Al Mayadeen – August 6, 2025
Gaza slams aid airdrops citing chaos, destruction, and deaths
Gaza's Interior Ministry denounces aid airdrops as chaos-inducing and inadequate, urging the opening of land crossings to address famine and destruction.
The Gaza Ministry of Interior and National Security condemned the performative airdrops of aid in Gaza, characterizing them as a tool of manipulation, rather than genuine aid for the starved Palestinians in the Strip.
The Ministry said in a statement that the Israeli occupation is exploiting the airdropping of aid boxes as part of its deliberate starvation policy, fueling chaos, lawlessness, and the rise of armed gangs and looters.
The statement added that the airdrops have caused a large number of casualties among civilians in the ensuing chaos, with some aid packages falling directly onto homes and the tents of displaced people, resulting in deaths, including women and children.
The most recent of such incidents occurred today in northern Gaza, while also destroying tents and causing severe damage to homes and property.
Gaza's Interior Ministry condemned the airdropped aid as woefully inadequate amid worsening famine conditions, stressing that these symbolic drops barely make a dent in the overwhelming humanitarian crisis while "Israel" continues blocking far more substantial aid deliveries that could enter through land crossings.
The aid airdrops are counterproductive, the Ministry stated, cautioning that the chaos and casualties they cause far outweigh any marginal relief for starved Palestinians. It emphasized that the only real solution to end the engineered humanitarian crisis is fully opening land crossings to allow sustained, large-scale delivery of food and essentials, not symbolic gestures that fail to meet desperate needs.
Hamas calls to sustain pressure against "Israel", backers
Hamas expressed appreciation for the global movement and mass demonstrations in cities and international capitals that have voiced rejection and condemnation of the war of extermination and starvation in Gaza, while "exposing the Zionist occupation's terrorism against defenseless civilians, including women and children."
In a statement, Hamas called for sustaining and escalating public pressure in all cities, capitals, and public squares, particularly on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, August 8, 9, and 10, as well as in all coming days, through marches, protests, and sit-ins outside Israeli, American, and other embassies that support the occupation and aggression.
The movement also called for unified efforts to pressure the occupation to immediately open border crossings and allow humanitarian aid entry, rejecting the international community’s silence and inaction in the face of the horrific killings, through both bombardment and starvation, targeting over two million Palestinian civilians.
Hamas concluded its statement by declaring: "Let this global movement persist and intensify in the coming days, through all its forms, methods, and diversity, in every city, capital, and public square worldwide. Let it stand in solidarity with our people’s right to freedom and independence, as a victory for human values and justice, and as a rejection of the occupation’s crimes of genocide and starvatio, until the crossings are opened, the siege is lifted, and the aggression against Gaza ends."
El-Sisi sends more airdrops regardless
Meanwhile, despite the numerous condemnations and statements against the aid airdrops, Egyptian President Abdelfattah el-Sisi called on the authorities to continue what he called all efforts supporting Gaza's population amid catastrophic conditions.
In a Facebook post, Egyptian Armed Forces Spokesperson Gharib Abdel-Hafez Gharib stated that the president's decision reflects "Egypt's continued support for the Palestinian cause and its backing of Palestinian brothers to overcome their current humanitarian ordeal."
The spokesperson further stated that "12 military transport aircraft had taken off over the past three days carrying large quantities of food aid to conduct airdrops over hard-to-reach areas in the Gaza Strip," while emphasizing Egypt's ongoing efforts to ensure a continuous flow of aid trucks into Gaza by land.
Unit 8200 taps Microsoft to spy on millions in Palestine
Leaked documents reveal Microsoft’s Azure cloud stores vast troves of Palestinian phone calls, enabling deadly airstrikes and blackmail operations
In late 2021, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella met with Yossi Sariel, the commander of "Israel’s" military surveillance agency Unit 8200, at Microsoft’s Seattle headquarters. Sariel sought support for a plan to move vast amounts of classified intelligence data into Microsoftﾒs Azure cloud platform. This arrangement would provide Unit 8200 with a dedicated, customized space within Azure, offering nearly unlimited storage capacity.
Equipped with Azure’s immense storage capabilities, Unit 8200 developed a sweeping surveillance system that records and stores millions of mobile phone calls made daily by Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. This cloud-based system, operational since 2022, allows the agency to retain a vast archive of calls over extended periods.
