, launching dozens of airstrikes and heavy artillery bombardments, committing further massacres against civilians amid a catastrophic humanitarian crisis caused by the total Israeli blockade.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza reported that a young man was martyred and another wounded in an Israeli strike targeting a house west of Al-Nuseirat camp in central Gaza.
Our correspondent added that Israeli occupation forces continue to open fire west of the New Camp, north of Al-Nuseirat, in the central part of the Gaza Strip. He noted that casualties occurred after an artillery shell hit the Zureik building in the Nuseirat camp.
Anadolu Agency – October 3, 2024
Israel kills 99 more Gazans
Nearly 96,800 Palestinians injured in Israeli onslaught since Oct. 7, 2023, says Gaza Health Ministry
Nearly 100 more Palestinians were killed in relentless Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip over the last 24 hours, bringing the overall death toll since last Oct. 7 to 41,788, the Health Ministry in the war-torn territory said on Thursday.
A ministry statement added that some 96,794 others were injured in the ongoing assault.
“Israeli forces killed 99 people and injured 169 others in eight massacres of families in the last 24 hours,” the ministry said.
“Many people are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” it added.
Flouting a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire, Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on last Oct. 7.
The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.
Israel also faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.
https://www.yenisafak.com/en/world/israel-kills-99-more-gazans-as-death-toll-nears-41800-3692079
Iran's Khamenei warned Nasrallah of Israeli plot to kill him
By Samia Nakhoul and Laila Bassam
DUBAI/BEIRUT, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Hezbollah leader Syyed Hassan Nasrallah to flee Lebanon days before he was killed in an Israeli strike and is now deeply worried about Israeli infiltration of senior government ranks in Tehran, three Iranian sources said.
In the immediate aftermath of the attack on Hezbollah's booby-trapped pagers on Sept. 17, Khamenei sent a message with an envoy to beseech the Hezbollah secretary general to leave for Iran, citing intelligence reports that suggested Israel had operatives within Hezbollah and was planning to kill him, one of the sources, a senior Iranian official, told Reuters.
The messenger, the official said, was a senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander, Brigadier General Abbas Nilforoushan, who was with Nasrallah in his bunker when it was hit by Israeli bombs and was also killed.
Khamenei, who has remained in a secure location inside Iran since Saturday, personally ordered a barrage of around 200 missiles to be fired at Israel on Tuesday, a senior Iranian official said. The attack was retaliation for the deaths of Nasrallah and Nilforoushan, the Revolutionary Guards said in a statement.
The statement also cited the July killing of Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, and Israel's attacks on Lebanon……
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/irans-khamenei-warned-nasrallah-israeli-plot-kill-him-sources-say-2024-10-02/
Satellite images show damage to Nevatim base from Iranian missiles
Satellite images show the damage to the Israeli occupation's Nevatim air base in southern occupied Palestine, which is one of the most important and largest strategic air bases in "Israel", as a result of Iran's True Promise 2 operation.
Satellite images published by the Associated Press (AP) showed the damage to the Israeli occupation's Nevatim air base in southern occupied Palestine after it was targeted by a massive barrage of Iranian ballistic missiles as part of Operation True Promise 2.
The images, taken after the Iranian operation, show a large hole in the roof of a row of buildings near the main runway, while large pieces of debris can be seen scattered around the building.
In this context, it is noteworthy that the Israeli occupation's Nevatim Air Base is one of the most significant and largest strategic air bases across "Israel", as it contains 3 runways, and the 140 Squadron otherwise known as the Golden Eagle Squadron, a squadron of Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighters, another squadron of F- 35, two transport squadrons, a refueling squadron, stealth aircraft, Nahshon 122, formerly known as Dakota Squadron, a squadron of Gulfstream G550 and G500 spy planes, AEW&C aircraft, and aircraft used for signals intelligence gathering (special electronic mission aircraft).
The base houses the headquarters of the Strategic Air Command of the Israeli occupation Air Force and the Israeli occupation's presidential plane Wing of Zion.
Geographically, the base is located 15 kilometers southeast of Beer Sheba, 16 kilometers from the Dimona center, and about 1,100 kilometers from Iran's western border.
Historically, the base was established in 1947 on the ruins of a runway built by the British occupation and used by the zionist Sherut Avir air force belonging to the Haganah terrorist organization which ethnically cleansed Palestine during the Nakba of 1948 alongside other zionist terror organizations, while the base was renovated in 1983 with funding from the United States.
