There is simply no credible way to believe that Israel is waging the current war against Iran all by itself, or that the US’s role is limited to striking three nuclear sites over the weekend.
The distance, the military imbalance and the geopolitical stakes make it clear: this war is being waged with deep western support, both militarily and through intelligence co-operation.
And the objective? It appears military is no longer limited to reining in the Iranian nuclear programme. It’s about reshaping the power dynamics within Iran itself.
However, western powers would be playing with fire if backing this war is without a strategy for what comes after, as it means empowering a generation of hardliners in Israel, with many already embedded in its far-right government.
It’s true that Iran’s defences, meticulously built since the end of the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, are being dismantled. Hezbollah no longer holds sway. The new Syrian government has shifted course. Iraqi militias have their hands tied. A glance at the map shows how exposed Iran now is, with its cities vulnerable, its buffer zones dismantled.
Losing Syria as an ally was a decisive blow. Smuggling routes were cut. Border bases with Israel were lost. Syrian air space opened to Israeli jets. Syria, in effect, became a Trojan horse in this war.
Now, western powers, especially in Europe, the UK and the US, see an opening to break Iran’s regional hegemony. The demand for Tehran to completely halt uranium enrichment is one of the clearest signs that key European countries, for example, are shifting their positions to align themselves with Israel’s escalating campaign.
But Israel’s war isn’t a war for peace. It appears to be a campaign of revenge, fuelled by the illusion that Iran can somehow be fully controlled once broken.
Figures such as Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, two extremist ministers already sanctioned by European governments, are capitalising on this moment. If Iran falls, they won’t just claim that they have rewritten that country’s future; they will reshape Israeli politics for years to come.
The balance of power inside Israel could shift decisively to the far right, giving these ministers greater political weight, bigger parties and more control over policy.
The fallout would be catastrophic. The same Israeli government now accused of war crimes in Gaza and beyond would feel vindicated and unleashed. There would be no restraint. Their agenda of expansion, annexation and ultra-nationalism would surge forward, cloaked in the glow of their military successes.
This is one of the region’s greatest current risks: an emboldened, extremist-led Israeli state driving the Middle East into years – possibly decades – of instability.
For Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this war is personal. Despite having dominated Israeli politics for decades, he wants to erase his legacy of corruption, strategic failure and the October 7 catastrophe. He wants history to remember him not as the prime minister who failed to protect 1,200 Israelis from the Hamas-led attacks, but as the man who broke Iran.
His legacy today lies in Tehran.
Now the West must confront a sobering question: who is it really helping reshape the region? Because if Israel’s extremists are allowed to dictate what comes next, this will not be a short war. It will be a new order: chaotic, bloody and boundless.
There is a moral obligation for western governments backing this campaign to ensure that those they empower today cannot determine Israel’s course tomorrow. Many Arab states have already warned of the perilous line the West is walking. But history suggests western strategy in this region rarely looks beyond the next headline.
And if no one changes course, tomorrow could make today look like a warning shot by comparison.
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
Company%20Profile
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The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Equinox
Price, base / as tested: Dh76,900 / Dh110,900
Engine: 2.0L, turbocharged in-line four-cylinder
Gearbox: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 252hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: Torque: 352Nm @ 2,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.5L / 100km
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4.0-litre%2C%20flat%20six-cylinder%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eseven-speed%20PDK%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E510hp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E470Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Efrom%20Dh634%2C200%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Scores
Oman 109-3 in 18.4 overs (Aqib Ilyas 45 not out, Aamir Kaleem 27) beat UAE 108-9 in 20 overs (Usman 27, Mustafa 24, Fayyaz 3-16, Bilal 3-23)
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More on animal trafficking
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
CABINET%20OF%20CURIOSITIES%20EPISODE%201%3A%20LOT%2036
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EGuillermo%20del%20Toro%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Tim%20Blake%20Nelson%2C%20Sebastian%20Roche%2C%20Elpidia%20Carrillo%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
'O'
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAuthor%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Zeina%20Hashem%20Beck%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPages%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20112%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Penguin%20Books%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EAvailable%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Aston martin DBX specs
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 542bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Top speed: 291kph
Price: Dh848,000
On sale: Q2, 2020
Super Bowl LIII schedule
What Super Bowl LIII
Who is playing New England Patriots v Los Angeles Rams
Where Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, United States
When Sunday (start time is 3.30am on Monday UAE time)
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The%20specs
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Company%20Profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
SPECS%3A%20Polestar%203
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Haircare resolutions 2021
From Beirut and Amman to London and now Dubai, hairstylist George Massoud has seen the same mistakes made by customers all over the world. In the chair or at-home hair care, here are the resolutions he wishes his customers would make for the year ahead.
1. 'I will seek consultation from professionals'
You may know what you want, but are you sure it’s going to suit you? Haircare professionals can tell you what will work best with your skin tone, hair texture and lifestyle.
2. 'I will tell my hairdresser when I’m not happy'
Massoud says it’s better to offer constructive criticism to work on in the future. Your hairdresser will learn, and you may discover how to communicate exactly what you want more effectively the next time.
3. ‘I will treat my hair better out of the chair’
Damage control is a big part of most hairstylists’ work right now, but it can be avoided. Steer clear of over-colouring at home, try and pursue one hair brand at a time and never, ever use a straightener on still drying hair, pleads Massoud.
Race%20card
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