Microsoft has claimed that Nadella was unaware of the specific nature of the data being stored. However, leaked documents and interviews with 11 sources from Microsoft and Israeli military intelligence reveal that Azure has been central to storing this expansive trove of Palestinian communications.
According to three Unit 8200 insiders, the Azure cloud platform has been instrumental in preparing deadly airstrikes and shaping military operations in both Gaza and the West Bank. While "Israel" has long intercepted calls in the occupied territories thanks to its control over Palestinian telecommunications, the new system indiscriminately records calls from a far larger group of ordinary civilians.
'A million call an hour'
One intelligence source explained that Unit 8200 turned to Microsoft after realizing its own servers lacked the storage capacity and computing power needed to handle the sheer volume of phone calls, a volume captured by the unit’s internal mantra: “A million calls an hour.”
The surveillance system was designed to run on Microsoft’s servers, protected by enhanced security layers developed jointly by Microsoft engineers and Unit 8200 according to the unit’s specifications. Leaked Microsoft files indicate that much of this sensitive Israeli military data now resides in company data centers located in the Netherlands and Ireland.
Employees, investors concerned about ties to 'Israel’s' military
This revelation about Microsoft’s Azure platform’s role in the surveillance effort emerges amid increasing pressure on the tech giant from employees and investors concerned about its ties to "Israel’s" military and how its technology has been deployed during the 22-month genocide in Gaza.
In May, a Microsoft employee protested during CEO Satya Nadella’s keynote speech by shouting, “How about you show how Israeli war crimes are powered by Azure?” This public outcry followed earlier revelations in January by The Guardian and others about "Israel’s" reliance on Microsoft technology during the Gaza genocide.
In response, Microsoft commissioned an external review of its relationship with the Israeli military. The company stated the review “found no evidence to date” that Azure or its AI tools were “used to target or harm people” in the territory.
A senior Microsoft source said the company had discussions with Israeli security officials, specifying how its technology should be used in Gaza, emphasizing that Microsoft systems must not be involved in identifying "targets" for lethal strikes.
Despite Microsoft’s assurances, sources from Unit 8200 revealed that intelligence gathered from the vast archive of phone calls stored in Azure has been used to identify bombing "targets" in Gaza. One source explained that when planning an airstrike in densely populated areas, officers would use the cloud system to review calls made by people nearby.
Use of the system reportedly increased during the ongoing genocide in Gaza, which has resulted in the killing of over 60,000 Palestinians, including more than 18,000 children.
Arrests without excuse made feasible
Originally, the system focused on the West Bank, home to about 3 million Palestinians under Israeli military occupation. According to Unit 8200 sources, the information held in Azure formed a rich intelligence repository used to blackmail individuals, justify detention, or even killings after the fact.
“When they need to arrest someone and there isn’t a good enough reason to do so, that’s where they find the excuse,” said one source, referring to the cloud-stored data.
Microsoft claimed it had “no information” regarding the specific data Unit 8200 stored in its cloud. The company alleged that its “engagement with Unit 8200 has been based on strengthening cybersecurity and protecting Israel from nation-state and terrorist cyber-attacks.”
They added, “At no time during this engagement has Microsoft been aware of the surveillance of civilians or collection of their cellphone conversations using Microsoft’s services, including through the external review it commissioned.”
‘Tracking everyone, all the time’
The driving force behind this cloud surveillance initiative was Yossi Sariel, the commander of Unit 8200 from early 2021 to late 2024. Described by one insider as a “revolution” within the unit, Sariel was a career intelligence officer who strongly championed large-scale projects like this.
Sariel expanded the scope of communications interception by Unit 8200. His strategy was to begin “tracking everyone, all the time,” said an officer who worked under him.
'The entire public was our enemy'
Moving beyond targeted surveillance, Sariel’s approach employed mass surveillance across the occupied West Bank, combined with innovative AI tools to extract actionable insights. One source said, “Suddenly the entire public was our enemy,” reflecting how the project aimed to predict which individuals posed security threats.
Among the tools developed during this time was a system that scanned all text messages between Palestinians in the West Bank, automatically assigning risk scores based on suspicious keywords. Known as “noisy message”, it remains in use and can detect texts discussing weapons or expressing a desire to die.
When Sariel became Unit 8200 commander in early 2021, he prioritized building a partnership with Microsoft that would allow the unit to extend its capabilities and capture the content of millions of phone calls daily.