Two days ago, Iran targeted the Nevatim base and the Hatsarim base, which houses F-15 aircraft, that were used in the assassination of Hezbollah Secretary-General martyr Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, in addition to the Tel Nof base, located near Tel Aviv, in response to the assassination of the martyrs, the Secretary General of Hezbollah, Iranian Major General Abbas Nilforooshan, and the head of Hamas' political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, in response to the assassination of the martyrs.
Iran's Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) confirmed that 90% of the missiles launched in the operation struck their targets, stressing that the attack was carried out within the framework of the right of legitimate defense and in accordance with international laws.
In turn, CNN confirmed that a large number of Iranian missiles hit the Nevatim base in the al-Naqab desert and that the Tel Nof base, located more than 22 kilometers south of Tel Aviv, was also hit by missiles during the operation launched by the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Moreover, videos also showed that at least two missiles landed near the Mossad headquarters in the Galilut neighborhood of Tel Aviv in the Iranian operation.
Israeli media warn Lebanon is 'deep, sinking quagmire' for troops
The Israeli Channel 13 suggests that "Israel's" new round on Lebanese soil is expected to be "long, complicated, and costly."
Israeli media discussed what it referred to as the "deep and sinking Lebanese quagmire," coinciding with several failed attempts by the Israeli occupation military to infiltrate South Lebanon, predicting a "long and complicated round" of confrontations with Hezbollah.
In key analyses presented by the Israeli KAN channel, Israeli Reserve Major General and former "National Security Council" head, Uzi Dayan, pointed out that "Israel" has experience in Lebanon, and it should always remember what should and should not be done there.
In response to a question about whether "Israel" would learn from past failures in Lebanon, another former "National Security Council" head, Reserve Major General Yaakov Amidror, recalled that in the 2006 war, the Israeli military failed and was not prepared, lacked good intelligence on Lebanon, and did not have proper plans for the war, while its combat technique was "at rock bottom."
Amidror suggested that "in this operation, it must be entirely clear what the [Israeli] government wants and what the army’s plans are to achieve that."
He also pointed out that "Israel's" planned goals of "pushing Hezbollah back at least to the Litani River and 10 kilometers beyond will take a long time."
On his part, Guy Tzur, former commander of the Israeli ground forces, told KAN that since 1982, Hezbollah has acted in a very similar manner, meaning its fighters do not flee but rely on positioning with long-range fire from concealed areas, adding that "it will be no different this time, and we will pay heavy prices and have casualties... war is war."
In the same context, the Israeli Channel 13 highlighted that after the 2006 July War, relative deceptive calm prevailed in South Lebanon, during which Hezbollah strengthened its combat capabilities and tunnel networks.
Channel 13 indicated that "Israel's" new round on Lebanese soil is expected to be "long, complicated, and costly."
This comes as Hezbollah fighters continue on Thursday to repel Israeli occupation forces’ attempts to infiltrate South Lebanon.
The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon confirmed that the total number of explosive devices detonated against the infiltrating Israeli forces in the towns of Maroun al-Ras and Yaroun on Thursday, from the early hours of dawn until noon, reached four, resulting in major and substantial losses to the enemy forces.
Infiltration blocked; 4 IEDs in few hours
Fighters of the Islamic Resistance targeted an advancing Israeli infantry unit attempting to infiltrate the cemetery of the town of Yaroun with an explosive device, inflicting casualties among the unit's members.
In addition, Hezbollah's fighters targeted, also with an explosive device, a force from the Golani Brigade in the Tartira area in Maroun al-Ras, which was attempting to maneuver from the western side of the town, dealing casualties among the occupation forces.
Earlier, Islamic Resistance fighters targeted an Israeli infantry unit attempting to infiltrate Lebanese territory toward Maroun al-Ras with two explosive devices.
The fighters of the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon also successfully confronted an attempt by Israeli occupation forces to advance at the Fatima Gate in South Lebanon using artillery shells.
Under the "permitted for publish" clause, Israeli media confirmed the killing of two additional soldiers from the Golani Brigade by an anti-tank missile during the battles with Hezbollah and the severe wounding of seven others.
On Wednesday, the Israeli occupation military confirmed that eight of its soldiers, including two captains, were killed in battles with Hezbollah at the southern Lebanese border.
