Whether inept, driven by survival or corrupt, they are unfit to lead their countries, let alone make decisions that imperil the whole world, says Guardian foreign affairs commentator Simon Tisdall
This was not inevitable. This is a war Israel chose. It could have been prevented. Diplomatic talks were ongoing when the bombers took off for Iran. Israel’s continuing, illegal, unjustified airstrikes are unlikely to achieve their stated aim – permanently ending Tehran’s presumed efforts to build nuclear weapons – and may accelerate it. They must stop now. Likewise, Iran must halt its retaliation immediately and drop its escalatory threats to attack US and UK bases.
This conflict is not limited, as was the case last year, to tit-for-tat exchanges and “precision strikes” on a narrow range of military targets. It’s reached a wholly different level. Potentially nothing is off the table. Civilians are being killed on both sides. Leaders are targets. The rhetoric is out of control. With Israel fighting on several fronts, and Iran’s battered regime backed against a wall, the Middle East is closer than ever to a disastrous conflagration.
Reasons can always be found to go to war. The roots of major conflicts often reach back decades – and this is true of the Israel-Iran vendetta, which dates to the 1979 Islamic revolution. The so-called “shadow war” between the two intensified in recent years. Yet all-out conflict had been avoided, until now. So who is principally to blame for this sudden, unprecedented explosion?
Answer: three angry old men whose behaviour raises serious doubts about their judgment, common sense, motives and even their sanity.
Great man theory nonsense. Was Netanyahu in power during the Sabra and Shatila massacre? During the Nakba? During the June 1967 war? Was Trump president when the US invaded Iraq? Was he president when the US sent billions of dollars in military aid to Israel to commit their genocide with? It's the countries, not the leaders. They're just the personification of a system. You could shoot each of these men in the head today, and nothing would change.
What an insanely stupid article. Israel bombs Iran completely unprovoked. Khamenei and Iran are incredibly responsible and measured in their response. Meanwhile Israel is flailing around like a wild bully with their American big brother behind its back, threatening Iran that they are not allowed to strike back
And the liberals from TheGuardian write a both sides article about it as if all parties share blame.
Ah yes, blame all three even though its been clearly israel and Netanyahu who have been beating the war drums for 30+ years. Israel has been talking about Iran developing a nuke for 30 years and saying that "its around the corner". Israel did the same with Iraq btw and dragged the US to war.
Peak liberal both sidesism. Desperately clinging to the illusion that USA good, Iran bad. This is a big part of why we have genocide against palestinians and trump in office.
Khamenei maybe an angry old man considering his country is facing an existential threat but Netanyahu is a wanted war criminal and Trump is a rapist with nefarious ties to the notorious Epstein
damn they just pretend the UK is not the country that fuel Jets over Iraq to facilitate the bombing. Or it is not the UK base in Cyprus and vessels that provide a command center and communication tool to facilitate the mission.
If you want to attack Iran and accelerate to a wwiii don't shy from telling the truth about your involvement, we know it, you know it ...
Angry old men ... ruling the biggest countries in the world .. and all of them not caring what they are going to do or not do because they're going to be dead or senile or incapable to do anything within the next ten years.
Lol. What about the millions that got them into office in the first place? It's not a gender issue. It's a human nature one - acting out their insecurities by lashing out at the perceived enemy.
Illegal, maybe. But... Unjustified? Maybe the author is unaware of Isreal's recent divulgence of Iran's plan to sprint for a nuke while its militant religious zealots in Hamas and Hizbullah are hobbled? Or how openly the mullahs state that they will use it?
This freaking assholes are going to do the thing that the last string of Putin's morality didnt allow him to do and give a white card to any future psycopath to use nuclear weapons.
Russia and the USA created this monsters. We need to deweaponize the fuck out of all of them before it is to late.
The thing is, there are people who need to be killed, and we just can't agree on who. And the people who say no one are the worst of all. Let's make some progress in this world.