Storing Palestinian phone calls dubbed 'sensitive workloads'
At his meeting with Satya Nadella later that year, Sariel didn’t explicitly mention plans to store Palestinian phone calls in the cloud, instead referring to “sensitive workloads” containing secret data, according to internal meeting records.
However, documents indicate that Microsoft engineers understood the data would include raw intelligence like audio files. Some Microsoft staff based in "Israel", including former Unit 8200 members, seemed aware of the project’s goals. As one source said, “You don’t have to be a genius to figure it out. You tell [Microsoft] we don’t have any more space on the servers, that it’s audio files. It’s pretty clear what it is.”
Microsoft’s spokesperson maintained, “We are not aware of Azure being used for the storage of such data,” stressing that Unit 8200 was a customer of cloud services and that Microsoft “did not build or consult with Unit 8200” on a surveillance system.
Still, in early 2022, Microsoft and Unit 8200 engineers collaborated closely to develop advanced security measures in Azure to meet the unit’s standards. One document described the collaboration’s “rhythm of interaction” as “daily, top down and bottom up.”
Secrecy, scale of data storage
Within Microsoft, the project was highly secretive, with engineers instructed not to mention Unit 8200 by name. Under the plan, vast amounts of raw intelligence material would be stored in Microsoft data centers overseas.
Files indicate that by July 2025, approximately 11,500 terabytes of Israeli military data, equivalent to around 200 million hours of audio, will be held on Microsoft’s Azure servers in the Netherlands, with a smaller portion stored in Ireland. It’s unclear whether all this data belonged to Unit 8200, as some might belong to other Israeli military units.
According to the documents, Unit 8200 informed Microsoft that it intended to eventually migrate over 70% of its data, including secret and top-secret information, to Azure. The unit was “willing to ‘push the envelope’ with the kind of sensitive and classified information that intelligence agencies normally held on their own servers.” As one executive noted, “They’re always trying to challenge the status quo.”
When asked about Sariel’s meeting with Nadella, Microsoft’s spokesperson said it “is not accurate” to claim that the CEO personally supported the project. They said Nadella “attended for 10 minutes at the end of the meeting” and that there was “no discussion” of the specific data planned for Azure.
However, internal Microsoft records viewed by The Guardian show Nadella expressed support for Sariel’s ambition to transfer a large portion of Unit 8200’s data to the cloud, described earlier in the meeting as “sensitive intelligence material.”
One record states, “Satya suggested that we identify certain workloads to begin with and then gradually move towards the 70% mark.” It adds that Nadella said, “building the partnership is so critical” and “Microsoft is committed to providing resources to support.”
Sariel’s vision, AI advocacy
Several months before his meeting with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella in 2021, Yossi Sariel published a book on artificial intelligence under a pen name, later revealed by The Guardian to be his own, in which he urged militaries and intelligence agencies to “migrate to the cloud.”
Known within Israeli intelligence as a technology evangelist, Sariel prized what he described to colleagues as a friendly relationship with Nadella. A senior intelligence source said, “Yossi bragged a lot, even to me, about his connection with Satya.” (Microsoft has denied that Nadella and Sariel had a close relationship.)
Another former intelligence colleague added, “He sold [the partnership] internally and got a huge budget. He claimed it was the solution to our problems in the Palestinian arena.”
Sariel declined to comment and referred questions about the project to the Israeli occupation forces (IOF). An IOF spokesperson claimed that their cooperation with companies like Microsoft was based on “legally supervised agreements.” The spokesperson alleged, “The IDF operates in accordance with international law, with the aim of countering terrorism and ensuring the security of the state and its citizens.”
Microsoft’s commercial interests, protests
For Microsoft, the multi-year collaboration with Unit 8200 represented a significant commercial opportunity. Executives anticipated earning hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue and described the partnership as “an incredibly powerful brand moment” for their Azure cloud platform, according to leaked files.
One executive noted that Unit 8200’s “leadership hopes to expand the mission-critical work tenfold in the coming years.”
As Unit 8200 began utilizing Azure’s storage capabilities in 2022, intelligence officers quickly realized the scale of the new tool’s potential. One source familiar with the system described it simply: “The cloud is infinite storage.”
Calls stored in the system, including those made by Palestinians to Israeli and international numbers, are generally kept for about one month, although the storage capacity can be extended to hold calls for longer periods when necessary. Several intelligence sources explained that this allows officers to retrieve past phone conversations of persons who later become of interest. Previously, surveillance targets had to be pre-selected for their calls to be intercepted and stored.