The toll followed a tightly coordinated ambush by the Resistance, involving elite soldiers who attempted to infiltrate the town of Odeisseh from the direction of Khallet al-Mahafer. The ambush came after the Resistance had detected Israeli recon troop movement on Tuesday morning.
This marked the first attempt by Israeli forces to infiltrate southern Lebanon since the Israeli military announced the commencement of a ground incursion in the area overnight Monday.
World Socialist Web Site – October 2, 2024
Erdoğan warns of war between Israel and Turkey
By Baris Demir
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan warned of war between Israel and Turkey in his speech at the opening of parliament on Tuesday, saying, “The Israeli leadership, acting with the delirium of the promised land and with a purely religious fanaticism, will set its sights on our homeland after Palestine and Lebanon.”
Erdoğan said that the Zionist “Greater Israel” project includes Turkey and added, “The Netanyahu government harbors a delusional ambition, including Anatolia, and pursues a utopia, and it reveals these intentions on various occasions. Since 7 October, every development increases the dimension of this threat a little more.”
Pointing to the proximity of the borders between Turkey and Israel, Erdoğan hinted that war was imminent between the two critical allies of the United States in the Middle East: “Look, from the Syrian border in Hatay’s Yayladagi district, the Lebanese border is 170 kilometres away by road, and Turkey is only 2.5 hours away from Lebanon by car... In other words, occupation, terror and aggression are right next to us.”
Erdoğan made a similar statement last May, saying, “Do not expect that Israel will stop in Gaza. If not stopped, this ferocious, terrorist state will eventually have designs on Anatolia with the delusion of the promised land.”
Erdoğan’s latest statements come shortly after the Israeli regime launched a ground offensive in Lebanon having killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Backed by the United States and NATO, the Israeli government is trying to escalate the genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza into a regional war against Iran. After Iran fired hundreds of ballistic missiles at Israel in retaliation Tuesday night, US and Israeli officials publicly authorised a large-scale attack on Iran.
Together with Erdoğan’s announcement last July that Turkey could intervene militarily against Israel, these developments underline the danger that Israel’s US-backed war of aggression is rapidly escalating into a conflict that can engulf the entire region.
The Turkish ruling class also fears that a US-backed Israeli war against neighbouring Iran could damage its interests. Ankara and Tehran share the concern that an independent Kurdish state backed by the US and Israel could be established in the region. Erdoğan expressed these concerns in his speech as follows: “We see very clearly how Israel wants to establish small satellite structure in the north of Iraq and Syria, using the separatist organisation [PKK/YPG] as a pawn.”
Erdoğan and the Turkish political elite before him have been complicit in the US imperialist aggression in the Middle East for more than 30 years, contributing to the dynamics of disintegration in Iraq and Syria and the danger of the outbreak of a regional war. Erdoğan, who supported the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, has been siding with the US and Israel since 2011 in the war for regime change in Syria, which aims to overthrow the Iranian and Hezbollah-backed President Bashar al-Assad.
Similarly, Erdoğan’s statement in his speech that “remaining silent, unresponsive and even neutral” towards Israel is, “to put it bluntly, complicity in the crime,” is an example of utter hypocrisy. NATO member Turkey has been complicit in Israel’s genocide in Gaza and, despite all its rhetorical criticism, has contributed to the escalation of the war.
Although Erdoğan has cut trade with Israel and toughened his rhetoric, US-NATO bases in Turkey continue to support Israel. Turkey continues to intercede for Azerbaijan’s critical oil shipments to the country. There are even serious suspicions that Turkey is continuing to trade with Israel via Palestine after the official end of trade with Tel Aviv.
On the one hand, Ankara continues to support Israel’s genocidal war and constantly reaffirms its loyalty to the US/NATO, while on the other it warns against war with Israel and criticises the US-NATO allies for the consequences this policy contributes to.
At the root of this contradiction is the bourgeoisie’s deep-rooted attachment to imperialism. The main fear of the Turkish ruling class, which, far from being able to oppose imperialism, acts as its proxy in the Middle East, is that a revolutionary movement of the working class against imperialism and Zionism will develop.
Erdoğan’s speech and the “atmosphere of unity” that dominated the opening of the parliament reflected the concerns of the ruling elite as a whole. Erdoğan thanked “the parliament and the political parties that have acted in full unity in defence of the Palestinian cause.” Devlet Bahceli, Erdoğan’s fascist ally, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), exchanged friendly speeches with the leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the leaders of the Kurdish nationalist Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), which he advocates suppressing by force.