However, the system notably failed to stop Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.
Following October 7, Sariel faced criticism for prioritizing “addictive and exciting” technology over traditional intelligence methods. Critics argued this focus contributed to the intelligence failure. Sariel resigned the following year, acknowledging “8200’s part in the intelligence and operational failure.”
Use of AI tools and Gaza genocide impact
During the subsequent genocide war, the cloud system Sariel developed has been frequently used alongside new AI-driven target recommendation tools that were also introduced under his leadership. These technologies have played a key role in military operations that have caused widespread devastation and a severe humanitarian crisis for civilians.
While "Israel’s" destruction of Gaza’s telecommunications infrastructure has decreased the volume of phone calls, sources say the data stored in the cloud remains valuable. One source noted that intelligence officers working on Gaza have become increasingly enthusiastic about the system as the conflict continues, believing the military is “heading towards long-term control there.”
Broader implications
The expansive surveillance program reveals how technology firms like Microsoft can become deeply entangled in complex geopolitical conflicts. Despite Microsoft’s claims that its technology is not used to target Palestinians or support lethal strikes, internal sources and leaked documents paint a different picture of extensive intelligence gathering on Palestinians.
As protests grow and employees voice concerns, with one shouting during a keynote, “How about you show how Israeli war crimes are powered by Azure?,” the debate intensifies over the ethical responsibilities of tech companies working withﾠmilitary and intelligence agencies.
The case of Unit 8200 and Microsoft illustrates the immense power and risks of cloud technology, raising urgent questions about privacy, accountability, and the future of surveillance in war zones.
Trump imposes 25% tariff on India; New Delhi vows to defend interests
The US president's 25% tariff on Indian goods is attributed to the country's ties to Russian oil.
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday imposing an additional 25% tariff on imports from India, citing the country’s direct or indirect importation of Russian oil. The new tariffs come on top of duties already announced earlier this year.
So, in addition to a 25% tariff that is set to go into effect Thursday, Trump announced an additional 25% tariff on India that will go into effect later this month as punishment for importing Russian oil and gas.
Those combined penalties would bring the total tariff on goods imported from the world’s fifth-largest economy to a whopping 50% – among the highest the US charges.
India responds
India has responded firmly to the United States’ decision, pledging to take all necessary steps to safeguard its national interests.
In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs expressed regret over the move, emphasizing that similar actions by other nations have not triggered such punitive measures from Washington.
New Delhi called the tariffs "unjustified and unreasonable" but reaffirmed its commitment to defending its economic interests through continued dialogue and diplomatic engagement.
Officials recently revealed that senior aides to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are set to visit Russia in the coming days, just after US President Donald Trump escalated threats to impose tariffs over New Delhi’s close ties with Moscow.
Move risks relations
The move risks further straining US-India relations, which have already hit a low point after recent trade talks failed to yield an agreement. It also comes just days after reports that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi plans to visit China later this month for the first time in over seven years.
The decision was first hinted at by Trump on Monday and follows recent meetings in Moscow by Trump’s top envoy, Steve Witkoff, aimed at pressuring Russia into ending its war in Ukraine.
Trump has warned of escalating tariffs on Russia and secondary sanctions on its trading partners unless President Vladimir Putin takes concrete steps toward ending the war.
Despite recent pressures, India's broader trade strategy remains focused on balancing domestic industrial development with international engagement.
Trump eyes 100% tariffs on nations purchasing Russian oil
Russian President Vladimir Putin is unlikely to yield to a sanctions ultimatum set by US President Donald Trump, which expires this Friday, and he continues to pursue the objective of fully seizing four regions of Ukraine, sources close to the Kremlin told Reuters.
Trump has warned that he will impose new sanctions on Russia and enforce 100% tariffs on nations purchasing Russian oil, primarily China and India, the largest buyers, unless Putin agrees to a ceasefire in the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Putin's resolve to continue the war stems from his conviction that Russia is gaining the upper hand, as well as his doubt that additional US sanctions will significantly affect Russia, given the multiple rounds of economic penalties imposed over the past three and a half years of conflict, Reuters cited three sources familiar with discussions in the Kremlin as saying.
The Russian leader is reluctant to provoke Trump, and he acknowledges that he may be rejecting an opportunity to ease tensions with Washington and the West, but his military objectives in the war remain his top priority, according to two of the sources.
According to one of the sources, Putin aims to achieve complete control over Ukraine's Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, which Russia has already declared as annexed territory, before entering any negotiations regarding a potential peace settlement.
Hezbollah to overlook cabinet decision; Amal urges corrective approach
Hezbollah condemns the Lebanese government's decision to disarm the Resistance, calling it a violation of national sovereignty and a move that serves "Israel's" interests.
The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon (Hezbollah) released a statement on Wednesday condemning the decision issued by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam's government to move forward with a plan to strip Lebanon of the Resistance's weapons, describing it as a "grave sin" that undermines the country's sovereignty and emboldens the Israeli-US aggression.
The party warned that the decision would weaken Lebanon’s position in the face of ongoing Israeli-US hostilities and "grants Israel through political means what it failed to achieve militarily," referencing past confrontations where the Resistance forced the occupation to withdraw through decisive action.
Hezbollah stressed that the move violates both the principles of Lebanon’s National Pact and the government’s ministerial statement, which reads, "The government commits, according to the Taif Accord, to take all necessary measures to liberate all Lebanese territories from the Israeli occupation, extend state sovereignty across all its lands exclusively through its own forces, and deploy the Lebanese Army along the internationally recognized borders."
The Resistance stated that preserving Lebanon’s strength and the weapons of the Resistance are part of these "necessary measures," alongside equipping and empowering the Lebanese Army to expel the occupation and protect national sovereignty.
Hezbollah revealed that the decision stemmed from pressure by US envoy Tom Barrack, as cited in the cabinet meeting and acknowledged by Prime Minister Salam. The government announced plans to resume discussions on the US proposal on Thursday and tasked the Lebanese Army with drafting an implementation plan to restrict weapons to the state by year-end.
"This decision fully serves Israel’s interests and leaves Lebanon exposed without deterrence," the statement said.
Blow to national sovereignty, presidential commitments
Hezbollah also pointed out that the decision disregards President Joseph Aounﾒs inaugural address, in which he pledged to initiate a discussion on a comprehensive national defense strategy, in which he said, "I pledge to call for an integrated defense policy as part of a national security strategy, enabling the Lebanese state. Yes, the Lebanese state, to remove Israeli occupation and repel aggression."
The statement described the cabinet’s move as part of a broader strategy of surrender and a direct blow to Lebanon’s sovereignty.
Ministers from both Hezbollah and the Amal Movement walked out of the cabinet session in protest, the Resistance movement said in the statement, affirming the Resistance’s rejection of this decision, which they said contradicts the will of large segments of the Lebanese public across all sects, regions, and political parties.
"This decision subjects Lebanon to US tutelage and Israeli occupation," the party said, adding, "It strips Lebanon of its sovereignty and grants Israel a free hand to violate its security, borders, politics, and existence."
Hezbollah declared it would treat the decision as non-existent, while reiterating its openness to dialogue on a national defense strategy, but not under aggression or coercion.
"Israel must implement existing agreements first. The government’s top priority should be to take all necessary steps to liberate every inch of Lebanese land from Israeli occupation," the statement added.
Addressing the Lebanese public, Hezbollah closed the statement with a message of resilience: "To our honorable people, this is but a summer cloud. God willing, it will pass. We have always endured, and triumphed."
Amal Movement calls on government to uphold ceasefire commitments
In a similar context, the Central Media Office of the Amal Movement issued a sharp rebuke of the Lebanese government's handling of the ceasefire agreement with "Israel", urging authorities to shift their priorities toward halting ongoing Israeli aggression and safeguarding national sovereignty.
In its statement, the Amal Movement emphasized that Lebanon has fully respected the ceasefire agreement reached on November 27, 2024, between Lebanon and the Israeli enemy. “Lebanon, since November 27, 2024, the date the ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and the Israeli enemy was adopted, has fully abided by the terms of the agreement and continues to uphold its commitments,” the statement affirmed. It added that this commitment has remained consistent under both the previous and current governments.
In contrast, the Israeli entity, the movement argued, has violated the agreement from the outset. “The Israeli enemy has failed to comply from the very first moment and continues its aggression through airstrikes and drone assassinations, flagrantly violating Lebanese airspace,” the statement continued.
It also pointed to the occupation of vast areas of Lebanese territory, including the strategic "Five Hills" region, as well as the Israeli-imposed blockade preventing displaced residents of border villages from returning to their homes, which were destroyed during previous attacks.