CHP leader Özgür Özel called on Tuesday for an urgent “closed parliamentary session” following Erdoğan’s comments on Israel. This is a call for Erdoğan to make critical decisions together, in secret from the public.
Explaining that he made the call because of the “importance he attaches to the seriousness of the issue,” Özel said, “When the president of the country comes out and says ‘Israel will attack Turkey’ on the rostrum of the parliament, there is an urgent need for a closed session... where the minutes cannot be published for 10 years. Our friends will work on this issue and make the necessary contacts.”
“The international community must take action” against Israel, Özel said. This was a repetition of Erdoğan’s words: “The international community can no longer remain silent about this Israeli banditry that is setting the whole region on fire.” These weak appeals to the US-NATO imperialist powers behind Israel’s aggression are another example of the bankruptcy of the bourgeois nationalist perspective.
The spreading war in the Middle East, one front of an expanding global war, is the result of the historical crisis and internal contradictions of the capitalist nation-state system.
War and genocide cannot be stopped by appealing to the Zionist state, the imperialist powers or the international institutions under their control. The way to stop the Israeli genocide in Gaza and its escalation into a Middle East war is to unite the working class in a socialist anti-war movement to take power across the Middle East and internationally against imperialism and its regional proxies.
Iran and Israel closer than ever to full-fledged war
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh
Tensions between Iran and Israel have escalated to a dangerous and unprecedented level. The rivalry between these two nations has long been intense, but the latest developments signal that the region could be on the brink of a major conflict with far-reaching consequences.
In a significant military maneuver, Israel on Friday launched a series of strikes into Lebanon, targeting and ultimately killing Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah. This strike not only dealt a severe blow to Hezbollah, a key Iranian proxy, but more crucially it also struck at the heart of Iran’s influence in the region. Nasrallah has long been a staunch ally of Tehran and his death represents a critical loss for Iran’s strategic ambitions.
Following the assassination of Nasrallah and the start of Israeli ground operations in Lebanon, Iran on Tuesday launched missile strikes targeting Israel, signaling a sudden shift in strategy. There are several plausible reasons for this abrupt change that are potentially linked to Iran’s internal calculations regarding the cost and timing of a direct military confrontation.
The turning point in this escalating crisis appeared to come when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday delivered a pointed speech directly addressing the Iranian people. In his speech, Netanyahu made a thinly veiled call for regime change in Tehran — a message that the Iranian leadership interpreted as a direct threat to the stability of their government.
He said: “With every passing moment, the regime is bringing you — the noble Persian people — closer to the abyss. The vast majority of Iranians know their regime doesn’t care a whit about them. If it did care, if it cared about you, it would stop wasting billions of dollars on futile wars across the Middle East. It would start improving your lives. Imagine if all the vast money the regime wasted on nuclear weapons and foreign wars were invested in your children’s education, in improving your healthcare, in building your nation’s infrastructure, water, sewage, all the other things that you need. Imagine that.”
Netanyahu also expressed his conviction that peace between Iran and Israel would only be possible once Iran is “finally free,” a moment that he believes will come “a lot sooner than people think.”
The Israeli military’s ground incursion into southern Lebanon this week has heightened the stakes even further. From Iran’s perspective, these actions represent a significant and direct threat. Israel’s operations appear aimed at significantly degrading Hezbollah’s military capabilities, weakening one of Iran’s most important allies in the region.
Hezbollah has long served Iran’s strategic goals, acting as its geopolitical arm in Lebanon and a counterweight to Israeli influence. By targeting Hezbollah, Israel is directly challenging Iran’s influence in Lebanon and the broader Levant, posing a grave threat to its regional ambitions.
The death of Nasrallah has also reverberated deeply within the Iranian leadership. He was not just a military leader but also a close personal ally of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. His loss is a symbolic blow to the Iranian regime, which has long relied on Hezbollah as a critical component of its regional strategy.
The complexities of the situation are also highlighted by the fact that Iran did not respond with immediate strikes following the assassination of another key ally, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Tehran in July. Despite orders from the supreme leader for retaliatory strikes on Israel, Iran chose not to escalate the situation at that stage. This restraint might have been interpreted as indicative of Tehran’s broader vulnerability and reluctance to engage in a full-scale war with Israel, recognizing that such a conflict would likely be disastrous for Iran.