The Amal Movement also condemned recent governmental initiatives that signal readiness for new agreements with "Israel", warning that such steps risk legitimizing ongoing violations. “It would have been more fitting for the Lebanese government, rather than rushing to offer further gratuitous concessions to the Israeli enemy through new agreements, to instead dedicate its efforts to solidifying the ceasefire and halting the Israeli killing machine, which has so far left hundreds of Lebanese citizens dead or wounded,” the statement read.
Further, the movement accused the current leadership of deviating from national principles and violating key political commitments. “In doing so, the government is acting contrary to the President’s inaugural address and in violation of its ministerial statement,” the Central Media Office stated.
Looking ahead to the upcoming cabinet session, the Amal Movement urged the government to take corrective action and realign with the national consensus. “Tomorrow’s session presents an opportunity for correction and a return to the spirit of Lebanese solidarity, as was the case before,” the statement concluded.
Iran intercepts US weapons shipment smuggled by Mossad-linked groups
Iran's Intelligence Ministry seizes over 210 military-grade weapons in Sistan and Baluchestan linked to Mossad-backed groups aiming to destabilize the country.
Iran’s Security Ministry has seized a large shipment of smuggled weapons in Sistan and Baluchestan Province, in the country’s southeast, according to a report by Al Mayadeen’s correspondent on Wednesday.
Our correspondent clarified that the shipment comprised US weapons smuggled by groups linked to "Israelﾒs" Mossad intelligence agency, aiming to destabilize the countryﾒs security and carry out terrorist operations.
The Public Relations Office of the Intelligence Department in Sistan and Baluchestan announced in a statement, reported by Tasnim News Agency, that it had "discovered and confiscated more than 210 pieces of military-grade weaponry in three separate operations during the current month."
IRGC warns its foes: Response to exceed expectations
In a statement commemorating the 40th day since the martyrdom of Iran's military commanders, the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) stressed that any threat to the country's security would receive a response more decisive than the enemy could anticipate and more severe than Operation True Promise 3.
The IRGC, along with other branches of Iran’s armed forces, is always prepared to deliver a firm and regret-inducing response to any threats or aggression by the US, "Israel", and their allies, at any time and in any place, the statement read.
It added that Iran loudly and forcefully declares any threat to the country’s security and territorial integrity will be met with a devastating response, surpassing what adversaries could anticipate and far exceeding the intensity of what aggressors endured during Operation True Promise 3.
How American-Israeli ‘regime change’ plot for Iran ended in costly failure in 12 days
By Kit Klarenberg
On July 29, the Tel Aviv-based ‘Institute for National Security Studies’, a think tank that is enormously influential on the Zionist entity's military and security policy, published a document advocating for “regime change” in Iran, setting out potential methods to achieve that.
In a bitter irony, much of the report’s content not only attests to the implausibility of achieving such a goal but also lays bare how Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s calamitous 12-day war of aggression against the Islamic Republic made this objective all the more unfeasible.
A flagrant deceit lies at the document’s core – “Israel did not set the overthrow of the regime in Iran as a goal in the war.” In reality, on June 15, Netanyahuﾠmenacingly declared the entity’s unprovoked attack on the Islamic Republic “could certainly” produce “regime change.”
He claimed the Iranian government was “very weak” and “80 percent of the people” would throw it out. Such bold pronouncements were quickly silenced by an unprecedented and devastating missile barrage from Tehran, which Tel Aviv couldn’t repel.
Since then, the mainstream media has reported senior Zionist entity officials were preparing for their grand attack on June 13 since March this year, seeking to strike before Iran “rebuilt its air defenses by the latter half of the year.”
The underlying plan to militarily cripple Tehran and incite a “revolution” was, in turn, “carefully laid months and years in advance,” having been specifically wargamed in conjunction with the Biden administration.
Still, major news outlets have overlooked the obvious import of these disclosures – the 12-day war was a US/Israeli “regime change” operation targeting Tehran, which was long-planned and failed miserably.
This interpretation is reinforced by reports indicating the US had, in the months leading up to the war, been specifically seeking to address the Zionist entity’s “capacity problems”, by “augmenting Israel’s defenses with systems on the ground, at sea and in the air.”
In other words, the US was arming Tel Aviv for June 13 well in advance. However, this belligerent windfall wasn’t sufficient to achieve any of the war’s objectives.
Israel was quickly in dire trouble, as Tehran launched waves of devastating missile barrages, which couldn’t be repelled. The much-vaunted defense systems were not only consistently outmaneuvered, but were running dangerously low on interceptors within just five days.