However, this perceived inaction may have emboldened Israel, leading to the current escalation. In other words, Tehran’s decision not to follow through on its threats after the death of Haniyeh could have been interpreted by Israel as a sign of weakness, encouraging it to launch further military action.
It is worth noting that there are moderate factions within the Iranian political establishment that still believe Israel is deliberately laying traps to lure Iran into a war. President Masoud Pezeshkian, for instance, last month cautioned against falling for Israel’s provocations, suggesting that Tehran should avoid taking the bait and starting a conflict that could spiral out of control. A full-fledged war with Israel would almost certainly draw in the US, a scenario that would be catastrophic for Iran. The Iranian leadership is acutely aware that its military capabilities are inferior to those of Israel and the US and such a war would be unlikely to end in its favor.
In addition to its military disadvantage, Iran is also economically ill-prepared for a prolonged war. The country is already struggling with the effects of international sanctions and domestic economic mismanagement and a conflict with Israel would further exacerbate these challenges.
Nevertheless, despite these constraints, Tehran obviously felt compelled to respond in some way to maintain its credibility both domestically and with its regional allies, which is why it launched about 180 missiles at Israel on Tuesday night. Failing to retaliate for the latest developments, including Nasrallah’s death, could have been seen as a sign of weakness, undermining Iran’s image.
The tit-for-tat dynamic between Israel and Iran has created a highly volatile situation, in which miscalculations or provocations could easily lead to a larger conflict. This kind of brinkmanship is inherently unpredictable and there is always the risk that it could spiral out of control.
In conclusion, the current situation between Iran and Israel is extremely dangerous and has the potential to affect the entire region. Both sides are engaged in a precarious cycle of provocation and retaliation, where even a small misstep could lead to a full-scale war. Such a conflict would not only affect Iran and Israel, but also draw in other countries in the region as well as global powers, potentially igniting a broader conflagration in the Middle East.
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian American political scientist. X: @Dr_Rafizadeh
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2573634
The Guardian – October 3, 2024
Gulf leaders support Palestine – but many would not mind seeing Israel challenge Iran
Patrick Wintour
This Sunni coalition of six Gulf monarchs is not naturally well disposed to Iran or its Shia proxies, and only in 2016 labelled Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation. But they also oppose further Israeli escalation, and believe it is ultimately only Washington that has the means to restrain the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
They insist the establishment of an independent Palestinian state is the only path to regional stability, integration and prosperity.
“Palestinian statehood is a prerequisite for peace, rather than its byproduct,” the Saudi foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan wrote in Wednesday’s Financial Times, without making any reference to the Israeli-Iran conflict, or the likelihood that Joe Biden, in the twilight of his presidency and a month out from an election, is going to put the thumbscrews on Israel.
The reality is that Gulf state leaders, despite popular support in their countries for the Palestinian cause, are unlikely to change their own collective year-long strategy of not providing Palestinians anything other than humanitarian aid and political support.
Events can change at speed, but at present they face the prospect of a resurgent Israel determined to break out of the stalemate in Gazaﾠby destroying Hezbollah’s military leadership and rendering Iran so weak that it can never fire at Israel again.
Reports that Israel is considering hitting Iranﾒs oil installations, let alone its nuclear sites, will unnerve the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). One Arab diplomat, no friend of Iran, said he feared for the moral implications of an Israeli “total victory”. It would bequeath the Middle East with a grim lesson – that “justice” can be obtained through total war.
The argument of the GCC, chaired by Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Qatar’s prime minister, remains that a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel is the solution to the crisis. But Israel’s killing of Qatar’s key interlocutor, the Hamas political bureau member Ismail Haniyeh, was a severe blow to Doha’s hopes of achieving this.
Equally, on the second front – Lebanon – the GCC states, including Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, have already urged Israel to respect the country’s sovereignty and accept a ceasefire. But at the same time none have endorsed Iran’s attack on Israel.
If Israel’s resurgence continues, the Gulf and Arab states may face a dilemma. On the one hand, the long-term weakening of Iranian influence might create an unwelcome and destabilising vacuum, one in which only Israel’s Iron Wall holds sway in the region. On the other hand, it might represent an opportunity for regional states to exploit Iran’s weakness and push back Iranian-backed non-state actors.