Washington was thus forced to send further missile defence assets to the region.
An extraordinary amount of munitions was spent intercepting Iranian attacks, with little success. The expense was astronomical. A former financial adviser to the Israeli chief of staffﾠhas estimated the abortive campaign’s first 48 hours alone cost $1.45 billion, with almost $1 billion spent on defensive measures alone.
Economists place the daily cost of military operations at $725 million. Haaretz calculates that civilian and domesticﾠfinancial damage could run to many billions. This, while the Zionist entity’s economy is alreadyﾠbarely functioning.
The long-term ramifications of the Zionist entity’s flaccid interceptor blitz are laid bare in a July report from its lobby group JINSA. It warns, “after burning through a large portion of their available interceptors,” Washington and Israel both face an urgent need to replenish stockpiles and sharply increase production rates.”
Grave questions abound over the pair’s ability to do either. Independent analysis indicates the US fired off over 150 THAAD anti-ballistic missiles during the 12-day war of aggression, roughly a quarter of Washington’s entire stockpile.
For context, the Pentagon will acquire 12 interceptors by the end of 2025, and 11 in 2024.
JINSA estimates that, "at current production rates”, THAADs spent protecting Israel throughout the brief war could take up to eight years to replenish. And that’s without factoring in how the US provided 60 percent of the entity’s air defence, due to “shortfalls” in Israel’s own arsenal.
JINSA suggests the US is now forced “to choose between replenishing its own stockpile and fulfilling deliveries to foreign partners” - such as Tel Aviv.
Outright hostility
That INSS report didn’t consider the financial, material and political costs of the Zionist entity’s offensive military operations targeting Iran during the 12-day war.
As the report acknowledges, “some” of these efforts were explicitly “intended to undermine the foundations” of the Islamic Republic, and ignite mass public protests. Yet, the Institute admits “not only is there no evidence Israel’s actions advanced this goal, but at least some of them had the opposite effect.”
The “clearest example” of this failure, per INSS, was Tel Aviv’s blitzkrieg of Evin prison on June 23rd - a “symbolic blow…intended to encourage public mobilization.”
Western media and major rights groups condemned the action, with one of them calling it a “serious violation of international humanitarian law” that “must be investigated as a war crime.”
As it was, scores of civilians, including prisoners and their family members, medical professionals, administrative staff, and lawyers were killed, which “aroused harsh criticism of Israel” even among “critics and opponents” of the Iranian government “inside and outside” the country, the Israeli think tank report admits.
Direct military strikes on the Islamic Republic were a single component of a much wider US/Israeli “regime change” project. Mossad-controlled internal networks, cultivated over many years, carried out assassinations and sabotage, while attempting to foment public upheaval.
Whatever successes they achieved in the war’s initial stages, these Fifth Columnists similarly failed to trigger mass Iranian mobilization against their government. Their actions also allowed security services to effectively identify, locate and liquidate them, leaving Tel Aviv with no in-country human wrecking assets left.
Another was a chorus of calls for “regime change” in Tehran emanating from a small but voluble cluster of Iranian exiles, tied to Western-funded ‘think tanks’ and other organizations, many of whom are associated with Reza Pahlavi, son of the former Iranian dictator.
On June 23, as the war neared its end, he gave an address in Paris declaring the Islamic Republic was on the verge of collapse. Dubbing the 12-day war Iran’s “Berlin Wall moment”, he called for Israel to finish the job.
As the INSS report records, the few people in diaspora who demanded “regime change” repulsed the overwhelming majority of Iranians within and outside the country.
Resultantly, “large segments of the Iranian public” perceive them as “having betrayed Iran in its time of need.” Even the mainstream media has admitted Pahlavi’s “pitch” provoked “wariness and outright hostility among Iranians.”
Coincidentally, it is not the first time exiles personally endorsing insurrection in Tehran have backfired spectacularly for Israel and its Anglo-American puppet-masters.
In September 2022, rioters gathered under the banner of “Women, Life, Freedom” across Iran. As Press TV exposed at the time, a shadowy network of Western-sponsored off- and online actors seized the opportunity, ensuring that overseas audiences received blanket coverage.
Pahlavi, and close allies such as Masih Alinejad, a prominent veteran of US-funded propaganda efforts targeting Tehran, who has called for Zionist entity attacks on the Islamic Republic and assassination of its leaders, quickly proclaimed themselves to be leading the “movement”.