Many regional states have reason to want to see Tehran diminished. A weakened Iran could give greater space for Iraq’s president, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, to rein in Iranian-backed factions. Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, conspicuously silent about the conflict despite the support Hezbollah has shown him, might recover influence in Lebanon.
Jordan is exercised by the Islamic Action Front, a Muslim Brotherhood offshoot that topped the poll in recent parliamentary elections, taking 28% of the vote and becoming the largest single party. Jordan has sporadically blamed Iran for trying to stir up groups hostile to it.
Bahrain, which normalised relations with Israel in 2020 along with the United Arab Emirates, has to fend off regular pro-Palestinian demonstrations. The pro-Iran LuaLua TV claims there have been Shia demonstrations in mourning for the death of Hassan Nasrallah.
Kuwait is locked in a long contest with Iran to extract gas from a contested offshore natural gas field.
But the critical relationship for the region is that between Iran and Saudi Arabia – a relationship that was put on a better footing with the Beijing de-escalation roadmap agreed in 2023 between the two countries.
Saudi Arabia hosted the Iranian president for the first time in 11 years and allowed Iranian pilgrims to travel to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. Riyadh has re-established relations with Iranian-backed Syria and hopes it has secured Iranian support to prevent the Houthis in Yemen from lobbing missiles over the border into Saudi Arabia.
Riyadh has also reiterated countless times in public to the US that it is simply not interested in normalisation with Israel so long as a credible path to a two-state solution is not included. The speech at the UN by Netanyahu last week urging Saudi Arabia to follow the UAE in normalising relations with Israel simply took no account of this, or the obstacle he personally represents to such an agreement.
In a paper just published by the European Council on Foreign Relations, the authors argue that the Saudi-Iranian relationship is critical to maintaining peace.
“A zero-sum approach that seeks to completely lock Tehran out of the regional security architecture,” they write, “will not enjoy regional support and will ultimately be counterproductive.”
PCB Playing Ducks And Drakes
By Syed Rifaquat Ali
Pakistan will face the formidable England team in ICC Test Championship in Multan on October 7.
The 3-match series against Ben Stokes-led English side will be an acid test for Pakistan since the team is holding a low profile after the underdogs Bangladesh won the two-Test ICC series last month in Rawalpindi.
The Pakistan team and Pakistan Cricket Board were so rattled by the defeat that the Chairman of the Board, Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi, the Interior minister of Pakistan, started playing ducks and drakes and held meeting after meeting of players, coaches and Board officials which was an exercise in futility.
There is so much of grubby politics in Pakistan Cricket that PCB has never been able to field a formidable team in International outings. The selection of players is totally biased and bizarre and the show goes on and on.
Take the case of Azam Khan. He is totally unfit for cricket, but the meekly selectors inducted him in the Pakistan team since they were pressurised by Mohsin Khan, who was a member of the Pakistan team which won the ICC World Cup in 1992 in Melbourne under the stewardship of maverick Imran Khan who is presently languishing in Adiala jail in Pakistan.
Similarly, Qadir, son of the legendary Pakistan spinner Abdul Qadir, never got a place in the Pakistan team which is bereft of top class spinners.Qadir, a leg-spin googly bowler, is a freak, but the tyro selectors overlooked his talent and his services could never be availed, and Pakistan continued playing Test matches with just one inexperienced spinner.
It seems the entire PCB members and selectors/coaches are slaves to the Chairman Mohsin Naqvi and have no integrity towards the national interest. Mohsin cannot perform dual duty: to look after the Interior ministry and as Chairman of PCB, the cricket affairs of Pakistan.
The Prime Minister, who appoints the Chairman of PCB, must take cognizance of it and appoint a chairman with cricket background. Miandad, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis are all highly capable of heading the PCB. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif must step in to stem the rot.
Shan Masood is a poor choice as captain as he is not astute and takes wayward decisions on the field. It is because of Shan Masood that Pakistan lost both the Tests against Bangladesh and brought shame to Pakistan. Babar Azam is the right
choice for the job if Pakistan wants to progress. Another aspect which requires PCB attention is that Pakistan International matches in Pakistan must be televised. The matches against Bangladesh last month was not telecast believe it or not and it does not augur well for Pakistan Cricket.
Syed Rifaquat Ali is Sydney correspondent of JoA.