Protests quickly fizzled before being completely forgotten. In a post-mortem of why the so-called 'women life freedom' project failed, Zionist lobby-connected Mariam Memarsadeghi, who promotes “regime change” in the Islamic Republic, explicitly blamed Pahlavi for the debacle.
She noted how “his most visible associates” regularly endorse “retributive violence”, and “summary executions”, of Iranian citizens. No wonder they rejected Pahlavi’s brazen attempts to exploit the protests to seize power.
Failed plots
The 12-day war’s failure to produce the so-called “regime change” in Iran is all the more remarkable given that Washington has for decades been planning to dismantle the Islamic Republic. In 2002, then-US President George W. Bush made a number of public statements indicating he considered overthrowing Tehran’s popular government a priority.
For example, in July that year, Bush actively called for Iranian citizens to rise up, pledging they would “have no better friend than the United States of America” in such a rebellion.
Those entreaties have gone unheeded ever since, but strategising for such an eventuality has remained ongoing. In 2009, the Brookings Institution published a lengthy document outlining “options for a new American strategy toward Iran”.
It explored achieving “regime change” via supporting opposition elements, promoting internal unrest and divisions, and conducting covert operations to destabilize the government.
The proposal also mooted a route eerily referred to as “Leave it to Bibi” - using Israel as a proxy. Handily, Tel Aviv was purportedly already preparing to strike:
“It is clear from discussions with Israeli military and intelligence officials and from numerous press leaks and reports that Israel is well underway in planning for a military operation.”
Nonetheless, the Brookings Institution considered both options fraught with enormous risks and a high likelihood of grave, unintended consequences.
Civil war, regional instability, humanitarian crises, and the government’s position strengthening in the event of failure were all cited as hazardous eventualities that could arise.
The 12-day war amply underlines that cognizance of these dangers was no deterrent to the US and Israel pushing ahead with “regime change” attempts against Tehran anyway, just over a decade-and-a-half later, with predictably - indeed, predicted - disastrous results.
The recent INSS report strikes a similarly discordant tone. Despite repeatedly acknowledging the war of aggression was a counterproductive catastrophe that achieved the “opposite” of what Tel Aviv and Washington intended in every regard, INSS still concludes “regime change” in Tehran remains “a possible solution” and “worthy goal” - not just for the Zionist entity, but “the region, and the West.”
The report also sets out four “different strategies for overthrowing” Iran’s government.
It, however, acknowledges that each approach would almost inevitably boomerang. The report begrudgingly concludes that even if toppling Iran’s government were plausible, this “depends mainly on factors beyond Israel’s control.”
In other words, the Zionist entity has no good options available, only scope for triggering far worse consequences for itself. But evidently, from the perspective of Tel Aviv and its Western sponsors, the “regime change” coast isn’t clear in Tehran. It is therefore imperative that Iranian authorities and citizens alike stay ever-vigilant of foreign-borne threats, seen and unseen.
Gaza starvation death toll rises as UN warns Israel blocking lifesaving access
Five more Palestinians have died of starvation in the past 24 hours in Gaza, as the UN health agency warns that Israel’s "arbitrary denial" of medical teams is fueling a rising death toll across the besieged territory.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Gaza Health Ministry said the number of people who starved to death in the besieged strip during Israel’s war has risen to 193, with the five new confirmed hunger-related deaths coming in the past 24 hours. Among the victims are at least 96 children.
In a post on social media the World Health Organization (WHO) said the “complex” Israeli entry requirements for emergency medical teams (EMT) were “severely impacting availability of health services and leading to more deaths in Gaza.”
The WHO noted that the number of teams being denied entry to Gaza has risen to “nearly 50 percent” since March 18. This includes 102 Emergency Medical Teams (EMT) health professionals.
Several surgeons and specialized doctors have been barred from entering Gaza over the past few months, it added.
“Impeding EMTs from participating in the collective humanitarian response comes at a time when we are receiving daily reports of death due to the ongoing conflict and starvation as Gaza faces the worst-case scenario for famine,” the organization wrote.
“[The] WHO calls for the urgent and expedited facilitation of EMT entry into Gaza,” it added.
The Gaza Health ministry stated at least 135 Palestinians, including 87 aid seekers, had been killed and 771 injured in Israeli attacks across the besieged strip over the past few hours.
Israel has been facing mounting outrage over its genocidal war in Gaza.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former war minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2025/08/06/752606/Palestine-Gaza-Israel-WHO
